Berry Park

This afternoon, Josh, Jake (one of our junior high interns/worship leader) and I took a small group of our junior highers to Berry Park, a local retirement. Usually about once a year, it's the junior highers turn to lead the service there. We have a regular pastor who visits them and some other throughout the months, but our official opportunity doesn't arise all that often. It seems we're always a bit hesitant to actually motivate ourselves to go, because it's completely out of our element, but we always seem to come back so much more blessed than when we went in...isn't that true of so many things!?

We led them in some hymns and songs that we sing in youth group and Josh had the youth share a bit about their time at junior high camp. We had so many wonderful testimony's of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness.

I love talking to the residents there afterwards, normally the ladies are the ones who attend the service. I chatted with one lady and then walked her down to dinner with one of our sweet junior high girls. Tear filled her eyes while we talked. She was so touched that young people were that courageous and mature with their relationships with God. She was such a sweetheart. I seriously was so touched by her.

Last year I was able to take a bunch of our small group girls to the same retirement home and we played games with them; then they fed us ice cream! Our time with them is always so rich and it always gives us perspective. We are all at different seasons of life. Some of us are just beginning our lives and some of us are nearing the end. But how wonderful it is to be able to share life together; to not think with pride in our hearts, that any of us have "arrived." I love learning from people who have lived their share of years on this earth and also with the young and naive ones who already think they have life figured out! It's such an amazing contrast. Praise God for wherever he has us!