Awareness

As you may have read, last weekend we took thirteen high school students to a leadership retreat. We knew it would be good, but we had no idea how the weekend would actually go. Going into the weekend, I felt like I knew the girls we were taking, and that we would have a great time, and we did. But, so much happened in that weekend, and this last week, that it's crazy.

Here's a bizarre thing: the van full of high school students was relatively quiet on the way to camp. That is unheard of, and made Caleb and I a bit curious on how the rest of the weekend would go. So, as tradition goes, we blared Jesus Freak (by DC Talk), Relient K, some other bands, and made our way to camp. The retreat kicked off by a chapel session focusing on how to use the Bible for relationship advice, and the traditional root beer floats afterwards. Then we hung out in the game room and eventually made our way to the cabins for the night. That night marked how the rest of the retreat would go for me.

I was almost asleep when I heard someone crying. Thankfully another student knew the student better, because I didn't know what to say. I just sat there and listened and prayed, and wondered like so many other people, how things that shatter and turn our worlds upside down can happen to those who are seemingly the least likely candidates. The next morning after chapel, I got to talk to most of the girls about some things going on in their lives, and spent the afternoon getting to know them better. I've only been out of high school for three years, but I forgot how hard it really can be sometimes. These students are up against so many things of this world, that they struggle just to know wrong from right, let alone live out their faith. And the fact is, that so many of them do! So many times this weekend I was proud of these girls (and boys) as I listened to what was going on in their lives, and the lives of others that effected them, and how they handled situations.

The rest of Saturday was pretty fun. The whole camp played steal the bacon, with real cow parts (i.e. eyeballs, a liver, a heart, and a tongue!) which was disgusting, but they had a blast. For some of them, letting go and actually getting into the game to have fun was a challenge, but they did well. Whether it was just grabbing the innertubes or an actual cow part, all the students who were able to do so participated. After dinner, they played the game of life, which was fun, and altogether new for me. Certain leaders sold houses, others cars, some were bankers, there was a chaplain, a mutual bond seller, etc., and our students had a list of things they had to complete. I think it was a great idea to have them play this game, even if it wasn't for real. If anything, they gained some insight on how life works, and what its like to be an adult.

After chapel that night, I got to have some good conversations with some of the girls again, and they continually opened my eyes. They amaze me, and even in some of the stuff I learned, I hurt for them. The next morning went well with breakfast, chapel, and the ride home. The students we took are amazing young adults, and they had good responses in chapel, small group discussion, and interactions all weekend. What grabbed my attention even after the retreat was the response we had at youth group Sunday night. Family Issues and dysfunctional families were the topics of discussion. So many students came to talk to a leader afterwards. During my time with these students, I gained even more of an insight into some of the lives of our students...

The fact is: our students are going through insanely hard issues. If an adult says, 'oh, it's just a phase, you'll grow out of it' do you really think they know what's going on or how to handle it? To the students, it's a way of blowing them off and telling them that the adult doesn't care. That can shatter a student. Remember all the drama you experienced in school? All the mean comments, back-stabbing, and not to mention the family issues of sibling problems, divorce, abuse, neglect, etc. These students need us! I've learned so much in the past week about what is going on in some of the students' lives, and these are only the students in the youth group I help with. Imagine what some of the other students are going through who aren't coming forward and talking. Who knows whats going on. Either way, our students are on their way to adulthood, they're our next generation, and they, like everyone else, have real issues they're going through. We can help, we just need to be aware of their situations. How? Gain their trust, and talk to them. Let them know that they can confide in you,  that you absolutely love them and want to help them in any way. You can make a difference in their life.