Trust and Prayer
Begin by presenting the following scenario. You have come to youth group and are facing a difficult situation and need someone to talk to whom you can trust. Ask youth to raise their hand if there is one person in youth group (not counting adults) whom you feel comfortable talking to. Then ask how many have two, three or four people they can so trust. Take time to discuss what makes people trustworthy. In our group the following were the most common characteristics mentioned: being a good listener, not being judgmental and having had a positive trusting experience in the past.
Now play the game entitled "Bombs away" described in "Activities for Fun" later on this web page. Afterwards ask youth how they felt when their guide was not able to steer them successfully through the bombs. When did they begin to lose trust? Most of our youth maintained trust through the first error but the second time they stepped on a bomb they reported a loss of trust which increased if there were subsequent errors.
Read Proverbs 3:5. Discuss how difficult it is to trust in the Lord with all your heart and not to depend on your own understanding of things.
Now take time to ask youth to share one thing that they would like to see changed. The change reported could be about themselves, the youth group, their families, their school or the world. Point out that sharing such important things requires a trust in each other. As youth share their thoughts, take time to briefly discuss the requests made then record them.
Ask youth to sit "Indian style" in a circle. Have some small candles available that can be held, one for each youth. Read the requests for change that have been recorded. Now advise youth that we will pray for these as follows. A youth leader will light a candle and pray referencing at least several of the recorded requests for change. Once the leader has completed his or her prayer, youth are invited to light a candle of their own and pray. The list of things to be changed is made available for those who need it. After a couple of candles have been lit extinguish the lights in the room.
When we did this one of our youth asked, "Do you mean pray out loud?" and I replied "Yes, that is what trust is all about." Though only an eighth grader, he was willing to participate. When all youth, who wish to participate, have prayed, the youth leader should say a concluding prayer and then ask youth to see how their candles have brightened the room. Advise that our prayers bring light and hope to people. Extinguish the candles one by one noting the contribution each youth's candle made to overcoming the darkness of the room.
Bombs Away
This is a game we used in conjunction with Trust and Prayer, described above. It can be used simply as an activity for fun apart from the more serious event or as part of the above activity.
Find a space in your youth area about 4 feet wide by 20 feet long. Use some tape to mark this game area out clearly. Take six or seven pieces of construction paper and randomly place them in the area that's been marked off.
Break your group into two teams. Each team is to pick a guide who will direct teammates down the four foot by twenty foot corridor while they are blindfolded. Blindfolded youth must walk from one end of the corridor to the other end without touching the tape boundaries or any of the bombs (pieces of construction paper). Use a stop watch to record the duration of each youth's effort.
When a youth steps on a bomb, or on or past, a tape boundary, hit a pot with a spoon or make some such loud noise simulating a bomb going off. Record the number of times errors are made.
Total the times needed for each team to walk the maze and add 10 seconds for each time a bomb goes off. After each youth attempts to traverse the maze, change the locations of the construction paper so no one can memorize the locations of the bombs. The total team time plus the penalty seconds will determine the winning team. See 'Trust and Prayer' for discussion ideas regarding this activity.
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