Reach

My day usually goes something like this: wake up, get ready, go straight to school, speak little to anyone outside of my closest friends, go straight home, do my homework, chat online with only my closest friends, then go to bed (of course there’s a lot of procrastination peppered in there, but you get the gist). On Wednesday nights, I volunteer in the toddler class at my church, but I walk straight to the toddler room with only a few hellos to whoever’s greeting at the doors, then straight back to my car after class. I spend my Saturdays at home on the computer or dreaming up stories, and sometimes I’ll hang out with one of my closest friends. I can count these “closest friends” on one hand, with fingers to spare. Other than them and my family, I have little interaction with people around me.

This past summer was the complete opposite of my normal routine. I went on a missions trip in Montana, I went to the National Student Leadership Conference, and I volunteered for a week at the community arts center. For over half the summer, I was outside my room, meeting amazing people, ministering to kids, and learning a lot about myself. Maybe I didn’t get to read all the books that I wanted, but it no longer mattered as much as it did before I’d booked all these trips. I would have taken any one of those them a second time over sitting at home and chugging through my 400 page copy of Les Mis.

The best part was meeting new people at NSLC. Imagine a hundred high school students who had never met before, from all parts of the country and even around the world, coming together for two weeks with no cliques, no pre-conceived notions, and an insatiable desire to learn. When I immersed myself in these new faces, I found I wasn’t nearly as shy as I am at home. Sure, I was still quiet and a little timid (I couldn’t bring myself to flash dance with the rest of the group), but I no longer worried about what they thought of me. I was free to be myself, and it was the first time sheltered little me had been in a secular environment. No washed out Jesus talk, no Christian etiquette—I got to see other people’s perspectives and opinions, which challenged my own and made me stop and think about what I believe and why I believe it. The only downside was that I wasn’t there long enough to minister to anyone.

Now, I feel like I’m being called to get back out there, called to join some sort of secular group or club that meets regularly and builds relationships. Before this last summer, the thought would have terrified me. But now, I’m craving it. I want to have more than a handful of friends. And I want those friends to come from different walks of life, who have different opinions and beliefs that will challenge my own. Also, I want to minister to them. I don’t want to sit in church and sit idly by as pastors plead with us to witness any longer. I’m not charging out to convert anyone one. I just want to sit down with people and listen to them and be a good friend. And if I see that they are seeking that “something more,” then I’ll share what I’ve got. I want to do it Jesus-style.

Unfortunately, book clubs at the local library aren’t exactly the teen scene. I Googled to find any book, writing, or art clubs/groups in my area, and none of them meet on a regular basis. I want to be in a group that meets once every week, twice a week at the least. It doesn’t seem that anyone else does. So, I don’t know where to go from here. I have this desire, but with no obvious ways to fulfill it. Yes, I’ve been praying about it, but I want to be more proactive than that. My parents or on a trip this weekend, and when they get back I’ll tell my dad about what I’ve been thinking, and maybe he’ll be able to dig something up. I’ll keep you posted.

If you know of any artsy/bookish/nerdy clubs in the Raleigh/Wake Forest area, please leave a comment! Thanks for all your help!