People, Prayer, & Pup

People:
Sometimes ministry is messy.  We are imperfect people, serving imperfect people, alongside other imperfect people.  This is something I've always known and I've embraced, however, as somewhat of a perfectionist, I can find it difficult at times.  At the Kairos Centre we work with a variety of people...those who follow Christ and those who couldn't care less, those who have addictions and those who have been freed from bondage, those who live a life of recklessness and those who live in reckless abandonment for Christ.

Prayer:
There are many hypothetical situations you talk through and discuss while working towards a youth ministry degree.  Reality and heartache set in when you realize those hypothetical situations only stay hypothetical so long.  The names, places, and details will change, but the situations...they're not hypothetical anymore, they're reality, a horrible reality, but they're the reality we're a part of.  And as Christ's ambassadors on earth we're called to come alongside the brokenhearted, the faint in spirit, those in need.  Please pray for the young people of Newcastle.  These are no longer hypothetical heartaches and life situations...they are reality, and they are the reality for some beautiful, young people.  Pray for them and pray that we can truly bring Christ into their lives.

Pup:
Since I've been back, it's like coming back from the "honeymoon" of the ministry.  I would be lying if I said everything was wonderful and easy. However, what excites me is that, despite the difficult situations in the ministry here in Northern Ireland...my heart and passion are still for Newcastle.  Encouragement, however, comes in all shapes and sizes...like tonight, one of the young men who comes to drop-in came up to me while I was sweeping the floor and said, "kylie, you're some wee pup."  I laughed and told him I had no clue what he meant by that.  He simply smiled and said, "you're a good person."  You get to know these kids: good, bad, and the ugly.  And the reality is they see your good, bad, and ugly just as well.  Yet they still see our good.  My heart's desire is to always see the good, no matter the situation.  Christ bore our sins on the cross and I believe it's because He accepted us where we were at, but loved us too much to leave us unchanged.  He saw us for what we could be.  Let's love each other for who we could be in such a way that spurs each other on to be who we were meant to be for Christ.