Monday, June 25, 2012

Let me tell you a story.
Are you sitting uncomfortably?
'Comfortable' is a dangerous place to reside!

This group of young women. Let's call them a Gang. The were 16 -17 and they were unmanageable in the Youth Club. They were regularly attacking other girls in the club and on the streets. They were snatching jewellery and intimidating many youngsters in the community. We banned them from the club but used the mini-bus as their 'club'.

The first trip out was with me and a female worker. We journeyed from East London to Fellowship Afloat, a Christian outdoor pursuits/sailing centre. The journey down in the bus was exciting as we drove through the dark into a strange non-urban environment. These young humans had never stepped into the dark - street lights kept their environment light all day and all night.

We eventually piled out of the bus onto a muddy pathway with torches to guide our way through the total darkness. We stumbled along a narrow path and through the mud-flats towards the sea. All of us were clinging to each other. High heels became unsustainable. (We had suggested other types of footwear!) We eventually reached the Mother ship and from it climbed into a motor launch and set out to sea - IN THE DARK!

What a hand holding experience it was.
They were scared and as clingy as can be.
(I was glad about the closeness - I was scared too).
It was a vivid experience.

On the way home we sung pop songs and I asked a stream of questions. One question, and the answers, was highly memorable. I asked everyone in the bus to chose an animal which best describe each one of us in turn. So we each had 10 humans describe us in terms of an animal - and why. I always remember, I was described as being like a Sheepdog - always going around yapping and rounding people up to do things - love it.

We laughed and laughed on the way home. They also asked deep questions. They asked about my faith. They knew I was a hot Gospeler because I did a weekly '10-O-Clock News' in the Youth Club. Always about how God loved them and what they may chose to do about it. This time they chatted rather than the usual howling back of funny comments

The objective of this trip was to create a new experience with them.
Never to be forgotten.
Leaving reflective memorable moments to think and talk about.
After that .......... another story.

Summary:: Young humans grow when there is::
Love, security, participation and new experiences.
Love is a doing word.
Usually never in a place called 'comfortable'.



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