Thank you for not being 5th graders. September 30th, Entry # 17

Sara: So, I think I made a mistake.  I think I committed myself to something that I should have stayed FAR away from....5th grade Religious Ed.  "Sure Pam, no problem, I can easily teach 5th grade Religious Ed for you for the next few weeks...I mean, how hard can it be?  I'm clearly awesome and kids obviously love me and this will just be fun and easy b/c they're only 10".  I don't think I have even been so wrong. 

So, I would like to thank all of you awesome teenagers for making this the best job ever....b/c if I had to work with 5th graders all the time I would have run far away from SMTA a long time ago, jumped onto a freight train and lived with the hobos that never fail to live in those cars until the train stopped in Hoboken, New Jersey where I would have then joined up with the circus as the human cannonball.

So, thank you for paying attention when I ask you to...with only like 2 reminders to be quiet.
Thank you for not drawing all over your face with a blue marker until you look like one of those weird aliens from Avatar.
Thank you for listening when other people talk.
Thank you for not throwing markers at the girl sitting in front of you.
Thank you for not drawing a smiley face on the back of the neck of the boy next to you.
Thank you for not pulling the chair out from the kid next to you as he is about to sit down. (but really, that was pretty funny!)
Thank you for engaging in good, deep conversation about topics that matter.
Thank you for wanting to be there and wanting to learn about awesome things.
Thank you for being teenagers so we can HAVE awesome discussions.
Thank you for getting it.
Most importantly, thank you for coming to things and being involved, b/c if you didn't then I would HAVE to work with 5th graders b/c none of you would be around!

Tie-Dyed Masterpieces of Joy. September 29th, Entry #16

Sara: I think I need to make a list again....it was a super fun day!

#1 Tie-dying with Erica - thank you Erica for introducing me to tie-dying for the first time.  I would also bet that this was the first time the SMTA courtyard has been tie-dyed in....the courtyard thanks you too.  I told Erica that I wanted tie-dyed tube socks b/c that would just be hilarious....and she took me seriously.  So, this afternoon she brought up tie-dying kits and white t-shirts and white tube socks...and let me tell you....nothing is white anymore....they are now tie-dyed masterpieces of joy and utility.

#2  Dress like Sara and Aaron day at GIFT - that's right, Aaron and I have become such icons of awesomeness that now middle schoolers want to be just like us!  Duh.  There were some good contenders, some creative ideas (like "Erin" who wore boys clothes and therefore was "Aaron"...clever), but in the end it was a pretty simply choice for all the judges.  Sam dressed as Aaron in a blue polo, khaki pants and cool sneaks...much like Aaron's attire for work.  Caroline dressed as Sara in a tank top, Bermuda shorts and curly hair....much like my summer attire.  Well done team.  (and GIFT itself was pretty fun...except when I stopped paying attention and let a blindfolded kid run into and fall over the bleachers....my bad!)

#3  AP FLOCK - I just love the good convos we have at AP FLOCK.  Tonight we read an article about God's love by Peter Kreeft.  Peter Kreeft is just utterly fab....he is a brilliant theologian that has a knack for making the the biggest  ideas and mysteries of our faith seem so simple and attainable.  You walk away thinking, "well of course, why didn't I think of it like that before?!".  One simple thought, "I mean, I should just always ask what God wants me to do and then do it.  That's all, isn't it?"

Walking. September 26th, Entry # 15

Sara:  Man, I have a lot from today.  I think I'll make a list...I like lists.

#1 Sweet new leader shirts.  That's right, I HEART FLOCK.

#2 FLOCK in general tonight.  I LOVED our rockin' obstacle course....thank you Aaron, Brian and Joe.  And thank you Joe for giving new meaning to the phrase "wet your pants".  Thank you for willingly getting soaked for the entertainment of the rest of us.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone just sit down into a bunch of cups of water.  I love talking about Abraham and Isaac and Abe's trust in God even when he does not want to do what God is asking him.  I loved looking around the room and seeing a lot of faces with "ah-ha" moments clicking.  I got to show a clip from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"....only the BEST movie ever.

#3 Walking.  Just in case you ever wonder if Aaron and I are living what we preach...I promise you we do...and I promise that God holds us to even higher standards being the example for all of you awesome kiddos.  God is just plain kicking my butt right now.  I asked all of you "what are you willing to walk for?"  And God gave me the opportunity just this weekend to prove that I am willing to walk the walk, to walk to the top of that mountain knowing that something SO much better is waiting for me.  Praise be to God for challenging me in my challenge to you.  If you want to know what I walked for, ask me.


What are you willing to walk for?

 #4  Notes of thanks.  I came into my office after FLOCK to see a little anonymous note on my desk from a kiddo thanking me for being great and for helping them meet the Jesus in them.  Praise be to God that He used me to be a vessel for you.  Thank you, whoever you are.

If you weren't sure if I had the best job ever, I hope you know now. :)

Do Do. September 24th, Entry #14

Sara:  Today I was at a meeting.  Now, while there were 5 youth ministers in this meeting, there was also a Diocesan staff member and a priest....you would think that that would up the maturity level of the room.  But oh no, of course not.  Please read the following dialogue.

Rick: Well, if we do do this program, what's the next step?
Kyle: *giggle*
Rick:  What?
Maribeth: You said "dodo"
Kyle: *busts out laughing, points down the table at Chris* Chris was laughing too!
Chris: *stifled laughter*  I was not!  I'm just looking at the table.

I'm not even surprised.



The culprits.



Duuude! DUDE! Dude! September 22nd, Entry #13

Sara: So tonight was the last night of our parish mission with Fr. Jim from Kentucky.  Fr. Jim makes you laugh and think all at the same time.  But his last story was, by far, the awesomest!  "Dude!  DUDE!  Duuude".  "Chill and be still".  Everyone in my row....from the 5-year old the 9th grader was laughing out loud and this was all we could quote for the rest of the night and the whole next day.  I love that on facebook 5 people's status' were quoting Fr. Jim.

And, as much as his story was hilarious, it had a great point.  Are we Christ for those around us at all times?  Do we forget that we are called to love like Jesus?  Do we ever treat people as less than human?  Jesus is among us at all times....do we remember that?  Way to go Fr. Jim...way to make us laugh, think and pray.  You rock.

Swashbucklers. September 19th, Entry #12

Sara: So I love FLOCK...it's my favorite thing about Sundays.  Let's see....what was awesome about tonight?  Well, it was a game night so that's always fun.  There were some big dudes wearing things that were entirely too small for them from the prop box...thank you Parker and Lucas.  There were another 2 boys throwing donut holes across the room and trying (very effectively) to catch them in their mouths....they have big mouths...thank you Christian and Lucas.  Some girls brought me a smoothie so that was pretty epic and delightfully tasty....thank you Erica, Olivia and Jane. 

I think my favorite part was the sword fight between 2 of the most uncoordinated people I know.  And, what started out as a simple fight with 2 plastic swords, turned into a fight with swords, stick horses a dodgeball and a bat.  But of course, none of the extra weapons seemed to help either of their causes....it just made for an even more hilarious "fight".  I don't even know who won in the end....I bet Jane and Parker, the 2 fighters, don't even know.

Smarter than the TV. September 17th, Entry #11

Sara: So this weekend I had the immense pleasure of playing mom for 2 girls while their parents were out of town.  We had a fab time.  Well, on Friday night we decided to watch a movie on their brand spanking, huge new TV.  We put the DVD in and messed around with the remote trying to get the right input to get to the movie.  We could NOT figure it out...we were still just getting normal TV, and commercials at that.  We even called dad and as he walked us through it step by step we still could not get it to work even though we were doing exactly what he said.  Finally, the brightest one of us said "Hey, this isn't a commercial...is this a movie preview on the DVD??".  Yup, it sure was.  That's a fail right there.

Do you know what you do? September 16th, Entry #10

Sara: This morning I was writing a letter to the 13-year-old girl that our youth group supports each month.  Her name is Lurbin Delaissey and she lives in Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras.  I told her about our summer mission trip and how much fun we had.  I told her to keep studying hard and focusing on her school work.  And then I told her about my family.  She asked in her last letter to learn more about my family and see a picture.  I told her that my mom works at the airport, that my dad is an architect and designs building and I told her that my sister___________???  And I didn't know what to say.  How do you explain to a 13 year-old Honduran girl that my sister is a regional development manager for a large company that creates and produces marketing and advertising materials??  I actually called my sister and asked her what I should say.  She laughed and told me that I should write that she "goes into buildings and talks to people."  Well, that just sounds lame.  I ended up going with "My sister’s name is Kate and she visits lots of offices and sells them supplies for their businesses."

All of this got me thinking about how grateful I am that I could just write "I teach teenagers about God".  Done.  When it comes down to it, that's it...just that.  Really?  I get to do this for a living?  I really do have the best job ever.

And just like Lurbin Delaissey, here is a picture of my family. :)

We're pretty ridiculously good looking.

Sara or Aaron? September 15th Entry #9

Sara: Tonight we had j-hi youth group.  There are some pretty clever and funny kids that come regularly each week.  So, it has become a trend that each week the kids come dressed up according to a pre-determined theme.  This is all on them, they decide and they make it happen each week....Aaron and I literally have nothing to do with this.  We've had funny socks, ninjas, hillbillies, 80's workout (not that any of these kids lived in the 80's!), foods, celebrities and my personal favorite, appliances.  (I mean, really, appliances??)  So, last night they decided that next week the theme is "dress up like Sara and Aaron".  We did not make them say this.  I am very curious to see what they come up with.  I am even more curious to see who gets dressed up as the most: Sara vs. Aaron. 

Well, until next week, here is some inspiration:

We look good.

Dented water bottles. September 14th, Entry #8

Aaron: Today, we're going to a meeting where we get to have free lunch and make fun of Kyle. Your job has been officially destroyed by ours.

Sara: Aaron's right, our meetings are awesome, mostly b/c of all the ridiculous people that we get to hang out with.  And not only are they ridiculous, they have the best job ever too.  It's pretty great to sit around a room with other people who get  it.  They get why we do what we do...and then we share ideas of how we can do it better.  We're in the trenches together.  At the end of the meeting, we all shared who inspires us in our faith and who inspires us in our ministry?  More than half the people in the room said that their teens inspire them.  Agreed.  You inspire us to be more faithful, to love Jesus more, to be better people, to do our jobs with conviction, to do our job well.  Thank you to every teen who has ever walked through any of our doors.
 
And it's just really fun to throw things at Chris.  Well, Kyle started throwing water bottles at Chris, who then kicked or punched them across the room.  So then Aaron pelted Kyle (really hard!! btw) with the water bottles after he picked them off of the ground.  Don't worry, no water bottles were hurt in the making of this afternoon....well, one got pretty dented.  I have the best job ever.

PS - I totally meant to bring my camera this afternoon so I could try and show you the ridiculousness that happens at these meetings.  FAIL. 

QPT. September 13th, Entry #7

Sara: Today was lame-o.  I was way to busy doing way too many un-fun things, like mail merging and running copies.  I was super stressed trying to get everything done.  And then, even though I didn't really have the time to spare....I went to adoration.  Only when you work for a church can you just up and leave your work and go have some QPT.  Thank you Jesus.  I have the best job ever.

And, to make it even better, a FLOCKer joined me for adoration.  She's pretty fantastic.  She's comes pretty often to join me for some QPT and she inspires me to love Jesus more.  Her faith is simple, but consistent and deep.  I want to have a faith life more like hers.

Awk Sauce. September 12th, Entry #6

Sara: It's Sunday, and Sunday means FLOCK....that's when I love my job the most.  But along with FLOCK I teach a Confirmation class for high schoolers.  And, while it is not always my favorite thing, there are always some surprises.  Like this freshman names Katie who just moved here from Dallas.  At the end of class we talked about the DFW metro area and we particularly made fun of an all girls school in Dallas called Hockaday.  We were making fun of them b/c, check it, their mascot is the Killer Daisy....I am not joking...I could not make that up.

Secondly, we decided to take awkward family photos at FLOCK.  THEY WERE AWESOME!!  These guys took awkward to the max, I could not be more proud.  Although, the "gay uncles" might have been taking it a little too far for FLOCK appropriate.  Oh, and I still do feel really bad that Aaron wiped out and gave himself floor burn on his chin....ok, only a little bad.

This was our inspiration for Awkward Family Photo night.  It's legit.

Creepin'. September 10th, Entry #5

Sara:  So Friday night I went to this awesome little shin-dig called "The Hee Haw Hoe-Down".  (don't just me).  There were probably about 100 people wearing all sorts of cowboy gear (my kind of place, I know), eating BBQ, sitting around a bonfire, going for hayrides and of course, country dancing.  Well, during dinner I look across the room, and who do I see?...Kyle Kuckleman....the most awesomely sweet youth minister from Sacred Heart in Shawnee that I am blessed to call and colleague and a friend.  Well, it didn't take Kyle too much convincing to join me in a fun little game....the "picture creeper" game.  You know, where you creep in the back of people's pictures?  Yeah, that one.  Needless to say, we were very good at it.  (sidenote: the photographer was in on the creeping too) This might not have been work related at all, but when I am lucky enough to call a fellow youth minister a friend and a friend who has the same weirdo sense of humor as me, then I have the best job ever.

Babies make everything better. September 10th, Entry #4

Sara:  It's Friday and I'm in the office.  What the heck?  I never work on Fridays and I like it that way!  But....I got to play with a baby for about 20 minutes so I think that makes up for it.  I have the best job ever.

Coffee with Kate. September 9th, Entry #3

Sara: This afternoon I met a friend for coffee.  Kate has been in ministry probably as long as I have and it's awesome to find people who have the same calling as you.  We spent 2 hours talking about what God might have planned for our lives, how in the world we are going to figure that plan out and how excited we are for it!  It's a blessing to hang out with people like Kate and call it work.  I have the best job ever.

"_____ my Youth Minster says". September 8th, Entry #2

Sara: On Wednesday night after learning what I do all day, one of my J-Hi Youth group leaders put her facebook status as "I wish I was Sara Batenhorst".

I also got a facebook message from a kiddo that is now in college.  He shared with me the prolouge of the book he is writing about me.  It was a great prolouge, I can't wait to see the rest of this book.  In case you were wondering, the title of this book is "Crap my Youth Minister Says".  I hope I don't lose my job when he publishes it....b/c I have the best job ever.

Here is his prolouge:

"I never would have guessed that by my senior year of high school I could cuss in front of my youth minister, let alone quote her cussing in front of me. The idea to document her in all her glory came from my senior trip to Buena Vista, CO. There were nine of us from my youth group, including Sara and Aaron, the two youth ministers, but by the time we left, there were simply nine friends. We had survived a week together, we had climbed mountains (ok it was a hill that was designated for climbing), we rafted down a river as team Jersey Shore, and we hiked up a mountain just to turn around and walk back down the same path. Among our adventures were some awesome fireside chats and a few good natured jokes. Which leads me to the important part of my story, where the truly good advice comes into play. The crap my youth minister says."



Matt, the author of this fab book, hanging out in CO.



Whirly Ball Anyone?? September 8th, Entry #1

Aaron: Ok Ok, I know this isn't from "today" but it was the inspiration for this blog, so we'll make an exception.  We got to go to PowerPlay with 2 other stellar youth ministers (Mr. Kyle and Cdub), which is basically a huge playground for people like us.  It has lasertag, go-karts, bumper cars, arcade games, and a sweet game called whirly ball, which is essentially polo in bumper cars.  Before one of our sweet games of lasertag the 4 of us put our guns together and yelled "Best Job Ever!"  We got to do these things for about 3 hours, AND WE GOT PAID FOR IT! This is why our job absolutely destroys yours.

Is This the Best Job Ever? Yes, Yes It Is

We decided to create this "blog" to showcase just how awesome our job really is. So everyday (we hope) we will be updating this page with a new reason why our job is the best job ever. We hope you find our entries fun and exciting, and realize that no matter how hard you try, your job just won't be as awesome as ours.