Lesson #5: Urban Young Life
(I've written about my experience with Urban YL in the past, so this will be a repeat of some older posts...sorry!)
The story begins in the Spring of 2006. I had just started college the previous fall and went through young life's college program to determine if i wanted to be a leader for high school kids.
Spring semester, around February, I got the phone call I had been waiting for. I had already interviewed to be a leader and was awaiting placement at one of the 15 or so area high schools. Much to my surprise, I was placed on the urban YL team. I had met Paula before, she was the only girl on the urban team, but the thought of being placed with her didn't cross my mind.
On my first day, Paula drove me through our area of town to pick up girls for a sleepover she was having. I remember thinking "please don't stop, just keep driving" because this was the part of town i had never been before and especially did not want to get out of the car. But she did. And I got out. And it wasn't that bad!
Eventually over the next few weeks I got to spend time in inner city Raleigh with some pretty hard middle and high school girls. We had meetings once a week and Royce (our director) threw me right in. He had me picking up kids and taking them home from club, doing silly skits and making myself "a fool for Christ" as he would say.
It was hard, really hard. The girls didn't respond well to my skits, didn't want to hang out, made jokes about the color of my skin, and didn't want to hear anything I had to say about Jesus. A lot of nights i went home crying. But in that time, I saw God in a completely new light. He took my out of my white, Christian bubble and I saw His heart for the poor and marginalized.
I remember the first time i was invited inside the home of one of my girls who lived in government housing. I walked in and her mom was smoking weed; I pretended not to notice. She showed me her bedroom and I had to keep talking to keep my mind off the fact that she didn't have a bed. I had to pretend it was normal to sleep on just a mattress on the floor, but for her, that was normal. I had no idea that kids in america lived like this and didn't expect any different. I was sad, outraged, but mostly embarrassed for thinking that I didn't have enough.
I wanted to just give them money and to buy her a bed, but I knew that wouldn't solve the problem. I wish it was that easy, but I am so encouraged by the churches and programs like Jobs for Life that are doing radical things in poverty alleviation. I never met a single father of any of the kids I knew, most of the mothers were on welfare and didn't work and worse, didn't want to work.
At first I was disappointed, then excited, then really scared (especially when I told my parents). I grew up in a Durham, NC, known for it's high gang rates and I went to a middle school where being white was the minority. So I wasn't going into this blindly, but it was still a shock
This time was pivotal for my understanding about race relations within the Church and how the Church should help those who are disadvantaged. 11am is the most segregated hour of the week...why is that? Why are churches the most segregated public buildings? Heaven won't be segregated, so why are our churches? I'll admit I made a lot of mistakes during my time in YL, thinking I was super-woman coming to save the day (messiah complex), that they needed something from me, or that I even had something to offer (except the Gospel).
If you haven't read "When Helping Hurts" I suggest reading it this weekend. I wish I read it before I started because I'm kicking myself at how much I probably hurt my ministry and the people around me, but I know that Jesus used me and that time for His glory. I think God used Urban YL and my experiences in downtown Raleigh to help me and my view of God more than make an difference there. It was so humbling to see how useless I really was, but in my weakness, how God's strength came through.
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" -2 Corinthians 12:9
The story begins in the Spring of 2006. I had just started college the previous fall and went through young life's college program to determine if i wanted to be a leader for high school kids.
Spring semester, around February, I got the phone call I had been waiting for. I had already interviewed to be a leader and was awaiting placement at one of the 15 or so area high schools. Much to my surprise, I was placed on the urban YL team. I had met Paula before, she was the only girl on the urban team, but the thought of being placed with her didn't cross my mind.
On my first day, Paula drove me through our area of town to pick up girls for a sleepover she was having. I remember thinking "please don't stop, just keep driving" because this was the part of town i had never been before and especially did not want to get out of the car. But she did. And I got out. And it wasn't that bad!
Eventually over the next few weeks I got to spend time in inner city Raleigh with some pretty hard middle and high school girls. We had meetings once a week and Royce (our director) threw me right in. He had me picking up kids and taking them home from club, doing silly skits and making myself "a fool for Christ" as he would say.
It was hard, really hard. The girls didn't respond well to my skits, didn't want to hang out, made jokes about the color of my skin, and didn't want to hear anything I had to say about Jesus. A lot of nights i went home crying. But in that time, I saw God in a completely new light. He took my out of my white, Christian bubble and I saw His heart for the poor and marginalized.
I remember the first time i was invited inside the home of one of my girls who lived in government housing. I walked in and her mom was smoking weed; I pretended not to notice. She showed me her bedroom and I had to keep talking to keep my mind off the fact that she didn't have a bed. I had to pretend it was normal to sleep on just a mattress on the floor, but for her, that was normal. I had no idea that kids in america lived like this and didn't expect any different. I was sad, outraged, but mostly embarrassed for thinking that I didn't have enough.
I wanted to just give them money and to buy her a bed, but I knew that wouldn't solve the problem. I wish it was that easy, but I am so encouraged by the churches and programs like Jobs for Life that are doing radical things in poverty alleviation. I never met a single father of any of the kids I knew, most of the mothers were on welfare and didn't work and worse, didn't want to work.
At first I was disappointed, then excited, then really scared (especially when I told my parents). I grew up in a Durham, NC, known for it's high gang rates and I went to a middle school where being white was the minority. So I wasn't going into this blindly, but it was still a shock
This time was pivotal for my understanding about race relations within the Church and how the Church should help those who are disadvantaged. 11am is the most segregated hour of the week...why is that? Why are churches the most segregated public buildings? Heaven won't be segregated, so why are our churches? I'll admit I made a lot of mistakes during my time in YL, thinking I was super-woman coming to save the day (messiah complex), that they needed something from me, or that I even had something to offer (except the Gospel).
If you haven't read "When Helping Hurts" I suggest reading it this weekend. I wish I read it before I started because I'm kicking myself at how much I probably hurt my ministry and the people around me, but I know that Jesus used me and that time for His glory. I think God used Urban YL and my experiences in downtown Raleigh to help me and my view of God more than make an difference there. It was so humbling to see how useless I really was, but in my weakness, how God's strength came through.
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" -2 Corinthians 12:9
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