words about the past and a vision for the future

ok, i have a few minutes to sit and write about what all has been going on for the past month of my life:

The craziness of the summer took over and i think i spent one night in the past month in my own bed. i saw my dog one day and swore he wouldnt know who i am when i returned from our final destination. fortunately i was wrong and he still loves me.

1. Zenith: Man, that seems like so long ago. Man, did Mitch bring it or what. But what i love so much is Mitch's understanding and verbalization that Mitch has nothing to do with it; he is merely a vessel that the spirit chooses to work through...and man did he work! We took a much smaller group this year because of the date conflict with Brazil, but it was refreshing. Three of the four boys are incoming freshmen and I just can't wait to see a new class of leadership entering the high school youth group. I feel we still have a long way to go, but we are reminded that we are not solely responsible for raising leaders, but only allowing Christ to work through us.

2. Brasil: Here are a few things that I learned in those 10 days I spent in Brasil:
A. Just as the children in Brasil were so excited to have our signatures written on their bodies, Christ has written his name on us and we should be just as thrilled and overjoyed about that.
B. No matter how many people get sick, Christ still works in amazing ways...He teaches us to trust him.
C. McDonald's isn't good in Brasil either.
D. For some reason, Mafia is always better in Brasil.
E. It is possible to cut yourself on a peice of bread.
F. There are a few things that don't need translation: a baby laughing, a baby crying, Britney Spears, and the cheering after Brasil scores in the world cup, and of course, the love of Christ.
G. We truly have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world.

Here are a few short highlights: (in no particular order)
A. Going to house church and singing Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jack Johnson with the Brasilians.
B. Riding a super sweet dune buggie.
C. Watching the World Cup game with the Brasilians(particularly the game where Brasil won.)
D. Singing "If You Love Jesus" with the kids at VBS.
E. Listening to the brasilians sing their hearts out.
F. Listening to our teens sing their hearts out.
G. A Prayer Drive over the religion, education and city of Fortaleza.
H. Cleaning and painting an assisted living home.
I. Watching our teens connect with the locals.

3. Cornerstone: Man oh Man! What a great week. I was a little worried when all i heard about for the first three days was 1. "i just broke up with my boyfriend that i met yesterday at camp." and 2. "Karessa, we have another one of yours in the nurse's office." But God changed hearts this week. this is how i know: Our youth group time was nothing but positive and encouraging (K-Love!) where teens were lifting up one another and commenting on the coolness of what they learned in class. We of course had a few girls crying, but that only lets you know that they were impacted this week and were sad to be leaving. My favorite part of the week was about 30 minutes after youth group time when we were waiting for ice cream and there was a huddle of about 12 kids. "What are they doing???" so i snuck over there to get a closer look and...they were praying! Praying for each other, praying for the youth group, praying for relationships...some of them I hadn't heard speak all week! where did this understanding come from that it was ok to do that? and not just ok...but that is what we should be doing! Praise God for understanding.

And now for the future:
I have a vision, and I dont know if my vision is parallel to the vision of those actually on the search committee for a new youth minister, but I would like to share it anyways because it is something that excites me to the fullest. Here is what i see:

1. (apparently i've gone list happy) Our church is in the midst of a move. Not just a move in location, but also a move of thought. It seems to me that our church and youth group is getting ready to bust and and it is now time to prepare to let God use us in some incredible ways.

2. I see our group growing in numbers, but almost hitting a wall in spiritual growth and leadership. I think this is mostly due to the fact that probably 90% of our teens have been churched all their lives and it takes new and interactive ways to make truth a reality.

3. Also, how do we become an outreach to those who have not been churched? Where do we become motivated to "be a conscious in our community"? Our community is primarily upperclass, white kids who drive nice cars, the best clothes, and the newest gadgets.

4. In september, we are adding a staff member to our team for outreach. One of his ministries will be a hispanic ministry which is awesome and extremely necessary in San Antonio, but unfortunately, that is not our community. I imagine us going out into san antonio to fulfill that ministry, which is what God calls us to do, but also, how do you become an outreach in the very community where you are located? and if that is not important, then why move except for space issues?

5. There is a new high school being built about 2 minutes away from our potential plot of land and I would love to see their Young Life club being held at our facilities.

For those of you who are not familiar with Young Life, it is an outreach ministry for non-christian teens. In high school, I attended a few times thinking it was supposed to be like a youth group, but I was confused to see all the party kids joining together singing sweet home alabama and then light the fire. It seemed hypocritical. In college, I became a Young Life leader and finally came to understand the mission. We are here for the sick, not the healthy. We entered the schools for lunch, football games, choir concerts, theatre plays, etc. etc. and just hung out with teens. Monday nights were "club night" where we would do a stupid skit or play crazy games, sing songs that we hear on the radio, sing a few worship songs, and then present a short talk about the gospel. Thursday nights were bible studies for those who wanted to go deeper. The ultimate was taking kids to young life camp where finally everything was put together and it clicks for the first time for a lot of kids. That is what I see for our church.

I envision a secularized, musical, and laid back hang out time to draw in new kids. I envision our team leaders going into the schools, football games, etc. and hanging out with teens that they have never met before. I envision our leaders providing love and discipleship to kids who may or may not attend our church. I would hope that our goal was to make sure teens were involved in Christ...and ultimately in church (whether it be ours or not.) I envision a deeper Bible study being held on Wednesday nights to encourage those who want to know more to visit. I envision our current youth group teens participating in discipleship and learning how to lead and teach others. I envision a team of youth group leaders actually planning and leading Young Life clubs. I envision collge volunteers, young singles, young marrieds, older families...everyone being responsible for checking up and being accountable for the spiritual growth of not only our youth group teens, but those they might encounter at an outreach ministry such as Young Life.

6. Finally, our search for a youth minister should come down to this: experience and passion. We are on the verge of forming a high quality program that will require experience, but also a great passion for the spirit's leading and the development of spirituality among churched teens and unchurched teens.

Whew...sorry about the length of this entry. Zzzzzzz....