Be the hands and feet of Christ.  This has been my hearts desire for quite some time now.  Figuring out how to actually do that has been more tricky than one would imagine; especially when you’re naturally wired to be a projects person rather than a people person, like me.  I have been hanging out with YoungLives since September of 2017. Getting ready for January’s club was fun for me.  I got to assemble sparkly Happy New Year centerpieces and included my 14 and 13 year olds in that process.  I also got to run through Targets’s after-Christmas markdown section and snag some fun makeup and nail polish sets that I thought the young moms would like to win in the raffle.  Some detailed texting back and forth with Maria about logistics and I felt good to go.  Set up went smoothly and before we knew it, the young moms and dads were arriving.  Like I said, projects are my thing.

So I guess being the hands and feet of Christ isn’t my challenge because you could say that that involves DOING.  Being the ears and mouth of Christ – – – – that’s a little tougher for me; it’s more in the BEING realm.  And I’m discovering that that’s what matters A LOT.

During January’s club, I got to sit with a teen dad and get to know him more.  I usually handle the craft and if I hang with people, I gravitate toward hanging with the moms, but this month God had a different idea for me.  I got to listen to his story – his school, his job, his family.  I really worked at listening and in working at it I felt the Holy Spirit telling me “when you listen and ask questions, you show him that he is seen, that he matters, and that you want to know him”.  There’s always a little awkwardness when conversation doesn’t flow freely or naturally, but God keeps giving me more and more OKness with that.  He tells me that it’s OK for there to be long pauses.  It’s OK to get one word answers and delicately ask more.  When I was the “Ears of Christ” then I really HEARD this dad’s story.  I heard his sense of accomplishment about getting a job.  I heard his pride in the possibility of graduating early.  And in hearing I felt equipped to be an encourager.  I loved the point in the evening when he and I exchanged high fives – real heartfelt high fives.

So as I move into 2018, I want to spend more time being the ears and mouth of Christ.  I want to listen well to these young people’s stories, and in listening, I want to encourage them in the challenges that they face.  I guess you could say that January’s Club was a success and that the young parents had a great evening.  You could also say that January’s Club also gave birth to one of my personal goals for 2018 – Ears & Mouth – Listen & Encourage!

This week’s blogger, Tricia Poissonnier shares in the leading of crafts, is a mentor, and stepped in to doing table decor for Santa Ana Club this month. Five months in to helping with YoungLives and you can see that Tricia isn’t afraid to follow the Lord’s leading!