The Exhilarating Tale of George (a must-read!)

Okay guys, I know I said I would blog about my birthday, and march break still needs to be covered, but life has not allowed me to be as diligent as I would like. And something happened this week that you NEEEEEEEED to know about. Hold on on to your socks, people.. Here we go!

We have a 13 year old boy in my program, and he is great. He is hilarious, cool, proudly geeky, and probably smarter than I am. He loves video games and anime, and my understanding is that this is the first year that he has really come out of his shell and participated in Homework Club, and in previous years, has claimed atheism. He was born into a Buddhist home, and decided it was not for him.You would instinctively think that someone so young really doesn't understand what faith or atheism even is, and only says such things for the sake of sounding grown up, but this kid really knows his stuff! Here's where the story gets cool:

During our "Wordup" (bible study) on Thursday afternoon, we had a time where the youth could just ask any questions they had about God, faith, life, Christianity, whatever they wanted. Guess whose hand went up a bajillion and four times? He had really deep questions about who God is and what Christianity is about. As he asked away, my mind flashed back to a week prior, when he asked me out of the blue what I thought of atheists. Thank God for His spirit in me, cause even though I was really rushing at that particular moment, I managed to give what I thought was a decent answer: "I stinkin' love atheists. They're great. God loves 'em, and so do I."

It all suddenly clicked that this is a very important stage in this kid's life. His curiosity is more than just curiosity, it's the Spirit of God moving and stirring in his heart! How exciting it is to be in the room and watch God work! His questions kept coming, and the other leaders and myself kept sharing from the Word and our hearts, until finally we had to go downstairs to the gym. He did not stop asking questions even for a second. As the other youth got numbered off and placed on teams to play an obstacle course race, we kept talking. I asked if he wanted to go play, but he said, "No, I have more questions to ask if that's okay." Well duh, of course it was okay, so we sat on the bench and kept talking. He asked me a lot about what I believe, a lot about the concepts of evil, a lot about other religions. I had to admit that there was a lot I didn't know for sure, but I think he appreciated the honesty, cause he kept asking what I thought, how I felt. All throughout our conversation, I prayed to be completely rid of myself, because on my own, I know I have nothing but evil and lies to share with this boy. I asked God to do all the talking, and I believe that He did. I asked the boy, "what do you believe in?" And he confessed that he didn't know. He said, "It's not that I don't think that there is a God. In fact, I think there is. But I don't know which one I want to believe in. I'm really interested in religion and mythology, but for me to believe in any God, I need proof. There's no proof." I challenged him, "What proof do you want?" He thought carefully for a moment and replied quietly, "I would need a miracle, and for God to show himself.. I don't know how he would do it, but just so I would know for sure it's Him."

My gosh, people, I'm still buzzing from this conversation. It felt like an out of body experience where I was able to clearly process that I was not a part of what was happening. I was only a mouth that God Himself was using to speak to this boy. What a privilege to be a part of such a crucial exchange! We have reached no grand conclusion, this kid and I, but I need you all to be praying so hard for him. If you need a name to pray for, call him George, I guess. I can just feel it, very soon he's gonna come to a crossroads where he needs to make a choice to either give His life to Christ, or not. Pray pray pray pray pray that he makes the right choice! Pray that he would keep asking questions, pray that myself and the other leaders would stay filled with the Spirit that we could give him the answers God has for him. Pray for his miracle to come soon, and for God to show up unmistakably in his life. May truth reign and win George over! The seeds are being planted in abundance, now we have to pray for the life-giving waters of Christ to make them grow! I am so full of hope and anticipation after all of this.

This is a mind boggling-ly exciting time. Watching George get closer and closer to the truth. Helping him find it, but not pushing him towards it; rather, letting him stumble upon the Greatest Treasure himself. If you're a supporter whether through finances or prayer, thank you. This is what your support is going towards. Thank you for being a part of the mission! In my eyes, that one conversation, this one boy makes the whole year worth it. Every bad day, every trial, every time I have wanted to give up and go home, this is what it's all for, what it's all about. Praise God!

If you made it all the way here, congratulations! I applaud you. Thank you for taking the time to read this; I hope it encouraged you and inspired you in some way. The next thing you will read from me will likely be a further call for support, as I am still a fair distance from raising my $7500 for the year.

I love you and am praying for you, as always! If you're from FBCC, I'll be seeing you in a couple weeks for Easter!

Lovelovelovelovelovelove,
Jade