As I have been getting to know the students at the ILC, God has continually been giving me insight into what it means to love people, in this case, young people. Working with inner city kids is a blessing and God has been revealing themes to me, in order to better relate to kids.

Being a man, it is important to work here. A lot of these youths do not have fathers and being able to talk with them, play with them, and show the love of Christ to them are all ways that help them see what it means to be a real man. Now, these themes God has been revealing are quite simple. I am not an educational psychology major or a child counselor major, but knowing how to read people and be empathic with them helps in this case. Two boys I've come in contact with both desire attention and the need to feel like they are important, yet the both communicate that in different ways. For one boy, he communicates that through the desire to be the best, especially at sports and on occasion, even wanting to help clean up after snack. He is very vocal and sometimes mean-spirited in a game. Just looking at these qualities and his demeanor tell me that he longs for someone to regard him as significant. Then again, who doesn't want that? In this boy's case, he doesn't know how to handle his talents, emotions, and verbal in a way that edifies people yet.

The other boy, on the other hand, is very quiet, introverted, and timid. Rarely does this boy eat a snack or speak up when playing basketball or soccer. In fact, he seems to be reclusive and in this, I feel, he really feels disengaged from the activity and not empowered to use the God-given abilities he has. One sad experience I had with him was when he was sent to our "Reroute Room," where kids go when they are showing disrespect or disregard for someone or an activity. At one point, after I asked him what the problem was, he started to tear up, yet he remained silent the whole time. I think it's hard for him to handle and express his emotions, desires, concerns, or even his side of the story.

Now, I don't give these two examples to be pessimistic or discouraging. Rather, these are things that I trust God to change. These are lives in which I see the possibility of reform! In whatever ways He desires, God is going to change hearts and minds and lips for His glory and I am fully confident in that.