Yesterday morning we arrived home from one of the most taxing, and rewarding, trips we’ve had in a long time. In the midst of the long hours and sometimes frenetic activity there are moments that stick, memories that bring me joy as they come to mind and as we talk about them later.

For example, there was a thirty-something girl sitting in the front row of our seminar “Roots: in depth youth ministry” who was really tracking with us the whole time. Afterwards she came up to me and said, “Thank you so much for this workshop. Where I live in Colombia youth ministry is dominated by large events which focus on the latest “apostle” or charismatic leader. I am the youth pastor at my local church but I had never heard about in depth training for youth ministry. I, we, desperately need this. Please don’t forget about me. If you ever come to Colombia, please get in touch with me so I can get more training.”

I told her that there are plans for a Roots conference in Colombia some time in the next few years, but what is really exciting is that she doesn’t have to wait for the conference. She can enroll in our online courses and start getting trained right now.

The smile on her face and the promise of the difference it can make for the teenagers she ministers to makes the years of long hours and laborious effort on the Roots textbook and animated classes worthwhile.