"Get out now..!!!" This is what I told my wife and kids on Nov 8th 2018. What would soon be known as the world costliest disaster of the year was about to hit my little town of Paradise. The Campfire had just started to burn homes in our town. Smoke was everywhere and we had no warning. It was a day that forever changed my life and the life of everyone in our county. We furiously packed what we could, prayed and headed out.
I've been working with children and teens ever since I was a teen. I grew up in San Jose California and attended a church in Los Gatos. It was there I was taught to serve. You see as High schoolers our church had taught us the value of serving others. So I did. I volunteered for day camps and summer camps for our church. I went on missions trips and worked with kids from Hawaii to Inner city LA. This is where God grew in me a passion for serving others.
I felt may call into full-time ministry in High school but I ignored it. I grew up very poor but as a married adult I went on to be in a successful business. At church, I was the best volunteer you could find in youth ministry. But something was missing. I couldn't wait to minister to kids and teens. But even though I was successful, to the point of recognition of our company in Forbes, I was miserable. God called me into something. I ignored it. Finally, in 2004 I was grabbed by the Holy Spirit and few other pastors and God put me, no dragged me into full-time ministry. You see he was looking for me to be faithful. I finally said yes. He took care of the rest.
Ministry can be difficult. Youth and Children's ministry isn't glorified. You are expected provided things for children or youth that are meaningful but you wonder if you are making a difference. How do you measure discipleship? Why does it feel like others expect you to provide "childcare" and cute holiday things? Why is a youth pastor expected to fix the problems of every teen when there has been zero discipleship at the home. It can be overwhelming. Being on staff at one place for 15 years this year I have finally seen some of that fruit but it really can be thankless and so many of us wonder why God has this calling on us. How do we know we are effective?
28 years I've worked with youth and kids but since the fire, one thing I know about kids has never more been true.
They get the deep things of God and dwell in Him better than I can or could teach them.
We were evacuated for a long time and were living in a donated RV wondering what tomorrow would hold. I was stressed and not trusting God at that moment. In fact, I was pretty angry with God. I was venting my frustration and then my youngest son turned to me and said. "Dad, you know Gods got this and has a plan..... right?" He had a better faith than I did. You see at the moment I didn't know if we had a home, job, church, family, friends.. Everything we knew was potentially gone and yet my son had faith. I was still counting the deaths, the destruction, and the loss and wondering where was God. My son was trusting God and seeing him at work despite the tragedy.
Our church building was one of the few to make it. My first Sunday after 3 months of being evacuated from our church I did a time of prayer with kids. It was about all we could muster. A boy prayed up front and asked God to help all the people who were homeless and to give us all wisdom in decision making. Another girl cried and prayed for all the kids who lost their pets in the fire. Another little girl said, "You know what stuff doesn't matter, my family all got out safe and God loves us." Another said, "God has brought our family so close and I get to see my parents much more now.living in a trailer." Childlike faith for the win.
As a kids pastor, I was surrounded by the very people I was in charge of ministering too and I was the recipient. I was the recipient of the Holy Spirit working through them, I was the recipient of a childlike faith I had lost as an adult, I was a recipient to kids showing love and care for others just like our Saviour did for us. I received thousands of letters from other kids sent to our community by kids at other churches and schools. They all carried simple truths that I had somehow forgotten despite teaching them every week.
Our kids still need help. Some of its professional counseling after witnessing some pretty horrific things. I am getting counseling as well. I'm totally dependent on God. I still have no idea what the future of my home, my job, my church, my friends and my town will look like. Our church has mostly moved away. My friends and family are scattered.
But for now, its where he wants me to be.
Totally dependent
Faithful,
Available
Teachable
With a heart for others
I will be repeating the simple truths of God and the Bible that I know to be true.
In other words. I need to be just like Children.
So now it's not in the wondering, but In the abiding that I wait, rest, heal and serve.
Like my son said, "Gods got this and has a plan.." That will preach kiddo!!
Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. "
Trevor is the children and Family pastor at ParadiseAlliancee church in Paradise Ca.
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