Youth Meeting

I have no idea what a cool Christian youth group meeting might look like these days. Every so often I get a promo email for a big, awesome event that has some combo of rockn skate park, live band and famous-person-preacher-boy. I've heard accounts of attractive young women wearing skinnyleg jeans & heals jumping around on stage as they lead the worship songs. But I've never seen it and don't think I'll ever be able to match that particular talent....

Last Friday night I was part of leading a youth meeting in Poipet. Maybe an Australian youth looking on would say that the event was pretty lame. But without wanting to talk it up too much~ I thought it was brilliant!

I don't know exactly what "it" was called. Probably "youth meeting". No rad name. No funky logo. No website. We started at 5:20pm, coming together in the room that is used by Sambo's family as living room/ dining room as well as a classroom for teaching English on weekday afternoons. Arriving at 4:45pm the plastic stools were already set up in neat rows. A few young people had come early to help and there was a sense of excitement and anticipation.

The format was for the meeting was simple: Intro. Game. Two testimonies. Song. Two more testimonies. Talk. Prayer. Snacks.

I led the song in English and Khmer, strumming four chords on a donated acoustic guitar. Three other Aussies who were visiting Poipet for a week joined me at the front, each with a percussion instrument in hand. We sang God Is So Good. Our group sang first and the youth joined in as they picked it up. The song couldn't have been simpler. God is so good. God loves me. God loves you. God is so good. Amazingly, this song became living, healing balm as it washed over a bunch of kids whose daily lives often lack simple goodness and love. It was powerful!

I gave a short preach in Khmer. No stage. No microphone. No music in the background as I came to the conclusion of the message. But whether they were hungry to hear or simply being polite, every young person was attentive as the message went out.

Afterwards we ate snacks and talked. Some of the boys picked up the instruments and continued to praise God with joyful, rowdy songs. We left at around 7:30pm.

I'm sooooo thankful that this "uncool" Friday night youth meeting was still really fun. I'd say it was a powerful place of refuge, community and strength for the 50 or so youth who were there. I can't wait to do it again!




(Seriously- what is this gesture!?! Knocking them out with the Word of the Lord?!)