I am the Youth Dude
I am Kris Meckenstock, the "Youth Dude". I am the unsung worker in the unsung field of the unsung harvest. It should be no shock that few recognize the work I do and few recognize the kids to whom I have dedicated my life to teach. The world of my kids is a distant land, seldom thought of or journeyed to, and rarely considered. I have sailed away from shore in an effort to reach it, and, in doing so, I have sailed, in some ways, away from being recognized and remembered in what I do.
I am the Youth Dude.
I won't fit the mold of the "everyday" job. I might not be in the office by 8:30am, since I probably didn't leave before 8pm. I don't wear a tie. I get to wear jeans. My office might look a bit like a wreck, complete with a paper-filled desk surrounded by trinkets and left-over sleeping bags, old mission T-shirts and broken radios, dog-eared copies of bibles and crumpled chips and flyers. Contrary to most, my office isn't where most of my work happens. My work happens in the gym, at the high school soccer game, at the local Dairy Queen, at the mall. My work happens wherever those kids are. Right now they are in second period.
I am the Youth Dude.
More than likely, I'll never be "successful" by the world's standards. I knew that when I answered the call to be here. I can't forget that. I'll never be in the Wall Street Journal or in Fortune Magazine. I'll never be a Gold Medallion level frequent flyer with the ability to complain how much my company makes me travel because they need me so much. I'll never have a company car again. My car will always have face prints on the windows, sand and dirt on the floor, possibly a few teenagers sitting inside. I'll never be moving up the corporate ladder. I may never get a new title, since there isn't much other way to describe what I do.
I am the Youth Dude.
I can't afford to stand above those around me or rise above them in image, personality, or ego. I must use all my effort, humility, and character to dive down to where most of my kids reside, meet them where they are, and work to pick them back up. Glossy, multi-syllable words aren't a benefit to me. They do nothing more than get me funny looks of confusion. My rule is simplicity. Simple words. Simple ideas. Simple love.
I am the Youth Dude.
Most of that which surrounds me will be unique. I'll be the one that submits receipts for reimbursement that include marshmallows, bungee cords, whipped cream, rub-on tattoos, and massive amounts of pizza. I'll be the one that everyone runs to when something around the church gets broken, spilt upon, or stained. I may even be taken for granted and overlooked. When my group is going great, I'll simply be meeting expectation and I'll hear very little. When things occasionally go awry, I'll hear it from everyone. I'll be the one that everyone simply considers a "playmate" to the kids, everyone except the kids, that is. They'll be just about the only ones that understand why I am here and what I am all about. They'll be the only ones that could speak of the depth, heart, and magnitude of what we are dealing with here.
I am the Youth Dude.
My customers are teenagers. They have little to no money, prestige, influence, or buying power. They are confused and lost more times than not. People seldom listen to them or give them respect. They need to talk, to laugh, to be loved, to be listened to, and to rest. Some adults are always on their case. They hate to see those adults coming. Adults just want them to turn their music down, cut their hair, and quit talking like that,.
I am the Youth Dude.
My job will never be understood by my friends. I can consider myself to them, in some ways, like the nuclear bio-physicist. They have heard of the title, but they don't really know what I do. Sometimes, they will say, "Well, that is an admirable job" or "Well, there is a field that definitely needs some attention" but that is about as far as it will go. To many will see what I do as the best that I can do. Some will think that I had to settle for working with teenagers. To me, I will see it as something that I have chosen to do ... and feel that I must do. Many will ask, "What will you do when you are fifty?" "God willing, exactly the same thing," I will respond. Many will be jealous of me, because they have noticed that I never complain about what I do, and love what I do.
Plus, I get to wear jeans to work.
