"The Bomb Diggity"

This is part 3 of a multi-part series about my first mission trip with the Union Church of Hinsdale.  To read Part 1 or Part 2, just click!

Shortly after I finished leading devotions on that first night in Dungannon, I was approached by a young woman named Jackie Zimmer.  It seemed to me that she was one of the leaders in the group, and I was anxious to hear her reaction to the challenge I had just given the mission team.  She gave me a hug and told me how excited she was that I was there.  From her perspective, a lack of spiritual depth and emphasis on faith were the two biggest problems facing the student ministry at the Union Church of Hinsdale; in fact, she had started a Bible study at school because there was not one for youth at UC.  She was ready to help me in any way she could to make both Work Tour 2000 (the logo you see above was designed for our post-trip shirt by one of the students, Erin Feller)and the youth ministry at UC into something that would represent Jesus in a whole new way.  Suddenly, I was psyched!

And then it got even better.  Chris and Mike Kinsella, two brothers in the group, came to me and said they were glad I wanted to bring some structure to the ministry.  They were both competitive swimmers (and the son of a former Olympic swimmer who swam in the 1972 games with Mark Spitz) and used to having goals and guidelines.  They were excited that I seemed to want to bring that same sense of discipline to youth group.  My spirit was soaring, and I was thanking God for the wisdom to handle things they way I did.

But the piece de resistance came from Alissa Ritter and Jessica Jung (pictured with spaghetti).  They sought me out and told me how inspired they were by what I had said, and that they were going to address the language, smoking and other behavior issues with the guilty parties- most of whom were male.  All of us understand the dangers of peer pressure, but it can also work to our benefit when motivating teenagers.  When attractive girls are expressing displeasure with the behavior of hormonal boys, the guys tend to listen.  I was thrilled that they wanted to take on this challenge.  Again, they told me how happy they were I was taking the reigns and addressing issues.  They told me they could already tell that I was "the Bomb Diggity."  I didn't know it just yet, but by the end of the week I would understand that I had just received the highest compliment I could get from those girls.

All of this happened within an hour after our first devotions.  A few members of the team even gathered with me to sing a bit before bedtime.  That turned out to be another "God Thing."  I went to bed praising God and looking forward to what the week might bring.  The next morning we were going to worship together at a Primitive Baptist church just down the hill from our barracks, and I would discover that the LORD was still providing in ways I hadn't yet imagined.  I'll see you Monday with that story.  Have a blessed Sabbath!

Because of Jesus,