The Youth Group | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: The Youth Group | Previous Challenge Entry
By Debbie Sanders
01/16/08
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Sometimes I believe it takes someone else looking in to help us solve our dilemmas. Sometimes we get so involved with the crisis that we are in the middle of, we cannot see the lesson that God is trying to teach us. At least that was the case for me a few years ago.

For the last seven years consecutively, my husband and myself have been the volunteer youth leaders at our church, along with few very important people who have helped us tremendously. I cannot give you an explanation except that God has richly blessed our efforts in our very rural area. We are just a small church, but from the very start the young folks were interested. The first meeting I called there were ten teens who met with me, along with several adults, some of which had an attitude of “Good Luck” but I don't see this working. But I knew God had a mission to accomplish there, and I looked them square in the eye that day and told them, “What I had in me was strong than what the world had, and through his strength this would work. I truly believed God had a plan for us.

It wasn't long until we had 60-70 kids showing up every Wednesday night for youth meeting. We performed skits, we sang, we visited the local Nursing Home, we walked for missions. The Spirit of God was certainly working within the group. Yet, you know as well as I do, when things are going good, old Satan has to rear his ugly head. It wasn't long until folks came in, who did not share the same love for these children that we did. They were there to supposedly help with Vacation Bible School, but instead they basically destroyed our youth group in one night. I was so hurt and ready to throw the towel in. I had been so wounded. I knew I was doing what God wanted done, how could he let this happen. I cried a mountain of tears and I just could see how I could go on, with all the hurt that I was feeling. It just amazed me how it only took one night to ruin years of labor in God's vineyeard.

But, by the grace of God, I continued to meet with the remnant of the former group that was left, which numbered only about ten. Every time I looked out on this small group, I became more discouraged. Before long, as I kept dwelling on the past and what we once had, I just didn't know how much longer I could continue . Just when I was ready to give up, I heard these words of wisdom from my daughter. She looked at me and said. “Mom, open your eyes you have a whole new generation to work with. You may have only ten, but they are just as important as those who left.” For the first time in a while I realized I cannot worry about those who want come and that I should focus on those that God has given me to nurture in His admonition.

A few years out now, and we once again have about fifty young folks meet with us every Wednesday night. My prayer continues to be that God will use us in this the preparatory phase of their lives, and that from this group God will call future youth leaders and workers for Christ.

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