Girls Small Group kicks off
Helen's open heart
What impacted your heart at CCDA?
Hearing spoken word and the workshop about fatherless children.
What did you learn in the ‘fatherless children’ workshop?
That God is the one that makes us and our parents are just the carriers.
The different ways that children without fathers express themselves to be noticed or if they don’t want to be noticed. They said some kids exclude themselves from everyone and everything, that’s the one that people notice more. But mine is the overachiever. People don’t see that as something that your father caused because he wasn’t there. They see it as you trying to move past that, but in reality it isn’t like that. You use it to get attention from people. So you can have the attention you didn’t get from your father.
So that’s what you think you do?
Yeah.
How do you work to overachieve?
I always try to be the best in everything. Even if I’m not I say I am. I guess that’s why I like competitions so much. I like being number one.
So that makes you feel better and you get attention?
Yeah. At least I used to. Now I don’t. When I do that and people give me attention, I feel good for that moment, but after that I want more. Like I’m never filled. That’s why I like that song by Kari Jobe. "You are for me." It says you fill me.
So God did awesome things through you at Teens Adelante the first Wednesday we got back. I asked you and two others to share with the whole group of girls what you learned at CCDA, and they were very attentive. After you shared we gave the girls a choice between you and two other girls to pray about different topics. Most of the girls went with you. Why do think most of the girls went with you? Because they don’t have fathers.
Did you know all the girls well?
No. One of the girls I’m close to, but the other girls I’ve never talked to about personal stuff.
What made you share that personal stuff?
It just came out.
What do you feel like God did through you that Wednesday night at teens?
It helped them relate. I was being vulnerable and helped them to put themselves out there and let them tell us their story of their fathers.
So what happened when they told their stories?
I felt closer to them.
Did you ask them to share their stories?
I asked them to share why they came to my group and they started telling their stories.
So what do feel like God’s doing through this?
I think he’s helping me to have an open heart for people. Not even people I’m close to, but people i never thought would be in the same situation as me.
So what are you gonna do to keep letting God use you?
Tonight I’m going to write verses about that issue to give to them to the girls so that they can help connect with the Bible. Also by being part of the new leadership team to get new ideas for teens.
Holy Teenagers
I am inspired through all I saw happening in these 5 kids, to have a whole lot less of me, and a lot more of them. Even if it doesn't make sense to do it that way, even if they fail, even if I don't know how to do that, I'm ready to let them lead in the passions they have in our KCK community and within Teens Adelante. The Lord stirred their hearts in regards to the wounds of the fatherless, multicultural worship, art as a vision caster for community, and partnerships between youth and adults. I will never have their heart for this community. I wasn't raised here. I have to trust that they know what their community needs.
I had a dream the last night we were there. It was a nightmare actually. And when I was tempted in a representation of my sin, and then in danger, one of the teens grabbed my arm and walked me out. As I woke I felt the Lord gently saying, "You thought you were saving them. They are saving you." They are teaching me how to lay down my pride, how to operate out of trust and not knowledge, how to be generous in all I have, how to bring my sin and vulnerability into community. Praise Jesus for his upside down Kingdom. He is so full of Grace. I really thought I had a ministry to immigrant teens. I'm starting to wonder if it's really a ministry to me. I have so much to continue learning from them in my heart and my mind and a deep, new found respect for teenagers. They are so Holy. Holy teenagers. That doesn't even sound right, but my heart is discovering that they are truly Holy; Chosen.
Tradition
Recently I watched a friend's little boy perform traditional dances from the Mexican state they are from; Chihuahua. As I watched the kids enthusiastically perform and yip joyful cheers, "Chihuahua!" my heart was touched at the memory that these parents are instilling in their children. They don't want to forget where they came from.Last week, as some of the teen girls told me about the hours of church services they had to go to each night I found myself sympathizing with them. Then as I took Sabbath rest on Friday, and began to pray into what that 3 days of separation from the Father must've been like, a new reverence began to form in me. My heart was aching. I wished I would've had a symbolic dinner, in remembrance of the Last Supper, and Jesus' presence with his loved disciples.
I felt sorrowful on Friday, thinking about how he anticipated all that darkness, "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops off blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:44. I felt sorrowful as I imagined how He must've felt. I longed do something special, something symbolic to tell him "My heart remembers."
Then as Sunday came, the day passed by so quickly, filled with family and food. And this week, as I talked with one of the teenagers, we discussed traditions. I told her about David and I's longing to figure out how we can remember, really remember in our hearts, what the Lord has done for us. I asked her what she would to do on Easter, if she was in charge of her family. She delightfully replied, "I'd go roller-skating!" I had to rejoice in her freedom. As we continued on, she gasped as I said the word Lent, and said she didn't want to 'give anything up.' I realized in her reaction, that I often react the same way; as if I am being forced to do something, or give something up. Just a few days earlier I had reacted this way about the hours of church services. I explained this new desire of mine to this girl and my heart was clarified. I want to acknowledge Him in a way that is just my heart. I don't want to resentfully attend or sacrifice. I want to remember. That is; to not forget where I came from.
Then I talked with another teen girl this week, about her coming Quinceanera (Mexican coming of age celebration), and she told me about the traditions of the state in Mexico that her family is from. "I love your traditions." I told her. "You do?" She replied. Her response made me realize how all of my questions and confusion must appear when my Latino friends describe traditions to me. "Yes I do! I wish that I had traditions like that." And as she continued, I could see the sense of belonging, of knowing where she came from, because she was doing something that acted upon her history.
This Easter, I find myself aching for my Heavenly belonging, inspired by traditions of Mexico and of often misunderstood liturgy. I pray that the Lord helps my husband and I form traditions that are rooted in the gratitude planted in the depths of our hearts; that demonstrate our history.
Here's a bit of where I came from:
"He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me." Psalm 18:19
Walls came crashing down at our recent retreat...
We had such an amazing time at our overnight Dec. 3-4. God was so faithful to tear down walls within the group, as well as between individuals and Him. Stories will be coming soon, but you can Click here for retreat 2011 photos.
Teens Conference in Manhattan
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| Iris and Edgar in front of K-State's Old Memorial Stadium |
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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| Us with the Wallula teens and leaders |
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| Celebrating Edgar's 17th birthday on Sunday! |
Sons and Daughters
We went around the circle one by one, as each teen shared what the summer at Teens Adelante was all about for them. After four weeks of the boys and girls being separated to have a Purity study, I was anxious to see if the confidence I had seen growing in the girls community would transfer to the whole group. As we went around the large circle of 11 Teens and 9 leaders, every single one shared a truly insightful piece of what God had been teaching them. "Loyalty." "Brotherhood." "Respect." But what really got me was when I heard "Trust." It wasn't just the concept, but who it was coming from; the one teen who from the first night I volunteered at Mission Adelante tried to place a wall between us. "Trust" was not in his vocabulary. Walls were safe for him.
Over the past year, his defenses have come down, stone by stone, and during the men's purity time something in him seems to have not only come down, but he has actually reached out. He offered his true self and what resulted was "Trust; I never thought I would be able to trust a group of guys. I have never been able to before." Not only did he find a group of teen guys and men to lead them as brothers in Christ, but he is discovering an identity in Christ that gave him the confidence to share his true heart in front of all Teens Adelante.
The four weeks with the girls was equally powerful. The first week was an awkward tension of defense mechanisms at their maximum load. The second week those defenses burst to pieces. The Lord had called a couple of the women leaders to share from the dark unhealed wounds of the heart. He called us to lead the way in modeling what it looks like to brings things into the light that can really feel painful to acknowledge. Immediately after we penetrated the silence in our own hearts, they did in theirs. The chains of our sin and the wounds that others had inflicted on our feminine hearts poured out into the thick air that night.
But a temporary discomfort in facing sin brings complete salvation and freedom to never again sit in darkness or fear. Doors in every single one of the young women opened, to what I imagine will be a year of deep restoration. There is a Holy restoration to our identities as 'daughters of the King' that occurs when we simply gather to seek His face. I am now beginning to see in them a security in each other and in their womanhood. They are suddenly radiating as a group of girls. They no longer see each other as a threat, but as sisters.
I am joyfully anticipating building on this foundation of sisterhood that Jesus laid in them. My prayer for all the Teens as we begin a new school year is that this communal foundation will give them strength to live a life that is set apart and that they will experience the Body of Christ working in all it's glory. Despite all of our differences at Teens Adelante, there is a group of women and group of men that will gather to seek wholeness in Christ, and demonstrate our love for each other through "loyalty", "respect", "trust", "vulnerability", and "brotherhood."
His heart is in the ER
When Sara texted me that she was starving, and tired, but couldn't leave the ER, I realized that she had an obligation there. It was not to be a supportive daughter or granddaughter, but to be the only pathway through which her mom and grandpa would understand what was happening; the voice of the family in an emergency. At 14, she was expected to be the one who translated through the receptionist, the nurses, the doctors; to make sure that everything was getting done to take care of her grandpa, and communicate that to her mom. And nobody had to ask her to do that, she assumed this role immediately, as she so often does.
So I took Sara's complaint about being hungry as her maybe wanting me to be there and brought some fast food. The receptionist somehow gave me a family pass (thanks God!) and the four of us sat in the hospital room as different nurses and students entered and looked at me oddly, took vitals, and slid out of the room. One of the nurses was inspecting us so carefully, Sara's mom pointed it out to me, irritated that it was so odd to them that a Hispanic family would have a white friend.
The doctor eventually came and began to ask questions about her grandpa's injury and Sara translated. She asked her grandpa, Jose, health questions, as he tried to remember his health history and who diagnosed him with what, when and where. Jose couldn't remember the name of the doctor he had seen, because the name was American (Imagine trying to remember a long Hispanic name, or how to spell it). Jose tried to remember the names of the prescriptions he has as we all tried to translate letters of some lengthy pharmaceutical name. The ER doctor was direct and cold in his demeanor, seemingly impatient with a language barrier and a long list of rooms full of tired, needy people. He told Sara that he would not be able to count her as an official interpreter because of her age, but continued to use her until they got an interpreter on the phone.
The nurse got the interpreter on the phone and Jose and the doctor were able to communicate uninterrupted by Sara, her mom, or myself trying to fill in the gaps of what we didn't know how to say medically. Sara let out a frustrated breath and rolled her eyes as the doctor asked the same questions through the phone that she answered for him, as if he was nullifying her hard work. The doctor and Jose both hung up the phone, and those few minutes of clarity in communication were over. Nurses and technicians continued to come in and out, and I helped Sara to understand what they were doing, so that she could explain to her family. After several visits of that same nurse staring at us, he finally began to prod Sara. "So you are the grandaughter..." and Sara playfully said, "yeah," as if she knew where this was going.
His gaze turned towards me, "and..." he was hoping I would jump in. I didn't. "She's my sister," Sara was looking for a reaction. I just remained silent to let the two of them play this out, it was just too funny. The nurse's curiosity was killing him, you could feel it in the air. He didn't respond. Sara burst out, "I'm just playin....but somethin like that." The nurse was slow to speak, "so you are friends?" "Well...yeah," Sara answered. He expected me to be insulted by her hesitation to say we were friends, hoping to get a reaction out of me, he hissed "aww, she's saying your not friends!" Again, I just kept silent and let Sara be the one to explain our relationship, interested myself in what she would say. I'm sure the nurse was hoping now he had never asked. Sara eventually replied, "we go to the same church," which just hung in the air.
As the night went on, it seemed as though peoples attitudes towards us were changing. The impatient doctor began throwing in Spanish words, making an attempt to step into their comfort, and out of his. After we asked that same suspecting nurse for a blanket, he came by again and again to make sure we didn't need more. Later Sara and I were looking all over for a microwave to no avail, to warm up the food I brought hours earlier. After we gave up and sat down in the room, a nursing student came in and asked, "can I bring you guys anything warm to eat?" and I nearly laughed at her... because God is just so like that.
In my exhaustion after a long week, I had nothing to offer but my presence. I look back at last night and see his hand comforting and holding not just their family, but me as well, in that hospital room. I see Jose's laughter and jokes in the midst of intense pain as joy from the Lord. I see those nurses and doctors turning from silent uncertainty, to heartfelt hospitality, as God serving this immigrant family a glass of water on a desert journey.
Sara's family didn't need me to save the day and make everyone feel better last night, as he is often reminding me of. He didn't need me to "be" anything. I'm not Sara's friend, I'm not the translator, I'm not the youth pastor or the advocate. I am not defined by what I do and who I serve. God has been convicting me to just trust him in me and let him do the work.
"...it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me..." (Gal. 2:20).
God just wanted me to be the girl that "goes to the same church," a family member in Christ; a sister. "Somethin like that," as Sara said, was pretty accurate. They didn't need me to be there, God just wanted me to be where his heart is and enjoy it; to see how capable he is. He wanted me to go and find compassion, joy, and restoration in the most unsuspecting places. God's heart is in the emergency room. He is with the hurting and hopeless. And I praise him that we can sit in those moments of exhaustion, waiting for help, and be restored by his presence while surrounded by disaster.
And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Exodus 33:18-20
Exodus 33:18-20
The Dead Come to Life
written by David
Have you ever seen something dead come to life? If you belong to Christ, you’ve experienced it in your very own heart, but there’s something truly moving about seeing it happen in someone or in a group of people. We recently had another Wednesday night of Teens Adelante in which we faithfully pushed into a time of group worship which was mostly sung by the volunteers. Nonetheless, I strapped the guitar around my neck expecting to fearlessly lead the teens in an inevitably distracted and self-conscious expression of singing to the God of the Universe. There wasn’t anything noticeably different about the setup or even the mood that Spring evening, but something happened that night. Something new in the teens came to life.
After finishing with the second song, the teens started to become somewhat restless with tambourines, egg shakers, and claves still lightly clamoring in their hands. And then, all of a sudden in the middle of the silence between songs, Salma blurts out “Why don’t we sing Somos el Pueblo de Dios?” I started to tell her that we were planning on singing other songs that evening, but I realized almost immediately ( Holy Spirit moment ) that her heart wanted to sing that song to God, and that she could lead her peers with the passion she was ready to express. So I said “ Alright everyone, Salma is going to lead us in this song, so follow her.” What happens next almost makes me drop my guitar up there on the stage and forget what song I’m playing. Salma proceeds to stand up on her chair followed by every single one of the the other kids, and they start belting out the words to the song at the top of their lungs. It was so loud that I literally couldn’t hear myself singing through the sound system! This level of worship continued on the next song, and the following song after which they actually chanted, “otra vez! Otra vez!” which means “one more time”. By the time we finally finished I was as tired as I’ve ever been from doing worship with them, but I had the biggest smile across my face.
The breakthrough had finally happened, the breakthrough that had to happen, and they got to experience the joy and blessing of worshiping God in spirit and truth. There is a rebirth that happens when you decide to put yourself out there in corporate expression to the one who saved you. You give Jesus an inroad past your flesh and into the deepest part of you where spirit resides. I don’t know a greater joy than seeing a group of broken teenagers die to themselves and all at once be swept up in a beautiful chorus to be brought to life into Christ.
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” - Romans 8:11
More worship pics from 3.30.11
expectations
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| Iris and Nayeli; girls in my discipleship group |
I am ashamed of how little I can expect of teenagers. During this winter break, the leadership of Teens Adelante was praying for how to continue our discipleship format. Under the Lord's guidance and a gift of faith, we made the decision to stop teaching lessons on Wednesday night. No more bible teaching on Wednesday nights. Wait what?
I know. Crazy. So no more "curriculum" on Wednesday nights. We aren't teaching a planned lesson anymore. So how are they growing? They are doing it themselves!!!!
Starting last January 26 the kids are expected to read their bible five days a week, with a guide we created for them. So as Teens Adelante was about to start I realized how crazy this was and had a little wave of doubt and worry. Then I remembered it was God's idea, not mine.
But after two weeks of not being together as a group because of the snow storms, I began to worry again. Last night I prepared for the worst so I wouldn't be disappointed. I tried to think of a plan to help them make-up the readings this week for what they didn't do the past two weeks. Shame on me.
I am so joyfully blessed to tell you that many of the kids have been pursuing Jesus on their own time. The delightful surprise was Iris, the oldest teen girl, who came with her reading notes, every day done, ready to talk about everything she had been learning and pondering (none of this a requirement).
Our small group time was pretty much the opposite of what I imagined. I answered questions and watched as the three younger girls in the room watched Iris diving into the Bible and our God. Something was happening that I could never do for those girls. They saw a peer, someone they want to be like, demonstrating the pursuit of Jesus.
God is so amazing. He knew they were ready for this...I didn't. But thankfully He reigns. These teens are more capable than I am to spread His love and goodness to their age group. Many of them have been fearless in this new reading and devotional plan, and some are still struggling. But I see that He is equipping some of them to lead the rest and it is humbling and glorious to watch. They are taking ownership of their walk with the Lord and he is growing them deeply.
Please pray for success in our continued pursuit of the Lord together, as the Teens Adelante leaders and youth read through Genesis this trimester.
:) amen brothers and sisters!
Something in the Water...
Written by Brooke Coon
Sunday evening I had the great joy of watching Salma, one of the Teens Adelante girls, get baptized. I will never forget sitting on her porch in the intense heat this summer, the only place where we could talk in private. She was asking questions about traditions and liturgy done in quinceaneras (the coming of age party for Hispanic girls) as well as the meaning of baptism. Salma is a fiery, passionate girl, and she doesn't want to do something that she doesn't believe in. But when she is in, she is 100% in. The blessing I've received through Salma has been watching what she decides to put her 100% in. The things that she commits to are becoming more and more righteous.
Sunday night after her baptism, I stopped by her house to drop something off, and she didn't want me to leave. So she corralled Jessica, another teen who lives next door, her little sister followed, and we sat on the floor in her bedroom. She was flipping through her newly gifted pink bible and firing off questions about how God changes us, how we still fall, and how we are a new creation. She talked about what it meant to die with Christ and be resurrected in Him. She talked about how she has started to control her cussing and asked me if there is anyone on earth that has never cussed. She asked if there was anyone who has ever read the entire Bible and I could see in the fire in her eyes that she just couldn't get enough. Suddenly, the Bible had become very real and interesting to her and she couldn't believe all the topics she was coming across.
The girl was on fire for God that night. She was the one asking all the questions and pondering God. I was overwhelmed by her passion (the 100% thing) and I could hardly answer one question before she posed more. I want to say there was something in the water, but I know the truth is that there was something in the blood of Jesus Christ. He has been pursuing Salma and her mom Mayra as well, in the midst of traumatic loss and pain in their family this year. The blood of Jesus has given them new life, and Mayra made that public declaration by being baptized that night, too. Something very special happened in their baptism, and Salma's heart was lighting up her bedroom that night in a way that marveled the other three of us girls.
Sunday evening I had the great joy of watching Salma, one of the Teens Adelante girls, get baptized. I will never forget sitting on her porch in the intense heat this summer, the only place where we could talk in private. She was asking questions about traditions and liturgy done in quinceaneras (the coming of age party for Hispanic girls) as well as the meaning of baptism. Salma is a fiery, passionate girl, and she doesn't want to do something that she doesn't believe in. But when she is in, she is 100% in. The blessing I've received through Salma has been watching what she decides to put her 100% in. The things that she commits to are becoming more and more righteous.Sunday night after her baptism, I stopped by her house to drop something off, and she didn't want me to leave. So she corralled Jessica, another teen who lives next door, her little sister followed, and we sat on the floor in her bedroom. She was flipping through her newly gifted pink bible and firing off questions about how God changes us, how we still fall, and how we are a new creation. She talked about what it meant to die with Christ and be resurrected in Him. She talked about how she has started to control her cussing and asked me if there is anyone on earth that has never cussed. She asked if there was anyone who has ever read the entire Bible and I could see in the fire in her eyes that she just couldn't get enough. Suddenly, the Bible had become very real and interesting to her and she couldn't believe all the topics she was coming across.
The girl was on fire for God that night. She was the one asking all the questions and pondering God. I was overwhelmed by her passion (the 100% thing) and I could hardly answer one question before she posed more. I want to say there was something in the water, but I know the truth is that there was something in the blood of Jesus Christ. He has been pursuing Salma and her mom Mayra as well, in the midst of traumatic loss and pain in their family this year. The blood of Jesus has given them new life, and Mayra made that public declaration by being baptized that night, too. Something very special happened in their baptism, and Salma's heart was lighting up her bedroom that night in a way that marveled the other three of us girls.
Glimpses of our Leaders In Training (LIT) Kids
On Sunday December 19, a group of Bhutanese and Latino kids, plus a handful of leaders, boarded a big yellow bus bound for Westside Family Church. The Mission Adelante kids were invited to join the Westside kids to sing a couple Christmas songs and bring to life the coming sermon on the joy and wonder of Christmas. Like proud mamas, the leaders had tears in their eyes as the kids began to sing. However, what really moved me was what continued as we sat through the service.
Our kids sat down and another children's choir performed. They vibrantly sang "I'm trading my sorrow for the joy of the Lord." One of the Mission Adelante girls sitting next to me leaned over and asked, "What does trading my sorrows mean?" My heart just melted as I have never heard such an important question from this pre-teen. I whispered back to her, "It means we are giving our sorrow to Jesus, letting him take our sadness from us, and receiving joy from our hope in Him." There are times when you think kids aren't paying attention at all and then there are times when they desire to understand every lyric of a worship song.
As the sermon went on, the congregation passed around a bowl for offerings and commitments for children's programs that Westside has in other countries. The same girl asked me what the bowl was for. After I explained it to her, she told me she had five dollars in her stuff upstairs. The simplicity of her response was beautiful. She didn't need to think about it and she didn't need to ask any more questions. She just knew that there was a need and she wanted to help.
I praise God for these precious moments where we get to witness Mission Adelante’s youth seeking to know Him more. They are the treasures that I store in my heart to keep me going through the daily tasks of children's ministry. There was a beauty that Sunday that spoke to the wonder of God...that He is so complex yet so simple. He is so approachable that even children can grasp the gospel of salvation and peace. He works through every creature, young and old. And oftentimes, the greatest blessing can be when the children reach out and minister to us!
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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