Who knew that vampires would be the key to connecting with the Young Women at church? For the past year I have been working with the girls ages 14-16. The area I live in has lower SES status and many of the girls come from divorced families. They are wonderful people with great talent and loads of potential. My struggle has been finding ways to make them want to come to Church and participate in our weekly activities. I've called, sent emails, knocked on doors during Sunday School, you name it...I've tried it.
Last month Gomefry, Nine,her kids, and I went to visit family in Arizona. It was a great trip and I'm glad to have been welcomed so warmly...but that will have to wait for another post. ANYWAY, I needed something to read for the 20 hour car ride so I thought I'd give the Twilight series a whirl and see what the fuss was about. The books are entertaining, I can see why they appeal to teenage girls. My 16 year-old heart would have been all a flutter for Edward and Jacob too. I think the heroine, Bella, is pretty weak.
The YW activity when I returned was homemade ice cream night. The girls each brought their favorite topping while I provided the frozen goodness. Well one of the girls was checking out our book collection and suddenly I heard, "I love Twilight!!!" This led to giggly discussion about the characters and moral dilemma's they face. It was an entertaining evening. The next Sunday I had girls so excited to talk to me and wonder what our next activity would be and if I had heard the latest news about whatever or whoever. Hopefully they keep this momentum going and we can continue to connect.
