The Voice of the Young People...

Last night another volunteer and I took three of our older boys (ages 17-19) to dinner. We wanted to meet with them to hear there hearts about what they think kids in this neighborhood need. I wrote down about 10 questions to guide the conversation. We let them know that they are the voice of the young people and what they have to say is very valuable to us. They know so much more about what these teens are going through and we needed to hear from them.

I asked the first question and after that, I really didn't have to ask many more. They were so open and one topic led to the next. They brought things up on their own and I didn't even have to ask. It was truly a God moment that almost seems unreal to me as I think about it. They talked and talked and talked. One young man said, "You guys are like my Mom and Dad. I really needed this, I just needed to talk. I think this is something that God set up." Wow! He was right!

When we talked about gangs and drug dealing, one young man said, "When I was growing up, I thought going to jail and selling drugs was a normal part of life. All the men in my family did it, so I just thought that's what everyone does." We asked him what caused him to see things differently and he said, "Someone telling me that I was better than that." About a year ago, these three guys and many others were in a large fight against some other boys in the neighborhood. For a while now, I have been wanting to ask them if they are ok now. When I brought it up, it was almost like the were relieved that we asked them. They said, "You read my mind, I've been wanting to talk to you about that."

I left last night on high, I could hardly sleep because I was so amazed at what God did. It really was a supernatural time of openness and them genuinely sharing their hearts freely with us. God, we are crying out for more moments like this!