Youth are awesome!

More each day I realize just how much I love youth, and how much I love youth ministry!

It amazes me just how much love the Lord has given me for the youth with whom I work...they just mean so much to me...and my heart just breaks for those who are undergoing rough trials in their lives.

I decided today that I wanted to have a few of the youth over tomorrow after VBS to swim, have pizza, and just hang out for a few hours before our "Cherry Blossom Festival" at church tomorrow night (where the kids perform their songs, show the parents their rooms, etc.). I can't wait! I am so excited about talking with them, hearing about what's going on in their lives...especially because I don't know when I'll see some of them again--they go to a different church now...

It truly is the little things in life that bring joy...

As I look back at the past 7 months, I have begun to put pieces of the puzzle together...pieces that just didn't seem to fit are now being put into place. For instance, when I came back from Washington, D.C., I became very disenchanted with the political world...and I didn't know why! Well, it occurred to me today that perhaps that was the Lord's way of preparing my heart for the drastic change in career He would send my way on July 5th. Now I see that, though I know He will use my political knowledge and experience in some way, that is not supposed to be my main "calling"...

It's all beginning to make sense...slowly...and I LOVE when that happens!

The more I pray about seminary, about youth ministry, etc., the more I realize just how much I would love doing that...I am seeing how my gifts, talents and abilities are really compatible for such a career, and that excites me.

But, had the Lord revealed this to me even two months earlier than He did, I probably would have laughed, because it didn't fit into MY puzzle. :)

Funny how He changes things...