Changed.

Our whole group!

Hi y’all  l! Whoa…this past week has passed like a whirlwind.  CREATE CHANGE is over. It was wonderful, challenging, exhausting, and so encouraging.  CREATE CHANGE was our week where we opened up Stanley House to have ten young people live with us. This year’s CREATE CHANGE theme was justice. There were ten young people who consistently lived with us and then several more who came for one or more of the days. Over the week we chatted and discussed with them different aspects of justice and how they apply to our lives.

Monday and Tuesday we discussed identity and relationships. We thought that it is important to understand yourself and those around you before you can understand a larger concept of what justice is. Knowing who you are as a person and what you stand for are keys when learning about justice.

Then Wednesday and Thursday we were focusing on local and global issues. On Wednesday we took the youth into Paisley and had them do some really neat activities exploring local justices and issues that they wanted to change within their community. Most of these youth we were working with are really artistic, and so we thought it would be cool if we used photography and video to explore some of these different issues. I’ve posted some pictures of some of the things they came up with. It was amazing to see their response that night and just how excited they were about tackling local issues.

From our walk in the Braes with young people.

            Thursday we talked about global justice. I got to share a little with the young people about God’s heart for justice and why it’s important for us to pursue justice for those who are unable to pursue for themselves. A group called Tearfund  http://www.tearfund.org/ who work to combat the causes and effects of poverty came and spoke to the young people. She spoke to the young people about the injustices in the fashion industry. They told us about the unfair wages of those working in sweat shops and how their purchasing choices affect those workers.         It was really eye-opening for all the young people.  Then that afternoon we had a charity shop-fashion show challenge. Charity shops are like an American thrift store, and we had the young people create an outfit from the things they could find in the charity shop. They had only a couple hours to shop and then create the best outfit they could before participating in a fashion show.  

Young people working on outfits for the fashion show.

            We spent Friday cleaning and reflecting. We spent the morning cleaning up our house and then Friday afternoon helping the young people express their feelings about the week creatively through song, video, photos, and even creative writing. It was awesome the different things they came up with. I was blown away by their response and their creativity. I helped two of the young people edit a video; its attached below. The video explains CREATE CHANGE better than I ever could so I hope you will check it out.  Friday night we had a talent show case in which the young people got a chance to share their creativity with one another. I sang a song that evening, which I also attached below. The title of the song is “Better Love” by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. I thought the lyrics of the song really fit well with our justice theme, and it really fun to get a chance to participate in the evening.  We wrapped up Saturday with a day up at Lapewing Lodge Outdoor Centre where the young people had a chance to do the high ropes course and then share burgers and sausages together. It was a really fun way to end the week!

The whole week was so amazing. We had such a great time connecting with the young people and building relationships with them. It was really incredible to see how the Lord really begin to work on their hearts and how they really seemed to grow throughout the course of the week. I was so proud of each them, and it was really hard when we had to let them go.

            I love that we had a chance to inspire them to make a difference in their community. I really believe that it’s through the young people that change can really happen in Paisley. The goal to inspire and empower young people is one of the reasons why I love YWAM. However, I think one of the coolest thing about the week was how much the kids inspired us. Seeing their hearts changing and growing the past week really challenged me to think of my own views on social justice. I feel like I am still reeling from all that I learned and I am not sure I can fully describe how incredible it was just to watch how these young people grew.

            Through their eyes I could see the world in a different way. I realized what an impact we as young people can make. I think sometimes we get overwhelmed by the problems in our world and shut down, but over the past week I’ve seen and experienced what a difference small changes can make. I think something that has impacted me a lot over the past week has been learning more about God’s heart for justice. When bad things happen in the world we ask, “God where are you?” or we say “if God really was just He wouldn’t let this happen?” but by the same token  I think God sometimes ask us where we are. If we as believers are the body of Christ why don’t we do more to stop the injustices we see everyday, why do we not really care for our neighbors? I’m not really sure I have the answer and it’s a question I definitely am still working out with God, but I hope you’ll begin to think about what you could do to promote justice for others are you as well.  

All the leaders and youth together!

            It’s hard to believe I only have a week and half left in Scotland. My time has definitely passed too quickly, and it will be very difficult to leave next week. I really feel like Paisley has a piece of my heart. I am excited to spend last week continuing to build relationships and spend time with those I’ve gotten to know during my time here. Thanks so much for all your prayers over this past week. I plan to update at least one more time before I leave, hopefully two. Thanks for reading!

Create Change Video: 

Create Showcase video: 

"Better Love" 

Song by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors