"I'll poop on your head before you punch me."

It's MLK Day which means a day off from school. This year I think I was more aware of MLK than usual. I went to see Selma yesterday with Molly Henry. The new movie tells the story of Martin Luther and his friends as they fought for the freedom to vote in Selma, AL. Then today Kid President released a special MLK video that I plan to show my students tomorrow. It's crazy to think about how things used to be not that long ago, the progress we've made, and how we're not finished yet. 

I started the day by having a Starbucks date with three of my favorite 8th graders-- Maddy Wade, Elise and Maggie. We all (except for Maddy) pulled out our bracelet stockpiles and new string to work while we sat around the table and talked. I always have fun spending time with these girls. I can't wait to go to DC and Castaway with all three of them. 

I got to spend the rest of the day off hanging out with Hannah and Cassidy, two Senior YL girls. We met at McAllister's, Hannah's favorite, and she pretended she knew how to work on my friendship bracelet. We had a mini-roadtrip to Castleton and they uncovered the Scary Close glasses from Storyline in my car. 

This Christmas I got a $25 gift card to Michael's from Cass and her mom and another $25 one from one of my bible studies. I had yet to use them but today there was a 30% off sale at Michael's. Hannah and Cass helped me pick out 180 different things of string which would usually cost just over $70. With the discount and both gift cards I only spent $2.58. What a steal. I don't think I'll be needing any string for awhile.

After a very long hiatus due to Christmas Break and a snow day, YL was finally back at it tonight. I was so happy to spend leadership with Ryan, Abby, Jackie, JD, KCraig and new leaders Mike and Lauren. Then we came downstairs to find a crew of awesome kids ready to start.

It's a beautiful thing being part of this ministry. Kids are not only growing at YL but getting involved in churches and choosing to grow in their faith. We get to witness new friendships grow and develop between people that might have never met if not for YL. Adult leaders make sacrifices and show up to walk alongside these HS kids because they believe it matters. Our mission isn't YL, our mission is Jesus.

Usually KCraig and I lead separate groups but tonight we joined together-- a collection of sophomore, junior and senior girls gathered in a circle. We shared something that's been on our mind lately and that spurred the rest of our conversation. We never made it to the lesson but we read from Psalms and talked about if God is in the middle of what we're going through right now. Something awesome happens when we trust each other enough to be real and vulnerable with one another. We might not always see eye to eye but we can still always show up to love one another. Tonight was a gift.

KCraig always talks about how God doesn't do what we expect. He makes the unlikely things possible. KCraig and Hannah are two of my great friends right now even though both are unlikely friendships. KCraig's older than me and has a husband and two kids. Hannah is younger than me and is just a Senior in HS. But both of these women make me a better person and make my life richer. God is in the business of passing us people.