While life has been school has been good, things at the church has not been. I feel confident that the issues we are facing are not the result of my time being very divided with school, but personal choices of the youth and others in the church. A lot of the youth have been making very unwise choices and that is one very frustrating thing I cant control. We as the leadership did not recognize early enough the issues with the youth, and how much it had spread. Egos and personal differences as well as judging others had created some division amongst the young people. Some had fallen into temptation and old habits like drinking also were becoming an issue. We started addressing the problem on Friday night at the prayer meeting where Kuya Joshua gave everyone a strong reminder about sin and how it starts small and can grow too big for us to control. Mackie preached a great sermon on Sunday, and I spent time personally talking with some youth to clean up some of the mess. We have lost around 5 boys, one to other church commitments but the others chose to pursue personal desires. Being a youth is a hard time in life, everything is constantly changing and there is so much going on in their heads. I will give them time and space and pray for them, because thats all I really can do. One thing that is really hard is to watch people you have seriously invested in to just turn and walk away regardless of what you try.
On top of it all we just had our last service in our church building, and the contract is now done and we move out today. It is for sure going to make things more difficult but I am seriously looking forward to not having our own place. Sometimes it take losing something to realize how important it was, and I want to remember what it was like a year ago when I was desperately searching for that place. There were also some very big benefits, but some burdens as well. When people get comfortable or familiar they tend to take things for granted and get over comfortable, and children and youth and adults recently have not been respecting the church at all. Asking them to leave is not hard, but then as soon as we go to bed they continue to gamble and drink right out side the church, even after a year of not telling them to. Also, separating them from that area usually means they can be more open and honest when they don't have their neighbors watching there every move. Finally the building owners are terrible people and have lied to us since the first day and for the last few months we have not even had water!
So we will be using the YM office again, which is where we started. We are continuing to search for a new place, but I do not want to get stuck in a contract with stupid building owners so we are being very cautious. The YM office will be ok for now, but it is not a permanent location at all, and the search continues. I dont really know why but I am not worried at all. I remember a few weeks ago I tried get the other guys in the leadership to be a little more serious about finding a place, but they did not show an ounce of worry and so I figured I can't change it and put it into Gods like they did. Its odd for me not to be super stressed and constantly worrying about every detail, but deep down I just know that everything will be ok. God has shown me His power by providing our pervious building, I know He will do it again. Sometimes its hard for me to accept that I am not in control of this church.
As soon as possible I will be getting out a newsletter because there is a lot to say, and I feel a update letter would be more effective then a really big email. Please continue to pray because it is very evident that Satan is throwing a lot at us and our young people and the church as a whole. But I have also learned it is in these of times where God is moving and preparing for something.
Brett
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