Where Do You Work?

Where Do You Work?

“Mr. Mark, where do you work?” It's a question I've heard a few times from the kids with whom Debbie and I have worked. One of the kids wanted to know this recently here at the Youth Center. You know, I've never needed to answer a question like this from an adult who knows about the MYC Club ministry or from the parents of our kids. As a matter of fact, a couple of our former foster kids, who now have kids of their own, have bravely asked, “Was I that bad when I was a kid?” (The answer is yes, and that they are getting their “paybacks”).
Apparently, at least some of the kids in Club cannot imagine that spending time with them here or on outside events could possibly qualify as work. Maybe I am enjoying myself too much. They don't see that since I spend my time here or with them, that this must be my work. The way I interpret this question, though, is to be glad that at least some of the kids understand that we enjoy what we do and enjoy being with them. It must show in how we treat them and how we act around them. We want them to feel accepted and loved, to know that we are glad they are here and like to be with them. After all, building relationships is the key to our ministry and it is hard to build a relationship if you are doing something you don't like with someone you don't like.
Of course, some of our times in Club are fun: like the kids, I like playing in the gym, going to camp or ballgames or canoeing, and I like eating snacks. I like having the power to decide to play a game of dodgeball when the boys have too much energy or are trash talking. Also of course, much of what I do can't really be called fun. It isn't fun to clean up messes, break up arguments, listen to whining, do paperwork, or to stay within a budget. It's the opposite of fun to tell a parent that their child will have to be on our waiting list or to see someone you care about make stupid choices that will cause pain to themselves and others. All in all, though, I like what I do and I'm glad that it shows.
When I talk to the high school students in our Youth Enterprises job program, I teach them that to enjoy lasting happiness and fulfillment, it is more important to choose a career you like than to make a job choice based upon how much money it pays. I would also like our kids to see that we can trust God to prepare a ministry for each of us that we enjoy, whether or not it is actually our “job.”