The Trials and Joys of Working with Youth

Earlier today we returned from the All Ontario Youth Convention. In the beginning and through the months leading up to this week-end we have to admit that we really weren't looking forward to it. To us it was just another committment we had as Youth Leaders, therefore we had to do it and after it was done, so were we. Leading Youth Group has been a tough and challenging haul for us this year. The kids didn't seem to care or appreciate what we were doing and it was always a fight to get them to respect us and participate. And to be honest, in the last month or so we've kinda given up on that fight. It was taking too much out of us on top of all the other stuff we're working on right now. All year we wished that the kids would relate to us on a different level, other than calling us "Mr and Mrs Geertsema." Well after this weekend we've finally reached that desired level of interaction with some of our kids. Going to a weekend retreat like this where their focus is on God and drawing closer to him as well as the others around them, and spending more time with us, has opened them up to the fact that we're people too. We're not just bossy people who make them do Bible studies every other Sunday night. So we were really excited about this, we spent the weekend talking with them and supporting them through life-changing, and not-so-life-changing, decisions. They were finally talking to us. The only sad part for us was the fact that we're done youth group for the year and won't be back next year to build on these relationships.

Anyways, the Convention was great! I'd never been to one before and it was a really good experience. The speaker was amazing and the band was great (Article One, look them up!). They also had a drama group that was awesome called One Time Blind, definitely worth looking into if you're doing youth group and are looking for some new material. Their skits are based on some really foundational questions which students need to think about in order to grow in their faith. So all in all, despite the cold, rainy weather, the serious lack of sleep and hurt ankles (Dave playing soccer), a great weekend was had by all! And for anyone that's interested their holding the first annual Ontario Young Adults Conference this August, it'll be a good one too!

Flowers in the Budget?

Steph and I were going through our bank statements - trying to figure out how we were spending our money. Somehow, she came across the one time in recent memory that I gave her flowers...
"You spent $32 on those flowers!" she said.
"THAT'S WHY I never get you flowe- ah - rs vry ofn..." said I.

You'll notice that after being very excited to say THAT'S WHY, my brain clicked in and made me slow my voice as I said "never get you" and my brain finally made my tongue mask what I was saying by the time I got to "flowers" and my voice became higher as I mumbled "very often"...

Romance. Should it be included in the budget?

Interesting Compliments

Okay, our lives are just crazy. But every once in a while, we're getting "breaths of fresh air" (for lack of a better description). Maybe I'll start at the end of last week - when I was supposed to be finished my placement.
Turns out that my teacher didn't come to school the last two days, and left me in charge (when I really wasn't supposed to be teaching much anymore...), so I didn't get my marking finished (yes, I still didn't have my marking finished), which I took along with us to Stevin and Katrina's, where we looked for rental appartments, and houses, and saws. We only bought saws.
We returned to Jarvis on Sunday afternoon, I desperately finished my marking, (Yes, I spent most of the weekend avoiding my marking), and prepared for my last two days of school at Redeemer.
Turns out that there were some assignments due on Monday and Tuesday which I had NOT done. So I spent Monday night finishing my last school assignments ever.
I was also asked to do morning devotions on Tuesday morning. So I spent Monday night also preparing a devotional for my class of 70 peers.
Tuesday morning I led the student teachers of Redeemer through a devotional, with a lot of success. They were actually laughing, and REALLY enjoying my devotional, which was all me.
So I recieved a number of compliments, but very few compared to this one:
"I could just close my eyes, and it was like Mark was talking."
huh?
Apparently, we Geertsema's are storytellers. And good ones. But I was clueless about this, because most of the Geertsema's I know are really a quiet bunch.
So when someone says, "You tell a story like a Geertsema," and says it in a complimentary fashion, it makes you think.

Anyways. I finished school. I don't know that I'll go to my graduation ceremony because, quite frankly, I'm just so glad to be done with school that there would be no greater joy than not returning for a dull graduation ceremony.

NOW, at this very moment, Steph and I are relishing the fact that we have survived creating a baseball tournament and leading a huge youth service at our church (complete with guitars, drums, and electric violin) at a fairly conservative church!

AND we recieved a ton of compliments. Yep. I was doing dishes after the service while Steph attempted to cross the fellowship hall, and it took her a very long time to get across because every time she stopped talking to one person, another person would want to compliment our service. So that was refreshing. For her. I was doing dishes though.