What We've Really Been Up To

There's a certain endeavor that has come to occupy a huge amount of time and energy in our lives.  It's on our minds almost constantly.  And whenever anybody asks "What have you guys been up to lately?" it's always the first thing that comes to mind.  

I haven't been sure how to write about it.  But I'm going to try, because it's basically become our life!

To put it in one sentence, Michael and I currently serve as youth leaders in our church.

Here's just a little background.  As most of you know, Michael and I are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In our church, we have youth programs for the Young Men and Young Women (ages 12-18).  These programs are designed to help these youth come unto Christ and discover their worth and potential as children of God.  Among many other things, the programs include Sunday instruction and weekly activities.  They are organized so the youth have opportunities for leadership and service.

Right now I am the "Young Women President" in our ward, which means I oversee the entire YW program under the direction of our bishop (kind of like a pastor).  I also have two wonderful counselors who help me in my responsibilities.  Michael is a counselor in the Young Men's presidency.  Oh, and he is also the Scoutmaster.  (Aaaand he's in a doctorate program at school - ahhhhhh!)  We were called to these specific responsibilities in the winter.

Our youth group is extremely diverse, and there are many needs to be met.  Some of our youth come from families where both parents are members of the church, others come from part-member families, and still others come from families where they receive little or no parental support when it comes to church things (mostly refugees, who have some incredible stories of their own).  There are some who haven't been members of the church for very long.  And there are several who are inactive or bordering on inactivity.  That's our biggest and most constant worry.

The main thing I wanted to write about here is what these responsibilities have taught me (us).  Because it's most definitely been a learning curve for both of us!

For one thing, the gospel of Jesus Christ has become even more real to us now that we are responsible for helping others understand and live it.  We need to be leading by example, so we've been trying to do better at drawing close to the Lord each day ourselves.  Then we also find ourselves thinking about the challenges these kids are facing, and how we can encourage them to seek comfort and guidance from God.  We try to share experiences that have strengthened our faith - and the very act of sharing them with the youth reaffirms our faith again.  

We've also caught a glimpse into how our Father in Heaven feels about His children, and how much He wants each of them to return to Him.  The more we've worked with these youth, the more we've come to love them.  (Some of the girls would probably be shocked at how often I think about them and pray for them.  Seriously.)  We feel incredible joy over their successes, and we also shed tears over them (sometimes lots of tears).  We want so badly for each of them to come to know the Lord, because we know staying close to Him will make all the difference in their lives.  I wonder if they ever take the time to envision themselves in 5, 10, 20 years from now.  They have SO much potential, and it is up to them what kind of legacy they will pass on to their children and grandchildren.  I guess this is how the Lord must feel about all of us.  He knows what we have the potential of becoming, and He knows what will get us there.  He is there to guide us - if only we will seek Him!  

That brings me to the next point.  Michael and I have both had to accept that no matter how much effort we put into helping someone feel welcome and inviting them to come unto Christ in their own life, they will ultimately make their own choices.  When they choose not to come to church or participate with the youth, that doesn't necessarily mean that we've failed (though often we've felt like we have).  We just have to keep trying, and do it for love of the youth and the Lord.  Hopefully then when they decide to come back, they'll know exactly where to go.

Finally, these callings have helped us realize all of the effort that goes into building the kingdom of God.  We have moved past the stage of primarily receiving the fruit of others' efforts and into the stage of being the leaders.  It's a lot of work, energy, and time.  It's a lot of stressing and stewing at times.  Sometimes it takes over other things (I'd say over half of Michael and I's conversations revolve around the youth in some way).  But rightly so.  It's the greatest and most important cause we could be involved in.  It's worth it.  And the time we spend with these kids really is so rewarding.  

I'm sure my counselors (and the other Young Men's leaders) could write posts almost identical to this one themselves - they're just as much in the thick of things as we are, and we don't know what we would do without them!  We're also grateful to our parents, with whom we have counseled much about these things.  They've had so much experience serving in the Church, they've been able to provide lots of wisdom and reassurance as we've embarked on this journey in the youth program.

So why did I write this post?  Partly to record my own thoughts, and partly for the interest of family and friends who might be reading.  But I guess it was largely with the hope that some of the youth might read it...and that they might come away knowing how much their leaders really do care about them. :)