Kevin Larsen

Being a teen-ager has always been a tough thing because of all of the hormonal things going on inside of our bodies and anxieties about the future. Today, more than ever before, many teen-agers and younger adults are so concerned about what lies around the next corner that instead of waiting to see, they are choosing to kill themselves instead. Many of those individuals never had any faith in God, let along the future.

In the past few years, kids in Wichita County have literally been blessed with a youth minister, Kevin Larsen. He is not only a service to kids from Christ Covenant Church but to the entire community. As far as I know, he is the only youth minister ever in town. We are sooooo very fortunate that God led him to us!

Every Wednesday evening during the school year aside from school vacations, he meets with kids from 6th grade through the senior year at church on Wednesday evening. It is amazing to see just how many people show up for his message every week! Kids from Christ Covenant, Methodist, Assembly of God, Baptist and the other Presbyterian churches gather around. Parents take turns preparing meals that are served at GAP. Various people such as Chanelle Martin and Jana DeLissa join in. Alot of fun takes place at these gatherings but mostly, children are given faith to carry on throughout their lives.

Kevin is not only available to kids on Wednesday evenings--not by a long shot. He'll meet with them anytime that someone needs to talk or to listen. I love how he hands out his business cards to all who attend just so that they know how to reach him easily. Everyone knows where he lives just in case they feel the need to just drop in on him.

Kevin is not here just for the kids. He is also a pastor at our church, CCC, in association with Bob Everest. The adults love him just as much as the kids do! I tell him that even when he is 90-years-old, he will never be old and grumpy. He has such a youthful and fun personality!

Our church's Christmas program was held on Sunday evening. It was something else to witness!!! Most of the program was presented by children from pre-school age through senior high school. But, Kevin got up in front of the congregation and gave a presentation where he acted as the father who had just found out on his son's birth which was Christmas Day that his newborn son was going to have great learning difficulties. Throughout the skit, he talked of how much patience he and his wife, Martha, had had to learn in regards to raising their son but he also talked about how he lost touch with God because He had allowed his son to be born with mental challenges. He no longer went to church even though his wife and son never missed it. Then one day, his son came home totally filled with excitement because he had been chosen to have a part in the Church's Christmas program. He was to have one very important part as the innkeeper who told Joseph that there was no available room at the inn for Mary to give birth. The boy begged his father to come and watch his performance at the program so the father went. All the while that Kevin told his story, my mother and I could not keep tears from welling in our eyes as we know of a young man much like the boy in the story. Later, those tears ran out of room in our eyes and streamed down our faces when Kevin talked about how Mary, later in the play, had ad libbed more to the original play which at first, the boy did not know how to respond. The father was really concerned about how his son would react. Finally, the boy hollered out "You can have my room!" That is exactly what the young man whom we know and love would have done. In real life, he would have said and done that exact thing! From the whole experience, the father found God again.

What a tremendous story! What a tremendous young man who portrayed the father in the play!

If you happen to meet Kevin somewhere in the future, please take time out to thank him for all that he does for not only Wichita County kids but for the adults also.

Kevin has a wonderful wife, Jill, who teaches 4th grade at RBSES. They are both VERY special people! So far, they have no children but once they do, they will be great parents!

Thank you, God, for sending Kevin to us!!!

VLE-B