Six Cents and One Minute

Michelle C.

Oct 10, 20243 min read

One Otter-pop costs SIX CENTS. When we show up at Chelan High School on Wednesdays with a backpack cooler full of Otter-pops, the kids come running. In the ONE MINUTE it takes to open the cooler, ask what color they want, grab the scissors, and snip the top off…. YOU HAVE LEARNED THEIR NAME. And when you return the next week, the kids are surprised you REMEMBERED THEIR NAME. And maybe after the 4th time you show up (like today) a conversation starts about school, sports, or fishing. Soon it becomes high fives and curious questions. Maybe even an ask to help with a little problem after school (more on that later).

This is Young Life.

In Young Life, we call this Contact Work and for weeks now Shawn gets a box of 80 Otter-pops so that we can spend at least ONE MINUTE with 80 kids. Why Otter-pops, aside from being cheap? Because a simple Otter-pop crosses boundaries of unknowns, awkward first-time conversations, and cultural differences. Shawn is now referred to as "The Otter-pop Man". Might take a few more weeks until they decide to want to know our names, but that's ok.

As I stood around talking to kids who were patiently waiting for an Otter-pop, a 9thgrade boy named Adan offered me some Blue Taki's. Have you ever seen a BLUE NEON Taki before? They are very spicy and NOT my thing, but of course, I couldn't say no. And how sweet is that? These kids are SO POLITE! And always say "please" and "thank you".

Help with a little problem.....

Yesterday one of these students asked Shawn if he would help him get his bike out of the lake after school. Not sure why it was there, Shawn didn't ask too many questions. Once they retrieved his bike using an ice axe and a rope, Shawn asked if they could grab a quick bite to eat. The student said he'd go, but didn't want anything... clearly he did. Shawn convinced him to order a burger, fries, and a drink. He apologized and said that he has trouble being given things because he isn't used to people being nice. Over burgers, they talked about all sorts of big things that were on his mind, including God.

Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with a local Christian Latina woman who has a deep love for the kids in our community. Her heart is heavy with concern for their well-being, and she told me, "Michelle, I’ve had to help bury three kids - no more!"

As we sat together on a park bench, overlooking the lake, we talked about the challenges we have reaching these kids and what might be done to help them. She opened up about the mistrust and fear this community feels toward outsiders. I then shared with her about Young Life and how we are meeting kids at the school. She’s eager to learn more, and we’ve decided to meet regularly to continue these conversations. Together, we prayed and asked God to show us how He might use us to make a difference in the lives of these kids.

Something remarkable is unfolding here in ways I never expected. While I don’t know exactly where it will lead, I’m eager to see what’s next! I invite you to join me in praying for these kids and the many more we’ll encounter this year.

In other news, check out photos from Chelan Valley WyldLife the other night...