When was the last time you spent a beautiful afternoon with a bunch of middle school kids and watched them dance a funny dance, get up and shake it in front of 400-plus people over chicken sandwiches (again), followed by some serious tie-dying of anything you can find, and then find yourself having a serious talk on a side of a huge hill and shed a tear or two with a 12-year-old girl, only to turn around and crack up and laugh so hard that both your stomach and her's hurt?

When was the last time you danced in the rain or slid in the mud and not really cared about what you looked like? When was the last time you got pied in the face with whipped cream and then got soaked with shaving cream and a Super Soaker in a five-minute period, not once, twice, but possibly three times, while a bunch of kids are laughing with you? When was the last time you ate a Happy Meal or spit a pea out of your nose or watched 50 kids concentrate in silence to a beautiful Gospel reading and shared some of your secrets, knowing that at that very moment their minds and hearts are open and intently listening to every word you are saying?

Have you ever experienced the power of silence while witnessing over 400 middle school or high school kids walk outside in the dark under a starlit night in total silence for 15 minutes, sometimes in 10-degree weather, to pray, reflect, or just to be alone with themselves. It's so quiet you can hear a pin drop or a sniffle of a tear being held back. Wow!

When was the last time that you looked into a 13-year-old's eyes and you can see that they needed to talk and you were the one they wanted to talk to? When was the last time you had a high school kid serve you pancakes while singing and enjoying the heated lake with a bunch of beautiful young women? Yes, we even heat the lake for them (ask a Younglife kid - they will understand).

These are just a few privileges you have given me for the past four years while hanging out with our wonderful kids in Wyldlife/Younglife. I want to personally thank you for the kids and parents that have been on this journey with me. You have touched my life in a very special way.

As we close out this year, I would like to thank all those who have been with me. The other leaders, Mr. Ed, Mr. John Marr, Ms. Donna O'Leary, Dee and Denis Balint. As leaders we have been called to reach out to our children - your children - to bring them on this journey with us, this journey of life with Jesus Christ. It is as much as we give as leaders. We find ourselves receiving back more in rewards. Like I have said on a number of club nights, "There is nowhere that I would rather be than to be hanging out with our kids."

I would also like to thank Donna Bruton, along with all those parent helpers who cleaned up our mess, looked at us as if we were crazy, laughed and were grossed out. We appreciate your help.

If anyone is interested in coming along on this journey with Wyldlife/Younglife, we are always looking for leaders as well as committee people and parent helpers. If you have any questions, call me at (609) 259-7958 or e-mail me at gkabak@yahoo.com. I look forward to more memories with faith, love and hope.

Gina Cullinane

Millstone Wyldlife/Younglife leader