The Real Hunger Games

     And the crazy season of youth ministry begins! Every year about this time my wife stocks up on migraine medicine. She knows this is when my youth ministry year starts getting crazy.       Our first big event is also our second missions focused event of the year. We have a program called HSM on Mission, which is a once quarterly event focused on missions work and helping those in need. This quarter we are participating in The Big Day of Serving in Nashville, if your going and see me say hi!      We are gearing up for this and my sermon series has been missions focused and one of my points during a sermon was about feeding the hungry. So we wrap up the sermon one night and are getting ready to head out to the main church worship service. A student looks at me and said "I'm really hungry, I haven't ate anything today." I freaked out. I won't go into details, but he got some food but that woke me up.     Don't get me wrong I'm aware enough to know there are students in my ministry who come from vastly different economic backgrounds, but I wouldn't have dreamed one of my students would be hungry. I mean they would come to me if they were hungry right? I learned a lesson that night, don't assume anything. Whether it was pride or a sense of not wanting to bother me, whatever it was this student would rather be hungry than ask for help. Always talk to your teens. If I had asked about that student, even asked other students I may have found out about it.      So if your like me and gearing up for missions stuff, take a look at your own group. What needs are there that you, or your students can meet. Until next time, just keep swimming!