After eleven months, kids’ ministry isn’t always my favorite. Shocker, I know! I adore kids. I really, really do. I always have. Coming into the Race, I was certain that the countless hours I’ve spent wrapped up in coaching, teaching, babysitting, etc. would have prepped me for anything that could be possibly thrown at me by the tiny humans. One would think. All over the world, I’ve delighted in cheeky, toothless grins from faces of multiple races, held dirty, sticky hands of every color, tickled hungry tummies earning various accented giggles. I’ve had my knees hugged more times than I could ever recount, played somewhere around 1000 rounds of UNO and sung every Bible School song imaginable. It’s been a blast. But more often than I’d like to admit, it’s worn me out. Kids make me tired. There have been days when I’ve literally drug myself into bed (usually a Thermarest mat on the floor) and prayed that my “bedroom” sanctuary would be safeguarded for just a few moments of solitude. A few moments of not having to expel every ounce of energy I have trying to entertain or love on some little guys that always manage to just be around. Be assured, I hate that I sometimes feel this way. But the truth is, some days I’ll do just about anything to get a break from kids’ ministry.
No such break exists this month! Like it or not, my entire Squad – all 55 of us – are all-hands-on-deck for a VBS type program called Destiny Island put on by our host church, Causeway Coast Vineyard! It’s a kids’ paradise, complete with full-fledged beach setup, an extreme sports theme, opportunities to learn cooking skills or dance moves, the chance to pie your counselors in the face (Yikes!) and of course, the bottom line of learning about the love of a Father that, unfortunately, many of them have never been privy to in their short little lives.
As a pre-cursor to the week-long Destiny Island project, most of us got the assignment of working in one of five “Sunday School” style morning programs on our first Lord’s Day in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Broken down into age groups, the “Stars” program lets parents enjoy the main service with peace of mind that there little ones are also part of a safe, fun Church environment specifically geared toward them. Truly, it’s incredible the way the church is pouring into all ages, and while I was sure it would be a great time for those lucky J Squad-ers who got to play with kiddos all Sunday morning, I’d made up my mind that I’d much rather pour coffee for the grown-ups, thank you very much. Ah, the Lord has such a way with me.
The number of helpers needed for All Stars (5-11 year olds) was too great and I have this nagging inability to say, “No.” My fate decided, I did my best to pep myself up for a morning full of screams and shrieks, trips to the potty, snot, tears and God-only-knows-what-else. (Hey, when I’m pessimistic, I’m nothing if not full-blown!) I guzzled my coffee (graciously provided to volunteers at Vineyard) and prayed for strength as over 100 kids spilled into the All Stars room!
“High energy” in no way allots a proper description for the start of the program. Kids ran everywhere, played volleyball or soccer, challenged one another (or one of the 12 World Racers) to foosball and air hockey, watched funny home-videos and built remarkable Lego structures! Utter madness! But then, as quickly as the eruption of noise and chaos had ensued, Dave, our director, made the announcement that Worship would start in just a few minutes, and every kid flocked back to the main area! Worship is incredibly in any form, albeit, but until you’ve seen 100+ children singing praises to God at the top of their lungs, I’d venture to say you haven’t really seen it all! I stood in awe (behind the lens of my camera) as little guys and gals lifted their hands in praise, some knelt to pray with one another and all paid attention to their “task” at hand. Playtime was over.
Part of our job as volunteers was to help engage “new” kids. Dutifully, I hit my knees and struck up a conversation with two cuties, Harry and his little sister, Destiny. They were in the middle of telling me how old they each were and that this was their second time to come to All Stars while their family was on holiday in Coleraine when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned to my left to find the bright eyes of a dark haired boy, examining my face with a look of concern.
“Hey buddy, what’s up?” I asked. He wasted no time getting right to the point.
“D’ya see that wee girl walkin’ about the room?” He asked, motioning toward a little girl that I would have had to have been blind to miss. All morning long she’d been marching around the room, whooping at inappropriate times, screaming out, randomly sitting with different people for a few seconds at the time before she was up and about again. I’d even pulled her pants back up minutes before when she sporadically dropped them during worship. It hadn’t taken me long to recognize Autism, but Dave repeatedly assured us (and the kids) that she was fine and it was okay for her to be noisy. I prepared myself to gently remind my new little friend of those facts, terrified that he was about to make some obscene or hurtful comment about her present condition.
In the moment, “Yeah,” was about all the response I could muster.
With utmost sincerity, the little boy half-whispered. “D’ya think it’d be alright if we prayed for ‘er?”
My eyes welled over as I fought to remember how to form words. How wrong I’d been. How judgmental. How little faith I’d had in the genuineness of children. All my life I’ve been taught, “kids can be so cruel,” and I’ll admit that I’ve come face-to-face with that reality more than once, but there in that room, on my knees, I stood eye-to-eye with Jesus. He came in the form of a little bloke named Louis! I agreed that it would definitely be okay for us to pray for the girl, and that’s exactly what we did. Well, I say we. In honesty, Louis prayed for her; I thanked God for the little boy with the willing heart to do what most adults would never think of.
A little while later, I still sat with Harry and Destiny (who it turned out were younger siblings of the girl Louis wanted to pray for – SMALL WORLD!) and Dave began the morning’s lesson. Somewhere in the middle of the story of Zaccheus, their older sister stopped and plopped herself directly in my lap, quieting tremendously as I began to hum “Jesus Loves Me” and sway just a bit. If I stopped, she wiggled enough to signal that I should continue, but for the most part, she was calm and pacified. It wasn’t long before I felt another tap on the shoulder.
“D’ya know that prayer we prayed?” Louis whispered. I nodded. He grinned broadly at the girl in my lap, then back up at me. “I think it’s workin!”
Be Blessed,
Ashlee
