Recently the Lord has brought a new ministry into my life: teaching a teenage discussion class on Sunday mornings. The first day I didn't need to prepare anything...the teacher introduced me, and I talked a little bit about what I was doing in New Zealand. The second time (last sunday) I prepared a lesson discussing the Bible's inherent truthfulness. The discussion class turned into a "stare at Mandy" class. So, the third class time (today) I was a bit nervous. (I shouldn't be though because I should fully trust that the Lord would take care of it as He always does.) As I walked into the classrom there were only boys. Okay, not a terrible thing, but with all of them being teenagers I was a bit nervous, but I felt okay because I knew Marilynn would be there to tame them down. Right as I thought that, Marilynn came in to tell me that she had to go teach a little kids class so it would just be me. Whew! Okay...here goes nothing Lord!

Obviously by the title something good came from our discussion time. As a class we are reading through Proverbs together. I discussed Provers 12 for a bit and then verses 31 & 32. It talks about envying people who do evil and how those types of people are an abomination to the Lord. Being from New Zealand the youth idolize American trends anyway, but then being from South Auckland they idolize America's ghetto (because South Auckland is New Zealand's ghetto). They envy rappers such as Eminem, 50 Cent, etc. They envy those who live in Compton, the Bronx, etc. Obviously, they do not know the true stories of the poeple who live there, nor the true stories behind the lives of those they envy. Regardless, the Lord blessed our time by allowing the boys to be fully open with me about why they would want to have a certain person's life and why that life seemed so attractive. I did most of the talking, but this time there was almost as much discussion! And the best part about it was that the discussion was not immature. Sure they joked around and poked fun at a lot of things, but they're teenage boys...it's to be expected.

I praise the Lord for the discussion that did occur and any difference it made in the boys' lives today. I am continually amazed at the fact that when I allow the Lord to lead He will and with power and effectiveness! God's faithfulness abounds in my life, and I am so blessed I get to be a part of His story! How great is our God?!