"The Gems of Justice"..getting to know them

our 3rd meeting

this is our jr. youth group: The Gems of Justice.  2 girls are not in the photo -- they couldn't make it this day -- so we have a total of 10 people.  2 of the boys walk a half a mile to our home almost everyday for one activity or another.  the others live right around us in the neighborhood.  2 of them are 14 years old but they add a lot to the group and are very interested in the process of striving to acquire excellence in all things.

the first time we met, we went through a fun process of choosing a name for the group.  everyone wrote down on a piece of paper 2 names that came to their minds.  we wrote all of these ideas on the white board.  from this large list, the kids wrote down their 2 favorites.  we tallied up the top 2 choices and erased the rest of the ideas.  now it was time to vote.  we did a raising of hands but a few of them couldn't decide for sure until the group talked it out.  when they finally wrote their decision on a piece of paper, The Gems of Justice reached almost a unanimous vote.  now everyone is proud of the name. :)

it took 5 months of getting to know them before a group could be formed.  i had met a lot of other jr. youth as well, but these are the ones who kept coming by, or who live nearest, or with whom we developed a close relationship.  the 8 in the photo have already formed a kinship.  they have begun to feel safe, and trust one another.  they have learned to cooperate and share, to memorize and answer questions posed to them..

celebrating Thanksgiving

it is such an honor to work with jr. youth.  they are beautiful.  their hearts are inquisite and still pure, full of good intentions and openness to the world in which they live.  their creative spirit is amazing and full of potential to manifest itself through service, dance, drama, and other expressions of art.  i look forward to watching them blossom into youth over the next couple of years..

Ayana, Giftie & Aquia -- having fun dressing up