Wow I'm a little bit late posting this one. I had a great Thanksgiving though, and I'm ready to rock and roll again.
Week 7 was a very, very difficult experience. For the sake confidentiality, I will not include the gory details, but let's just say that there are some kids that have problems. I spent almost the entire time trying to counsel and help one particular kid. It was a pretty scary situation, but I'm pretty sure the situation ended up resolving itself.
During that week, I have to admit, I was just about at rock bottom spiritually. I was exhausted, discouraged and eager to go home for Thanksgiving. I have to admit also that that Thursday, I really did not want to be there. I want to always have the right attitude about everything, but I definitely had a crummy attitude coming into that day.
The lessons God taught me that week were that sometimes, things will be out of your control, and even if it breaches confidentiality, there are things that you need to report to people for the safety of the child. Things will never be out of God's control however, and he's going to be there helping you along every step of the way.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Week 6 (Thursday: A.S.P 3:30-6; Block Party 6-8:30)
This week basically followed the usual pattern... but let me tell you... this week was BAD. When the time came for the students to listen to Britton give his anti-drug talk during the after school program, the kids basically started rioting right there. Jason summarized it best when he shouted from the balcony in desparation, "CAN THIS END PLEASE?!?!?!?" Britton pulled me aside during the mass chaos to tell me that in youth ministry there are going to be good days and bad days. This was a bad day. He told me that you can't let the bad days get you down, because even when your program is going to pot, you are still ministering to the kids. His words of wisdom to me were interrupted by a flying marker smacking me in the back of the head. A loud rebuking from Britton of the errant marker launcher followed.
During Bodyshop, I must confess, most of my energy was already gone. Anthony comes up to me and says, "Man, you should quit coming on Thursdays and come on Wednesday or Sunday nights." I agreed that I probably should... but I am not usually one to give up on something. I'm really glad that Anthony is doing Block Party. If he wasn't there, I would probably fall over and die halfway through Block Party because of all the policework I would have to do. One thing I've realized about myself through this practicum is that I REALLY hate confrontation. I don't like to yell at kids when they are misbehaving, and I can't understand why they don't just listen to me. That is one area that I want to improve on.
This week spiritually was actually very good. I hardly had any homework this week compared to the previous few weeks, so I had time to spend alone with God and getting some sleep. This next week should be a little bit harder... we'll see how I do this week.
During Bodyshop, I must confess, most of my energy was already gone. Anthony comes up to me and says, "Man, you should quit coming on Thursdays and come on Wednesday or Sunday nights." I agreed that I probably should... but I am not usually one to give up on something. I'm really glad that Anthony is doing Block Party. If he wasn't there, I would probably fall over and die halfway through Block Party because of all the policework I would have to do. One thing I've realized about myself through this practicum is that I REALLY hate confrontation. I don't like to yell at kids when they are misbehaving, and I can't understand why they don't just listen to me. That is one area that I want to improve on.
This week spiritually was actually very good. I hardly had any homework this week compared to the previous few weeks, so I had time to spend alone with God and getting some sleep. This next week should be a little bit harder... we'll see how I do this week.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Week 5 (Thursday: A.S.P, Block Party -- 3:15-8:15, Saturday: Barn Bash -- 6:00-11:30)
So it's been a while since my last post... but that is because it has been a while since I've been able to go to JC Bodyshop. First there was fall break, then Pastor Mike was out of town and then finally, after it had been three weeks since my last time at my practicum site, I got to come again.
Thursday was a very rough day, I must confess. It started out very uneventful, since most of the kids I usually play basketball with beforehand hadn't showed up yet. I was pretty hungry, since I ate a very light lunch because I had a paper due the next day. Then everyone showed up... and the trouble began. The kids misbehaved so much during the After School Program that I felt more like a policeman than a youth pastor. I don't think I've had to be that firm with anyone since my little sister was in her terrible twos. One kid had an afro pin and was trying to stab people with it... another kid was being rude and obnoxious, talking out of turn and being downright disruptive... another kid was making fun of me and tapping my shoulder over and over again when he was supposed to be paying attention. It was an awful time. There is a contest going on between groups in the after school program. The team I am helping out with, nicknamed "Team Hardball," was subtracted points on a regular basis for misbehavior, and I basically just wanted to go home.
After the younger kids went home and a lot of the ones causing problems had left, then most of my buddies showed up with high energy levels and I expressed my frustration from the after school program with them. They basically shrugged it off, and we went to go play basketball, I don't mean this to rip on anybody at all, because I realize thet were doing what they were supposed to do, but I felt like I had put up with all the hard stuff from earlier, and then when I had finally gained enough respect to maybe connect a little bit with some of the kids, the other sponsors showed up and took over. At that point, I wanted to try and build relationships with the kids and to try and tell them why the pastors and I were upset with them, but then because the next wave of sponsors came in who had no idea what had been happening, the opportunity was lost. I felt like Thursday was probably the hardest day yet, and I figured it had been a complete failure and that, if anything, I was more distant from the kids than when I began.
On Thursday, Pastor Mike pulled us aside and told us about this "Barn Bash" that they were going to have on Saturday. I was feeling exhausted and frustrated with how things had been going at Bodyshop that day, so I was hesitant to commit to going, but my need for more practucum hours won out over my personal feelings. I went to the Barn Bash expecting to get Barn Thrashed by the kids again. This time, however, things were different. First off, the kids who had been disrespectful to me on Thursday noticed I was there and showed genuine excitement that I was there. "Well that's a pleasant surprise." I thought to myself. Anthony, Angie and I then chaperoned 7 consecutive hay rides in the freezing cold that evening, and surprisingly, the respectfulness continued! Maybe it was something in the starry November skies that resonated with the adolescants souls, or perhaps the excitement of going on a hay ride and eating marshmallows around a campfire overcame their hostility, but at least for one day, the door was open, and relationships were formed.
The main two lessons I learned from these experiences were 1. Even when you feel like you are being hated, you are still having an impact on someone's life, and 2. In order to really get to know your teens, you have to spend time with them outside of the church building.
Hopefully this next week is more like the Barn Bash than what Thursday was like.
Thursday was a very rough day, I must confess. It started out very uneventful, since most of the kids I usually play basketball with beforehand hadn't showed up yet. I was pretty hungry, since I ate a very light lunch because I had a paper due the next day. Then everyone showed up... and the trouble began. The kids misbehaved so much during the After School Program that I felt more like a policeman than a youth pastor. I don't think I've had to be that firm with anyone since my little sister was in her terrible twos. One kid had an afro pin and was trying to stab people with it... another kid was being rude and obnoxious, talking out of turn and being downright disruptive... another kid was making fun of me and tapping my shoulder over and over again when he was supposed to be paying attention. It was an awful time. There is a contest going on between groups in the after school program. The team I am helping out with, nicknamed "Team Hardball," was subtracted points on a regular basis for misbehavior, and I basically just wanted to go home.
After the younger kids went home and a lot of the ones causing problems had left, then most of my buddies showed up with high energy levels and I expressed my frustration from the after school program with them. They basically shrugged it off, and we went to go play basketball, I don't mean this to rip on anybody at all, because I realize thet were doing what they were supposed to do, but I felt like I had put up with all the hard stuff from earlier, and then when I had finally gained enough respect to maybe connect a little bit with some of the kids, the other sponsors showed up and took over. At that point, I wanted to try and build relationships with the kids and to try and tell them why the pastors and I were upset with them, but then because the next wave of sponsors came in who had no idea what had been happening, the opportunity was lost. I felt like Thursday was probably the hardest day yet, and I figured it had been a complete failure and that, if anything, I was more distant from the kids than when I began.
On Thursday, Pastor Mike pulled us aside and told us about this "Barn Bash" that they were going to have on Saturday. I was feeling exhausted and frustrated with how things had been going at Bodyshop that day, so I was hesitant to commit to going, but my need for more practucum hours won out over my personal feelings. I went to the Barn Bash expecting to get Barn Thrashed by the kids again. This time, however, things were different. First off, the kids who had been disrespectful to me on Thursday noticed I was there and showed genuine excitement that I was there. "Well that's a pleasant surprise." I thought to myself. Anthony, Angie and I then chaperoned 7 consecutive hay rides in the freezing cold that evening, and surprisingly, the respectfulness continued! Maybe it was something in the starry November skies that resonated with the adolescants souls, or perhaps the excitement of going on a hay ride and eating marshmallows around a campfire overcame their hostility, but at least for one day, the door was open, and relationships were formed.
The main two lessons I learned from these experiences were 1. Even when you feel like you are being hated, you are still having an impact on someone's life, and 2. In order to really get to know your teens, you have to spend time with them outside of the church building.
Hopefully this next week is more like the Barn Bash than what Thursday was like.
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