CHOSEN

I guess it’s time to really blog about CHOSEN. I have hesitated because there is SO MUCH to say and so little I can actually share. CHOSEN is a ministry I direct at EvFree Fullerton for teens that have been touched by the Foster Care System. I’ve been a counselor at Teen Leadership Camp for several years and last year I was named “Queen of Fun” and took on the responsibility of all things games and late night craziness. My heart for these kids is HUGE and the Lord has truly revealed a passion for them deep within me. I have known for years that I have the capacity to love kids that aren’t my own. I have prayed long and hard about adoption and truly believe that will be part of my story someday - it’s on the list of “make it or break its” for my husband - he has to be open to our family looking a bit unconventional but being exactly as God intends. That said, it wasn’t until TLC that I considered the possibility that foster care may ALSO be part of God’s plan for my family. Little by little He has used TLC and CHOSEN to deepen my love for these teens, to show me how desperately they need to be loved and how He has gifted me with a capacity for love that is far beyond what I am capable of on my own.

Conversations regarding starting a club for our TLC campers began in early 2014. There is an existing club for the elementary aged students, but nothing for the older kids. We see them for a total of three (3) days a year. And they LOVE camp. One of our teens even describes it as a family reunion. We always long for more time but it just isn’t feasible from a camp perspective - people can’t take additional days off work - the kids often have summer school and wouldn’t be able to extend their stay, there are all kinds of complications. So what about creating a club where the conversations could continue on a monthly basis? A youth-group type club where there are fun activities and games or crafts and food and a message and we get to see our campers all throughout the year? Possible? I SAID YES. CHOSEN officially launched in September 2014 and thus far has been a success story. Each club has brought new students and continued stories of opportunities to speak into and touch the lives of these teens who so desperately need to know that they are wanted.

This Saturday brought our January CHOSEN club - our fifth club thus far. The theme was GAMES GAMES AND MORE GAMES! Each teen and leader was placed on a color team and the teams competed against each other throughout the duration of club. Their first task was to come up with a team name and cheer! These kids are HILARIOUS. We had THE KILLER BEES, THE PALM TREES, BLUE CRUSH, and TEAM SCARED. Overall it was a HUGE success, well other than our fearless staff representative Connie falling within the first two minutes of game play, bouncing on the gym floor, and breaking her elbow that is! We played duct tape tag, marshmallow dodgeball, launched KIX cereal from our noses, shot rocket launchers, emptied boxes of tissues relay style, made chocolate unicorns out of ding dongs and heard the story of Eric Liddell and learned that living life for God’s glory is far more meaningful than just trying to win the prize.

To say that I love this ministry and these kids is putting it mildly. This is my heartbeat. I look forward to CHOSEN and put my all into planning and preparing for it. I have no idea what the future holds but I do know that I sincerely hope ministries like this continue to be available for teens who have experienced pain and loss like many of us cannot imagine. They are some of the most incredible individuals I’ve ever met - they are inspirational and I truly respect them for what they’ve come through and hope to be part of their journey for as long as they’ll have me!