Connections...

I am trying to make a point of connecting with high school girls in my Bible Study more this year. My goal is to take them out for coffee or lunch or something at least once. There are ten girls in my Bible Study and I figure that's one a month with 2 months to spare. I've said it here so hopefully I will accomplish this goal and can share my experiences on this blog. Now for a story...

For about the last seven months I have been going to coffee (or non coffee as we call it) with a girl named Sarah. We have connected so well and I believe we have a wonderful friendship going on. She wrote about Mike and I on a blog on her myspace so I was thinking I wanted to share with anyone reading how amazing just one connection can be.

Sarah will be entering college this fall and I know that she is anxious, nervous, unsure, and undecided about things, but I also know that she is finding comfort in God even through this next step in life. I look at Sarah and she says she learns a lot from me, but I have learned so much from her also. She has shown me what it's like to trust God with things even when you are unsure. She is someone that I know I will be friends with for a long time and I hope we will keep on meeting in person together for many years (at least while we live close by). She has this calmness about her and this wisdom about things that I sometimes don't understand and then I realize it's her love for God. She is concerned for others, loves hanging out with teenage girls and she really thinks and prays through big, tough decisions. She is a true friend to those she is closest to and you would be lucky to know this girl if you ever meet her.

Connecting with students is an important part of ministry and there is no way I could connect on the same level with every student. I think the most important thing to remember is that after making that connection you can't just leave them when they leave high school, try to continue to connect with them after they leave your ministry and beyond. You can't do that with every student, but you can do it with a few and maybe you will make a little bit of a difference in someone's life.