"Is it because I'm goth?"
"No, it's just that your face that looks like his."
"Oh. Well I am goth and it's completely different from punk. We're like two different gangs. Punks are rude." This was my first interaction this week with the self-proclaiming goth freshmen who went by the pseudo name "Oliver." As our conversation continued we discussed his love of roleplay, manga, anything goth related, and how he really wanted to eat some beignets. After telling him that we go to the French Quarter on Monday the next thing I knew we were planning on getting beignets and cafe au lait together. He seemed to have a lot to talk about for being the guy who sat in a corner next to his quiet friend, who was engrossed in drawing a sci-fi looking ship. Out of 63 students--17 of them actually attend the youth group--I immediately spotted the loners in the mix. These guys seem to remind me of myself and my friends in high school.
After leading Club that night we debriefed at staff meeting where I learned that Oliver was considered the "problem" teen and had already broken the strings on one of our guitars. That was when I knew God had led me in some way to talk with Oliver. Out of 63 people I felt like I could connect and get to know the one who was already causing trouble. Due to this knowledge I made it my priority to get to know him which led me to visit the service site he was attending today.
At this service site they were split up with different age groups and asked to get to know the kids at the site. Oliver and his artist friend volunteered to work with the "high school group" which was 12-14 here; Oliver assured me it would be a good match for him. After a few minutes of checking on the other groups I went and checked on the high school group. Oliver was surrounded by a group of guys, had a huge smile on his face, and was sharing his story with them.
As it turns out, Oliver has asbergers and told us that he's often negative and does not like people. However, he found his niche at this service site. He found he could share his story with the young kids there and that they could really relate. We learned that this troublesome youth has a lot to him and I am excited for the conversations we will have over beignets.
Today I was reminded why I feel a call to work with teenagers. It's teens like Oliver who remind me of my passion. It's to the loners that I want to share the good news that they are loved and that they matter. I am thankful for Oliver coming into my life for this week to remind me that people still need to hear that hope and they still need to be able to share their stories.
Will you tell your stories?
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