They Will Surprise You

One of the most rewarding things SPIRITUS has done this year has been to work more closely with St. Patrick's Catholic Community in Menasha for youth ministry. While just being more closely associated with a parish has been awesome in and of itself, the best part of youth ministry for us is that we get to know certain students much better than we ever would have before. And in the course of getting to know these students and walking with them as they grow in faith, they've surprised me many times.

With the middle school students, we planted bean seeds in Styrofoam cups and had them write reminders to themselves to pray on the outside of the cup. One of the eighth-graders didn't think that was enough; she had everyone write their own name on her cup so that she could pray for all of us. (We liked her idea so much that we used it with our high school leadership team later on.)

Speaking of the high school students, I remember talking to one of them about what she was going to do for Lent. She didn't have any ideas. I mentioned something about adding extra daily prayers instead of giving something up, but didn't really make any suggestions. A few days later, when I saw her again and found out that she had decided to pray the Rosary every day. I checked in with her throughout Lent, and she was still going strong every time I asked.

Even more impressive to me are the efforts some of our regular Teen Disciples Bible study attendees are going to in order to remain firm in the faith and radically committed to God. We had a Bible study on the urgency of the mission a last week, and as part of the evening's activities, we had them write their own personal mission statement. Several students decided to have their peers (and the SPIRITUS team) sign their mission statements to hold them accountable to their missions and the commitments they made. A group of our Teen Disciples and their friends are already in the process of taking this simple exercise to a much deeper level; in fact, they had already been working on it for quite some time, and even have a website set up so others can join them! Check out the amazing commitment they're making here.

In little ways, in big ways, and every possible way in between, the students we have gotten to know over these past eight months have surprised and encouraged us. Talk to the young people you know about their faith and how it shapes their lives. They will surprise you!