Youth connections

Well, I am slowly recruiting myself to be a quasi-youth director here at Bethel. Which I am fine with since I have never been a youth director anywhere, so I get a different perspective.

The high schoolers here seem to enjoy having me organize times for them to get together and both do something and hang out. One in particular has basically told me that I am their youth director. Something I remember from the good ole days of my youth (which was soooooooo far away...) was the hanging out. The times I enjoyed most were those when I was permitted to simply hang out and enjoy being with my peers away from family. Yes, activities are fun and all, but there is a value to having the activity (be it Bible study or game night or whatever) but also giving up a space to talk, chill, eat food, etc without having a strict agenda.

So last night, for example, I had some games arranged for them. I brought my little bowling set (thanks to Lindsay and her amazing perception that what I needed for my 23rd birthday was a child's plastic bowling set!). There is just something about having a rousing game of hallway bowling where the little bowling balls are too light to do any damage to anything, so even trying to throw them as hard as humanly possible does nothing to walls or floors. Granted, they are impossible to work with unless you stand within 10 feet of the pins. And of course, the pins don't like to stay upright on carpet.

But all that is beside the point.

So I also dig out other games (which no one wanted to play) and decide that a background movie is just the thing to occupy the other kids that are not actively trying to knock down tiny, multi-colored plastic bowling pins. And I was amazed how they got glued to watching "Hook." I love this movie since I remember watching it in jr/sr high school (it came out when I was 11) and almost bought it the other day.

And once again, I get reminded by some that they like how I am willing to let them have fun and that I don't stress out if/when they decide to relax.

But at the end of the evening, I was exhausted from all the unnecessary stressing out over planning and preparation and concern over not having enough for them to do since all they wanted to do was have a time when they can have fun as the youth in the congregation.

It is far easier to visit the elderly at the hospital or in their homes. No need to prepare. And they feed me, instead of me arranging to feed 7 high schoolers. But I guess I'm just a sucker for taking on a challenge...