I came as a chaperon which means you get put where they need help. Fortunately for me, they needed help with Back Yard Bible Club in the morning AND in the afternoon. In this so called BYBC, we play with kids, teach them motions to songs that are outrageously fun and Jesus-centered, help them memorize Bible verses, and give them "Kingdom Coins" as their reward for knowing those verses.
Here are some small pictures of what it was like to live with 200 teenagers and love on little kids who were excited to know us.
3 very interesting introductions:
1. "Hey, my name's Reid. You know how you READ a book? READ? Yeah, same sound."
2. "Hey there. What's your name?"
"They call me LITTLE MAN."
3. "What's your name?"
"Liz."
"Okay. Her name will be Liz Junior," the little girl said as she held up her inflatable monkey.
3 unforgettable skit lines:
1. "TWO POINTS for the GOOD DOCTOR!"
2. "Hey, Father. Older brother just said that when you die, he'll get part of your money and I'll get the other part of your money. If that's true, lemme holla at cha."
3. "The disciples were scared SPITLESS! but Jesus wasn't scared at all."
3 outrageous Candice statements:
1. "They don't get it. This week is supposed to be about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit... and sandwhiches."
2. "Ooh, Liz. Today I went to the nursing home and met Ms. Mary. She was SO cute. And I met Ms. Carolyn, too. She is AWWWWWWWWWWE-SOME."
3. "Okay, I'll read you a story..... once upon a time, there was a girl named Candice. She didn't go to church or like the Bible, but she really liked bible tabs. So she decided to get a Bible and go to church. Some years later, she graduated from her youth group and put some bible tabs on her Bible."
3 fabulous food groups of the week:
1. Famous Amos cookies
2. Coco Puffs
3. Stolen pizza from dinner that was secretly stuffed above the ceiling tiles.
3 invigorating moments with teenagers:
1. Bouncing around intensely to "Joyful Noise" by Flame.
2. Dinner with Kelly. We made extremely scripted animal noises.
"Moo. MOO. MOOOOOO. Quack. Bark! Bark, bark, bark! Me-yow. Me-yow. Me-yooooow."
3. Hearing several teenagers stand up and quote an insane amount of scripture they had worked hard to memorize.
3 things I got to rediscover about my youth pastor:
1. He's creative.
2. He understands that kids understand the Gospel.
3. His excitement about ministry is contagious.
3 things I never knew about kids:
1. They watch you like a hawk.
2. They love saying their Bible memory verses like a sissy girl and like a football player and super fast and super slow and like their pants are on fire.
3. They don't forget you, even if you come back to their neighborhood for the first time in two years.
3 things I hope I won't decide to do again:
1. Forget to take pain medicine when I start to feel... pain.
2. Leave the ministry site to get two 5 gallon buckets of water and Koo-laid... all by myself.
3. Re-inflate my air mattress without asking for a pump.
3 things I was convicted about:
1. Memorizing bible verses.
2. Taking my focus off of Jesus so I can get upset when other people aren't focused.
3. Stomping on evil with my words even if it hurts people.
3 truths that came out of my heart:
1. I really love Jackson, Tennessee.
2. I love watching Holy Spirit do things in teenagers.
3. I believe more than ever that God wants to do something about all the mess.
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
We believe
We believe in you, God
Awesome Liz!!
ReplyDeleteDid you really blow up your air mattress without a pump? Really...??
Oh... it's easier than you think. If you have amazing lungs, that is.
ReplyDelete"3. Stolen pizza from dinner that was secretly stuffed above the ceiling tiles" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ReplyDelete