the    sides

Those of us in youth ministry, know the real deal. Sure, we get teased for playing video games and calling it outreach, watching movies and calling it research on the student culture, and dressing in jeans and T-shirts and calling it “fitting in.”

But we also know the darker side of youth ministry. The irritable, bonehead, couldn’t find his way out of paper sack student that at the end of the day you either want to choke or hug. Sometimes both. These are the students that spend years with you and you seriously question if you had any impact on them whatsoever. In fact, thinking about them causes you to be frustrated.

Iago was one of those kids. He was a foreign exchange student that lived with Steve and Beth. If he wasn’t in trouble, he was in space. I can’t tell you how many mornings, Steve would come in and just shrug. “What the heck do you do?”

We took him to Colorado. He broke a window, lied about it, then spent an hour arguing about it before we got our suitcases in the room. I about put him on a bus home…but Brazil is a long way away.

Iago had a “God moment” at the Getaway but didn’t know what to do with it. He felt something but he didn’t have anywhere to put it in his life.

Beth sent me this email last week:

Hey Beth,

Have you ever seen the movie Boat Trip?

It’s a very good comedy, where 2 guys go on a cruise trip thinking that it’s gonna be the best trip in their lives with tons and tons of girls, but, when they are in the middle of the ocean they find out that they in a gay cruise and the the fat screams “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” as the camera gets further and further…

So, something very very similar happened to me when I went to a Christian camp last week…

I rode a bus with about 40 other teenagers and, after some hours I noticed that the kids weren’t making or even cursing at each other like usual… I was thinking “Ann, that’s kinda weird…” and when we were getting there someone said something like “I was reading the Bible and, did you know that when (…) Jesus said that…” Then is said “What the %$@ is going on here” And they stared at me while a girl replied, questioning back “I know this is a religious trip, don’t you?”

Poor fat guy, now I know exactly how he felt…

And just like the movie I ended up liking it (ops… told the end, sorry)!

Now I’m gonna buy myself a Bible and go to a Christian group every Wednesday where I’m gonna see many of my new Christian friends.

Next time I go to that camp I’m gonna gonna be part of the “working group”. That means I’m gonna pay the same thing everybody else does but I’m gonna work most of the time. Did I become crazy?

Beth emailed him back asking him - how’s your relationship with Jesus?

This is what he wrote…

It’s good to read your message.

My life really changed after I made that decision. Now I understand
what you mean by relationship with Jesus! Mine is great, I’m talking
to Him all the time (he he… really). I got some funny wishes
realized… One time I was going to school and I was late (no, I’m not
always late anymore ;->), so I asked to get to watch the first class.
The rules of the school say I can’t. So I got to school and came to
class just to give a floppy disk with a work to the teacher, and he
said “You know what… Come in!”. It’s the kind of thing that I’ll
never know if it would happen or not if I haven’t asked. But, if I
think of all the thing… What are the odds of such thing?

I’m kind of worried, because my mom didn’t like that I became a
Christian… She says that Christians are all blind and things like
that, and that I’m way too young to make a decision like that. She
asked if I don’t question things anymore, and gets angry when I talk
about the subject. She does not even like that I’m going to the
Christian group that I told you about!

What should I do?

Holy Cow. Forgive us God for believing that you can move mountains but doubting you can still change hearts. And thanks for allowing us to have a piece of Iago’s journey!