A Good Group of People

We had our first youth group for the year on Friday night, and because I remembered that Angie asked me to keep her informed on what was going on with our youth group, I let her know and she was keen to check it out for that night. We gave her a lift there, and I think the fact that we brought someone knew to youth group helped us avoid getting in trouble for coming late! (No really, blame it on Shortland St...Maia??? How could she be the killer??? I'm being sarcastic I don't watch it...honestly.....)

We did a bit of singing before we were asked to write on small slips of yellow paper questions we want answered about anything to do with Christianity, and also what we want out of youth group this year. We then wrote a letter to ourselves talking about our goals, hopes, etc. that we'd read in a year's time. Mine was sorta more tongue-in-cheek, joking to myself about if I survive surgery, and that if I'm still single in a year's time and I'm not buff from working out at the gym then that's probably why!

We were about to divide into two groups for sharing and praying for each other when Aonghas told the group about my pending surgery after the weekend. What was really nice was that they all prayed for me and one of our youth group leaders who is also a pastor said he might visit me, which he really doesn't need to go out of his way to do! Middlemore is quite far away! While I try not to bring up my surgery (because really, who would care? haha...plus it means I don't have to think about it) I just joked about it with them when they asked me about what was going to happen. I admit I do try hide my real fear and worries by taking a light-hearted approach, but I don't want to make others feel gloomy though!

After youth group we just hung around for supper and talked about all sorts of random stuff. I just talked to Angie for a while until she started getting phone calls from home! We soon took her home after she got her second phone call! Hopefully she didn't find our youth group too weird or boring and that we see her again one day!!

The following day after our first accordion lesson for the year we had another church gathering, this time a 'reunion' for all those who helped out with the church's children's summer programme. We came late as usual as Aonghas was rushing to get the video finished. He finished it so late that we had to encode and burn it onto a DVD in the car as we drove there. Because the laptop battery was dying, we were hoping we'd get to Emily's (the person in charge of the programme) place in time to plug it in and allow the process to complete. Fortunately we got there in time!

We then went to a nearby park where everyone had gathered to have a barbeque. We ate and talked for a while before checking out the beach. Some of us didn't have suitable footwear for walking on sand!

When it was time to go back to Emily's place us three brothers got in our car while our mum got in someone else's car. We also took along with us two other girls from our youth group. The minister's son who's also in our youth gruop decided he'd run, and so we drove alongside him at a dangerously fast speed shouting at him as the hiphop blasted from our car. We got some weird looks from some boyracers speeding past us!

Once we got there it was finally time for Aonghas to play his video (which was well received), and then play the photo slideshow while we each took turns to share what we gained from helping out with the children's summer programme.

It's been really cool getting to hang out with the guys and girls in our youth group more, and I'm really grateful they're a great bunch of people. We're set to have a few more join us soon (maybe Angie will be one of them who decides to keep coming!) - some of the younger people at our church who have just started high school. I was a little unsure about them joining and breaking our tight-knit group at first, but now I've come to realise it'd be a good opportunity to get to know them better, regardless of what I've heard about them! (Good or bad!!)