But I couldn't help but tear up when my friends got baptized yesterday. I don't know them that well either; I just met them about less than a year ago. I had the opportunity to hang out with a few of them during vacation because I'd be in Fresno during winter break, spring break, summer break, etc... but during a big chunk of the year when school was in session I wasn't really around to see them grow. But it's so very encouraging to see them publicly profess their faith after learning about Jesus through their friends.
I've seen a lot of young kids in youth groups just "try church" because all their friends are doing it, and it gives them something to do during the weekends and retreat seasons. As a result, I've seen a lot of people leave church after something else comes up (a sport, school, a relationship). Or I've seen a lot of people become lukewarm after they graduate high school and leave youth group because they didn't build a strong enough foundation while in high school.
My hope and prayer for these kids is that they continue to profess their faith by living a life reflecting Jesus...and I'm excited to see how they'll grow in their relationship with God and everyone else. I hope that as they go off to college that their relationship will be guarded and they would find a strong community of faith where they can both grow and serve. :) Happy days!
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