5th Quarter

In my ministry one of my plans/visions for this school year was to host a 5th Quarter. Some of you may be asking what is 5th Quarter, well I'm glad you asked. There are 4 quarters in a football game, and 5th Quarter is an event held immediately following the football game. On this Friday night, the 13th I have invited as many of the Royal Palm Beach High school students as I could to come to my 5th Quarter Luau! I have partnered with First Baptist Church of Royal Palm Beach to host this event. The church is perfectly located across the street from the school and should provide for an easy find for post-game entertainment.
I remember 5th Quarter when I was in high school, my youth pastor did it every Friday night after the football games. It was a lot of fun, and a great -free hang out. My hope is to do this next year for most if not all home football games and I'm praying that the school will let me hold it there in the gym. My prayer and challenge to my Campus Life students has been to get 100 students to the 5th Quarter Luau. This past week Campus Life had its highest attendence to date and I'm hoping that means that the word is getting out about Campus Life. I'm very excited about how God is moving and helping me create relationships with students, as well as the school as a whole. Please pray for me and all of the last minute details that need to come together. I am really looking forward this event! I look forward to updating next week with the wonderful things that God is going to do this weekend!

Stepping Up

So as this semester has gone on, I have tried very hard to be present in the actual lives of certain students. To get into the inner circle of a students life means you have to be present and available. I have adapted to being flexible, some girls call me because they don't have a ride home from school, others are just bored and looking for something to do. By the end of the day it is easy to feel like I've moved wherever the wind has blown. Its exhausting at times, but I am finally seeing the time invested is starting to pay off.
Several of the students have not only grown to rely on me but they are coming to me personally with the issues in their lives. They trust me, and its taken what feels like a very long time to get here but the things these kids are trusting me with is amazing. I have finally gotten to that next level. I of course care about these students and always have otherwise I wouldn't be doing what I do, but I really like these young adults. They are incredible!
What some of them are going through or have to deal with breaks my heart but I have found that journeying with them is so worth it. Being there with them has given me so many opportunities to share what God has done in my life, and its so encouraging to see there reactions to who I used to be, and they are curious as to why I'm not that person anymore. I am breaking through some major walls with many of them, and for some of them I've been the only adult to take the time to listen. I am stepping up not only into these students lives but I'm also slowly being reminded of how much I have stepped up in my own life. God is good, and there's not a better way of being reminded of how good He is than by being reminded of who you used to be.

Funny Story

This will be short and sweet, but I just need to share this because it was by far the funniest thing that has happened in a while :)

So I am in the student council advisor's (Arnone) office at Royal Palm Beach High, we are chatting with the student body president (Karlie) about homecoming! They were preparing for a meeting with the principal to get all there homecoming plans Ok'd. Then I catch Karlie's gaze on the far corner of the office ceiling, she asks "did you hear that??" She looked pretty freaked out, but we all paused long enough to hear a skamper along the ceiling tiles of the office. We all screamed and ran out of the room...not paying attention to the office being connected to the classroom we ran into the scamper followed us! We all held onto each other and did a little creep out dance (very amusing to have seen i'm sure). Then imediately stormed out of the room and into the schools office to address the issue.

As we arrive and describe the horrific occurance to the two secretaries there, and they promptly send us to the secretary in the front office, stating that "she called animal control earlier today, she would know when they are coming." To our surprise we heard a story about a racoon who had been found and killed in the classroom next to his, so animal control had already been notified. Not a very pleasant thought, but it was definately a hiliarious happening while I was on campus this morning.

JOY!

Seems so strange that this is my first blog in over a month. I am a bit ashamed as there has been plenty going on to blog about. School of course being in full swing with football, volleyball, cheerleading, and Campus Life, not to mention church obligations. My weekly schedule at first glance doesn't seem so bad, however every week I feel there is not time for me. I am embarassed to admitt that I do not have a social life. And as a 27 year old, unmarried lady this is sad...
I love my job...let me say this again, I LOVE MY Job! I am so blessed, and I am so fullfilled by it. I truly love hangin out with teenagers! They are a lot of fun, and pretty easy to listen to and talk to. But where in all of this did I lose myself. If I didn't have roomates, I wouldn't really have friends at all here in Florida. I of course have my boyfriend, Adam who I spend the majority of my spare time with , but he also works with teenagers so much of our time together is spent with students. I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering where the balance in life is. I can't imagine adding to my life without changing a few things.
Its obvious that without God everything in my life crumbles both my professional life, and my personal life. He is truly the glue that holds me together, and in the last month or so I have felt closer to Him than I have in a long time, but concern in has taken over. I get concerned for students, and money, as well as family that I can't be with. I get concerned for Adam, and my ministry. In all this concern I wonder where I have time for joy. Don't get me wrong I am not complaining and I'm not unhappy in where I am right now, I have peace about where I am, I guess maybe there is something that needs to change or move?
I have so many times prayed that my life would not be about me but about God. And I believe that I mean it, I do want my life to be less of me and more of Him. I guess I just have an inbalance somewhere that has taken my joy in this endeavor???

Things I'm excited about

As the summer comes to a hault, the hustle of the new school semester offically begins. With only one year under my belt as a Campus Life director I am still filled with questions and ideas (some better than others), in preparation for a new school year. Learning the ropes to this Campus Life thing has proven to be harder than it seemed at first, but I find that to be a good thing. After one school year of getting a lot of things wrong and a few things right I'm praying to be lead to the right people and in the right direction.
Royal Palm Beach High school has been very welcoming to me. By the end of school last year I not only was the asst. cheerleading coach but also had begun volunteering with the Student Government. Now I still have a long way to go but I have several things I am excited about for this coming semester.

-First off this semester I will be starting small groups for our high school girls. These groups will be a mix of christian and non-christian girls as well as a mix of schools represented.

-Getting the word out about Campus Life at Royal Palm Beach High. I've had a year to develope and now I want Campus Life to grow!

-My leaders who assist me with Campus Life are really stepping up this year to help me out so I can have more time on Campus as well as have the time for these girls small groups.

-I am excited to see God at work, now that I am a little more confident in what I am doing I'm look forward turning the corner with the students that I already have a relationship with. I want these students to know who I represent and why I do what I do.

-I can't wait to connect with students who I haven't met yet! I love meeting new people and building new relationships.

-All my Campus Life students who were so committed all last school year, I'm excited to challenge them.

-I am looking forward to all the trips and events that I have coming up...(praying for their success)

Looking back is something that I too often do, heck I even look in comparison sometimes...but the most exciting place is looking to the future. I pray for all the potential that this year holds, I pray that God works through me and around me if He has to.

YFCamp Prep

Last year was my first experience with YFCamp. I went as somewhat of a last minute addition for a co-worker who didn't have a female volunteer to go with his girls. I didn't know any of the girls before camp and still totally had a blast and got to know each of the girls really well. This year we are taking high school students to camp at an out of state location! We are heading all the way up to Michigan, and no we are not flying. All together it will be pretty close to a 24 hour road trip. I am actually looking forward to this part of the trip, anyone who knows me knows how much I enjoy a good road trip! Not to mention its a good bonding time for the students to get to know one another as well as us leaders. I am not only looking forward to the road trip, and getting out of the Florida heat though.
The YFCamp slogan is "Where everything changes," and I believe that to be true! Camp is one opportunity where we can shut up everything from the world for these students, and let them hear from God. The result of last summer when I didn't know the girls that I went with at all makes me very excited for this year where I am familar with most of the students going. It really is going to be a great trip and camp. Please pray for us we leave on Saturday, the 18th and return somtime on the 26th. Pray that God would change the lives of these teens and move in my heart as well.

Year One

Well here I am at the beginning of my second year at Youth for Christ. I have learned so much in my first year of ministry. I have a long way go but I already know some things that I want to change for next year.
First of all in the YFC mission statement it states that "..We consistently pursue lost students." Being a person who usually has no problem attracting people and making new friends, I have learned that there is a big difference between befriending students and pursuing them. It really shouldn't have taken me soo long to catch onto this one, everyone wants to be pursued. We all want to know that people want to be our friends or reminders of love from our loved ones. I am learning how instrumental this concept is to what I do as I am meeting students...they need to constantly be seeing my interest in them and their lives.
Another thought that I have stumbled into is how in an evangelistic ministry I must market Campus Life better. After training last summer I really took hold of the idea that this was a relational ministry and so I concentrated only on relationships but without marketing it became increasingly hard to build relationships without new students attending club. I need to not be afraid to invite and tell students about what I do. Campus Life is a fantastic opportunity, and I need to be more proud of what I do there...sharing the Gospel.
There are so many other lessons that I have learned in this first year of ministry. Most of the lessons however have been me learning about myself. I have become very aware of the ways that I personally get in the way of what God is doing around me and through me. Ministry is hard, its challenging spiritually, professionally, and personally. Its hard to feel successful when the measuring stick that you are put up against is Jesus. Praise God that what He sees when He looks at me is Jesus.