Snow is stupid. (I couldn't think of a title)

Well, my second week in the States is almost up. Sorry if these updates are a bit too frequent but I figured it would be a nice way for me to document all the little things I've been doing. Also, my short-term memory is pretty bad so if I don't do this, I won't remember anything!

This week has been great fun, I'm getting more into the swing of things although the snow keeps messing everything up! As soon as the snow fell, the schools were closed so we have spent quite a bit of time at the centre this week. We managed to get to Urban Promise on thursday where I delivered my first lesson to the kids. I didn't quite realise how many kids would be there so it did stretch me a bit. It was more like proper teaching, as the set up at Urban Promise is very structured and school-like so that was a new experience for me. I'm so used to doing activities that get the kids all hyped up, so I went with my usual approach but quickly realised that probably wasn't the best way to do it in that environment! Well, you learn by living. It was only my second time of meeting my 'camp' so I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself. 

Yesterday, we went back to do JJM and just played cards with the guys. They were quieter than usual but I think that's because most of them wanted to be released for the weekend but they have to earn that by doing good during the week. After that, we went back to Urban Promise to help with a sleepover at a local Church. 

First of all, we went bowling with the kids. Now, I didn't expect that bowling would be any different in America. I was wrong. As we were trying to figure out what shoe size I would be over here, I passed by boots to the guy behind the counter. Everyone stopped & looked at me as he exclaimed, 'I don't want your shoes!' Well, that's not how we roll in England. I looked to the Germans to back me up, but that's not how they roll in Germany. So, red faced, I headed to put on my bowling shoes with my boots in hand. I was then beaten by a 6 year old. By 30 points.

Once I got over that, we went to the Church ready to eat our snack and put on our PJs to watch Monsters University. I love that movie as it takes me back to the good old University days. We then slept on a cold, hard floor in the Church and awoke to pancakes and bananas. 

As I was laying there this morning, shivering, having not slept a lot - I got to thinking about how precious Youth Ministry is. Youth leaders do so much stuff that is so uncomfortable and out of the ordinary purely out of love for the kids they work with. I am constantly blown away by that. I hardly ever hear people complain about it, because they know that those crazy things could potentially have a life-changing impact for the kids. At the YFC Conference, the American speaker who lead the morning talks spoke of when he was a young person and the things that impacted him the most. It wasn't the crazily elaborate games or talks. It was the times when his youth leaders would ask for his help. When adults would involve him in their lives. I don't think we can do enough of this, especially with the kids here who have such heartbreaking stories. 

One thing that has surprised me so far is that I can feel certain insecurities cropping back up. I've noticed that the leaders constantly encourage not only the kids, but each other and I didn't realise how vital that would be for me. I know that insecurities come when you're out of your comfort zone and it can become exhausting pushing yourself constantly. I just keep feeling like I'm not good at anything, but this style of working and living is so different to what I'm used to. For me, sharing a room with someone is out of my comfort zone. Leading kids in a school setting is out of my comfort zone. Everything being so centred around sports with the kids is out of my comfort zone. I think as I begin to feel more settled and more a part of the teams I work with, I will be more at ease and will stop beating myself up! A wonderful friend of mine sent me this quote earlier on in the week that I want to keep reminding myself of:

 'We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.' 

Mother Theresa 

Sometimes it's easy to feel like what your doing is insignificant, or almost 'where do I even begin.' But as long as I keep being me, and loving these young people in the best way I know how, I could have a lasting impact - and that is the reason that I'm here. 

Learning Curve

I've decided to round of each post from now on, with something that I've learnt about America that week. So this week I learnt that:

Americans don't use the word savoury when describing food.

When I asked what word they used to describe non-sweet food they said they would call it 'food.' 

P.s. I cuddled AND fed a baby today.  P.p.s. I also had my first brew of Dunkin Donuts coffee this morning. It was extremely necessary.