Friday Night

Last Friday night we had our second monthly Youth Meeting for 2009 for the English students.

One of the students I teach arrived before the rush and sat down near me in the front row. She’s is in Grade 11. She brought her younger brother. He’s in Grade 5. He came dressed in his blue school pants and a bright yellow, long sleeved, button down pajama top. (Not stylish but really cute!) We talked a little. The meeting started and my student who sat in the very front row was one of the 42 who received recognition for Good Attendance in January. Her name was called and a look of surprise flashed across her face. What?! Me?! A prize?!!! She rose, came to the front, pressed her hands together to show respect and bowed a little as I handed her the home-made certificate and pen. I glanced at her younger brother and he was grinning with pride too. As cheesy as it sounds: this is who we meet for. We meet for the young people who want to get together, can use a little encouragement in their studies and need to hear a message of faith. They can dress in jeans, school clothes, pajamas or whatever.

February was the first time that we used a microphone and speakers. It soon became clear that we needed it. Bodies were crammed in. People stood up the back and spilled out the door. The speakers made me nervous, though, because I was asked to play guitar & sing a couple of songs in English. The first song was longer so I just sang it through once. Before the second song I gave an introduction in Khmer and translated the words, line by line, from the sheet I’d printed out for the students to read. Then I took a deep breath and tried not to think about the reality that some my class were about to hear me sing through a speaker that was a) almost as tall as them and b) about two inches from their heads. I started strumming. Still nervous. I sang anyway....

A friend emailed and asked me how God showed up in the meeting?

- in 10kg of oranges, 5kg of cookies and a dozen large bottles of soda not being enough snacks to go around
- in Jim preaching and drawing pictures on the whiteboard
- in the kid next to me copying the sketches down
- in the smiles of the students as their January attendance was acknowledged
- in the novelty of playing a silly game
- in the neighbours who heard a little from the sound that spilled out onto the street... and who told me afterwards that they want to hear more
- in a bright yellow pajama top and a pair of blue school pants