Oh, Lord!

Tonight I had the joy of volunteering at the P'ville Teen Center yet again. I had a chance to say hi to Dante and the boy who calls himself Satan. Turns out they both witnessed the first half of Harmonicomedy here at PHC last Friday; I thought I had seen them there! Naturally, they said it was stupid and corny, because they say everything is stupid and corny. ;) Then "Satan" told another one of his ghastly tales of murder and mayhem. I didn't blink. I said I wanted to go play DDR. "Satan" said that only gay people play DDR. I said, whatever, it makes me happy. So I went.

At DDR, I met Allie again, and her sister Adrienne. Adrienne was scared to try because she knew she would look stupid learning. So Allie and I played. She was a beginner, so I encouraged her to try harder stuff. That meant I had to try harder stuff myself, as an example. ;) So she failed a few on Beginner, and I failed a few on Heavy. It was fun.

Angel was there, the twelve-year-old with black toenail polish and black eyeshadow, black tights, a dress with a cool red pattern, and her red-dyed hair. She is normally hyper, unable to sit still for a minute. Tonight something had scared her. She was still and quiet. And then I found out what it was. I asked her about books, and she told me about a creepy book her teachers had made her read, all about a utopian commune. That led into a discussion of evil. Turns out that Angel had been messing with a Ouija board and experiencing terrifying nightmares. What made the conversation more difficult is that another adult volunteer was there as well, a lady who believes that evil and good are balanced in the world, and who does not believe that Jesus is God, with all God's power to dispel evil. So I prayed, "God help me; give me the words!" Then I asked the lady volunteer what was going to happen when she died and how she knew. She stopped and fumbled and said that she hoped she was going to Heaven. Both of us counseled Angel to get rid of her Ouija board. Then the lady volunteer left quickly.

It was time to go, but first I managed to say this to Angel: "I don't know what you believe about God and Jesus, but I tell you this -- if you ever feel really lost and scared, pray, 'Jesus, help me!'" I will be praying for her. She is way too young to be facing this terrifying stuff.

This is life -- a taste of real life on Friday nights. I am so inadequate to speak or write the truth that addresses every person's story. I can only pray that God uses me somehow.  ¶ 8:36 PM