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Lessons from AWANA

I know this post will be irrelevant to most of you, but I think that you can learn from this even if you are not involved in AWANA.

My church decided to take some of its leaders and LIT's (Leaders in Training- teens like me who are not old enough or have enough experience to be leaders yet) to an AMC (Awana Ministry Conference). This was really beneficial for me- I learned more about how to teach in AWANA (as I have taken that position on), how to witness to children better (which can be applied to teens as well- let me know if you want an article on that), and how to work better in Sparks (my specific group). What did stand out the most to me was the conclusion, though.

Throughout the day we save the staff and volunteers wearing a light blue shirt that said "1 of 6" on the back. It made me curious, but I did not say anything. Evidentally, that was the purpose of them- to make you curious. They showed a video of a woman- a mom- in her late 20's or early 30's explaining to a congregation the importance of children's ministries. Many don't see the point in them, and many AWANAs stops working because there are not enough volunteers. But, a child often stays in the church and feels accepted in the church when they have at least 6 adults that mentor them or make them feel comfortable in the church environment. The goal of the message was to inspire us to be 1 of 6 for all the children that walk in our church's doors.

This is a good point, but I saw more through it. I was probably considered a child in many adults eyes, still. I mean, I am not 18 yet. So, I need my 6 adults- and I was blessed to say that my 6 were all in that room at that time. I seriously almost started crying. You see, I have been having issues with being content with my friends. I always feel like I need more, even though I am so happy with the ones I already have. I feel bad all the friends I have 'lost' because I lost contact with them, or I become judgmental saying 'they were just being nice to me'. Also, because I am in that transition stage I want to have adult friends, and I often felt rejected in that field. So, realizing that there were six adults in the room that I was friends with, and if not that they were for sure mentors. They were not nice to me because they had to, but because they wanted to.

If this article does not encourage anyone else, that is okay. It means a lot to me, and I guess that is what is most important, right? God placed the message in my ear for a reason, clearly. (This leads into my next article, titled "Purpose for Everything")

-Mary

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