There was a big snowstorm coming... well maybe. So, I was torn about having youth group tonight. I am typically one to not care about the weather. I really will drive through anything. But, I am not the only one that would be driving. And, I know most of my youth would be anxious to come to youth group whether it's snowing or not, even when their parents didn't want to. So, I didn't want to have youth group and cause a conflict between any youth and their parents.
I had everything all planned out for the evening. It's the beginning of famine time. I had about 5 short videos to show about the lives of some children who had to deal with poverty. Then we were going to talk about them. Then, there are some decisions about the famine that have to be made- what do we do with the money, how do we raise the money, etc.
I don't know where the idea came from, but I realized tonight could very easily be done online. The video links could be posted, the discussions could be done in a facebook chat on our group page, and even the game for tonight could be transitioned into a game we could play online in a chat. So, I had a back up plan other than canceling. But, around 2 I started panicking- messaging, texting, and posting to find out what people thought my best option was. The main answers were either way is fine. I wanted something definite, but I didn't get an overwhelming majority either way.
As 3:30 approached- the deadline for when I said I would post the decision- I still had no idea. That's when a friend gave me the best advice. She told me to pray about it. Now, why didn't I think of that? So, that's what I did- with 15 minutes until decision time. Into my head came the reminder that all of my videos were online and I was counting on the sometimes failing internet at the youth house. Then, I thought about how easy this discussion would be compared to most times as an online discussion. But, it wasn't until I got back online that God's answer was a definite. The first status I read when I got back on was from a girl who had just witnessed a car accident in front of her. She was saying you don't realize how precious life is until you witness something like that and how scary it was. I took that as a reminder that accidents happen and with possible dangerous conditions, we were all staying home.
So, we had youth group online. The discussion was great, the turnout was great, we got to include friends who had moved away or are in college away, and everyone was able to watch the videos, and we were able to make the decisions we needed to make. The game was amusing- Capture the Otter. We even had candletime.
So, where was God today? Although the snow hasn't come yet, I think there must have been a reason for us to connect online rather than go out tonight.
Blessings,
Jennifer
I had everything all planned out for the evening. It's the beginning of famine time. I had about 5 short videos to show about the lives of some children who had to deal with poverty. Then we were going to talk about them. Then, there are some decisions about the famine that have to be made- what do we do with the money, how do we raise the money, etc.
I don't know where the idea came from, but I realized tonight could very easily be done online. The video links could be posted, the discussions could be done in a facebook chat on our group page, and even the game for tonight could be transitioned into a game we could play online in a chat. So, I had a back up plan other than canceling. But, around 2 I started panicking- messaging, texting, and posting to find out what people thought my best option was. The main answers were either way is fine. I wanted something definite, but I didn't get an overwhelming majority either way.
As 3:30 approached- the deadline for when I said I would post the decision- I still had no idea. That's when a friend gave me the best advice. She told me to pray about it. Now, why didn't I think of that? So, that's what I did- with 15 minutes until decision time. Into my head came the reminder that all of my videos were online and I was counting on the sometimes failing internet at the youth house. Then, I thought about how easy this discussion would be compared to most times as an online discussion. But, it wasn't until I got back online that God's answer was a definite. The first status I read when I got back on was from a girl who had just witnessed a car accident in front of her. She was saying you don't realize how precious life is until you witness something like that and how scary it was. I took that as a reminder that accidents happen and with possible dangerous conditions, we were all staying home.
So, we had youth group online. The discussion was great, the turnout was great, we got to include friends who had moved away or are in college away, and everyone was able to watch the videos, and we were able to make the decisions we needed to make. The game was amusing- Capture the Otter. We even had candletime.
So, where was God today? Although the snow hasn't come yet, I think there must have been a reason for us to connect online rather than go out tonight.
Blessings,
Jennifer
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