I was very surprised when my name came up. I thought to myself, Oh man, what would I do if I was Director? I was only 17, and I really didn’t think that I could do it and still maintain my sanity. But after much talk with the Commander (in charge of all of AWANA) and the other leaders, I decided that it was a good next step. I had four years of experience in AWANA and knew how T&T ran. As a matter of fact, when I talked to the previous Director about the responsibilities of Director, she told me that it was basically much of what I had already been doing. I was pleasantly surprised – maybe I really could do this. I am now in charge of anywhere between fifty and seventy girls on any given night plus seven leaders (who are all adults) every Wednesday during the school year. I can honestly say, it has been an absolute blast!

 

One of the things I have noticed about this year is that I have discovered what I really like to do. When I was a leader, I was in charge of only a handful of girls, maybe ten or so. I got to know those girls very well, but I didn’t know many of the other girls. I would go home and be happy and say, I like to do this. But some nights I would go home and I would be so frustrated, for a multitude of reasons: my girls would be rowdier than usual, no one would bring handbook sections done, or I wouldn’t be able to get to all of the girls so that they could say their sections. But this year has been totally different. I come home at night and I say, Man, I really love this! I now know just about every single girl by name and can point them out if someone asks. I also get interaction with the parents, which I almost never got as just a leader. I have grown closer to all of the girls, even though I am responsible for many more girls than ever before. This experience has shown me that I am more of an administrative person, someone who likes to be a leader for others and be more behind the scenes rather than there immediately in the action.

 

The girls themselves have been a blessing. Every week, a lot of the girls will run up to me and yell, “Miss Erin, Miss Erin!” They get so excited when they see me. They tell me all about their day, the projects they are working on, the fact that they are grounded at home, and a myriad of other adventurous things. It is so cool to see that they feel safe enough with me that they can tell me just about anything and I will listen.

 

My leaders have been so supportive of me this year. When I first let them know that I was going to be Director this year, I also told them that I was open to suggestion and critique. I knew ahead of time that I was going to make mistakes, so I made it clear that if someone saw me doing something that they didn’t like, they could feel free to email me, call me, or talk to me about it. I tried to cultivate that openness so that it doesn’t seem like I was trying to be a separate entity away from the club. Because of this, I have gotten compliments and critiques alike from almost all of my leaders. And because of that, several changes have been made to our club throughout the year and the way we do things has changed slightly.

 

With this year being my last year at AWANA at my church, it would be the last chance I got to make an impact on these kids. I wanted to set an example for them of responsibility and respect, as well as impact their spiritual lives in a positive manner. But it seems that the kids have made more of an impression on me than anything. This year was a little crazier than the past four years of service, only because I was now in charge. Having this position has shown me my weaknesses: I tend to be impatient and short when I am very tired; I can be stubborn when I want to be; I am not as organized as I thought I was. But being in charge has also shown me my strengths: I am someone people can look up to for leadership; I am good at administrative tasks and can manage a large project; I am dedicated, especially when I am very passionate about what I am doing. This year has been quite the testing grounds for me, and I have grown a lot through this experience.

 

Being Director of an AWANA Club is a challenge, but it is something that I have loved from the start. Getting involved in community service like this is something I would definitely encourage everyone to do. I found something that I love to do, and I have flourished as a leader because of it. Who would have known that a seventeen-year-old could do so much?