Different Worlds
The other night at the Bus I was upstairs hanging out with some of the regular kids, most of whom are between the ages of 10 and 13, when one of them suggested we watch some Veggie Tales. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this children’s’ cartoon, it is basically a Bible lesson/story taught to you by a Cucumber (Larry) and a Tomato (Bob). They very clearly come from a Christian point of view, so I was surprised when all the kids greeted this suggestion with enthusiasm. Apparently many of them have seen the videos before at some point and thought they were hilarious. So we popped the video in and immediately the Bus was buzzing with the theme song as all the kids sang along at the tops of their lungs. It was in the midst of this that Danny peered around the corner of the stairs and caught my eye. “Do you mind hanging outside for a little bit. I think we need more staff out there.” He explained to me that some older teens (15-17) were hanging around outside. He had interrupted a drug deal that was about to take place, and asked if I could maybe keep an eye on things out there and make some connections with those teens. So I wandered over to one of the groups and started chatting. After fending off the flirtations of a few of the more inebriated boys, I took a few of them to check out the Bus. We walked upstairs to see the younger kids, still singing away, watching Veggie Tales. Some of the older kids started to laugh and poke fun at the “immature little kids.” Even as I was defending the younger kids for acting their age, I was struck at the difference in worlds that these two groups of youth live in. Separated by only a couple of years, their lives revolve around completely different things. Although the younger kids are starting to dabble in the “cool” world of adolescence, they can still have fun being silly and singing along with animated vegetables, while these older teens are wandering the streets getting drunk and high. They’ve misplaced their imaginations and dreams, and the younger ones are perilously close to doing the same. I say misplaced rather than lost, because I am convinced that each and every one of these young people has the potential to become a person who not only dreams creatively, but walks toward those dreams. They just need the opportunities, tools and encouragement to think differently about
themselves, the world and life. That is what keeps me coming back— I so desperately want to see these kids come alive!! Even when I get shortchequed and it seems impossible that I’ll ever be working full-time; even when I’m stood up for a coffee date with one of my girls... again; even when it seems like kids make positive steps in one area of their lives only to fall back into old habits in other areas. I’ll continue because they are all worth it.If you want to get involved in helping these teens rediscover their imaginations, there are LOTS of opportunities— from volunteering to financial and prayer support and everything in between. If you are interested, contact me and I’ll hook you up!
Team
I’m so excited to see the Langley team growing! We’ve recently welcomed Kandy White on staff. Her and her husband Peter moved here recently from Edmonton where Kandy worked with YFC Edmonton’s Teen Mom’s program.We’ve also added two Lifeteams students (lifeteams.ca) to the mix. Carmen, from Salt Spring Island, and Hannah, from Inverness, Scotland, are a great addition to our team, and are going to be working closely with us on the art program as well as with the Langley Meadows Nights Alive program. I am a Lifeteams alumni, so it is really exciting for me to have these two with us for the year.
As well as the new additions to our team, we also have a wonderful core group of volun
teers. Every week I am amazed at the incredible team I get to work with! But, we still need more volunteers! So if you are interested, or know of someone who may be, please email me at laura_solberg@telus.netAnnual Fall Dinners
I’d like to invite you to come check out our Annual Fall Dinner. It’s always a fun evening with good food, good people, and good conversation. Throw in some amazing stories of youth work around the Lower Mainland, some great videos produced by our East Vancouver team, and the president of YFC International, and it promises to be a great event. This year we are hosting a dinner in Langley, on November 18th, at South Langley MB Church. For more information, or to book tickets, please email me at laura_solberg@telus.net.
if you want to help financially with my work in Langley, please click here.
