We are so privileged to be able to bring Jesus Club to students at Tommie Kunst Jr High.

At lunch time, the students quickly make their way through the cafeteria, and then line up for the club. Once the cafeteria is cleared, we let the Jesus Club kids come in, each one grabs their pizza, throws their backpack against the wall and finds a seat on the floor.

We usually do a fun game while everyone is getting fed and seated, and then we talk about what the Bible has to say about things the students are going through, like how to find the right friends, dating tips, how to forgive people who hurt you, how to avoid extra drama, etc.

Sometimes we get to have guest speakers come and share from their experiences in life. From ex-gang members, to people who experienced death and were raised back up to life again through prayer, it’s exciting for the students to see how God works through all different kinds of people.

We asked the kids to write some questions they have about things they are facing in their lives. Some of their questions were very raw.

“How do I tell if my father loves me cause he’s been gone for 3 years and he never bothered to call me?”

“If my parents can’t accept me for who I am, like if I’m gay, what do I do?”

“How do I deal with suicidal friends?”

“How do you deal with your parents fighting most of the time?”

“What if I look in the mirror and I see a person I didn’t want to be?

”“What do you do if you have a friend that is being abused?”

“What is the point of a gang?”

“What is hell like?”

“If I had disappeared, what would others think?”

“What is God like?”

This is a snapshot into the thought- life of the middle school students we get to talk to through Jesus Club.

Their lives are difficult and tumultuous much of the time. Many of the kids we talk to have very challenging home environments and even school can be difficult to navigate at this age.

We are thankful we get to come alongside the amazing teachers at this school and support them as they work hard to point these young people towards a better future.