Spread a little Bubbliness

A day of detachment today!

Not only was I detached from the SAOMC summer school but I was also in a detached support role at Lighthouse, Hazlemere our local Christian holiday club for children (900 or so of them!) and staffed to a large extent by teenage volunteers. My job was a kind of chaplaincy role, wandering between the different groups and talking with the teenage volunteers who were doing the actual job of the children's ministry.

Then I had a brief break to come home and change into something much warmer for the evening (actually I was pretty much cold all day as it was more like November than July and I was in sandals!) and as I was driving out in the huge queue of cars taking children home, some of the young volunteers who were sharing a car were letting bubbles out of the windows as we queued and as we drove along. It was a lovely sight and a real moment of sunshine on a cloudy afternoon's traffic jam.

Then I was back at the Lighthouse site again this evening for Fresh Cafe which is the reward we give to the teenage volunteers. Again I was detached - this time the detached team leader (ooooOOOooh!) so I was on the wander again spending time listening to the young people, talking to them or encouraging them to take part in the human table football (where people take the role of the footballers with harnesses tying them to the posts - well, elastic bands actually- in the giant inflatable pitch) or the silly hook a duck, splat the rate fair stalls we had.

Chatting to the members of my detached team and discussing exactly what the role was I felt a bit of a fraud to be doing what I was doing as WORK.

I know that there are plenty of people who would not want to do it but I got to spend the evening talking with teenagers, listening to Simple Reason and another local band (sorry guys I missed your name but you ROCKED!) and encouraging other adults in their work with young people.

Tomorrow I get to deliver the message to the volunteers at Lighthouse and then do the same detached role all day and all evening. I'm really looking forward to it.

Just think I could have spent today in silence at the SAOMC summer school. This is much more me. However I have learnt the value of quiet time and retreat which is why I'll be really pleased to be in Taize next week.