Ted - I did not realize how unique this all was until I left Denver. I gave the guts  of my ministry over to other leadership in part of that time, I have tape and  videotape of the emerging leaders that we had developed, and, and, and it was,  it was very exciting, but I did not realize how unique it was until I left after five  years and began to work in other ministries. And that's when I realized that  many of my colleagues were talking about leadership and leadership  development and adolescent High School Leadership, they would talk about it.  But when it came actually, when it came down to actually doing it, it wasn't  leadership at all. And there are five areas, five exhortations for you, and I think  you'll find them familiar. One of them is the exhortation that you're the leader. It's your class. If you need something, instruct the adult sitting in the corner. We will  get it for you. If a child is disruptive, ask, and your adult partner will remove the  child from your class. We will follow your instructions and assist and support  you, but you are the leader, and we will not undermine that leadership by  rescuing you. Do not worry, win or lose, succeed or fail. We will be there  afterwards to advise and prepare you for greater success tomorrow. To what  extent has that happened in your experience, terms of leading, support for being a leader? What's been your experience? I'm sorry, yeah, Learning Center class,  but I would say it's also pushed me a lot. It's pushed you a lot, in what way, 

Speaker 2 I think, especially with me being alone, I am, yeah, I've had to do a lot of it just by myself, yeah, which has been a really good stretch for me, and  especially having Ann there to help. She's been picked up too. But I would say,  just like stepping up beginning it was like a little rough. It was like, kind of like  expecting to get a lot of help. 

Ted - Any of the rest of you feel stretched where you ended up having to give a  little bit more than what you were planning to give? Okay, tell us about it. 

Speaker 3 I was scared like me, yeah, so scared, yeah. So when I started, I got  closer. Some of them came closer and like some kids look up to me. Now, fish is a good thing. 

Ted - That's great. That is great. In fact, I understand you. You kind of opened  the heart of one kid that kind of been closed here for a while. Is that right? How  is that going now? 

Speaker 3 She's more open. She talks more on a kid. She talked to a lot of staff. That's great. 

Ted - Okay, how about the next one classroom focus where there's no vision or  direction, the people perish or unrestrained. Proverbs 29:18, your job is to give 

directional leadership to your class. People are less likely to look sideways if  they are focused on what's in front of them. Own your classroom. Give it  directional leadership, and you will remove 75% of potential discipline problems  before they start. How did that go for you? Did you all feel like you get Yes. 

Speaker 4 So when I first started, I was like, oh man. Like, you know, these kids  are not going to listen to me and everything. But then, like, quick, like, moving  on so quickly, like, I learned how to, like, voice what I'm trying to say, yes, and  be like, you know, like. Is not Yeah, but like, I don't know what word to say. I own it great. 

Ted - Yeah, yeah. You all feel like you responded positively. Do you have? Have are responding positively to your to your classroom leadership, the more  planned out it is, the more planned out it is. And what else the funner is, the  funner it is, okay, okay, okay. So do you have a new appreciation for  preparation? Being prepared. Good. That's so good, yeah. How about knowing  your role? I understand the first week, and there were some struggles with this  one. Know your role at any given moment. You're either leading or supporting  the leader. You're modeling one of these two roles at all times. Always identify  the leader. If you are the leader, lead, we will support you. How did it go with  roles were you able to play? Do you feel like you played different roles here in  the camp? If so, what are they? 

Speaker 3 I think it's just a matter of the behavioral issues that we're having.  Yeah, like, knowing that we couldn't, like, give the kids a decision to stay or to go home, like we had to turn it over to one of the knowing, like, we have to be in  opposition to make sure that we get an adult and let them know this is what's  happening, because I can't do because you can't do that. 

Ted - Yeah, yeah, that is a that really is a protection for you. I mean, every youth camp, every youth camp, struggles with discipline. Every one. In fact, usually  when you actually get to the moment of doing a prolonged youth activity, kids  activity, half the time you deal with discipline. All right, with the 

Speaker 5 with the exception of champ, as far as like roles, because most of  you guys work in groups, so like, what was it like to be the leader in the  classroom, and then what was it like to be the support person? And as far as  knowing the difference between the two, so did you guys find yourself in a  situation where, where it looked like both were leading when one was supposed  to be supporting, or vice versa, and then in other areas, like during chapels and  other group sessions and things of that nature, where we kind of color coded  and saying, Well, here's the part we're leading, here's the part we're supporting, 

and so on and so forth. Were you guys aware of like, the distinction between the times we were leading and the times when we weren't? Here's what Ted was  given that 

Speaker 6 question during the group session, if, like, somebody else is leading  it, and it's like, hard I like step up and actually help them, because they don't like taking over their leadership. I have to know my prior life to sit down and with the  learning centers, there's been times we might be the leader for the day, but like  she's trying to get this part quiet so that I step up and end up talking, and then it  seems like we're both leading. Oh, this one, I think you 

Ted - talked a little bit about this, but you may not understand it as courageous  love. How does love seeking? Which is seeking the other person's highest  good? Love is a verb. It's an action. How does love impact our response to the  problem child? Can we convince them to change their behavior for their own  good, as well as the good of the group, if we cannot, or if they are unable to  change, do we love them enough to make the tough decision? If our context is  not working, then let's courageously and lovingly direct them to something  better. I mean, in my in my experience, I remember one summer, we had two  kids that were giving us a hard time, and so with both of them, we applied love  and logic. One of them actually turned their thinking around, and they came  back and became a wonderful part of the camp. The other one just couldn't do it. They just could not do it. Did you have that experience? Did you have  experience where you had a kid that you had to lovingly say, you need to  change or you won't be able to stay here? And that's on you, not on us. It's your  choice, not our choice. Do you have an experience? Yeah, okay, well, what  happened? 

Speaker 4 Well, sometimes, like, you know, like, it's different for every kid,  because the kids that I would talk to and then be like, oh, you should change  and stuff like, they would change my next day 

Speaker 6 with one of the kids. When she first came here, she was, like,  struggling really bad because, like, she, like, she's different from the rest of the  kids, yeah, yeah. But when I talked to her and explain. Yeah, 

Ted - okay, let's look at the last one. I call this principle leadership, curriculum  planning, discipline problems, games, leading. Where is God? In all of this must  the name of Jesus be spoken for him to be present. His presence should run  deep. God is in the principles and motivations that determine your actions.  Jesus is in the details, because he is behind the details. Be principled in carrying out your responsibilities. Then when you speak God's name, you give the 

children you serve something tangible, they will see him in you, your actions and the program you lead. Now, the overarching question that is should be asked,  and I think, has been asked, although for you, it's been a shorter time, just  because you came together, you've only had four months to work with  elementary kids. You establish yourselves as emerging leaders at the beginning, at the beginning of the year. But the overarching question is, Where is God in all of this? Where is God in all of this? 

Speaker 3 I feel like just being able to be there for the kids, and like, in a way  where like, they don't like, they don't have people to be there where they're like,  at home, or something like, the way the kids attached to us is like, in the sense  of Support for the kids, like, I mean, God gave us Our God gave them us for  comfort, yes or support, or being able to be here and see themselves, or Yes, 

Speaker 2 whatnot, she has some mental problems. But one time she was  crying on the bleachers, and I was like, what's wrong? Because she had only  been here for two days at this point, and she was getting bullied consistently by  the kids, and I had seen it, and she was like, my mom told me I was a  disappointment. And she was like, super your major shift, and kicked out of  Cancer Day. And so she was like, nobody loves me. I have nothing. Everybody  hates me. I don't want to say I was sitting on the beaches like, Wow. I was like,  Well, I can tell you consistently that God loves you and that will always be there  for you, and that I'll always be here for you, universal staff always be here for  you. And since then, I feel like she's opened up a little bit more, and she hugged  us consistently, and she doesn't pay as much attention to what the kids think,  and we stuck her in a lot of younger groups, and she's playing a lot smoother  with her. So 

Speaker 7 I feel like that's okay when I came in, 

Speaker 6 doesn't feel like we're just like working in, doing it, like it. Some  teachers were just doing it for payers. After a while, this neighborhood actually 

Speaker 7 took over. It. 

Ted - One more question apart from this, has this? This? This is a unique  because you've been working in partnership with another word. Organization,  okay? With switch up. Switch up has worked in partnership with red shield, and  so that creates a little bit more challenges. Okay, usually in a ministry like this,  you want the leadership wants to control all the moving parts, okay, this ensures  that what we set up for you to do, you can do little bit more challenging, having,  having to work with red shield now, thankfully they, I mean, they really did allow 

you and Johnell to oversee the camp. Okay, that was, that was great. But even  with that, there were a few there were a few glitches, because everybody has  assumptions about how life works, how ministry works, how this program works.  Their staff have been trained to think a certain way. We're coming in with an  entirely new way of thinking. You bring those together, they're going to be some  clashes, and I think a lot of those took place in the first week. And so what was it like? What has it been like working with with red shield and with their staff and in their building? Any comments on that one? 

Speaker 8 It's kind of like up and down, up and down, okay? Because  sometimes, like, I'm not explaining, like, you bump heads with them, sometimes, because, like, you know, they try to take over your leadership roles. And, yeah,  you know, you go back and forth. It's just, like an up and down situation. You  just, you have to get through it interesting. 

Ted - And you've had that experience throughout, 

Speaker 8 yeah, like, only one time, one time, okay, okay. 

Ted - What's amazing is that you stood toe the toe. You're not, you're not taking  this away from me. That's great. That is great. Okay? Other.



Modifié le: mercredi 15 avril 2026, 09:44