We do ministry in Southern California.
In a very urban area.
Cerritos itself doesn't seen all that urban... it's a pretty nice, fairly wealthy city. But our church sits on a corner that borders Hawaiian Gardens and Artesia.
When I first moved to Southern California and heard "Hawaiian Gardens" I had this picture of this beautiful, wonderfully nice city. I was sadly mistaken. Hawaiian Gardens is home to all kinds of racism, gangs, and hatred.
That is where we do ministry.
One of the things that I have often shared is my heart for gang outreach.
This morning, I heard about something that really shook me.

The largest gang raid in United States history happened two minutes away from me. Right down the street. In an area where a huge amount of my teens come from. A place that I drive through everyday. For this small town girl from Oregon... that was shocking.

(weapons confiscated during the raid)

88 people linked to a "notorious southern California street gang" were arrested. Right next door. 1400 police officers, 17 SWAT teams... FBI, and all kinds of other people were involved in the take down. You can read more about it HERE (or just google it).

Today I'll be praying for these people... for their families... for the other members of the gangs... for the people they've hurt... for the people who may be hurt in the future.... for the ongoing issue of racism that haunts our nation and hurts people of all nationalities... for the hate in the hearts of people... Join me?

This is my life in ministry.

...things have been crazy over here. I write another blog as well, that you can see HERE. It's my photography blog, and it seems to have kept my writing brain busy lately.

Quite frankly, I haven't felt much like writing this one. There's so much that God has been doing and so many great things, but I've been tired... worn out... and needed a break. But today, I thought I'd share some things with you.

First, some funny stories... I know you all love those :)

We were talking in youth group about the "armor of God" from Ephesians. One of the teens looks at Javier and says, "Javi has the muscles of God." I'm sure that's a compliment but it sounds so funny!

* * * * *

I was talking with several teens one Friday night about when they first came to youth group... they were sharing stories of how they first met me. One of the girls, after sitting quietly and listening to everyone else talk, says to me, "Did I ever meet you?"

* * * * *

Javier was kind of teasing one of our junior high boys about his mustache that is starting to grow. He was saying how "mustaches get the girls," and things like that (remember, Javier has a mustache.) A few days later in youth group, we realized that this junior high boy was showing off his mustache to a new girl that had wandered in to youth group.

* * * * *

We were talking to the kids about the Holy Spirit and how when you feel guilty about something, that's God talking to you. One of the kids says very excitedly, "Yeah! Before I was a Christian I would do something bad and not feel guilty about it. NOW I do something bad and I totally feel guilty!"

* * * * *

During a discussion of where you'd go if you died (heaven or hell)... one of the kids says, "Who here is going to heaven TONIGHT???" I'm sure he meant if you were to die, but all of the kids kind of looked at him with this puzzled look.

I will try to do better at keeping up with this blog. So many funny, touching, and wonderful things happen in youth group on a regular basis. I have so much to write about, and yet there are days I just can't seem to find the words. I know God is good... all the time... even when things are hard and ministry is draining. The cool thing is that even when it's draining, there is so much JOY! I am blessed to do what I do.

I love my job.
It is so much more than just a job for me.
It is my life.
It is my heart.
These teenagers... they are my life... my heart.
I laugh with them, cry with them, hurt for them, pray for them.
They occupy my thoughts, my prayers, my plans for the future.


We do real youth ministry here.
And I gotta tell you, real ministry doesn't always happen inside the church walls.
It isn't always happy victories, and funny stories.
Sometimes it's downright messy, heartbreaking and brutal.
But it's real.

Javier and I both spend an immense amount of time with these kids within the church walls at events, services, youth group, Bible studies, counseling, and when they just wander into our offices after school.

But we also spend a ton of time outside the church walls.... whether it's at an organized event off site, an impromptu movie, a lunch at school, a football game, or when we see them walking down the street and stop to have a conversation. We live life with them. It's a wonderful thing when you realize that as much as you have invested in their lives, they want you to be a part of them. We often get invited to performances, birthday parties, graduation parties, and even occasionally, family events.

We give rides to kids from one place to another, even if we aren't staying at either place, because some of the BEST ministry happens on that car ride.

These kids are really what we live for. Their hearts... their souls... that's why we do what we do.

I firmly believe that because of those things, the teens are open and honest with us. We don't walk away from difficult situations, and when we are confronted with conflict, we work through it with the teens. That is part of the importance of what we do: teaching these kids to deal with things... to do the right thing even when it's hard... to confront things head on and trust God to take care of us.

I really debated whether or not to post this, because it is difficult and messy, and not like the funny stories I usually post. But my heart is aching... breaking... for some of my students. For those of you who read this and are in youth ministry, maybe this can be an encouragement to you. For those of you who aren't, please pray for those that are.

Last Wednesday night in the middle of youth group, we had a breakdown. One of my boys came to me and said, "Diandra, the girls are in the bathroom crying, and they won't come out." So I went to the bathroom and sure enough, three of my girls were crying hysterically. They tried to explain to me what was going on, but I could hardly understand their broken words through the sobs. Finally I pieced together what was going on. The girls were having a feud with another girl in their class and had broken into her house with a butter knife and taken a bunch of her clothes. Now the police were looking for them, and they were scared.

I quickly ushered them into my office and called Javier. After speaking with the girls, he and I stepped out of the office and started discussing our options. Then we made the most difficult decision we've had to make since starting youth ministry. We needed to call the police. We went back into the office, told the girls what we were going to do, and then prayed with them. We told them to be honest and to do the right thing. They agreed. Then the police came. They spent quite a while questioning each of the girls individually. I spent every ounce of energy I had trying not to cry.

When they were done questioning the girls, the police called the girl whose stuff had been stolen. We all expected her to press charges, and the girls were facing some major consequences if she did. But she just wanted her stuff back, and she decided not to press charges. So the police took our girls with them to get the stuff and return it, and deliver the girls into the hands of their parents.

As we watched the police cars drive away, I broke down. I cried. Hard. I knew that the girls were going to be okay, I knew that they'd learned a valuable lesson, and I knew that God had done a miracle and showed them grace in all of it. But I still cried. Because sometimes youth ministry is messy. Sometimes it hurts. And that night was the hardest in the history of my youth ministry... until this week.

We have a pretty large group of teens. They come from all different walks of life, all of them have different family dynamics, many of them are different ethnicities, and they're at all different stages of spiritual growth. For the most part, the kids put their differences aside, and we have a pretty successful meshing of teens. But on Wednesday night, these differences became evident.

Before youth group, there was an exchange of words between a few of the kids when one of them was cussing and another asked him to stop. One of our wonderful leaders, Shannon, was able to calm them down and talk them through it. They were seemingly okay and were told to stay away from each other for the rest of the evening. We had a wonderful service, and God really moved. After everything was broken down and put away from the service, the kids were hanging out.

The boy that had told the other to stop cussing (we'll call him Scott) was playing basketball. All of the sudden, another boy that had been involved in all of this (we'll call him Eric), came at Scott with a hockey stick. He hit him in the back of the head so hard that the top of the hockey stick broke off. Scott went down. Eric continued to beat him with the wooden handle of the hockey stick. Javier ran at him yelling, and it apparently scared Eric enough that he dropped the hockey stick. Javier grabbed him and held him so he couldn't move. Shannon rushed to Scott and held his head to stop the bleeding, and I called 911. Then the chaos ensued.

Scott was rushed to the hospital, and was later released with 7 staples in his head, damage to his ribs, and a whole lot of bruising. He could have been killed. God definitely protected him. Eric was picked up by the police and taken to a juvenile detention center. He will have to appear before a judge.

Many of our teens witnessed the whole thing, and were scared and shaken. Youth group is a safe place for them... a refuge for many of them whose family lives are crazy and miserable. But their sense of security was shaken.

So was mine.

I am a girl. I am an emotional girl. Not only that, but I genuinely, honestly LOVE my kids. All of them. Even when they make bad choices. So my heart was broken. I held it together until the kids were gone, and then I cried.
I cried for Scott, and for his family and his pain.
I cried for Eric... for his soul, for his anger, for his hurt.
I cried for my kids... for the impact I knew this had had on them.
And I cried, because it was hard.

Sometimes youth ministry is hard. Sometimes it is ugly and scary and real.
The good news is, as my dad always says, the only battles we lose are the ones we don't fight.

Friday night, we sat down with a small group of the teens to talk through the situation. Scott was there. Eric was not. Another kid was also there... the one who had been cussing in the teen room. At the end of the time, our teens had grown closer together in this, and decided that they were not going to let Satan win this battle. Scott and the other teen hugged. They laughed together. They put the past behind them... all 3 years of it... and decided to start fresh and allow God to use them. They no longer wanted the hurt, anger, and frustration.

I pray for Scott.
I pray to God that he still loves Jesus.
I pray that he learns through all of this.
I pray that my teens will surround him with Christ's love.
I pray for forgiveness... for restoration.

I serve an AWESOME God.
A God of new beginnings.
A God of love and forgiveness and faithfulness.
A God that is there, even when it is hard, and even when I can't do it alone.
I am so thankful that I don't have to do it alone... that my God is with me every step of the way.
I am thankful that all of my teens are alive and healthy.
I am thankful that God can take what Satan meant for evil and use it for good...
For GREAT!

Sunday was Easter.
My God is not held by a cross and 3 nails.
My God is not held by a tomb.
My God keeps His promises.

We had a baptism service and baptized 6 of our teens (more about that in another blog).
I was reminded of God's promises...
As my teens stood one by one and read testimonies for their friends, and as others joyfully stepped into that baptismal, I was reminded that God loves them more than I do. That as I sat crying that Wednesday night, God cried harder. It hurt him more than it hurt me. He loves them so much that He DIED for them. On a cross. And then He rose!

So in the midst of the trials... of the difficulties, I am joyful in knowing that God wins.

Our youth group has changed a lot from when I first started here.
When I started working here almost 5 years ago, we had about 10 teens and we met in a very bleak looking youth room on whatever rag tag couches we could find. I would teach a Bible study and we'd chat for a while and everyone would go home. Now, several years and many changes later, we are getting ready to re-vamp our youth room into a cafe/lounge... but we no longer fit in there. We hold Wednesday night services in the gym, and we have over 100 active teens. Probably about 150. We have a teen worship band, and we even take an offering. I just wanted to share a few pictures of what a Wednesday night typically looks like now :)

First of all, it takes several wonderful volunteers to run things the way we do. In addition to Javier and I, we have 3 key leaders. George and Shannon who have been helping since the beginning of 2007 and they're WONDERFUL. They help with so much.
We also have an intern from Biola who has been with us for the last year and a half or so. Her name is Sarah.
When the kids get there around 6:30 (although some of them start coming as early as 5 or 5:30...), we have the gym and teen room open for them to play basketball, or soccer, or just hang out.
During that time, we also open up our snack bar (which will be new and improved when we do the youth room renovations! Right now it consists of snacks on a table in our gym...) Shannon takes care of that and she does a GREAT job!
Around 7:00 we start setting up one half of the gym for the service. George does the majority of the work on that... he sets up and runs all of our sound equipment. In addition to the sound, we set up a stage, chairs, room dividers and a cross.
It's also during that time that Shannon takes care of getting teens to take the offering and making sure that everything is covered and running smoothly. George tests the sound, and Javier and I are working on the final few things for announcements and helping wherever we can. Sarah makes sure all the teens are where they're supposed to be.

The we start the service by having the teens come and find a seat. Whoever is NOT teaching that night (me or Javier) gives the announcements and gets the kids settled.

Then we turn down the lights and our teens lead worship.
One thing I'll say is that our teens have learned to WORSHIP... rather than just sing.
During this time we also encourage the kids to use the cross as a place to get away from their friends and distractions and focus on God and pray. They do. It's pretty cool.
After the worship, Javier or I will get up and speak. Right now we're going through the book of John.
Sometimes we'll ask questions, or even incorporate the teens into what we're talking about.
At the end, we always challenge the teens to take action. Publicly. We often ask them to get up from where they're at and come forward, or go to the cross. They do. It's pretty cool. We also ask if anyone wants to accept Jesus. We have been blessed with many responses to that! We close the service with a time of prayer and worship.When the service is over, the teens help break everything down and put it away, and then the gym and teen room are open again until they all go home. Sometimes we're there as late as 11:00pm, but it's a great thing to have teens that WANT to be at church.

Things have changed a lot in the last few years. God is doing GREAT and HUGE things in our youth group and I am so excited to see where He takes us next!

Sunday was AMAZING!
The service was great.
God moved (as always) :)
But one REALLY HUGE thing happened!

Brian accepted Jesus!

Now it's always a big deal when one of the teens accepts Jesus. We celebrate with them and we're excited. We are fortunate that this happens quite often in our youth group.

But this time... it was even more exciting. If you don't know about Brian... you need to read his history. I have written about him several times, but never mentioned him by name. Check it out:

Click Here to read the blog I wrote about how he came to our youth group.

Click Here to see him dressed as Santa... for no apparent reason...

Click Here to read the latest blog about Brian where he's struggling with God.

This kid has been a rollar coaster of questions and emotions... he's struggled, fought and wrestled with the idea of God and who God is, and why God would love him. He's gone from being an Atheist, to believing that there COULD be a god, to believing that there probably is a god... but why would he want me, to believing that there is absolutely a God, but needing a miracle to prove it, to asking Jesus into his heart!

He was so excited on Sunday! He was telling everyone who would listen that he "accepted Jesus today"... and his face just absolutely GLOWED!

I dont know all of the circumstances that lead up to his decision on Sunday, but it was about time! Boy is God great! And He sure does answer prayers! There were people all over the country that have been praying for Brian. And on Sunday, those prayers were answered. I thank God that I got to see his journey... but even more, that he loves Jesus now!

Here's Brian with our Intern Sarah at church on Wednesday.

Sometimes I cannot help but laugh right out loud at some of the things the kids say and do.

We were talking about Lot and his wife turning into salt in Sunday School last week. One of the kids (after some thought), says, "If I turned into salt, would you use me on your french fries?"

:) :) :) :) :)

Javier was reviewing with the teens about something he'd talked about the week before. The conversation went like this,

Javier: What did I say last week about Satan?
Teen 1: That he's a piece of crap.
Javier: No.
Teen 2: That he has no power.
Javier: Yeah, that's right.
Teen 1: Crap has no power...

I did laugh out loud at that one. I just can't hold it back sometimes.

:) :) :) :) :)

Some of the kids are taking a leadership/discipleship class with the adults. My dad was teaching one night and came home with this story...
They were talking about what Heaven was going to be like.
Teen 1: Can I have wings when I get to Heaven?
Teen 2: You wont even have a body... you'll just be a squiggle... with a tail!

:) :) :) :) :)

I find so much joy in this job. it is really neat to see lives changed right in front of me and to see kids "get it". But not only at those points... the whole journey. These teens are amazing people and they have so much going on in their heads... I love it when they share with us!

I grew up in Oregon.
Home of snowy, rainy winters...
...weather below 60 degrees (and if it gets above 60, you wear shorts!)...
...warm clothes (including but not limited to: hats, scarves, mittens, coats...)...
...icy roads (yes, ice. it's not just for cooling down your drink!)...
...warm boots (complete with socks!!)...
...real fires in fireplaces (used for warmth!)...
...and common sense.

I now live in Southern California.
Home of dry, warm winters...
...weather that never goes below 70 (and if it does, people panic)...
...t-shirts and shorts (even in the rare rain storm)...
...icy cold cokes...
...flip flops (even if it is weirdly cold or wet)...
...fireplaces that are just for show...
...and NO weather sense.

Dont believe me? Check out these pictures of my teens in the snow... PROOF!!!

Shorts and T-shirts...
Yes... those are flip flops...
Shorts and a t-shirt... and he's even THROWING A SNOWBALL!!!
More shorts... although at least he has a sweatshirt on...T-shirt... notice the waterproof pants UNDER the ripped jeans???

t-shirt and glove??? But only ONE glove...
t-shirt and gloves... at least he has both of them...
Notice how bundled up I am??? She's wearing a t-shirt.
a scarf with a t-shirt... at least he has it wrapped around his neck!


We were getting ready to go to winter camp, and Javi comes out with a scarf draped around his neck. He says, "Did you know that they ACTUALLY keep your neck warm???"

Wow. 100 posts. I still remember starting the blog about a year ago and worrying that I wouldnt have enough to write about. But I have LOVED writing this blog... and going back and re-reading it too! I hope you've all enjoyed it as well! I'd love to hear from you if you're reading... because the only way I know is if you leave me a comment.

I can't believe that we're already done with another winter camp! It seems like we just had last years! But Winter camp 2009 has come and gone... so here's how it went down...

First of all, we had about 40 people go! Which is really quite something considering there were only about 150 in the whole camp... our youth group is really growing!!! Last year we took about 25. Because our bus is not in commission right now, we had to take a caravan of 9 cars!!! We had some wonderful people volunteer to drive kids up which was awesome. Javier's parents were among them:
As soon as we got there, snowball fights ensued... and they didn't cease until we left the snow.
luckily, the kids were so excited to be in the snow and at winter camp, that they had great attitudes... even as they were getting pelted by incoming snow.
We had a few kids that came with us that had never been to an event with us before. It was an AWESOME weekend of bonding with our kids... they really opened up to us. Over and over I heard them saying that our youth group is like a "family".
One time we were at the snack bar, and the guy working it asked us which group we were with (there were several groups up there), and Chrisha blurted out "CERRITOS!!! WHOOOOO!!!" and the guy started laughing because that was not the group, but rather our church. He said "It's great to have church spirit!" to which Chrisha replied, "we're not a church... we're a family!" It's really cool that our kids feel that way about us. I sure feel that way about them!

It's also the first year that we brought our intern, Sarah.
I really dont know what to say about this picture... other than that it is just so Sarah :) She came to us a about a year and a half ago from Biola and we love her! It has just been such a great fit! It was also George and Shannon's first camp which was sooo exciting (but for some reason, I dont have a lot of pictures of them)! All of our leaders bonded with each other and with our kids. We are so blessed to have great leaders who really LOVE our teens!
I often hand my camera to one of the teens and let them take pictures for a while... what we end up with is always a lot of fun :)
This is Javier and his son Javi... they have a very special relationship... but we all get a kick out of it...
The chapels were pretty good. The kids really connected with God. But one thing that I noticed is that this was not a "mountain top experience" for our kids. God has really blessed us at our church. Every week we have wonderful services and our teens connect with God. They dont need a camp to see God face to face, or to experience His love. They get that on a regular basis. So while the teens responded, and absolutely got something out of the weekend, it was really a neat realization that they are building strong relationships with God wherever they are!
Several of our kids are pretty musically talented and always seem to find a way to worship... wherever we may be. I think that's pretty cool :)
We had several game times when the kids hung out in the gym and played games. We never had all of our kids on the same team, because there were so many. We would have dominated. But it was fun to play with them and watch them have fun with each other.
But more than anything else, there was a lot of hanging out in the snow: taking pictures, having snowball fights, sledding down the HUGE mountain (more about that later), playing football, "snowboarding", and just having a blast!


I am not a very big girl. I am about 5 feet 3 inches and about 120 pounds... so most of my teens are bigger than me. Especially the boys. So when we get in situations like winter camp... I find myself eating it... a lot... and usually with the help of one of the silly boys...\

The boys sure were loving the football! (or maybe just pushing each other around...)

This was the result of that one...

We kept taking group pictures, but we could never quite get the WHOLE group in the picture...
The youth pastors (Javier and Me)
Yeah... it looks like a nice picture... but this is what REALLY happened:
And as always... I seem to get hurt. Here is the story of my injury... There is a very large hill (pictured below). The kids were sledding down it (you can see some of those pictures above). most of them were going to the second section (marked on the photo below as II) and sliding down, but a few of the more daring ones would go to the very top. Most of the teens were catching a foot or two of air as they hit the lip... several of them lost their sleds and rolled the rest of the way down the hill. Two of my boys decided that I should go down. I told them I'd go but only if they went with me. So we got one of the big sleds and headed up the hill.
We got to the middle part where most of the kids were going down and I stopped. But they kept going. "You have to go from the top," they said. "It'll be more fun!!!" So up we went. I watched a few other people go down and I thought, "I cannot do this! I'm going to die!" But no one else died, or even got hurt. I rememberd the story my dad tells of me as a kid wanting to go down the waterslide but being scared... by the time I finally did, it was so late that I only got to go once and I was bummed. So I decided to go for it. I was the first on the sled, but before I got on, I looked at my boys and said in my most serious voice possible, "If you push me down this hill by myself, I'm going to kill you."

**Side note: When youth pastoring, resorting to threats of death or serious injury is highly frowned upon. In fact... it's really a bad idea. And typically... I do not make such threats... but I blame it on adrenaline mixed with sheer panic.**

Everyone was watching...
So I sat down on the sled and sure enough, they shoved me down the hill and stood at the top to watch. I made it down the first section fairly easily... still sitting on the sled and I even thought for a minute, "Hey, this is kind of fun!"
But then.
It happened.
I hit the lip (labeled below as II).
And I flew.
Literally.
In the air.
At least 10 feet (as told to me later by the people watching).
But in addition to the 10 feet, there was a drop. So I basically flew in the air and dropped about 15 feet and landed on my head/neck/back (I landed right about where it's marked III) and then slid the remainder of the way on my stomach with my arms straight out in front of me like superwoman (I was wearing my wonder woman shirt that day... I should have known!).

Now, I know this is a little scary (especially because my mom and grandma read this)... but I am okay. It is another miracle considering how it happened and how I landed and all of that... the people who saw it happen were pretty scared that I was badly hurt. But I came away with just scrapes and soreness. God is really good. The boys, however, got quite an earful from Javier. Needless to say, nothing like that will ever happen again :)

All in all, camp was WONDERFUL! God did great things, our kids bonded with each other and with us, and a good time was had by all.

I'll leave you with our last attempt at a group picture (we're only missing 4 teens who had already headed down the mountain):

In our youth group, we have a cross.

We have gotten rid of the traditional alters, and instead, we have a wooden cross that acts as the alter. It stands at the front of the gym next to the stage. The teens will leave their seats throughout the service and go to the cross to pray. Sometimes they stand... sit... kneel... whatever it may be, the come to the cross and pour out their hearts to God.
Wednesday night last week, one of the teens who is still somewhat new to our youth group, came up to Javier in the middle of the service and asked "Why is everyone going to the cross? What is it for?" Javier explained to him. I was watching from the back and assumed that he would go and sit back down in his seat. Instead, he walked over to the cross, knelt down and began to pray.

God is doing huge things here in the lives of our teens. This same kid started coming with one of our girls several weeks back after she'd asked him and asked him to come. He'd turned her down several times saying that church is "weird". But she didn't give up. Eventually he came (I think out of curiosity) and not only did he go to the cross last week, but he gave his life to Jesus. I get chills now even writing this. Because that girl was faithful and didn't give up at the first sign of hesitation, there is another life in the kingdom!

I am so proud of my kids and the way they show Jesus' love. Not just by bombarding their friends with invitations to church (although that happens too), but by simply living their lives and telling their friends what God is doing.

I asked Jesus into my heart when I was 4 years old. It's hard for me to remember a time when I didn't believe in God. Even the short period of my life when I wasn't serving God, I still believed He existed... I was just mad at him. So it's hard for me to imagine how some of these teens feel... the ones that don't believe in God.

There's one teen in particular that came to our youth group because some of our teens were evangelizing on their own at the grocery store down the street. Several months later, this teen is an active member of our youth group. When he came to us, he said he was an atheist. He has since decided he believes in God, but he wants to see a miracle before he'll accept God. He has a plan to put himself in a box... and see if God gets him out. We've been talking to him about how you shouldn't test God, and trying to work through some things with him.

The other night, he was talking to pastor Orlando...

***Side note: I think it is the COOLEST thing that our teens are comfortable enough to go to our senior pastors (or any other pastor on staff) and talk to them about their lives... their problems... the things they're doing... or just what they like to do. We are blessed to have pastors that show interest in our teens. It seems to me that most youth groups are kind of shunned in churches, but ours has been embraced. It's made all the difference in the world.

...so the other night he was talking to Pastor Orlando, who told him that God says the only place we can test him is with our finances. After having this conversation, the teen emptied his pockets, handed Javier about 15 cents and said "That's all I have but God can have it." Needless to say, it was hand delivered directly to the offering.

We've also started taking offering in our youth services and teaching the kids about giving and being a part of a WHOLE church... not just a youth group.

Sunday morning, one of our teens chased my dad down with a handful of money and said, "I need to give my faith promise! Is there somewhere I can do that?" Our teens are starting to see what it means to really give God 100% of your WHOLE life... even when it's not a lot. I think God sees these things and just beams with joy... I know I do!

Here's a funny video that was sent to me today that goes along with this:

Youth group is always interesting. Always. There's always something funny that happens. There's always someone who says something weird. Usually someone gets hurt (not always funny)... and ALWAYS ALWAYS God shows up :)

Wednesday night was no exception.

Javier was talking to the kids and he referred to where God talks about us being the "Salt of the Earth".

He asked the kids, "What does salt do?"

Their answer?

"Makes things Salty."

"Kills slugs."

:)

As funny as those responses can be, at the end of the night, kids always respond to God. We take that for granted sometimes, because it is a regular occurrence. But I know that our church is special. I know that God is doing big things with our teens. I know that they are going to make a difference not only in our church, but in the world.

They ARE the salt of the Earth... they may not be the normal, everyday salt...
But God uses them for SURE... These kids are incredible. They let God use them. They give themselves to Him and they follow what they think He wants for them. And it's incredible to see what is happening!

A couple of weeks ago we headed down to Mexico for the day. It was the most amazing trip yet! We loaded up in 3 cars: Pastor Gabriel's van, Rene's truck, and my car. We headed down to the border and as usual, we stopped at McDonald's right before going across :) Then we began to pray as we crossed over the border. You see, we can be fined or turned around if we get caught bringing the stuff that we bring over the border. So every time as we go through, we just pray that God gets us through. This time was no different. Gabriel's van made it through... my car made it through... but Rene's truck (which was carrying most of our stuff) was stopped. They wouldn't accept money from them (which is just unheard of there!) and they turned them around and sent them home. So now we were left with only 2 vehicles and without most of the toys and clothes. We had to change our plan of attack. So we headed to a different place than we'd initially planned. When we got there, we had to decide what to do. Should we hand out what we had even though we didn't have enough for everyone? After much discussion, that's exactly what we decided to do. So we gathered everyone around and Gabriel and Javier talked to them about God. We had 3 people that accepted Jesus! Then we began handing out the toys, blankets and clothes that we had. And they just kept coming... we'd finish giving out all that we had, and close the van doors, and then we'd open the van and it was like God multiplied what we'd had because there would be more! At the end of the day, we had enough! It was so cool to see God so plainly do a miracle! It reminded me of when Jesus fed 5000 with only a loaf of bread and fish.

Just wanted to share that story and some pictures... so here are some of my favorites from the trip.

Waiting at the border for Rene (little did we know...) Javier decided to take a nap.
When we got there, the people all rushed around us.
Javier and Gabriel telling people about God.
Javier praying for the people that accepted Jesus
Me and Crystal
Me and Karla (one of the girls we see every time we go.)
Me and Mango (with a soccer ball on his head). He's another one we see each time.
Handing things out and hanging out with the people there.
Javier talking to the guys that accepted Jesus.
Me, the teens that went and a couple of our new friends.
Me and Mango again (he loves me) :)
This man had this super cool bike he'd made... and he was kind enough to let us ride it! It was pretty fun!

One of our Mexico traditions is going to eat tacos before we go home...
Javier even got a little daring and tried a pepper... I don't think he'll be doing that again anytime soon...
Here are a few more of my favorites from the trip...

...my teens are amazing. They're hilarious, and they're thoughtful and they touch my heart.

A few days ago, I was driving with a couple of teens and we'd just picked up food. I looked over in the passenger seat and the teen that was sitting there had his hand out the window and a french fry in it. I didn't think much of it. I kept driving. Then I saw him reach in the bag and take out another one. I looked over and again he had his hand out the window with the fry in it. I asked him if he was throwing fries out the window. He replied, "No, they're hot. I'm just airing them out." And then he popped the fry in his mouth. :)

Sometimes my teens do things that I don't think they even realize that just make me want to hug them. One of the things we're doing right now, is allowing the kids to teach on Friday nights. It's been really cool to work through that with them and help to develop and teach them how to be leaders. So the other night, one of our boys was teaching. And he started quoting stuff that I'd said in other lessons. I was so proud! Not so much that he quoted me (although that was pretty cool) but that he'd been listening and that he'd understood!

I came into the office this morning and found this email from that same teen:

Hey Diandra how you doing? I wanted to send you my bball schedule so if you wanted to some of the rest of them. Thanks a lot for your support. And once again great job on Sunday. You did really well. And in case you don't know it you are a great youth pastor, and I am thankful that you are my and the whole youth group's pastor. Your compassion and love and desire is really great and I thank you for always being there for me and all of us. Not only are you my youth pastor but I also consider you a good friend of mine. I'm really glad that after Christine left, God chose you to step in and you did a wonderful job of taking over. I'm sorry if I'm being too mushy mushy but I just want you to know that you are appreciated and that you if you ever feel discouraged I can pray for you or just be a friend. Because I'm sure it can be tough sometimes, but just know that we all love you. Alright see you on Wednesday.

It is really a privilege to be able to be a part of the lives of these teens. I feel so uplifted and encouraged by them. They're amazing and they don't even know it!

We have started a new year... and with that, we've decided that we need to do some things differently. Javier is determined to be organized and on time. So far he has been pretty organized... he even lines up his pens on his desk. As for on time... well that will come :) I've decided to try to have a little bit of a life. I spend so much time at the church (which is not a bad thing) but I'm trying to make sure I have time with my friends and family as well. But we've also made some changes in the direction of the youth group. We're working on planning na dorganizing more ahead of time... although we sat down to plan the calendar for the year, and we got through March and Javi couldn't think any farther ahead :) So that has to be done in small doses.

One of the things we're pretty excited about is Evangelism. We have planned one evangelism day each month. So a couple of weeks ago we ventured out for our first one. We weren't really sure what to expect.. We thought maybe 2 or 3 teens would show up, but if not, we were prepared to do it anyway. So we printed out little cards...
...and we headed to the Long Beach town Center which is like a big outdoor shopping center with a movie theater and food court. We were happily suprised to be met by about 15 teens! We haded out the cards to the teens, prayed together and off they went to talk to people. It wasn't long before security cornered Javvy (Javier's 16 year old son) and told him we couldn't do that there, that it was private property. In the process of being kicked out, Javvy had this conversation with the security guard:

Javvy (while playing guitar): "Do you go to church?"
Security: "I'm sorry but you can't be doing that here."
Javvy: "I just asked if you go to church"
Security: "No."
Javvy: "Well do you want to come to ours? we have a service tomorrow."

Needless to say, the teens were awesome. They stepped out of their comfort zones and they did a fantastic job! And they were even disappointed when we couldn't continue!

* * * * *

Last week we went to a local high school to watch one of our teens play in a basketball game. As we were leaving, we saw two girls running around the corner and into the bathroom. A couple seconds later, one of our teen boys came running after them. He saw me, and he said, "Oh good! You're a girl! Go in there and tell them you're my youth pastor! I want them to go to church!"

It turns out he'd been chasing the girls around trying to get them to go to youth group!

It's exciting to see our teens getting excited about God... and spreading that excitement and enthusiasm to the people around them. God is doing huge things in our youth group... I really believe that a revival is starting with our teens!

In youth group the other night during our discussion, one of our teens got pumped up. He was really excited about God and what God was doing in his life. He was talking about the feeling you get when you have a relationship with God and how great it is.

"Want to get high? Don't do drugs... do Jesus!"

And he was dead serious and so excited!

I think that is maybe the COOLEST part of my job... when my kids get excited for God.

Last Friday was pretty cool.

In Bible study on Friday night, we were having a discussion. We had some scriptures that we were going to read, so we asked for volunteers to read. Oftentimes when that is asked, there is silence. But on Friday night, we had many hands raised... the kids began to go back and fourth about who got to read... it ended in a game of rock, paper, scissors to determine who would win reading the Bible.

So super cool.

Santa made a visit to our youth group shortly before Christmas:



I really have no more explanation than that.

I heard one of the little kids saying to another little kid, "Did you see Santa in the teen room?"

In Sunday School a few weeks ago, I was asked a question I never in my wildest dreams would have EVER expected to hear: "Is there a ghetto in Heaven?" It made me laugh at the time, but I got to thinking about it later and it didn't seem so funny.

I grew up in small towns in Oregon. Most of the people I knew were middle class white people. As I've talked about before, I never really understood or knew much about racism. For me, a person is a person is a person. Race was simply a physical characteristic, like blond hair or brown hair. With that often comes culture, but I've always taken an interest in different cultures and I think that is so cool! But when we moved here to Southern California, my world got turned upside down. I couldn't believe the amount of racism and hatred that was around me.

I was also shocked at the amount of poverty and homelessness. I never knew what a "ghetto" was. I didn't understand what that meant. But when I moved here and I began to get involved in ministries and outreaches, I began to realize the immense about of suffering and pain that surrounds us. My eyes have been further opened since I began working with the Spanish ministry and going on trips to Mexico and doing things that are a little outside my comfort zone sometimes.

When I started thinking more about the question of a ghetto in heaven, I realized that there is a lot of prejudice and hurt in the lives of my teens. Many of my kids feel inferior because of race, social or economic class, or citizenship status. I realized that those feelings (though hidden behind tough exteriors, and never being admitted), translate into their understanding of God. At the time we made a joke about Heaven's ghetto having streets paved of silver instead of gold. But the fact is that to God, all of us are His children and He loves us all equally. It seems to be something that is lacking in society... loving people regardless. Loving people because of who they are to God... rather than what they look like or where they come from.

I am so grateful for kids who teach me lessons. I know that it is my job to teach and mentor them... but I often feel as though they are the ones that are teaching me. I am glad that God has allowed me to be their youth pastor and to see life through their eyes.

I know that there is no ghetto in Heaven. I know that because Jesus didn't die for ALL of us... He died for EACH of us. He loves us all... unconditionally... equally. I am so grateful for a God who sees who we are... not what we look like or where we come from.

It's 2009.

Which is a bit of an adjustment for me considering I'm still writing 2007 on everything... so I guess I'll just skip 2008 altogether.

I thought I'd share a few more stories from last year (that sounds so funny!) that I keep forgetting to blog about. So here is a compilation of random things that have happened... and stories that have been told...

Enjoy! :)

* * * * *

I am terrified of spiders. It's a phobia. It's irrational. I cant explain it, but I do NOT like them. Well a few of my teens have managed to figure this out. We were sitting in small groups the other night, and apparently there was a spider web on the ceiling. One of the teens pointed it out to me and I proceeded to freak out... just a little :) One of my boys responds with, "you should call my dad... he's pest patrol!!!" Then there was a pause. "I mean control. Pest control." Javier's response: "So basically your dad is a hit man for bugs?"

* * * * *

One of the things that happens at Christmas time, is that each department is responsible for doing something in the Spanish service as a Christmas celebration. Usually for things like this, Javier and I plan it and the kids carry it out. But this time as we were talking, I told the kids that we wanted them to plan it. So they got excited and began to brainstorm. Their idea ended up being something with a Santa suit... elves... and a song in Spanish with a few English parts. I believe there was also going to be some dancing and clapping. One of my teens says, "I'll bring the lighters!" (if this doesnt ring a bell, read this blog entry). To which I responded in protest, "Did you just say you'd bring the lighters???" Another teens answered, "you said we should plan it and that's our plan!"

Needless to say, Santa, the elves and the lighters all failed (I promise I had nothing to do with it!) and the teens sang 3 wonderful songs! :)

* * * * *

Last Friday in small groups, we had a pretty small group of kids. We decided to do something a little different. We spent the whole time gathering around each of the teens and praying for them. Some of them had specific needs and struggles, and others we simply prayed for a solid, blessed year. It was a wonderful time of lifting our kids up and supporting and encouraging them. At the end, we all gathered in a circle and they prayed for Javier and me. In the middle of the prayer, I felt something wet on my arm (which was around a kid). I ignored it and continued praying. A few minutes later, I felt someone wipe it off. After the prayer, I turned around and one of my boys was standing behind me with a straw in his mouth laughing. I guess the straw had flicked water on my arm and he didn't know what to do. So he sat there for a minute and then decided he should wipe it off.

* * * * *

I am sitting at my grandma's house in Oregon. Every year we head up this direction for Christmas to visit our family. This year, we're sitting in the middle of a blizzard :)

Last week in Sunday School, we were talking about my upcoming trip. I said that I was going to bring my Nike Cortez shoes (if you dont know what I'm talking about, read this blog before you continue). This is how the conversation went:

Diandra: "I'm one tough cookie... they won't know what to do with me in Oregon" :)
Teen: "More like a THUG cookie"
Diandra: "What exactly is a thug cookie?"
Teen: "It's a cookie with LA written on it and Nike Cortez shoes."