Save All The Kittens
(June 22, 2015 From youth mission trip to Bayou la Batre, AL - Miami Shores Presbyterian Church)
It's my fault. I was quietly praying, asking God for a distraction. The trip was going well, too well, and I was getting emotional as I realized that some of these youth will be gone soon, off to college, off to amazing things, but no longer leading our youth ministries. I'd be lying to say I wasn't also thinking about myself, not wanting to acknowledge that I too may not be doing this again. So on my potentially last trip with this group of youth who had taught me, terrified me, made me, loved me, I was asking for a distraction.
Sure, I would cry the last night. I always cry the last night. But it was Tuesday. No one cries on Tuesday. Get it together, woman.
Within seconds, one of my youth was in the doorway shouting -
"We found a kitten! Can we keep it!?"
What? No. No you can't keep it. Where the.... What the...
So I ran outside to see what the commotion was. Yes, indeed, they had found a kitten. A small, adorable, black kitten (I'm a sucker for black dogs and cats, God knows this). More accurately, this kitten found us. Ran right at the kids under our van.
My youth presented him to me, eyes wide and hopeful. The other adults stood around, shaking their heads. Their answers were obvious, and complete. And so was mine.
So we went and spent the rest of our budget on a cat carrier, some food, and a blanket, and prepared for another 2 days of this kitten coming to paint with us, and an eventual 12 hour drive home with this kitten in the van. Little 'Bama Boyou is the luckiest cat in all of Alabama.
I think we're too quick to say no. I don't know what happens between the hopefully big eyes of my 14 year-olds and the shaking heads of the 50 year-olds, but I pray I don't get there. I was sufficiently distracted. The youths' hope was sufficiently fulfilled. And for a moment, even just a moment, all I had taught them - to do what they could to change the world, to act each moment, to each little thing, like a disciple of Christ - made sense. They really could change the world, even for just this kitten. And sometimes, most the time, that's enough.
God, let the wide eyes outnumber the shaking heads. Let hopeful hearts be fulfilled. Give us the ability and the will to change the world, and save the kittens.
