LIT at Great Wolf Lodge December 2010
The Great Outdoors
We split up into two groups; one for those who wanted to hike on the trail through the woods, and the rest who wanted to play their favorite sport, FUTBOL! (soccer)
I of course was proud of the four girls who were adventurous enough to try something new, and followed me into the woods. I have to admit it wasn't as peaceful and quiet as I expected it to be. The four girls were a bit louder than my old beagle, who is usually my hiking partner. One of the girls was holding my arm as we went into the woods, afraid of animals and bugs, but slowly let go of me as we went on. The part I was waiting for was when we finally took a break, and she sat down on the ground, picking at everything around her. "EWWW WHAT is that!." It was moss.
She was shocked to discover moss growing on a rock. The other adult and I taught her about it and she was amazed that something could grow like that. She then proceeded to beat it with a stick and scrape it all off; delighted. She then found a leaf she loved, which she decided to take home, followed by a hedge apple, acorns...you get the idea. The beauty and intrigue of God's creation began to speak to her and it was wonderful and hilarious to watch.
This is the girl, who one week earlier, myself and two other adults had to confine her to the kitchen, to confront the awful behavior that she was having towards all the adults, as well as her peers. She had just been moved up from the Kids Program, and wasn't excited about facing the much deeper challenges we pose to the Teens Adelante community. She was begging to go home, disobeying, judging all the other kids, and creating tension in the group. We left her with a choice that day. She could apologize to all the adults, accept the love that a new group of people are trying to give her, change her attitude, and stay with us this trimester. Or, she could not come back.
This is the second time this fall that I have seen the empowerment that is given when a child has to make a choice like this. It gives them ownership, and a chance to face their fears head on. Honestly, there was a part of me that just wanted her to go home, I wanted to just give into the temptation to do what the enemy wants done to her. But under the wing of an amazing Kids Director and a wonderful graceful God, I was able to see the truth beneath her behavior. This girl is afraid of peope leaving. She is afraid of change. She is afraid that we would see her, and then not love her.
She chose to stay. She had a great time. When we came out of the woods we were walking towards the group that remained and she whispered "Don't tell them I had fun." I thought it was funny, but then I realized she was serious; that she loves playing the miserable teenager card. I am excited to see her grow into a young woman, in the confidence of Christ's love. I am looking forward to the miserable teenager face losing the battle to her big, warm smile.
What a graceful God...that when we are ugly and nasty and spiteful and bitter, He still loves us. When we are hateful to others, when we turn from him, when we are angry, when we are lonely, when we have pushed everyone away that He has given us, He has compassion on us. He sees our fears, He sees our heart, not our behavior. I pray tonight that I can see through their behavior to their hearts, always. Just like He does.
Click to see more photos from the event
-brooke
The Lord Restores Teens Identities at Recent Retreat
Written by Brooke Coon, Teens Adelante leader
There is something about being outside of my comfort zone that has always appealed to me. Over time I realized that it was because I draw nearer to Him out of my fear of the unknown territory. In the same way, eleven of our Teens Adelante members signed up for a weekend retreat two weekends ago into uncharted waters. They agreed to give up their weekend to stay at a church in Liberty, with another teen group they hadn't met before, to support a service project and spend time learning about their identity in Christ. I could sense their fears as they asked many questions about it. One of the girls was calling me in the final two days leading up to the retreat, backing out, then changing her mind, then finally admitting that there was something spiritual that she was afraid of. She ended up facing that fear.
The heart of the retreat was Saturday night. It is what we were all afraid of: the moments when Jesus punctures our hearts to let the brokenness out. We each traced our body on a big sheet of clean white paper, and filled it in with our responses to statements about ourselves. “I feel most free when... What I hear in my head when I am all alone is... I feel most like hiding when...” We split into our committed discipleship groups to discuss what we had drawn. The statements were shining a light into dark, crippled places. I was amazed at the honesty I saw in their responses. Some were joyous. Many were painful.
The heart of the retreat was Saturday night. It is what we were all afraid of: the moments when Jesus punctures our hearts to let the brokenness out. We each traced our body on a big sheet of clean white paper, and filled it in with our responses to statements about ourselves. “I feel most free when... What I hear in my head when I am all alone is... I feel most like hiding when...” We split into our committed discipleship groups to discuss what we had drawn. The statements were shining a light into dark, crippled places. I was amazed at the honesty I saw in their responses. Some were joyous. Many were painful.
When we got into our groups we began to talk about which statements were the hardest to finish. The tears began to flow as the Lord was pulling things out of the girls, into the light...memories, along with the lies the enemy encrypted in them, and the fears that they formed. They were ugly and heart-wrenching to hear. But what I realized in that very next moment, was how blessed they were that the Lord wants to heal these scars and the behaviors and beliefs that they have adopted as a result. At their young age, he is cleansing them to keep them from claiming those memories as a part of their identity; to take away the crutches and let them walk healed.
Sometimes it takes years to let Jesus into certain areas of pain, but Saturday night felt like an aggressive outpouring of grace. He wasn't going to wait anymore. He dove straight into the hearts of those girls to retrieve what is His; their whole hearts, free of pain and fear. It is a gift to feel the compassion that He feels for them, and to realize that He feels that same way for me. It is like learning in reverse; to see the way the Lord loves them, to feel the way my heart aches for them, and know that it is from the Lord, the same ache he has for me, and for all of us.
The Lord blessed our retreat. He blessed my group for facing their fears and drawing near to Him. He blessed their desire to complete those piercing statements about themselves in truth. The Holy Spirit gave them courage and support around them to go to those places. It was their choice to go into the unknown, and it resulted in a big victory for His kingdom. He exposed darkness in their hearts, allowing space for the Lord's feelings about them. There is now an honesty I see among my group; open hearts. After that weekend together, I have seen their relationships deepen, and I sense the joy that comes from the hope we have in healing; the truth that will continue to transform these girls and the rest of Teens Adelante this trimester.
the dark valley
September 17, 2010
I am overwhelmed by the blessing that this family in Christ is to me and my husband, but more importantly, to everyone else it touches. I am astounded at how much we have been through as a community. This summer has been one trial after another, and my heart mourns for those who have lost family members in the past few months. Two of our teen girls suffered tragic losses in their families. The day after the girls found out, we were scheduled to have Teens Adelante. I talked about canceling it, I wasn't sure any of us could do it. I was supposed to teach that night. Someone reminded me that these are the times to show up as a community for them; for each other. We ended up meeting that night, and to my surprise and satisfaction the girls came. We were all brought to our knees that night, all mourning together, in an awkward silence between thoughts and words and tears, and yet we gained so much that night.
The Lord had planned that night. He had planned Teens Adelante to have its own community apart from Kids Adelante, he provided the leaders to be there for these youth, he showed up in our weakness, to support each other, and get through it...together. That night was just the beginning of a hard summer. For those two families, our Mission Adelante community became Christ's hands and feet to keep them functioning; and reminded me that when I can't handle all this, God can. A few weeks later, another one of our teens lost a family member. When we felt like we couldn't handle another tragedy, the Lord had us all in his arms. When David and I couldn't imagine how to counsel this young man through another tragedy in his life, we were overjoyed to discover that the Lord had already been walking with him, and speaking to him through the loss. We were worried that another loss, at the age of 13, would be his final giving up on a good God, but the Holy Spirit turned his anger to peace. In the midst of his mourning he accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior. And now we begin a new small group discipleship format this trimester with the teenagers, where David gets to share all about who Christ is with him.
To look back on this summer, I see the joy that the Lord gave us in the midst of really hard times. Joy that only comes from Him. I realize how He has sustained us through this season and how a new season is upon us. Through all of this, God will be glorified. I sense the beginning of the Lord going really deep with the teenagers this fall and I am so excited and so blessed to be a part of His plan.
why would you want to work with teenagers?
June 14, 2010
by Brooke Coon
We started the very first trimester in January ready for a battle, thinking; well they will probably hate us for a while, they certainly wont trust us for a while, and they will probably complain about the programs for a while. The first trimester took extreme God-given patience to get through some of the worship times when they were giggling and laughing in the corner, or while someone was teaching a lesson and they were making sexual advances at each other across the room. I know, kind of disturbing. There is also the physical violence they use with each other to "show love." And there's the filthy talk and the not-so-uplifting words they use with each other.
But the truth is, God has blown us away. With a mustard seed of faith that God was bringing them every week, he has grown them in ways we never expected. Last night in our meeting after the program, we all realized they were not calling each other names and teasing each other as they did in the first trimester. It is a hint of a deeper security that Christ is giving them, that they don't need to degrade others to feel comfortable. They were respectful in listening to my lesson, and it seemed like many of them were singing in worship. The most amazing thing to me is towards the end of last trimester, two of the girls started volunteering (if not fighting) to lead the prayer card that we read together each week. The same prayer card that they mocked and grumbled about doing just weeks earlier.
My mom always told me "you are going to be so great with teenagers," ever since I was one. "You just experienced so much pain," she would say. I had no idea what she was talking about. My teen years were full of many groups of friends that I could hardly balance because each wanted my full commitment. I felt like I had so many friends and joys, but there were also the wounds of not being in the "most popular" crowd, not being on the best soccer team, not having the nicest car, having super-crooked teeth and an extreme insecurity for large groups. Don't we all still remember the teasing? That one comment that hasn't gone away? The feminine battles that persist in high school plagued my teen years; best friends in and out, fights over boys, betrayal, gossip. Always sizing myself up to someone else. And all of it just because I didn't realize how valued I was.
They are so intimidating at first. They are so full of insecurity that it is bursting out of the seams. They are so insecure it can be a battle just to hold on to my security. Their insecurity shows it's face in the form of physical aggression, degrading comments and foul names, quick judgment of those who are different, and a confusion of boundaries between the opposite sex. In the midst of this uncomfortable chaos lies a truth; that beneath the ugly layer of insecurity, is a heart that is searching for who God made them to be. They are searching, scanning everyone around them, deciding who they want to be like. They are constantly soaking in what people are all about; what they are wearing, how they talk, what they do with their lives, what is important to them. They watch the leaders every step of the way, especially how we interact with each other. They watch David and I to see how a Christian marriage differs from the broken marriages of this world.
They are at an impressionable point in their lives, like young children, but different in that they are now taking every thing they have learned, and deciding what to do with that information. I have never been so convicted to live a life that honors God now that I see how carefully they watch me. I thank the Lord that he lives in us, and by being with them, they are experiencing Christ. It is only in Christ's presence in me that I have faith, because without Him I am just a huge dork to them. Without Him, they don't care what I have to say, or how I live my life. But with Him, they see His glory and His affection for them. With Christ living in us, they can learn how much God just wants to be with them in every moment of their lives. He wants to heal their wounds, He wants to guard them from the pressures of gangs and a life of violence, He wants to deliver them from all their enemies, He wants to laugh and play soccer and ride bikes with them, He wants them to have a bright future full of their hearts desires, friends who will fight for them and lift them up, and some day a spouse that will honor them and show them the perfect love that Christ has for his bride.
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