Sought After

I am a head counselor for an after school program called A-teens. It's for girls only, grades 6-8. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, me and one to two other counselors travel out to 3 different schools, one for each day.

When we get there we always have snack time..never skip out on snack time.
We play games like twister, hide-and-go-seek, mafia, and skit productions.
We do crafts like painting, drawing, jewelry making, wrapping present boxes for costumes. :) yes.
We also do what we call "circle time". Basically, you go around the circle and rate your day on a scale from 1-10 and then get to answer the random question for the day.

More often than not, those four things go over easy enough...but there's one more activity we do that, well, is not always the easiest to get through.
We have curriculum that we go over with them...basically information about girl stuff that gives us a chance to share and them a chance to answer questions. It's pretty much a hit or miss thing.
But no matter if they like it or not, we can never hold all their attention the full duration and that full duration is usually only about 5-10 minutes max.

And now after all that explaining..what I actually wanted to write about...

Today. We talked to 11 junior high girls for a completely undisturbed 45 minutes.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Forty. Five.

My chest swells thinking about it. Why? Because the topics today: periods (sorry boys) and the one that was really doing all the captivating, sex.

Satan..pisses me off. I'll just say it.
Those girls are so innocent. and so beautiful. and so so incredibly young.
And I remember being there.
So much curiosity and fear and misunderstood expectations..

I feel great about that time spent talking about those things together. Awestruck and definitely humbled. But I can't help but know all too well Satan's schemes in store for them. I can't help but know that talk as we may, all we can really do is pray. For their protection and for guarded hearts. Because wherever their curiosity takes them, God will be there. And He'll be waiting to bring them back to their true identity.

God risks so much by giving us freedom..
He loves us so much..

Hosea's story paints the picture perfectly..
(from chapters 8-11)

Israel cries out to me,
'O our God, we acknowledge you!'
But Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.
Israel is swallowed up;
now she is among the nations
like a worthless thing.
For they have gone up to Assyria
like a wild donkey wandering alone.
Ephraim has sold herself to lovers.
Do not rejoice, O Israel;
do not be jubilant like the other nations.
For you have been unfaithful to your God;
you love the wages of a prostitute
at every threshing floor.
Their heart is deceitful,
and now they must bear their guilt.
The LORD will demolish their altars
and destroy their sacred stones.
"When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
"But the more I called Israel,
the further they went from me.
"My people are determined to turn from me.
"How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboiim?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.
"I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man—
the Holy One among you.
I will not come in wrath.^c]">
"They will follow the LORD;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
"They will come trembling
like birds from Egypt,
like doves from Assyria.
I will settle them in their homes,"
declares the LORD.


The enemy may pursue, but there is One far greater that will never forsake you
"...and you will be called Sought After..." Isaiah 62:12

Random.

Thoughts.

Text conversation from Saturday that I loved:
Dad's across the country. I called. He couldn't answer. Hence this exchange of words...
Daddy Ray: "Hey girl. I'm at a hockey game. What are you up to?"
Me: "I'm about to go to a cook out, I was just calling to say hi :)"
Daddy Ray: "Very good. What are you cooking for me?"
The conversation continued a tad bit afterward, but that was all we really needed.

From a Beth Moore video tonight:
"Now that you are not so impressed with yourself, maybe I can use you."
Pens went flying to record this statement before the words had finished leaving her lips.

A scene that appears strange to a boy:
"So was that a I-can-go-and-eat-your-cookie-dough conversation we just had?"
"Oh yeah, for sure. Go get it."
Returning with a roll of sugar cookie dough, three college girls pinch away at the sugary goodness.
Our friend Willie grabs a little and laughs.
"Do boys not do this?" One girl inquires.
"I mean, we eat cookie dough, but not just sitting around like this together."
A fourth girl arrives at the front door with a just-purchased roll of chocolate chip cookie dough and hands it off.
A fifth girl has migrated to the scene; both naturally join in the festivity.
All 5 girls continue to pinch away at the two different kinds of cookie dough.
After some quality time spent doing this, one of the original three begins to depart for the night,"Okay. Well. I'm going to bed."
Willie stops her with a question, "Wait, y'all aren't going to make cookies?"
"No."
"...Y'all never had any intention of ever making any cookies?"
"No."
:) the joys of girl time.

Keeps running through my mind:
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9 ...It is hard to not imagine what you would have that mean for yourself. Where would you have me God?

Highlight of my day:
Receiving an e-mail from an 80+ year old woman with a picture of a mouse saying God is good and that she sees me as one of her blessings. Heart melting.

Gerontology test tomorrow:
Goodnight.