Choir Tour '10 Suckaaas!

I have recently returned from a rambunctious, radical trip down to Florida with a few stops on the way with 80 kids and 20 other friends. (Like the alliteration?) At the stops, we shared the Gospel of Christ and God's redeeming love through song, dance, and drama. Sound inspiring? It was.

I can't say I learned anything profound or walked away a new person, but I did learn how to build relationships with kids. Being forced to be around 80 or so kids for 6 days straight may sound like torture to you, but I got to know tons of them I had hardly even spoken to before. Although I see them a few times a week, I love going on these trips because they are crucial times of impact. I really learned how fragile kids are. It dawned on me exactly how teenagers get picked on and bullied by other kids. It's a pretty sad ordeal.

This is when I also realized how important it is for us leaders to let God use us a tools to get into these kids lives. It's amazing the impact we may be able to make, whether it's simply playing a silly game with them, including them in something, or actually having one-on-one conversations with them. As difficult as it is sometimes, its extremely important to emulate Christ for these kids. That's really all they need- someone who loves, who forgives, who cares, and who points them in the direction of our Father.