I was in Santiago to teach “Programming in Youth Ministry,” a class in administration for youth ministry. In the class, we talk about 3 kinds of planning. One is long term, one is more detailed, and the other is planning in the moment.
We went to church on Sunday and walked into the high school Sunday School class. Then they told me that I would be sharing in class that day…I had 40 minutes to share. My students then asked me what kind of planning that was. Of course, the answer was “Spur of the moment planning.” Well, this kind of planning is not that bad if you are in your culture and your language, but it is extremely difficult when you are in neither of those. Anyway, it went okay. I spoke on David and Goliath, but it was very difficult.
Meanwhile, upstairs with the middle school youth group, the Dream Team (the description of my class of youth ministry students) was teaching like a bunch of pros. They had broken the group down into different small groups, had learning activities, and even candy for the group. They were amazing. I guess I have a lot to learn from them, too. They did an incredible job. Afterward, they told me that they had never taught it like that before, either. Of course, that’s what happens when you’re in your own culture and language. They were impressive.