16 May 2008

the void of contentment among youth

I came to Australia for the first time in 1991 as a Rotary exchange student at the age of 17. (That’s half my life-time ago. It's strange to revisit a place where I only have adolescent memories.) In Rotary, I lived with 3 families & attended "college" (year 11 & 12), even though I’d already finished high school in the States (it’s called a “gap year”). This year marked the beginning of my independent, adventurous, outgoing nature.

I have to be honest… unfortunately I don't remember a whole lot... only a few places and some significant people. 1991/92 was pre-email so I haven't kept up with very many people. The little bit I do remember conjures up nostalgia as well as some discontentment. I bet most of us could say that when we look back to our adolescent years.

Recently I’ve found myself reflecting on what’s happened in my life over the past 17 years since my last visit — university, relationships, jobs, moving around, traveling, community, deaths, marriages, births. I've changed a lot since I was in Australia last... thank goodness! I guess most people hope their lives don't look the same as it did in adolescence. (Wouldn't that be scary?!) Hind-sight is 20/20, so now I can see how God worked through many people & experiences to draw me to Him in a personal way.

As one who adores working with young people, how do I express & inspire youth to have foresight in their decision-making? Moreover, how do I encourage & communicate to youth the importance of long-term, forward, eternal thinking? Youth live for the here & now... as did I while “partying away” my high school career. This "gap" year spent in Australia was one of many turning points... not because I wised up to the “sloppiness” of partying, but because I got fed up with trying to fill the thirst in my heart with substances that attempted to let me escape from reality. When I returned to the US after that year, my priorities changed which helped me to get much more out of my university experience. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen to every youth. Some have to hit rock bottom before they can start to put things into perspective. One of the biggest issues for youth in the “developed” world is the lure of drugs & alcohol… but why? Maybe the youth of undeveloped countries don't have the financial resources that youth in developed countries have to pour into these lifestyle choices. Maybe the issues of youth in undeveloped countries are more life & death (poverty, AIDS, crime... cyclones & earthquakes). Maybe the structures of community & family play much stronger roles in the undeveloped world. Or maybe it’s a cultural issue. Both Australia & New Zealand are known to be “drinking cultures” so, naturally, binge drinking has become a huge problem here (& not just among youth). Why do they go to this extreme with both alcohol and hard drugs? Is it cultural, escapism or peer pressure? I learned that the son of a family I spent a lot of time with back in '91/'92 lost their son to a heroin overdose… so this issue pierces my heart. Maybe these issues arise among youth in the developed world because they tend to be so egocentric and seemingly invincible that they don't think outside their little world or realize how they affect those around them. Maybe they are attempting to fill the void of contentment that they don’t realize only Christ can fill. I wish I had an answer for these youth. I know it's good for them to take any opportunity to branch out of their little world & gain some global perspective, but that doesn't mean they have to travel internationally. It could mean just going "across the tracks," to the "west-side," or even to the other side of the lunch room… but how realistic is that? How often do you see a young person seeking to get completely out of their comfort zone (which always involves a bit of fear)? It's rare.

I'm thankful that over the last couple weeks, my worry about knowing God’s plan for the future has turned into wonder. But just the other day Hope & I read a devotion which challenged us to desire & pray to be surprised by God. My prayers have changed. I know He wants me to point youth to His Son as the answer for contentment, but how will God use me? Surprise me, God! Since my last post, we've visited Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road, Adelaide, and as of now Brisbane. Sydney is yet another big city, although centered on a beautiful harbor. Our precious hostess Rosemaree Knight, who we met at the Int'l Sports Coalition (ISC) ACE Conference in Thailand, poured out nurturing love & support for us. Her call & gift is in networking, and she does it well. While in Sydney, we reconnected with another ISC friend, Ivan Kelley, who has an extensive background with unemployment programs with The Salvation Army (TSA) & youth work in local/regional Corps. He facilitated our visit with TSA's Oasis Youth Support Network program which holistically addresses the huge homeless issue in Sydney. Ivan also helped us reconnect with Simon Hood, a humble visionary who we also met at the ACE Conference. Simon plays a critical role in the training & development of Global Community Games (Kids Games) and serves as the Creative Director of Logosdor —"an innovative production house providing you with complete creative solutions globally" & a "cutting edge creativity for the children of the world"— with an abundance of free resources... check it out!! Finally, we also connected with the YWAM-Island Breeze base DTS (Decipleship Training School) and with the Wesley Mission which "ministers to a community with real needs" in downtown Sydney. Next on our itinerary: visiting my old stomping grounds as a Rotary student — Canberra. It was quite an experience to revisit the Tuggeranong community & to reconnect with several old friends in the area (Pete, Ian & new wife Cat, Jennie & family, Roxana & Pam for me, and Lian for Hope). While there, I squeezed in a visit with Major David Terracini & The Salvation Army... "doing the most good" in the southern part of Canberra including effective work with youth. Moving further south, we found that ministry in Melbourne is filled with innovative urban work. We loved connecting with the Urban Seed community which includes staff, volunteers, educators, students, homeless, & even the upper class from the surrounding businesses... relationships, conversation, communal meals, "engaging faith, community, & culture", and planting as well as harvesting of “seeds” in a variety of forms (school programs, city walks, residential community, advocacy, etc.) I'm so thankful for these recent exposures/opportunities to learn about “incarnational” ministry (blending social justice with relational work) in both Australia & New Zealand... and I wonder if it's a part of God's desires for me in the future. We also checked out The Salvation Army's "614" program in the city and found that it takes a different approach to urban ministry than the "614" program in Wellington, NZ. Melbourne’s "614" focuses on serving the homeless, both young & old, and opens the doors of its community center which brings in all walks of life in the city. Thankfully, Brad Ellis spent some of his valuable time to show us around and to tell us about a number of the Corps’ programs, including a double-decker-bus youth program, similar to our friend Darren Frazer from the south island of NZ. Before leaving Melbourne, we managed to squeeze in visits with three other ministries. We met up with Jeremy Dover, a youth pastor with a passion for chaplaincy as an effective form of sports ministry. Sports Chaplaincy Australia has grown quite extensive over the last decade in this sports-crazed country. We spent a little time with Samara, our new friend from Urban Seed, and learned about the incarnational/communal outreach called the Indigenous Hospitality House. We talked with a few in the community who feel called to practice the gift of hospitality toward Aborigines in need of short-term housing while in Melbourne for medical visits. Finally, we also worshiped at St. Jude's Anglican Church during their "workers" service Sunday evening. This family of faith understands & seeks to meet the needs of young adults (a group often neglected by the Church), because they “believe there is a real need for people at this stage of life – a time when real life tests the ideals of University teaching.” Overall all, our time in Melbourne was great. We really enjoyed the city, the culture and the community. We were especially blessed by the company (& generous hospitality) of some wonderful friends (Brendan & Belinda, their respective families, Cormac & Catherine Hope’s former fellow exchange friends in Brazil, & Asher-who we met in Laos). We said our goodbyes and began heading down the coast along the beautiful Great Ocean Road, which was constructed by WWII veterans during the "depression" because it provided jobs & community support for soldiers. This is one of the places I have vivid memories with fellow exchange students as we explored the amazing beaches, spectacular blow holes, & incredible rock formations. After a couple days of driving, we finally made it to Adelaide, and we were welcomed into the warm home & the open arms of Jenny & Gerry Dowling , my first Rotary host parents (now w/ many lovable, friendly pets). What a blessing to reconnect with them after so many years. They showed us fabulous hospitality, and they shared with us a bit of the culture, like visiting the Cleland Wildlife Park (to feed & pet kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas...), sipping wine in the Borrosa Valley, going to a game of “Australian rules footy” (a type of rugby mixed with football), and rowing with Jenny’s dragon boating team (for breast cancer survivors & supporters). We’re so thankful to spend the quality time with them! While in Adelaide, we also visited a variety of ministries. First, we joined the Craigmore Christian Center for a high-energy youth night led by Henry & Leah, and later that weekend, we attended their Sunday morning Mother's Day service where Henry gave a very anointed sermon…. We also visited The Salvation Army in Ingle Farm to check out their extensive community projects, and we were blessed to meet & spend a short time with the legendary visionary Barry Kennedy (who is also the founder & director of TSA’s "Muggies" program, among other projects)… We also connected with several other amazing people doing incredible Kingdom work in & beyond Adelaide: the energetic & compassionate Amy Day who is gifted in networking as well as relational & sports ministry; the humble & well-experienced Howard & Jean Groome who shared with us their passions for & work within the Aboriginal community and who engaged us in a provocative reflection on our global experiences; the friendly & informative Les Dennis at Holy Trinity Anglican Church who welcomed us & led us on an historical tour of Adelaide’s oldest church; the engaging, young couple Shane & Stephanie who are fellow, Christian humanitarian/counselors growing in their faith amidst a secular culture; the innovative & well-connected Adrian Blenkinsop from The Bible Society & James Kreig from Scripture Union who both gave us their personal perspectives on Australian youth culture and how they’ve connected with it in relevant ways; and the gracious & devoted Jenny Lanyon with Scripture Union who shared with us her call to youth work and her perspective on effective work with primary school children. We're now in Brisbane, Queensland, which sits along the middle of the east coast of Australia. We’ve made contact with many people that we’re hoping to connect with here, but we're also hoping to fit in a few exploratory trips into the surrounding beauty! The next two weeks will be very busy, and then we're back down to Sydney. Please pray that we continue to keep focused on the here & now (rather than what God’s has in store for us next), especially as we go into the last 6 weeks of this year-long world-wide adventure. Please also pray that God will continue to reveal Himself & His will, both now & in the days, weeks, months to come.