Talking to teens

One of the greatest responsibilities and privileges we have in life are to have children. Children are a blessing from God. 


I can remember as a child a Christmas morning when I was probably about 12 or so coming out of my bedroom and walking down the hall to the Christmas tree. I noticed something right away, the old television was gone and a new one was in its place. It had a lot more buttons and features on it and I needed to learn how to use it. 


Having children is a learning experience. When we first have children we know that there are certain basic things that they need. Things like food, changed diapers, warm clothing and lots of human affection. As our children get older and they begin to form their own personalities we need to adjust how we treat them. There are many ways we can do that but we should never get away from the basics of love, food, clothing and human affection. Sometimes children are even denied those most basic things.


As our children move into their teen years, things change. They have many amazing and challenging things taking place in their lives. Often their parents stop trying to understand their world and stop talking. They have lots of things they think their teens should do, but when the teens ask them why, they respond with "because!" Because is not an answer! We need to communicate with our teens.


Recently I have been dealing with teens coming from abusive families. Yes some of them involve physical abuse, but often that abuse is verbal. Parents don't have conversations with their teens anymore because all they do is scream at their kids. Screaming is not a way to communicate! 


What if we took our kids out for a hot chocolate and sat down and tried to understand their world. What if other adults spent the time with the teens and listening to what they are saying. Teens have lots to say, and they would love to talk with their family, but if they always have to listen to us instead of sharing with us, we can't expect them to open up.


You need to understand that the Christmas morning I referred to was special. It was the first time we went from having a black and white television to a colored television. Having a colored tv changed the way we say what we were looking at. It came to life! 


I would challenge you to look at your teens in a new way. Not everything in life is black or white. Your kids  are living in a very colorful world! 

Animation

The day has finally arrived and we started our first ever Saturday afternoon kids camp. Lots of kids like to draw, and to be able to take this simple tool and turn it into a short movie is amazing.


Today we had four teens participate, they were between the ages of 11-16. I think that they were surprised when they were able to take their "small drawings" and turn them into short movies. It was a great start.


One exciting thing that took place while all this was going on was the conversations that were being had around the table. It is awesome to sit at the table with the teens and "doodle" while they began to open up their hearts about what is going on in their lives or ask questions about life.


I think that one of the things we need to work on with this type of ministry is to get more adults involved. I believe that wonderful relationships can be built around the table. We need to have additional adults with a willingness to be involved. If you love teens and want to make a direct impact in the lives of hurting and abandoned teens, we need you to volunteer. You won't be disappointed at all!


God is good and through these relationships lives are changed. So stop in and spend some time with us. You might even learn a little something about animation. 

Valentines Day

I must be coming more of a grinch as I grow older, or maybe I just see life from a different perspective! I find the  many days we celebrate throughout the year, are days that are extremely difficult for others.

Take Valentines day for instance. What are its origins? According to an article I read this is where it came from:
There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.




What does that have to do with what we have made it out today to be? Another day of over commercialization!!!!


This morning I was on facebook and I read lots of things like : Everyone who has a significant person in your life put your picture up together and share how many years you have been together. I know this is all nice and playful things not meant to hurt others, but inevitably people will be hurt and feel inferior. Why? Because for many many people Valentines in just another day to remind them of their loss or their lack of someone special.


My mind goes to some of my closest friends that have had to endure the tragic loss of a spouse either through death or divorce. I am reminded of the many young people that have made a choice not to date until later in life, that feel pressured on days like today. I am touched deeply by the thought of many hurting kids that don't even know what it is like to feel loved.


I think we need a change in the way we observe this day. Maybe we should simply take time to reflect today on those who have need of being loved. Instead of spending lots of money on flowers and meals and expensive things we don't need, maybe we should take that same money and invest it into the lives of those who are hurting and abandoned. Imagine if Valentines Day was just not another day to spend money on stuff but instead it was the day to look around at all those who we could bless by spending our time and resources to make the lonely and destitute feel like they mattered.


Oh yeah, Happy...

Education

In North America we are so blessed to have an education system that provides opportunity for all children to learn. As we all know that is not necessarily the case around the world. Many children never are given that basic chance. The biggest challenges facing the children of the world when it comes to education are: lack of quality schools, inappropriate teacher to student ratio (not enough teachers for the kids) and lack of training for teachers.


Thankfully we do not have to deal with this in North America, but there are kids and teens that still don't have the same opportunities in life. Not all children have parents that can pay for them to go to summer camps. Not all children have the proper footwear to play sports. Make no mistake when it comes to children there are still the haves and the have nots.


We want to make a difference in this area.We are going to be hosting our first kids camps starting next Saturday, it is an animation camp. It will run on Saturday afternoons for the next 10-12 weeks. The cost for kids is free. We believe that if children are given an opportunity to learn a skill, they can use that to not only better themselves but they will also feel better about themselves.


We will also be opening up other camps throughout they year. One we plan to begin very soon is an art camp. We will also be hosting 4-6 summer camps for kids which will include different types of sports, and the arts. All of our camps will be minimal cost.


Thanks for praying for our ministry and the teens we serve.