Middle School Mayhem

Like I said in my New Year post, I'm not big on resolutions anymore because when I break it/them, I just beat myself up over it. So I didn't want to make any resolutions. One thing I've tried to be more intentional about is looking for areas to volunteer at church. My first opportunity came with The Edge Games, the big middle school ministry activity that HCC puts on every January. Five hundred-plus middle schoolers come every Friday evening for three weeks for big-group Olympic-style games followed by a good message. It's been a long time since I was in middle school, so I've forgotten much about that stage of life. Just a few minutes there reminded me that that's a tough stage. The girls and the boys are on different wave-lengths, most of them are pretty awkward, it's hard to get them to focus and pay attention... it takes some special people to lead a middle school ministry. I know I couldn't do it, but it was really neat taking small role in the evening. It was also an interesting glimpse into the future of our lives with Lincoln... it won't be long before he's a middle schooler!

Another neat part of last Friday evening was that one of the other volunteers is a guy that I met in a church meeting several months ago. He's also a veterinarian. What a small world! (wink, wink) It was great to have that familiarity. Then he asked me a funny question: "So you have a middle schooler?" I said, "No, my boy is 8 and a half months old." He looked at me funny and said, "So, why are you here?" No doubt wondering who would spend extra time with a 12 year old if they didn't have to. But it was a very fun time. I came home with fun stories for Jenn about the crazy games and watching the kids fall over after the dizzy bat race. I can only imagine what fun stuff will come this evening.

A big chunk of the kids that come are not part of the church so it's a good outreach to them and their families. Todd and Jonathan, the guys who head up The Edge Games, do a fantastic job of finding fun games that are great for bunches of kids. And with such a big operation, they need adults to supervise and set up the games. That's where I helped out. You may notice the guy in the Ohio State t-shirt... that's me.

Edge Games V 09 Week 1 from edgehcc on Vimeo.