Getting to know our teens from the teen auction

Before we got it all organized!

The end result!

Every year our church does a teen auction.  This is a great way for families to "buy" a teen for work for a day, and then in turn they earn money for teen summer camps!  Last year we did this and we learned a lot from getting to know teens we normally would never spend time with.  This year with better planning we were able to "buy" the teens we needed and had a lot of fun!  I got my big projects done with lots of help, and then I also got a chance to talk with and get to know some of the teens.

Ending our hard work with Half off Frappes!!

As a mom of toddlers and young children, I oftentimes never speak to or spend time with the teenagers.  It's never intentional, but our paths rarely cross.  Last year when doing this I got to spend time with and get to know teenagers that I had never even spoken with and over the past year we developed a friendship.  This year we were able to do even more and get to know them better.  The bonus was I also had a chance to show these girls some fun stuff like "how to prep 40 freezer meals, and shop, and organize for it."  Another group of girls helped me sort through 8 sizes of clothes, multiple buckets of clothes and reorganize and label it all.  These are important skills they will eventually need, and even though I'm still learning some of it, it's fun for me to teach and show them something I'm learning as a mom!  I never learned how to meal plan, prep and plan that far in advance.  I never had to sort through and organize 4 children's worth of clothes ranging from sizes 1-8!  All of this I am learning and I'm so grateful that I'm able to teach these things to new teen girls.  Also I make some pretty special memories and make new friendships.

As an "older" (cough, cough) mom, it's important for us to reach out to the teenagers and get to know them!!  Too often these young ladies would love an older woman to talk with, and learn from.  Every girl I spent time with these past couple weeks through the auction was a sweet hearted girl, and they truly appreciated the encouragement and time from someone new.

As moms, are we reaching outside our comfort zone and getting to know the next generation?  Are we willing to be patient and teach them important things?  Are we going to be there when they need someone to talk with and get spiritual help from?  I'm so thankful for these girls, and I'm grateful to watch them grow to love God and mature in sweetness as they grow.

I cannot wait til the next teen auction when I get to meet even more new teens!!  Plus, it's great to get a month's worth of big projects done in just two days! :D

Getting our back porch retiled

Shopping for 40 meals!

40 freezer meals completed!