My Years In Youth Ministry Have Prepared Me To:

1. Carry a full trunk's worth of stuff into the house in one load.

2. Hold my face expression-less when someone says something inappropriate, offensive, or exclusionary... or farts in public.

3. Place an order for pizza or bbq for someone who 'doesn't eat cheese and meat'.

4. Feign interest in--including asking questions about--a topic I have little-to-no interest in. (Special shoutout to the 7th-grade boy who is wildly over-invested in his Pokémon collection and thinks I should be, too.)

5. Be prepared for any situation. Honestly. I have, in my purse, at all times: a travel-sized bottle of mouthwash, dental floss, feminine hygiene products, a small sewing kit, band-aids, lotion, baby powder, kleenex, tylenol, assorted snacks, mints, gum, three kinds of chapstick, two pairs of headphones (and adaptors... duh), bobby pins, safety pins, a deck of cards, a Visa gift card, pens, sharpies (assorted sizes), and Kenyan shillings (just in case.) Aaaand, most of the time, a big bottle of water and a book.