Oregoniversary: My youth ministry journey on this side of the country

We moved to Oregon from Michigan in August of 2006 (almost 15 years to the day I am writing this) and began serving at our current church--my husband as a senior pastor and I hoped to be involved in volunteer youth ministry in some capacity.  I had been a youth director for four years in Michigan and I was eager to get back into youth ministry again--this time as a volunteer. We settled in fairly easily.  What was there not to love about Oregon?  The picturesque mountains, miles of hiking trails, no humidity, marionberries to name a few. 

A few weeks after we moved here we were invited to a picnic for Sunday school teachers and youth volunteers at a church member's house.  As they discussed the plans for the fall, a well respected elder made this comment:

 "I think we should take out the bulletin announcement about a need for a middle school youth leader.  It is discouraging to people to see it appear week after week with no one interested," said a well respected elder in our new church.

Our high school youth group had four committed leaders, regular attendees, and a well decorated youth room.  I wanted to be a part of that team.  The middle school youth group did not have leaders nor were there volunteers willing to lead the group.  They had no designated space and I honestly was not sure who the middle schoolers were. Rob felt we should lead the middle school group because this is where the greatest need was.  I could not argue with that, but I was apprehensive leading a group that had little momentum.  

Rob and I started with a very small group.  We had middle schoolers meet in our family room once a month.  It was typically two to three kids at a time.  We engaged in conversation, had snacks, and did a short Bible Study.  It lacked the silly games and crazy activities I was accustomed to with middle school ministry, but we knew we had to start simply.  

I would love to say the next several years were times of growth and the program thrived, but it continued to struggle.  We tried combining with high school, meeting on different nights, weekend events, more games, better food. We had several leaders lead or co-lead the group and determine it was not where they were called.  

I had to take time off when I had our second and third child.  When I was ready to return, I could not find a co-leader who was willing or available to help restart the group.  I prayed fervently something would change with this ministry and we could have a consistent middle school youth group. The group had some potential, but I felt like we were "treading water."  Something had to change or I was going to burn out and walk away again.

God blessed me with a co-leader who served with me the next nine years, some active parents willing to help. He provided me with seasoned adult who allowed me to contact her anytime I felt discouraged. She always knew the right things to say. Although our numbers fluctuated year to year, we had a consistent number of kids we built strong relationships with.  We had space to call our own.  We studied the Bible together, went to camp, had our own camping trips, did team building activities, played silly games, had a lock-in, did fundraisers, and served our community.  

Even though there were challenging times the past nine years and some groups required more maintenance than others,  I never dreamed I would be doing middle school youth ministry in my mid 40's with my own kids in my youth group.  I am certainly not trendy or hip enough, but Rob always reminded me I don't need to act like a teenager. I noticed kids seemed to gravitate to Rob when we were in our 20's even though he told them his hobbies were reading, model airplanes, and talk radio.  He never had to try hard and the kids thanked him for it.

I remember when I was in college, a missionary was sharing about their long term ministry in the jungles of Indonesia to an unreached people group.  He started out by saying, "The first two years we did not really do anything."  I remember thinking, "What do you mean?  Wasn't there so much TO DO?"

Now I know exactly what he means.  It takes time, patience, empathy, listening to the Lord and others, trial and error, not taking everything so stinking personally, and oh so much prayer. Sometimes it moves very, very slow. Sometimes you do not see any result for a long time if you do at all.  I am fortunate by the grace of God to be a part of a middle school youth ministry that is stronger than it was nine years ago.  It is humbling to know God used me with all my shortcomings and baggage to reach out to many kids.

During these challenging times we're facing when ministry has proven to be harder and sometimes utterly exhausting, it can be refreshing to hang out with young people.  I have found some of them have better attitudes, are more hopeful, and appreciate the little things.  Sometimes God can use them to encourage us adults.

If God is calling you to continue and not give up in ministry, then humbly proceed with faith in your Lord Jesus Christ.  You might be surprised and blessed where this journey takes you.

Look Back On The School Year: Fire, Ice and COVID In Between

 Flexibility. Consistency. These are the words I think of when I reflect on the 2020 - 2021 school year. Two words that had a marriage of sorts for myself in 2020 and 2021.  

 This was one of the most atypical, strange, and at times exhausting school year of our lives.

Flexibility became my word in 2020 as did for many of us without much warning.  This carried into the rest of the 2021 school year.  In late summer, both kid's schools were figuring out how to reopen.  The CDC and Oregon Health Authority's guidelines were pretty strict and the public schools announced they were offering virtual education only.  The younger kid's school chose to offer in person learning, but their opening would be delayed by one week due to some building projects.

We were thinking the oldest (who is in high school) would have virtual learning only.  Which she was not thrilled about.  Everyone was burned out with zoom by the spring.  Her school managed to reopen but could only offer two hours of instruction a day.  We were scrambling trying to figure out how to bring her to school by 8 AM and pick her up at 10 AM.  The school would not allow students to arrive early and linger on campus after class.  They could only have small stable groups on campus. Did I mention flexibility?  Thankfully being the extrovert I am, I sought to make some new friends and I managed to secure carpools.  Rob and I both knew we would need to be flexible with our work schedules so we could bring her or pick her up on certain days.

I will never forget her first day of school which was the day after Labor Day. It was also supposed to be my first day back at work.  The gusty winds on Labor Day started in the afternoon while we were enjoying what would be our last trip to the pool in 2020.  Those winds continued to pick up speed into the night.  An emergency alarm from Rob's phone awoke us briefly in the early morning hours, but we had no idea what it was for.  When I got out of bed at 7 AM, I was confused why it was still dark.  The sky was an orangish glow the entire day and we learned the devastating news about the Santiam Canyon being ravaged by wildfires.  Beautiful trails we've hiked and little towns we've visited like Detroit and Gates were destroyed.  Some of our friends in nearby Stayton and Sublimity had to evacuate.

The "orange day" when wildfires were raging in the Santiam Canyon

The rest of the week the sky turned into a white and grayish smoke blocking out the sun and greatly reducing the air quality.  I was out of work that full week due to air quality issues and some coworkers being displaced by the fires.  It was during that time I felt the weight of depression.  I did not feel like doing anything I normally enjoy such as running, exercising, watching movies, reading, or connecting with friends.  I resorted to taking naps or wasting time on social media.  It was a very hard week.

The sun trying to poke through a smoky sky

Thankfully the fires subsided and the air quality returned to normal.  The younger two could start school and I was able to go back to work.  It did not feel like a normal fall at all with all the COVID-19 regulations, but we were grateful for in person school.  The youngest was able to take theatre classes and the oldest made the fall play through the same theatre company.  I continued running and started looking at marathons in 2021 hoping some would be in person.  It felt like we were moving in the right direction.

Until November came and the talk of rising COVID cases were all over the news.  There were constant rumors of my job going remote again.  There was talk of restaurants, bars, and gyms closing again.  I stopped at Riverfront Park one afternoon in early December and basked in the sunny weather we don't always see that time of year.  I watched the cranes sitting in the slough.  I prayed we would not go backwards again and have to deal with cancellations again and going remote.  Even though I did the best I could to enjoy the holidays, a part of me felt trapped in this cloud.  It was a gray negative filter that tainted everything.

Walk in Riverfront Park in December

I hated telling my youngest that her theatre classes would now be over zoom and there would be no final performance.  My oldest could continue in her play, but there were even more regulations.  I would be working remote after Christmas Break.  I was assigned in the fall to be classroom support in several different classrooms.  Now that all classrooms were going remote, I felt like I had no job description.  I had to figure things out mostly on my own...again flexibility.

Then we got COVID.  We don't know for sure, but we think my husband had it on Christmas Eve. The oldest was diagnosed the day before New Years Eve. I tested positive on January 6, the same day as the US Capital Riot. You would think this would be a darker time in this whole journey, but it actually began a time period when I felt better mentally and emotionally.  

I was able to ride Orange Mango on unseasonably warm sunny days in January when I had COVID

I enjoyed walking through this little park near Monmouth

We had the symptoms, but thankfully were not that sick.  I was able to continue marathon training but running at a slower pace.  I went for bike rides.  I read ten books.  I painted.  I watched 90's movies with my oldest. I practiced guitar. I went on some local hikes.  I traveled to both Michigan and Virginia to see family.

When it came to my job, I learned to think outside the box.  I formed some positive relationships with fellow teachers.  I had to be flexible while being consistent.  I had to hold myself to a routine or I knew I would fall right back into that gray cloud again.

We had a slight disruption in February when our community was once again affected by unusual weather...this time not fire but ice.  We had a rare ice storm that destroyed trees and many of us were without power for days.  The house was unbearably cold at times.  I was wearing layers and weird assortments of clothes...I felt like we were camping.  We even pulled out camping equipment so we could at least cook on a stove.  It was stressful and not something I want to relive, but I am grateful for how my little family pulled together and cared for one another.  Our friends from church also supported one another with meals, laundry use, and charging phones.

So many trees were weighed down down by ice.  We heard constant crackling sounds and witnessed limbs falling.

Trying to keep warm by our firepit and cooking breakfast on a camper stove.

Some streets were not easy to drive through due to tree damage.  It reminded me of Midwest tornadoes.

The past two months have been a mixed bag of positive experiences but also adjustments as we have pressed forward to reopening again.  I stopped working remote in early April.  There were once again even more changes at my work when I returned to the classrooms.  My job in the fall feels completely different from my job in the spring.  The oldest was thankfully able to run track but also dealt with some quarantine regulations and cancellations due to exposures. Track was cancelled at the younger kid's school.  They still managed to have a short basketball season.  It was a little heart breaking cancelling the middle school camp I help with for the second summer in a row.

Friday was the last day of school for the younger two. There was no end of the school year picnic we typically attend. Since parents have not been able to go inside the school this year nor has there been many family event, I feel a little removed from our school community. The oldest has another week.  I actually have another month as my work extended its school year.  Again, strange school year.  

I know my kids keeping asking, "When am I going to have a normal year?" I, too, as an adult asked this.  I don't know the answer, but I am hopeful about the fall.  I see hints of more normalcy each and every single day.  On Memorial Day Weekend we went to the pool three times, went out for strawberry shortcake, and visited the Saturday market.  It felt completely normal.  We hardly had to wear masks all weekend.

Enjoying hot weather over Memorial Day weekend

On May 23 I ran my sixth marathon here in Salem.  It was an in person race on the same trail where in early December I pleaded with God to not have us move backwards again.  This was my COVID marathon.  I honestly could not have trained for it had it not been for COVID.  My flexible this fall and winter and early spring made it possible.  While I was running, I was reminded that God is consistent.   He never left us during this whole pandemic journey and provided for us in ways I never imagined. We witnessed answered prayers, received tokens of wisdom, and learned how to ask for help, and we received a lot of encouragement from others. 

My sixth marathon!

So I cling to the words of Psalm 121:  I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.