Tag Team Back Again

Date nights are important for a marriage.
Quality time is essential.
 Fresh flowers should really show up now and again.
But serving in ministry together is like marital Miracle Grow. Very few things can fuel and synergize connection like being about the work of God, in the same space.  

Last week, Melissa and I served together, and it felt like old times.

Here why our world's collided:
UrbanLife's New Heights Project is one effort to develop young leaders from within neighborhood.   College-aged students are paid as interns to lead emerging high school leaders.   These high school leaders are, in turn, asked to pull off activities and events for the younger kids in the neighborhood.  Vacation Bible School and Refugee Tutoring Day Camps are a couple of these.

As the acting co-director of Refugee Tutoring at Ibarra Elementary, Melissa was asked to share background and advice for working with elementary refugee students in East City Heights.  She may downplay it, but her voice was critical.   It has taken a couple years to establish relationships, build profiles and track academic progress of these 30+ students.  Her advice and experience go a long way.

She surprised a few of them with:
"You will work with students from nearly 15 different countries."
"Some of them never held a pencil until they arrived in the US."
"In elementary (SD Unified) there are few ESL interventions for new arrivals.  Their English skills are so low, many teachers don't know what to do."
"Some may act as if they do not understand any English when you ask them to do something :) "


While Melissa taught a group of students that I work closely with, I sat in the back.
My thoughts went a little something like this:

"Man, she knows her stuff."
"God is clearly leading us, as a family, into this work!"
"I have an amazing teammate."
"Geez... I really love this gal!"

Thankful today for a tag team-mate.

"It was Awesome."

It was a gut-level, enthusiastic response to my wife's text.

  

 

She was blown away with my response.  Up until now, moments with students have been encouraging, conversations surprising, gatherings energetic.  But never awesome.
More frequently the adjectives I use are less positive. Small group conversations are circuitous.  Rides home are rowdy. Evening meetings are both fun and difficult.

But this time, it, "Was awesome."

This day reeked of awesome-ness on a number of levels:

1. 9 of my friends got out of the neighborhood for the afternoon.
2. We experienced a classic summer day in San Diego.
3. 11 people fit in our minivan.   It has a capacity of 8.
4. The event was virtually free (minus the footlong subway sandwiches).
5. Over-the-line (a San Diego originated beach game) was a complete hit.
6. I heard lots of "Thank you coach!" and "That was so much fun!"  These guys are in the beginning stages of expressing feelings of gratitude.  This was huge progress.

While those are worthy of the "awesome" tag, I saw even more after reflecting on the day:

1. Trust is built via positive experiences together.   These guys are beginning to trust me.
2. I am functioning within my own strengths and gifts. I felt my own heart pound with contentment and thankfulness during our time.  This is what I was made for!
3. More and more, I am beginning to see these young men as God does.  I am seeing flashes of brilliance in them.   I am recognizing gifts that God has given them.  And I am pointing them out, as a way to call them forward.

"Was [truly] awesome."