*Fusion* Kick-off Night

First youth event of the year. 16 kids (about twice as many as i'd expected). 3 leaders (me and the two pastors. ha). Lots of paper airplanes. And perhaps a few touched lives?

The night was started off with hanging out and introductions. John introduced me to the rest of the people and let them know what I was doing this year and explaining that it's taking a different route from GodZone which was previously running.

Then we played Paper Dart Blitz. The two teams had to get all of their paper darts (paper airplanes) on the OTHER side of the room in one minute. It was madness. They seemed to enjoy it.

Then it was Bigger and Better Rally time! Each of 4 teams got a 5 cent piece and were told to go out to find something bigger and better in 45 minutes. I told the story about my team stealing Rocky from the McPhersons. Katrina's team returned with...of course...Sheba. Ha.

Such unoriginality...I'm a genius for creating that idea to steal a dog!

Then we compared the findings and awared the prize. And then I gave my little 10 minute talk on becoming "Bigger and Better" - trading in the little things in our lives for the bigger prize: a relationship with God.

It was really great because not once did anyone want to sit out and thought they were "too cool" for it. They were quiet when I was talking. They were friendly and talked to me even though they'd never known me.

And best of all, I had a few of the kids ask me afterwards if we could talk one on one sometime because they could relate to part of my story that I talked about - the part about feeling worth about as much as that five cent piece but how God has helped me work up to the bigger and better prize and everything I've sacrificed along the way was completely worth it.

(I used the analogy that someone would be crazy to hold onto a DVD player when someone is offering them a helicopter! They agreed. Then I related it to live - why in the world would someone hold onto the little things that they think make them happy when that "helicopter" is out there (God's love) for the taking? It went over well.)

So yeah. There are 3 kids that I specifically will try to get a chance to talk to. I will be excited when my office is ready because then we can have meetings in there - sit and have coffee and talk.

I felt really good about the night until I got home and realized Sheba wasn't there. I also remembered that Katrina and I briefly looked for her before realizing (well, assuming) that John must've had her. I went out looking for about an hour - yelling and calling all over the town...I about died knowing that she is the absolute apple of Jackie and Fred's eyes (her owners) and we might've lost her.

But John did have her. Silly man not telling me he had her. And then going all the way to Manapouri with her. Bah. haha but at least she's home and I don't have to die for losing a dog that doesn't even belong to me.

The kids were really excited about the rally and now I'm sort of afraid that they're going to expect big blow out games like that all the time. I just don't have the oomph for that - I'm not a games person in the first place and now I'm afraid they'll always want high caliber games like that. Yikes.

Okay so yeah. It was a really great night. I'm excited - and even more ready to start really getting this program off the ground. It'll be a lot of work this week but I think that once I get a block plan in place and a games roster it'll be much easier from there.

And now it's bedtime. Long day. Not a long day ahead of me tomorrow though. I'm excited to try to sleep in a little before hitting the planning books again.

I'd plan it all now if I had the energy - that's how pumped I am!

This is so my element. What ever makes me think that I could be in the wrong profession?

*do do dodo do*