Just Like Her.
Hi my name is Leah and I have loved Jesus for about 10 years now. (Hi Leah)
It must have been late August in 2007 when I was handed a little postcard that had a post-it note stuck on it. It was a thank you note for volunteering for Vacation Bible School and said that she would love to see me at H.O.G. Jr. Now, kids of today wouldn't get it, but the early 2000s loved acronyms for cool and hip youth groups. "Hooked on God Jr." was for middle-schoolers. I was intrigued by the personalized note, but didn't think a lot of it, until I thought about the lanky teenage boy who just might be there.
I let my mom drop me off in our big old Astro Van, she circled the tree in our church's parking lot and the land whale let out a screech as it came to a halt in front of the small building at the north of the parking lot. "The Junction" is what the vintage looking sign read on the building. The van's sliding door squeaked open and little Leah hopped out decked in vans, little white shorts, and a Hollister tshirt (I'm sure of it). I'm sure I smelled like my Cotton Candy body spritz just in case I had to sit next to this said boy. It was the first time I stepped on church grounds at my own will.
It was a hot day and when I walked into the room I heard the loud hum of a tiny air conditioner. My eyes scanned the room, searching for the boy, but they ended up landing on a large gold-framed Sacred Heart of Jesus Painting that was slapped onto a bright red wall. It was quite the image and it seemed like it belonged in my Tia Celsa's hallway. Right away the youth minister came to welcome me. She had a Drew Barrymore smile and kind, icy blue eyes. I'm unsure of what we did that day. I'm not even sure we talked about Jesus. But I kept coming back, sometimes with my pet bunny. (That anecdote can be explained another time).
Soon, it was time for the sweet youth minister, Siobhan, to leave and she prepared our new youth minister during the summer before my freshman year of high school. The new lady's name was Colleen. She was skinny, freckled, and like the last youth minister, very Irish. She had tattoos and spoke of far off places like Micronesia, where she volunteered for several years. She was so interesting to me. She was a runner, a really healthy vegetarian, and loved to recycle. Before meeting her, I wasn't sure of who I wanted to be, but I soon got the idea. Getting to know Colleen was like a reading a novel, always hearing the unexpected from her and always nodding my head in agreement to everything she said.
I was captured by her grace and zeal for Christ. I was pulled in by her goodness and loved more than anything that she believed in me. She showed me Christ through our late night after Uturn talks and personal testimonies that assured me that I was not alone. I wanted to be just like her, I still do. She was the first person to not only tell me, but SHOW me how much Christ loved me. Her infectious love for Jesus changed me forever and I wouldn't be here today if she hadn't taken the time to love a silly little middle child who longed for attention.
The love that Colleen shared for Christ was so enviable. She was able to proclaim the Gospel and the truth of the Church through the little ways. So why do I still struggle to share the love of Christ with the people next to me? I only pray to be as confident as she was. I was reading the Gospel of the woman at the well earlier and I was convicted by the outright evangelizing she did after she met the Savior. It says;
It must have been late August in 2007 when I was handed a little postcard that had a post-it note stuck on it. It was a thank you note for volunteering for Vacation Bible School and said that she would love to see me at H.O.G. Jr. Now, kids of today wouldn't get it, but the early 2000s loved acronyms for cool and hip youth groups. "Hooked on God Jr." was for middle-schoolers. I was intrigued by the personalized note, but didn't think a lot of it, until I thought about the lanky teenage boy who just might be there.
I let my mom drop me off in our big old Astro Van, she circled the tree in our church's parking lot and the land whale let out a screech as it came to a halt in front of the small building at the north of the parking lot. "The Junction" is what the vintage looking sign read on the building. The van's sliding door squeaked open and little Leah hopped out decked in vans, little white shorts, and a Hollister tshirt (I'm sure of it). I'm sure I smelled like my Cotton Candy body spritz just in case I had to sit next to this said boy. It was the first time I stepped on church grounds at my own will.
It was a hot day and when I walked into the room I heard the loud hum of a tiny air conditioner. My eyes scanned the room, searching for the boy, but they ended up landing on a large gold-framed Sacred Heart of Jesus Painting that was slapped onto a bright red wall. It was quite the image and it seemed like it belonged in my Tia Celsa's hallway. Right away the youth minister came to welcome me. She had a Drew Barrymore smile and kind, icy blue eyes. I'm unsure of what we did that day. I'm not even sure we talked about Jesus. But I kept coming back, sometimes with my pet bunny. (That anecdote can be explained another time).
Soon, it was time for the sweet youth minister, Siobhan, to leave and she prepared our new youth minister during the summer before my freshman year of high school. The new lady's name was Colleen. She was skinny, freckled, and like the last youth minister, very Irish. She had tattoos and spoke of far off places like Micronesia, where she volunteered for several years. She was so interesting to me. She was a runner, a really healthy vegetarian, and loved to recycle. Before meeting her, I wasn't sure of who I wanted to be, but I soon got the idea. Getting to know Colleen was like a reading a novel, always hearing the unexpected from her and always nodding my head in agreement to everything she said.
I was captured by her grace and zeal for Christ. I was pulled in by her goodness and loved more than anything that she believed in me. She showed me Christ through our late night after Uturn talks and personal testimonies that assured me that I was not alone. I wanted to be just like her, I still do. She was the first person to not only tell me, but SHOW me how much Christ loved me. Her infectious love for Jesus changed me forever and I wouldn't be here today if she hadn't taken the time to love a silly little middle child who longed for attention.
The love that Colleen shared for Christ was so enviable. She was able to proclaim the Gospel and the truth of the Church through the little ways. So why do I still struggle to share the love of Christ with the people next to me? I only pray to be as confident as she was. I was reading the Gospel of the woman at the well earlier and I was convicted by the outright evangelizing she did after she met the Savior. It says;
"Many Samaritans from the city believed him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me all that I ever did.' ... And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." John 4:39-42It reminded me that this woman who came to me and told me of the wondrous words of Christ was my high school youth minister. And because of that, I was able to hear for myself, that He was my Savior. I am also this Samaritan women who has so many things holding her up. So many things holding her back from spreading His infectious love. But for every thing that is holding me up, I have so many things pushing me forward to be that faithful Samaritan woman and for now, I will pray forever and ever that I can be just like her.
Comments
Post a Comment