Youth Family Night
The Youth Group isn’t happening in town this year and though it is sad, it is understandable that people who put so much energies into youth do need time out for their own families at time.
I personally prefer youth to be mixing with multi-ages, in a family context though I appreciate they like doing things that maybe their younger siblings aren’t up for. Peter and I have decided to put aside one Friday or Saturday night every 4-6 weeks for the Christian youth (Highschool age).
Our plan is that we will invite the youth, plus their family, to an activity. The activity will be focused on the older kids and if the younger can join in fine, otherwise they can occupy themselves on the sidelines with something else. We would like for the parents to come along too but if they don’t, that is fine too.
This last Friday night was our first effort. Half the kids we invited came at 3.00 and after something to eat, they headed off to find firewood and marshmallow sticks. Then they occupied themselves for the rest of the afternoon. Others arrived around 5.00. It is a delight to see kids fitfully occupy themselves, to enjoy each others company without being silly or knocking each other. I had intended to pull out board games for them to play but they were having so much fun – why interrupt a good thing.
While Pete cooked the sausages one set of parents and little siblings joined us. We took the sausages down to the campfire, lit it and enjoyed our simple meal. After dessert Josh shared a simple devotion on the importance of making good choices, based on what is right, time and time again, even in the little things of life and as we do make these right choices it becomes a habit and that creates in us integrity, or virtue. We then toasted marshmallows, had a hot chocolate and everyone went home.
It was a simple evening of fun and relationships. We will be doing it again.
It is pretty hard to take good photos around the campfire so we don’t have anything worth posting. But here you can see the fire place we have made out in an opening – the circle is big enough to have a big fire and yet small enough for kids to reach into the fire without being tempted to step in side the circle. Having the bricks makes the boundaries really clear for the kids – it was explained to the kids that the reason Pete had his foot in there was he had big boots on. It is my goal this year to use the campfire more often – even just for our own family for a night relaxing together
instead of the normal Friday night movie and pizza.
It means we get a camping experience without going camping!
