For the last 18 years I have had a part in youth ministry.
If you have any part in youth ministry, you know that it has lots of drama.
Some days you love working with teens,
and other days you never want to see another teen again.
Oh, the DRAMA!!!
My favorite years during my experience in youth ministry
were those that I served with this faithful group of interns.
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| (this picture is over 5 years old) |
They were "my kids"!!!
We lived on the campground together,
played together, worked hard together,
played harder together, sang together,
laughed together, cried together,
did devotions together,...
Those were the days!!!
When you work with teens, you wonder,
"how many will continue to serve the Lord?"
God only requires us to be faithful to His ministry.It is not our responsibility to make anyone do anything.
I am happy to say that most of the teens
in that picture are serving the Lord!
Today, there is one in particular that I want to tell you about.
His name is Steve.
Steve has a great family.
His dad works with the youth at their church in New Jersey.
Like his dad, Steve also has a burden for youth ministry.
He feels God leading him to be a youth pastor one day.
Steve has a great relationship with God, his parents, his pastor, and is involved in ministry. God is certainly using all of his years
of hard work and service to prepare him for future ministry.
This Wednesday, I was asked to speak to their youth group.
There were between 65-70 in attendance, with some visitors.
As I began to speak, more teens came in. It was standing room only.
What a thrilling experience.
As I spoke, the teens watched and listened intently
to descriptions of my ministry in South Africa and an object lesson
(which I will share with you in the near future).
I saw Steve again this evening.
He told me with tears in his eyes just how blessed he was.
This evening at the camp chapel was a special testimony time called
"Share the Gift".
It is a time when the staff, interns and campers get a chance to share with each other how they accepted the "gift" of salvation and how God has changed thier lives.
Steve was taken back at how many of his past campers
shared that they were saved in his cabin.
He was so blessed to hear how they had grown in the Lord.
After he left, I thought how blessed I was to be able to hear him explain to me how he was so overwhelmed with being used by the Lord in others' lives. How blessed each and everyone of us are.
Like me, he is addicted to youth ministry.
18 years in youth ministry and counting!
Take a look at some of the youth that
I will get to work with when I finally get to South Africa -
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| (Me and Londiwe) |
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| (Friday Kids' Club) |
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| (Young Ladies Bible Study) Already, I can say, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. III John 1:4". May the Lord bless each of us (who serve in Youth Ministry) with many years of blessings. |