What I may not have taken the time to mention recently (or maybe ever) is how much their parents have made a difference in my life the past few years. As my own immediate family has gone through some major transitions in the last 3-4 years, I've found that my Awana families have really become what I consider to be family. I like to call them my second family. Between camp and Summit and just the extended years of working with their kids, I've had the opportunity to get to know most of our Awana families pretty well. I've been blessed by the wonderful examples of what being a wife and a mother looks like from the women who are involved in our Awana circle, either as leaders themselves or as a mom of one of the kids. A lot of them have taken me under their wings in one way or another. I've been invited to spend various holidays with their families, been called an extended daughter, attended numerous kids' sporting events (both to cheer the kids on and to be amused by the parents during said events), been fed lots of meals, and I have a whole group of women on the lookout for my future husband.
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| A few of the moms |
I have a lot of friends who are involved in youth ministries and love their students as much as I love mine, but I've found that this group of Awana families is one of the few environments where you really get to be a part of something with families, not just high school students. I hope that someday I can live up to the example that these women are setting for me, and I'm thankful that God has provided me with the opportunities to be around these families.
When I decided to become a Trek leader a few years ago I had no idea how much that seemingly small decision was going to shape the course of my early twenties. I can look back now and see that God has His fingerprints all over this situation, and for that I'm thankful.
