Eight of us cuddled around a coffee table in the fellowship hall.  With our babies and toddlers playing in the room next door, I ramped up to the moment I'd been waiting for; Gospel presentation night!  February is a great month to talk about love; how the world views it, how teen moms see it and how God sees it.  I was ready with my catchy opening question, a crafty activity and then a smooth transition into God's story of love.   

I was good for the first two minutes.  But teens are smart - teen MOMS are even smarter cause they have the cynical insight of adolescents combined with a mother's instinct.  And they hold very little back.

"I know where you're going Teddi - you want me to believe that God is real love and that he loves me. I get it but I don't buy it. Where was he when I was locked in the closet cause my dad was mad at me? Where was he when my boyfriend hit me? There is no love. No disrespect Teddi. I just don't buy it."

Brandi was the one to speak but several heads nodded in agreement and taught me a life lesson: It's hard to understand the love of God when no one has ever loved us well.  In my evangelism, I talk about God never leaving us. I describe his love that is true and trustworthy. I share scripture and anticipate its power. But for my young friends who have not known a source of good love, they often "don't buy it".  

So I show them.   

That's the reason I love YFC's Teen Parents. It's impossible to maintain this ministry without remaining intimately connected to the Source. I must live inside God's story, constantly connected and dependant on his love for me so that I can love teen moms well. Because, to be honest, I'd get frustrated fast. I'd lecture a lot. My face would show disappointment and with my beaten-down spirit I'd walk away.   

We won't walk away. Instead, this month I will have the opportunity to grab onto my friends across the states and together walk deeply into the love of the Father. And we'll take our teen moms and their babies with us. And they will see and they will know and yes, they will buy it!

Originally from Santa Cruz, CA, Teddi currently resides in Roseville, CA with her husband of 22 years, Chris and her two children Hannah and Nate. Teddi has served on YFC staff in the Greater Sacramento area for 17 years in a variety of roles including Teen Parent Director, Point Break Director, 3Story Master Teacher and Campus Life volunteer. In her free time, Teddi is most easily found at home in the garden or poolside with a book.