A text message reminder

My phone buzzed with a new text message..."Hey Britt!  What was the name of the tall kid that went to the Giants game?"

Back in July, I and other H.S. youth group leaders took a group of students up to the SF Giants game.  It's a tradition, round here, and one that I look forward to every year.  This year I had three students in my car.  One young lady going to be a Junior and two young men going to be Freshmen.  The car ride was interesting.  My Junior friend has a lot of energy and talks a lot, no matter what, but combined with one squirrel-y going to be Freshmen boy and his tall friend, the car ride was extra fun.

So was the walk to the car to the stadium, the hours in the stadium, the walk back from the stadium to the car and the car ride home.  Once back at the church, the two boys headed home before my Junior friend, so we sat in the parking lot and talked.  We talked about the boys.  We talked about being freshmen and going to a new school.  We talked about how one of the boys was going to her school and didn't know anyone.  It was then that I said, "It would really be cool, on the first day of school, if you said Hi to Tall Guy if you see him on campus."  She looked at me and said "I can do that."  No questions, no hesitation, just an understanding that it can be tough to be at a new school and she could do a little bit to make someone feel welcomed.

School starts this Wednesday.  My Junior friend remembered.  If she sees Tall Guy (we did figure out his name), she'll make a point to say Hi.  Probably in her awkwardly social, goofy way...which is part of what makes her so lovable!

That, right there, is what keeps me attached to Youth Ministry.  One simple conversation and one text message that reported she was listening, she remembered and she intends to follow through.  A part of me didn't think she would remember...but then that text message came through.  My heart is smiling.