It is full fall weather here. Chilly mornings dipping into the 40s while the afternoons see balmy temperatures into the 50s, maybe low 60s. This was the same weather we faced in Australia for World Youth Day (WYD). Being chilled, I found myself staring at my scarf collection. Searching for one that I could wear with my fleece and use as a shawl or scarf while sitting down here, I pulled down the one I bought in Melbourne. Yes, I must admit I took a cluster of my kids to the mall in Melbourne. While we had been very prepared, the area had a cold snap accompanied by nearly constant drizzle or mist. Very reminiscent of England for me. It seeped through you and left you chilled just about all day. Our trek to the mall was a side trip on our walking tour of the city center. We trooped in to purchase additional warm wear - hats, scarves, gloves. A couple girls bought think tights to layer under their pants for added warmth. Smart girls.
Another rule of youth ministry crossed my mind at this point - no matter how well prepared you and the youth are, you will be unprepared for something. This was not a major hindrance, but it was miserable some mornings as temperatures hovered around 45 degrees and the drizzle and grey skies lurked. But this was a blessing in disguise. On the superficial side, instead of tossing money away on items of little value, intrinsic or sentimental, the youth purchased practical mementos in the forms of the Days in the Diocese hats or scarves. Host families gave the kids items from their own closets and insisted the kids keep them, as host parents and grandparents feared chilly temperatures for us in the following week in Sydney. The weather and the trek to the mall made for great memories. We huddled together as we waited for trams. We learned about Aussie Rules Football from the avid fans leaving a game as we journeyed home on the tram. We were humbled by the graciousness of our hosts. We recognized our interdependence on others in our group, our hosts, and the strangers in the street.
This ties into the other, possibly most important rule of youth ministry, be flexible. Or as the colorful sign my friend gave me for my last birthday says, "Improvise!" Our daily plans changed according to the weather. When we couldn't adapt our plans, we changed our wardrobes. We changed our routes so the kids could find hot cocoa or coffees to stay warm.
A combination of that preparedness and improvisation is one of the greatest tools I strive to foster. The kids are amused by my immense preparations - the envelopes of contact info, health forms, maps, first aid kit, duct tape. Parents appreciate it as they know that they have as much information as possible and we, the adult leaders, are as ready for what comes as we can be. However, the real world does not exist in a vacuum. Personalities, weather fronts, mechanical difficulties, health concerns, road construction, and all the other variables add up to keep us on our toes. Being able to take that preparedness and retool it to work with a new set of circumstances is crucial.
It even helps on the days when the parish offices are in disarray. I do not have access to my work computer, voicemail, file cabinets, or card stock. However, I could put files on a flash drive, create new files and save them to Google Docs, work on the blogs we use to plan Sunday youth group. I have been able to have fully productive days even though I am cut off from my normal office environment. Some of my coworkers have struggled with this as they are less mobile, less tech savvy (not that I am worthy of employment at Google or Apple), and a bit less practiced at improvisation.
No comments:
Post a Comment