Dog Days of Summer

I feel a little weird about the title of this post, if not only because I don't think we should be allowed to have them in the first half of the summer. But I'm no meteorologist... If there is anything these ridiculous temperatures have done, other than scorch our lawns, it has driven us to the lake to escape the dense never-seen-A/C air of everywhere I live, work, and drive. I think I've been to the beach more times this summer already than probably the last 3 combined. Living in a small town means that often everyone has the same idea, which for us means huge ministry opportunities. 


Over the past few weeks, we've taken kids hiking on the mountain, to the beach, and met up with them at the skate park, pier, and lots of other places around Collingwood. What an incredible way to reconnect with our youth after 3 weeks away for training and holidays. Being able to meet up with them, planned or informally, during these times allows us to remind them how much we care for them and how much we enjoy being in their presence. We talk a lot about the sense of family and community, and how we seek to build positive memories with our youth, and these connecting points that we all share together. 


We have about 8 youth that we see nearly every day of the week. It's amazing how our relationship with them grows when it moves beyond our drop-in or high school connections to really living our lives together. We spend lots and lots of face time with our youth, and that is an incredible privilege. We find out what is going on in their lives. We support them as they need to find housing, jobs, or reconciliation with family and friends. But far more important, we pray for them, and with them, and we share the hope of Christ with them, in hopes that they receive God's strength to persevere for even the next minute. 


Those type of moments don't typically happen in the midst of a busy drop-in program (although they do), or a quick stop to chat on the sidewalk. They happen when we spend hours and hours growing closer together and sharing in this wonderful, weird community. 


In a couple of weeks, we will take a group of our youth to CampFire. My goal this year is to have 10. I'll leave that in God's hands, but we know that regardless of who comes, they will become a part of our wider Youth For Christ family. They will join the mix of crazy laughter, poignant stories, and sometimes intense self-reflection. And through it all will be a mix of loving staff and new friends who welcome them, no matter what is going on in their life, and who will become a part of that youth's summer story. The dog days of summer are so much easier when we can live them together. We bear the humidity a little more gracefully, splash each other in the cool water, and look forward to our days spent together. And that is why I love this time of year. 

I'm Going To Punch Her Face In...

Anger is nothing new to me. I dealt with it many times growing up, and it's something I'm not proud of. As with any struggle in life, I still see it creep up from time to time, and have to deal with it before it rears its ugly head. Perhaps its the heat, or the stress of the end of school, but anger has been a common theme here over the last couple of weeks.

I used to think that being filled with rage was just a matter of youth not being able to deal with their issues in a constructive and healthy way (although there is lots of truth to that). But as the years and number of youth that I see increase, I have realized something really important: sometimes they have a lot to be angry about. There are members of The Door community who have been told by their parents that they were a mistake, and that they shouldn't be a part of their own families. There are youth who have experienced years of abuse, bullying and neglect. Labels, names, and rumours begin to take their toll on these lives and souls. 

I sat down with a couple of our girls this past weekend, and as we talked one of them said to me, "I'm on my third assault charge. If I get one more, I'm probably going to go to jail." She breaks the idea of who we "think" should be angry; she has a supportive family, she does fairly well in school, and appears to have it all together. It's amazing how often we miss the fact that any youth can struggle with this, even when everything else seems all together. 

One of the painful parts of being a person in conflict is that often we don't reason well, or in my case anyway, keep people at arm's length because we are ashamed of what is actually happening inside of us. This is the ministry environment that we are working in right now: a number of very angry girls who can't see things objectively, or have the courage to walk away from a situation instead of making it worse. I've been there, it's not fun. 

We want nothing more than for them to experience true freedom from this weight in their lives. We pray that while they can't change all of the circumstances in their life, they can begin to face them in a more healthy way, one that leads to resolution and restoration instead of causing more pain and brokenness. And in our case, we believe that the only way to experience this is through Jesus Christ - I know this to be true because I have experienced it. I have experienced coming to a breaking point and giving up my anger to God, and experiencing the grace of having it replaced with, well, grace. 

Some of this is just stuff that needs to be worked out as our youth mature. But we are so honoured to be walking alongside them in this difficult time of sorting things out, and pray that we are making an imprint on their lives, equipping them to deal with conflicts as they arise. And we pray that they come to know the freedom of giving it up, letting it go, and experiencing transformation and becoming a new person in Christ. 

Transforming a Generation... One Life at a Time.

I just got back from Tim Horton's. In what was supposed to be a 2 minute pit stop, I left 20 minutes later, having run into 6 of our youth and one volunteer, all there for different reasons. Maybe this is why some weeks I don't get much work done. This is one of my favourite parts about Youth For Christ, that we are not chained to a desk, or even a youth centre for that matter, since we have the freedom to meet those we work with right where they are. There are definitely times where they come to us, The Door is a prime example of that, but the rest of our ministry involves meeting them at lunch for Campus Life, grabbing a drink at McD's, or even just running into them as we are out and around. And that is where our best ministry happens. 


I once read through the Gospels where I focused on all of the times that Jesus was interrupted in what was "important" and "necessary" ministry. It happened a lot. Think about all the times that Jesus and the disciples were interrupted by those needing real ministry, now. People crashed into meetings, grabbed hold of him while he was walking, and even dug through ceilings just to get his attention. How differently we would perceive Jesus' ministry if He had said, "I'm sorry, you'll need to wait. I'm really busy right now" instead of acknowledging their need in that moment. If he had ignored those who were unclean, broken, sick, and full of sin, what would His ministry have looked like? Would there have been any ministry at all, or would it have been lost in the midst of a fantastic miracle? 


And of course, I can't think about that without looking back at the times where I have been like that. Times where my to do list has outgrown my "to care" list, my "to love" list, my "to listen" list. That's happened often, and sadly, sometimes recently. But as we head into summer, where we always get excited for how much time we have with our youth, I hope that I can keep Jesus' example in mind. Some of the best times of ministry are the times separate of any program, free of any need to impress anyone, and with nothing planned. Some of the moments when we can be most present with our youth is over the simple things, where little thought is given to what we're going to do next, but instead turns to each other, and towards caring about our friends. I hope I have more days like today. And I hope that I am aware of the Spirit walking alongside me to lead me into those areas of ministry, where Jesus can shine through me and allow me to unconditionally love and encourage those I walk with. Our statement here in YFC is "Transforming a generation... one life at a time." Today, that is a good reminder for me. 

The Chance To Connect

Yesterday as I walked to the youth centre, I saw one of our young women walking down the street with her mom. I crossed over to the same side of the street and tried to catch up to them. But, by the time I got close, someone stopped me, and I noticed the youth I had been trying to catch up with had crossed the street and were now walking towards where I had just come from. For a moment, I felt a little regret for missing the opportunity. 


Opportunities are something we seek out regularly here at The Door. We pray that God shows us opportunities to minister and to speak truth to our youth. We create space for opportunities to connect with our youth. And most of all, we seek opportunities to pray for them, to lift up their concerns, and to pray for positive change in their lives. And every single week, God provides us with these opportunities. Of course, whether we take them is up to us. 


The beauty of working with these youth over a long period of time is that often we can catch up on missed opportunities. I was able to connect with this young girl today, and I'll see her tonight. We'll catch up on what is going on in her life, I suspect I'll hear about her recent struggles with depression, how much she loves babysitting her nephew, and the next tattoo she is thinking of getting. And in the middle of all of that, we'll probably talk about God. She asked me recently if she could come to church with Aaron and I, and I'd like to take her soon. She will never know how hard I tried to catch her on the street, but I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to remember to pray for her. I pray that God continues to open our eyes to the small things around us, and that we are faithful in moving towards them. 

Trusting to Take The Next Step

*This is not me.

Lately, I've had the privilege of being able to hike... a lot. Normally, this is something I am ridiculously excited to do, but translates to little time in my schedule. Part of my now weekly (*!!!*) hiking schedule has included hikes straight up Blue Mountain. These aren't my normal take-the-chairlift-ski-down or drive-somewhere-scramble-around-on-top-for-a-while jaunts. No, they are start at the bottom, pick a relatively straight, steep line, and plod my way to the top. It's not pretty, but in the couple of months since I've been doing it I'm wheezing and stopping less, and appreciating the view more (as opposed to being doubled over, which is my usual stance). 


Of course, since there is some unwritten rule about this in life, my desire to get in shape (and complete a 5k race up said mountain, but that's a different story) was beginning around the same time that we started to face lots of challenges in our ministry with YFC. At first, it started small: our youth were apathetic about lots and didn't really want to do anything. Then, we grew worried that we didn't have enough volunteers to meet our programming needs. Then, our financial situation took a dive far worse than we had experienced before. And I began to ask myself the question, "Am I insane?" 


I grew increasingly frustrated with the mounting issues we were facing, generally feeling, well, like I was walking straight uphill. The things that I was used to doing in order to operate the youth centre or raise support weren't working or at the very least were made far worse by hiccups that were met along the way. And then, like I did when I first started hiking up the mountain, I plopped myself down and I whined. 


Thankfully, I work and live with people who have little tolerance for whining, but are graceful enough to not laugh at me or shut me down. They reminded me that I needed to focus on what was important, not on the muck that was gathering at my feet. And when I began to pray, to give the huge burdens up to God, I found I could get up and take a few more steps. I could look ahead and see a way to get around the obstacles that seemed so huge without losing my mind.  Honestly, the financial burdened was the hardest. It seemed for a split second like everything was going to shut down. It was difficult for me to give up, since my whole life and being seemed to balance on our ministry. But it was amazing, once I began to intentionally pray, how God would give me peace when I needed it most, providing small graces to get me through the next few steps. 


Of course, I'd be lying if I said I no longer felt anxious, but as I read yesterday, "perhaps anxiety is an act of grace because it encourages us to face our fears so that we can then choose to freely follow God where He is calling us." (source). That's one side of the coin, and definitely something that I resonate with. But the view and hope that I hold to is this: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Ph. 4:4-7)


Things are slowly turning around. Or maybe they're not changing at all and I am able to see how they are moving us forward and not back. We have more people interested in joining our volunteer team. We're blessed with a centre of youth that while they aren't always the most motivated, really value the presence of The Door in their lives. This has led to some incredible ministry opportunities that we would have missed otherwise. And our finances are slowly turning around - but it's been a lot of work. I feel so blessed to be where I am right now, with the people that I am surrounded with. 


So as I hike uphill, things are a little different now. I see what lies ahead. I notice those that are walking along with me. And most of all, I see the beautiful view. 

Stories From The Road: Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Monstro! Monstro!

Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá

This is the second installment of our "Stories from the Road" series on Project Serve Costa Rica. 


If you were to ask me the most exciting and most terrifying hour of my life was, I might just say the football game that we took in while we were in San Jose. It wasn't for any real threat to my life or anything, but simply the sheer energy of thousands of people shouting and screaming in a language I didn't understand. But let me back up...


We had a surprise for our Project Serve team late in the week. Even our leaders didn't know what it was until the last minute. Our hosts had arranged for us to go to a professional football game. Aaron and I are not huge soccer fans, especially to the degree of some of our friends back at home, but in our minds it was like watching a Canadian hockey game: something that had to be done in Costa Rica. What was even more ridiculous was that the ticket's were the price of a latte at Starbucks, which is completely unheard of here. 

Miraculously we managed to find 26 seats in the same section. Thankfully, our hosts told us which team to cheer for. We were a few minutes into the game by the time we found seats, but it didn't take long to find out whether or not the ref had made a good or a bad call, based on the reaction of the fans. At one point, the guy in front of me cracked his head off of my knee as he threw his hands and his head back in disbelief at a penalty. Our youth watched wide-eyed at the spectacle of the game and stadium, and then something interesting happened. 

We got into it. As the ball neared the opposing teams goal, all of the fans started to stand up. At first, we stood up because that was the only way we could see what was going on. But then, we started to stand to our feet with a similar excitement as everyone else (keep in mind that we had no idea what the Spanish-speaking announcer was saying). And we cheered. And we groaned when the shot missed. When a player was downed by a hit, we talked about it as if we'd been following the team for a long time. We loved it. 


It wasn't a great game by our host's standards. And to be honest, I didn't know that there could be a scoreless game (didn't there need to be at least ONE goal scored in overtime?). But wow, was it an experience. It was a nice surprise in the middle of our week, and the team buzzed about it all night. And, it may have just turned me into a soccer fan. 

Stories From The Road: Costa Rica & Tico Time

As promised, this is the beginning of a series of updates focusing on our recent missions and camp experiences, in Costa Rica and Florida respectively.

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Our Team

I will be honest, I was excited to go to Costa Rica at first, simply because it had been on my short list of travel destinations. We had looked at honeymooning there, and ever since, I've been itching to go. Of course, as Project Serve came together, my scope of interest became much wider, especially in the months leading into our trip as we got to know more about the country and the people we were going to work with. 

Some of our team had travelled quite extensively, others had never been out of the province, so there was an interesting mix of anticipation among our team. Once we landed in San Jose we drove straight to the YFC House, right in the middle of the city and identifiable to us only by a local restaurant called "The Spoon" that happened to be on the next corner. Stepping inside, however, was a different story. Once we entered, we were in a hub of ministry and community. Many people come through this house owned by YFC: some for ministry, some for missions experiences like ours, and others to volunteer with the staff. Though some had moved out for the week to accomodate us, normally a handful of YFC staff live at the house, and from there minister through a variety of outreach programs, including their new skate outreach called SK8M.

Costa Rican & Canadian YFC Staff

One of the elements of our morning was "Tico Time". Ticos are what Costa Ricans call themselves, and for our team, this time was a time for them to encourage and share their hearts with us. Of course this was only a small part of our tico experience. Our hosts did a fantastic job encouraging community in our team. Early into our trip, they set up "Facebag" for us, recognizing that we were unplugged from Facebook for the week (the horror!). Reminiscent of Valentines bags that we all put on our desks in elementary school, it ended up being a memorable and meaningful way for us to encourage others and be encouraged ourselves. 

One of many, many van rides

By far, one of the most significant highlights for me was the unity our team experienced on this trip. Definitely, some of this can be attributed to the fact that we were together all of the time, but it was also very genuine. We wanted to be together. Like many of our YFC experiences, we incorporated small group time into each day, where smaller teams could talk about the day, and also focus on why we were serving and how this experience was changing our own lives. I know for many, this had great impact on their life and experience in Costa Rica. We became good friends with our tico hosts, and I think we will continue to develop a partnership and relationship with them. 

This was the basis of everything we did during our week in Costa Rica. I will be sharing about the work projects and some other specific stories. If we did not have this foundation underneath us, I'm not sure they would have gone as well as they did. I am grateful for our team and for our new friends in Costa Rica, they were an important part of this journey for me.

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To find out more about Costa Rica YFC/Youth Unlimited check out the following:

http://cryfc.wordpress.com/ (you'll need to translate this page if you can't read Spanish)

http://cr.yfci.org/ - Youth For Christ International's Profile on Costa Rica

It is time to catch up...

Ok, now that we have finished the crazy tour of February and March, we would like to take the next couple of weeks to catch you up on what's been going on. Watch this blog for stories from the road, Costa Rica, and SouthBound, as well as the amazing things happening at the youth centre. Remember those family slideshows after a big vacation? Kind of like that, only we won't force you to sit through a three hour tour...

One Month To Go...

It's been a whirlwind few months, and maybe this is going to explain why. In 25 days we are bound for Costa Rica. It's been just over a year since I last posted about Project Serve, so some of you might wonder if it's been off the radar. Quite the opposite in fact, 2011 saw one team go to Toronto, one team (made up of a few Toronto teams) do a work weekend in Huntsville, and team training beginning for our international trip this year. Our small group from Collingwood will  be joining a larger group from other youth centres to make up a team of 20 youth and leaders. 


February 12th we will be heading to the community of Cartago, located about an hour and a half outside the capital of San Jose, Costa Rica. While Costa Rica is a very affluent nation, the gap between the rich and poor is wide, and poverty is a significant issue in the community that we are working in. Our team will be partnering with a local church to build a room onto their building, and it will be used for serving meals to the community, outreach programs, and a variety of other things. 


What makes this trip unique is not the work that we are doing, but the partnership that we will have with Youth For Christ Costa Rica while we are there. There is a team of Costa Rican youth that will be joining our youth and we'll be working as a team for the week that we are there. What an incredible experience! For many of our youth, Project Serve has challenged them to grow in their practical skills, leadership, teamwork, and life skills, and it has made lasting friendships. 


We will definitely keep you updated as we return from the trip. If you would like to join us by financially supporting us, please use canadahelps.org, and after selecting "Donate Now" use the drop down menu beside "Fund" to select "Project Serve Mission Trip", then in the box beside "Message" type "Collingwood". Or, you can send cash or a cheque made out to Highlands Youth For Christ to the following:


Highlands Youth For Christ
9 Centre St.
Orangeville, ON
L9W 2W9

Please include a note that says "Project Serve Collingwood", and know that 100% of the money you donate supports the Collingwood team. 

We are so grateful for your support! We are looking forward to seeing lives changed as we serve the world around us!

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Check out our Facebook page for this group at https://www.facebook.com/costarica2012

We're Not In Kansas Anymore

So, a week ago we returned, relatively unscathed, from Campfire. It was a fantastic week, if not a bit of a strange one. We were headed towards Goderich not even a day after a tornado devastated the town. 

This was always in the back of our minds, as we went through our week running the camp program that I described in my last post. Then Wednesday the thunderstorm warnings came. Nothing really happened. But then the tornado warnings came. Again. This town ripped apart by a tornado was facing the prospect of more volatile weather not even a week later. Our kids were scared. Some of them terrified. They'd all seen the news and pictures. 

Leaders herded kids into shelter, then a few of us huddled around radios to keep up with the latest warnings (evidently, tornado warning music is actually pretty good. Aside from my concern that the announcers weren't saying anything, probably because they too were hunkered down in the soundproof padded rooms, they did pick a good playlist. And I digress). Leader's and kid's cell phones were ringing off the hook as concerned parents texted and called after watching the Weather Network. The guys were scared, but tried not to show it. It was written all over their faces. The girls were much harder. They were visibly scared and shaken. Some were crying. So, huddled in the only shelter we could find, we did what any sane human being would do: we sang Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of our lungs, complete with guitar solos. But as the song ended, that awkward tension of not knowing what's going on began to take over again. 

By now, the sky looked wicked, and was divided in two: tornado clouds and blue sky. We had no rain, no hail, and the wind was there, but not gale force. Some of us shared Scripture, reminding the girls that God was in control of the weather. At one point as I walked in to check on the girls after listening to another weather bulletin they were all lined up in a massage train. 

I don't think I could have predicted what happened next. The next time I returned to look in on them, one of the leaders shushed me as I walked in. We went outside and she told me what was going on. The girls had rallied around those who were very shaken by what was going on. At one point, as I'm sure they began talking about anything to not think about the weather, one of the girls shared something that was going on in her life. One of the girls, asked if she could pray for her. Within minutes, prayer was bouncing through the washroom, from girl to girl, with no leaders leading or piping in. I wasn't in the room, so I hope I'm giving this story justice. But God's peace showed up. Not long after, the warnings were lifted and the funnel clouds were gone. After a spectacular evening program, I sat out with a few of my colleagues and we watched the stars in the now clear sky. And we saw a shooting star so big that I've only seen a handful in my life. God was with us. 

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To read about The Salvation Army's relief efforts in Goderich, go here.

Sun, Sand, and Smores...

We're just a couple of weeks away from Campfire, our final trip of the summer. [Note: I am disappointed to be writing "final" and "summer" in the same sentence. I must make the most of the weeks I have left]. I look forward to this trip every year, since it's a chance to take our youth out of their usual setting, and to do something different with them. We also get to see youth that we see once a year at Campfire, and it is a great time to catch up with them.

Campfire is a pretty special setting, it's not really anything to do with the physical setting, but more with the environment and feel that the youth and leaders bring to it. For some kids, it's the rare chance to get out of Collingwood. For others, its reconnecting with friends they made at Campfire last year. Others are there for a completely new experience, meeting new people, trying new things, and experiencing the Youth For Christ family in action. Campfire is a crazy place, with people playing goofy improv games at the campfire, or plotting ways to prank their friends. It can also be a really meaningful time, where tent conversations or afternoons spend on the beach can lead to discussions that leave a profound impact on both youth and leaders alike. 

This year, we are excited for the youth that we have at Campfire. We are praying that sponsorships come through and that they follow through with their registrations. We know that God has got exciting things in store for the youth who are attending, especially as we enter into lots of discussions about life and Jesus. Campfire is a chance where we can just be together, enjoying nature and each other, and through that, God is present in a very real way.

Summer in the City... or town

So I'm in summer mode. I know exams don't start for another week, and that this weather is barely hitting the 20s, but June just kind of does that to me. I've already been to Canada's Wonderland, our golf tournament is this week, and then next week we go for a few days of holidays in Algonquin Park, so summer is here. 

This summer we've really made a point to be intentional with our schedule. Often many youth programs shut down for the summer, or at least pare back a little, but we take the opposite approach. The youth are out of school, and there are some who work and some who don't, so why not take advantage of the time that they have free? We talked about how that would look for us; last summer we were so ridiculously busy with camps, family weddings, and a mission trip that we barely had room to come up for air, and we didn't want to drop the ball on this year. 

We are excited to be able to be open five days a week from Tuesday-Saturday. Our drop-in will remain open most weekends (with the exception of holidays and Elvis fest), and we will offer programs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. We've had lots of youth asking about DJ classes and jam sessions, so on Tuesdays from 12-3 we're opening "The Drop", which is a music and art program, it'll give the youth a chance to hone their craft, have some free healthy snacks, and our staff will be able to interact with them in a really meaningful way through it. Wednesdays we start early with The Breakfast Club, which is a free breakfast and a Bible study, and then we go somewhere to do something (ranging from the beach to the Science Centre to the bowling alley). Those days are super fun, and often we join in with our other youth centres on them. Thursdays are Sports at Sunset Point, where we go to play pickup sports and enjoy the weather (I'm stoked for endless hours of beach volleyball!). Then drop-in on Friday and Saturday rounds out the week. 

Summer is a sweet time for relationship building with the youth. Our times with the youth aren't so much programs in the sense that we have endlessly planned our time to the second, but more open environments where we have something to do, but where the focus is really on building relationships and memories with the youth. In August, we have Campfire, where we take the youth to Goderich. This is a highlight of everyone's summer, and we do crazy things together, and have amazing conversations about God and life. 

And at the end of the day, that's why I like summer so much. I am able to hang out with youth all the time, to live our lives together, to grow, to laugh, to hurt alongside one another. We do crazy things together, but it makes all of our lives interesting, and it definitely keeps us off the streets in the summer. So I know, I'm a week ahead of the "official" start of summer, but it my mind it's wll underway. 

Changes, ch-ch-changes

I read somewhere once that 75% of blogs started with, "it's been a while since I've posted...". And I think I've referenced this before, which is a whole new level of sad. But, the fact that I haven't posted in a month has been for good reason, and I'm excited to share it with you! 

This past weekend, our local churches hosted "We Love Collingwood Day", an opportunity to do community service projects throughout the town. The Door was one of the beneficiaries of this day, and we were really excited to have a team of carpenters join us, as well as offer a free BBQ for our youth. We were able to make some pretty significant changes to the centre, including the addition of two custom entertainment units to store and secure our gaming systems, and the installation of a stage. My last post on here was a pictoral tour of the youth centre, so please use that for comparison. Here is the new layout of our back half:

Our stage can function as a stage when we are DJing, or have a coffee house.

Here we are setting up for program, just a couple of hours after we set up the stage.

Then when we don't need the stage to be a stage, it is a functioning seating area.

And here's our entertainment unit, and we have another identical one. They're mobile and lockable, and hold stuff!

 We're really stoked about the potential that this brings us for future programs, and with our summer schedule being released soon, it comes just in time for movie nights and open mic events.


And a big THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU to Journey Church, Greg and his crew, and all who were involved in We Love Collingwood, you have helped us continue to grow in the programs we can offer, and our youth think that this is pretty much the coolest thing ever! We are glad to be a part of the community with you!
 

A Tour

From our entrance: you can see the game tables, our seating areas, and the screen at the back.

Our employment wall, that we keep updated regularly.

Our records. And our amazing brick wall!

This winter we were able to add a couple of computers for the youth to use. This one has word processing and powerpoint capabilities, as well as programs to edit photos.

We also recently had the new DJ equipment donated, allowing us to offer some more music instruction.

Our house rules

Our billiard table and snack bar.

One of our couch areas.

Community service board

Our other computer has the same programs as the first, but with music software.

Many thanks to our co-op student Justin for his photo taking skills!

When I Say Keep It, You Say Real

 A week ago, I was sitting on the beach in 30 degree weather, soaking up the last bit of sun with a bunch of youth before we left Florida for another year. We had a fantastic week. SouthBound is a highlight of the year for many of our youth and staff, and this year did not let us down.


This year our youth were challenged to "Keep It Real" by our speaker, Laura Bronson, of Keep It Real Ministries. This was not just the theme for the week, but quickly became the overall attitude and lifestyle around the camp. Youth connected in a way that we hadn't seen in a while. If a youth was hanging around the fringes, there were always one or two peers who brought them into the group, breaking down many of the cliques and boundaries that often exist in the teen world. There were so many deep discussions this year, and the focus around keeping it real and sharing our stories certainly helped youth think about important things in their lives. We talked to youth who wanted to know if they had a story to tell, youth whose stories involved trauma and tragedy, and youth who had deep questions about life, God, and how the two mix. Youth prayed for each other, a treasure we hold on to when we work with teens who are all over the place in their journey with Christ. Youth read Scripture to their peers, and shared about their faith journey in small groups. It was an amazing year. 


Of course, as with any Youth for Christ event, we were up to our usual camp shenanigans. More than one dinner was interrupted by hilarious melodramas featuring superheroes with wacky hair or Harry Potter superfans. A mysterious green rubber snake made its way into a few bunkbeds (mine included). And, we spent crazy amounts of time on the beach, wakeboarding and tubing, doing our best Baywatch impressions, and getting thrown in the water.

This trip is amazing, and it seems to get better every year. As a staff, it leaves me fired up as we return to our usual programs this week, and I'm excited for what the weekend will bring. Many youth were profoundly inspired by our week in Florida, and we look forward to growing in our relationships with them. Here's some pictures:

Tubing with our cow friends.

The wacky hair superheroes.

Minute To Win It YFC style

A dramatic presentation of the Prodigal Son.

YMCA forever!

Typgoon Lagoon

St. Patrick's day with some of the female leaders

St. Pete's Beach

Our speaker, Laura, tagged shirts for all of us.

Evening session

Friday's relay led to some swamped kayaks

The whole group

Dessert & Auction - Tickets Still Available!

SATURDAY MARCH 5, 7PM
DESSERT AUCTION BENEFITING THE DOOR YOUTH CENTRE
TICKETS $5.00

Come and support The Door Youth Centre, and join us for dessert, and then bid on some amazing pies, cheesecakes and cakes in our live dessert auction! Proceeds from the auction and free will offering go directly to support The Door!

THERE ARE STILL TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THIS EVENT, BUT THEY ARE LIMITED!


For more information, please call the youth centre at 705-445-5445!

Lattes, Cher, and Toilet Paper Elastic Wars

Recently, we started a new program. We seem to be a very music oriented centre these days, and we wanted to feed the creativity of many of our youth. We've also had a number of youth who are becoming more and more leadership oriented at the youth centre, and were looking for something to do. Pairing that with the love that youth have for hanging out at The Door, and soon we had a coffee house brewing (oh, pun fully intended).

Our aim is to have a youth-led program, where we can facilitate and step into the background to help make it happen. In the bitter cold last night we hosted our first one, and with a dozen youth in attendance, we had success. We had three youth interested in leading, so we had them sort out the music, the games, and the overall feel of the centre. We created ambient lighting, had music by Dj Hutch (one of our youth), and even had karaoke, when Aaron coerced a bunch of the guys to join him for The Village People, Celine Dion, and, um, Cher. We served lattes, cake and cookies, had Valentines candy on the tables, and chess boards and card games. The latest trend in our circles is Minute To Win It, and there were ongoing games of ping pong tic tac toe, followed by a race to see who could break a string of toilet paper with an elastic band torpedo (if you think that it is ridiculously easy, I challenge you to go into your bathroom and office supplies, and hang a roll of t.p. off of a broom handle, letting the paper trail to the ground. Shoot away, and let me know your findings). 

Overall, we were happy with the first event, and thrilled that we had a chance to talk to our youth in an environment more calm than drop-in, but cooler than Tim Horton's. Next month, we hope to feature some youth performers, and continue the karaoke trend, which can only get better from here. And, here are some very fuzzy pics from my cell phone, enjoy!

The set-up, with DJ Hutch in the back.

The coffee and hot chocolate bar (I loved playing barista!)

Our drink menu... not bad!

Two Left Feet and Learning to Stop

Or perhaps I should say, two right feet. Our youth have been off school for sometime with exams and the turnaround to the new semester. And with winter, the group of us is starting to get a little stir crazy. Last night we went skating.

It was a great night, not too cold, and having dodged most of the nasty snow that was expected (although it was still a snow day), it was the perfect night to hit the outdoor rink. We had a few kids interested, and after Soul Food, we packed into our car and headed to the rink. I haven't skated in probably 15 years, but I didn't figure it would be too hard to remember. Like riding a bike right?

Maggie (not her real name) also hadn't skated in a while, but figured that she could dig up some skates at home, so when she met us at the rink, we had to share a laugh about the fact that she couldn't find matching skates, so she grabbed two right footed skates. How she got them the same size, I have no idea, but she managed to get them on and not skate around in circles. Craig (also not his real name), our resident tall guy, who has to be near seven feet tall, had many years of hockey under his belt and soon took off, flipping around backwards, and zooming in close to all of us who were far less skilled than he was. 

As Maggie and I slowly made our way around, I finally stopped my feet from wobbling, and was able to crosscut the ends. Stopping however, was a much different story. If I wasn't near a board, I would eventually slow down to a point where I stopped moving. If I was skating along the boards, I'd kind of throw myself into them, and grab on to stop. But if I tried to hockey stop, my newly sharpened blades would skid across the ice, sending me into a panic as I could feel myself tipping back, or turning backwards. It was not good. And Craig was eating it up. As he lapped me again and again, I reminded him that he should relish this moment of me looking like an idiot on blades, until I would get good enough to beat him. 

Aaron was trying to teach me the technique, and refresh my very foggy mind. It's just like skiing, he said, but I'm quite proficient at stopping when I'm flying downhill. While I felt frustrated at my forgetfulness of this once familiar and necessary skill, I didn't feel bad. At one point, Craig joined up with Aaron and I again, and started to show me what I should be doing. I blathered on to him about how easy he made it look as again, I felt Aaron grab the back of my jacket before I fell over again. But when I let him and Aaron come alongside me to teach me how to stop, I found that when I got over my own inability, they were both patiently skating beside me and I was making some lead in this venture. 

Before you think that I became a pro at stopping, I should tell you that I am still far away. But I can can mostly stop, kind of. My goal by the end of the winter is to know how to stop, and to be able to cover Craig in my ice flakes as I do it (I know, bad goal). Lately, I've been focusing a lot of my reading and reflection on our presence with youth. One of the things that strikes me over and over again, is that I have so much to learn from our youth. Some ways, such as learning how to stop, are practical, others, are much more profound as I've learned to be more like Jesus while walking along with our youth. We build memories together, we challenge each other, and we ask each other deep questions - and then we look for the answers together. And through the fun times like last night, and the difficult times when none of us have words to express what is going on, we grow together, learning to skate on our two right feet. 

Art Appreciation

In the fall, I posted some pictures of graffiti art our youth had done. Here are some of the other masterpieces that grace our walls at The Door Youth Centre:

 

Sketches and paintings done by our youth

Our Tape Collection - Recycled cassettes and paint = amazing!

 More to come...