I apologize for my lack of writing over the last few weeks. With fall programming in full swing I have lacked time, but I have really enjoyed the excitement of being back open. I currently oversee the Friday Rec Night. Rec Nights were how I first got involved with First Glance. As I grew to know the students and my heart broke for the community I committed to being part of God reconciling this community back to Him. Although Rec Nights can be chaotic and overwhelming at times, I love it!
This past Friday was such a cool night. It began with our leader’s meeting. The local pastor of Goss Church, Kevin Burkholder, encouraged the leaders and I to be bold in approaching and engaging our students in conversation. We prayed as a team and opened the doors to let the mass amount of students waiting come in. I grabbed a piece of pizza and sat down to see how our cop was doing. Mike, a tougher student that I am pretty sure is involved in gang activity, randomly sat down at the table with us. He engaged us in conversation!! Sometimes conversation with our students can be really forced, but it wasn’t at all!! He told us how he was in court the previous week supporting a friend that was being sentenced. He went on to talk about his family and how they just got a new house. I could tell from our conversation that his mother was trying so hard to provide for their family. It was evident that he noticed and loved her. In all honesty, before this conversation with Mike I saw him as a punk kid that came into Rec Night to cause fights and make trouble. That night, I saw the vast potential he has as an image-bearer. Please pray with me for this young man that he would come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Please also pray for the Tunnel Vision Reunion that we are having with our students before Rec Night. We are going to have intentional conversations about Christ!
