This summer I had the magnificent opportunity to intern with Legacy Student Ministry at Grace Chapel Castle Rock. If you saw my article about Mr. Bill, then you know how great of a boss/person he is. And the students, man I could talk about how wonderful they are all day!! I can honestly say that this summer has been the best summer ever and it's because of those students. Everything from meeting for coffee and having bible studies, to hiking and playing crazy games, to late night runs at sonic. I have enjoyed every moment of this summer and have learned so much! Here are a few key things that I learned while working with youth ministry:
1. Availability Is Key
As you reach out to students, they aren't always going to be responsive at first. Some students may never become responsive when you invite them to hangout. But one thing I learned is that they will reach out to you when they need you. So if you want to connect and build relationships, make yourself available and don't give up on them.
2. More Listening; Less Talking
Once students begin to build a relationship, they want to be heard. I'm a big talker, ask anyone, I love to talk! But this summer I learned how to just listen and I honestly enjoyed it so much. You learn so much about people and build stronger relationships once you truly listen.
3. There Is A Method To The Madness
To an outsider, youth ministry seems like madness/semi-controlled chaos. Although everything is crazy and doesn't seem like it makes sense, there is actually a very logical method to the madness. I definitely appreciate learning and being equipped with all the behind the scenes tools for youth ministry.
4. Silent Disco Is The Best Game Ever
If you've never heard of this game, I'll briefly explain. A group of students each get a set of wireless headphones that are connected to 3 different radio stations with 3 different types of music. The students can choose which station they listen to and go dance under black lights with glow sticks. The best part is that all the students are dancing and singing like crazy except they are all listening to different songs. It's hilarious if you take your headphones off and just observe. The room is silent except for the hilarious singing of students. My favorite one this summer was watching half the students dance and listen to Timber by Pitbull and Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield. Hilarious!!!
5. Chick-Fil-A
Looking to find a group of christian students to hangout with? Just walk into any chick-fil-a! How about needing somewhere to take a student out to lunch? Chick-fil-a is always a good choice! I'm pretty sure I had chick-fil-a 7 times a week...and yes, I know they are closed on Sundays. Some days I ate there more than once.
6. Goodbyes Are Hard
This isn't a secret to anyone for any kind of goodbye, but I definitely didn't expect it to be as hard as it was. When you build a relationship with 40+ students, you're bound to spend an hour giving hugs goodbye. My heart was so full hearing the students tell me how I impacted their summer and given massive hugs.
7. It's Always The Intern's Fault
One thing I heard all summer was, "Blame the intern!" After awhile, you just expect it. But it made me laugh every time and I will low key miss being blamed for silly things by Mr. Bill.
