Meet Jo Ryan. You may have seen Jo in the spring issue of Crumbs last year. That’s right, those were her shoes on the front cover of the DIFFICULT BEHAVIOUR issue no less… Jo finished 7th form last year and has been involved in youth leadership for a number of years at her local church, Knox Lower Hutt, Wellington YFC and World Vision. Jo will be working in the Youth ministry office this year on national, regional and local youth ministry projects.
As the youngest child in a family of ‘keen Presbyterians’, I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to go to Easter Camp. Having heard terrifying stories about the massive rock-climbing tower, I felt a little cheated when they tore it down the year before I came!
However I was soon to discover that the challenge of Easter still very much remained. Aside from the social and physical ventures that faced me, I suddenly had the opportunity to stop, and think. About myself, my life, God, and how it all fitted together. In the years that followed, this time for reflection became increasingly important, as I evaluated my life in the midst of all its adolescent angst.
I was one of those irritatingly precocious pre-teens who, having attended Sunday School seemingly forever, was quite convinced that I knew everything. It seems that the older I get, the more I learn, and the better my relationship with God gets, the less I actually understand. I find myself blown away by the simple concept that God loves me so much that He allowed His son to suffer and die for me. A few years ago it made sense, but these days I struggle to get my head around such a phenomenal sacrifice.
Easter for me is a necessity. I find that amidst the busy schedules and constant crises that come with life and perhaps especially with youth work, I need this time to stop, and think, and to be blown away yet again by God’s grace and love for me.