Being Andrew's Leader

Last evening as I was draped over my papasan chair, reading Letters to Young Churches, the phone rang. It was Jamie informing me of a young man at the front desk who wanted to see me. It was Andrew F., whom I was delighted to see not only because he is a former Leader-in-Training, but because he once had the distinction of being my LIT for one quirky afternoon. I dashed downstairs to find him standing at the desk, decked in a suit in honor of his girlfriend's junior/senior banquet, which was taking place upstairs. We chatted a bit about him, his family, and his church, until the clock hit 8:00 and he had to go to dinner.

Later, I pulled out an old journal and read my roommate the account of that fateful afternoon when I was Andrew's leader (mentor). . .

"I had Andrew F. as my LIT for about three hours this afternoon. Mr. C. has instituted this thing where the LITs have to earn the opportunity to work at McDonald's on Tuesday and Thursday. Well, several of the guy LITs didn't earn the opportunity, so most of the leaders went and their LITs stayed. Mr. C. thought they could be with Jason B., but he ended up having to type counseling notes from 1:00-4:00 PM. Jason dished Neil off on Colleen at 1:00, saying, "Your dad said to take him up to Brandon and to tell him that plans have changed."

"Where is Brandon?" she asked.

"In 607," quoth Blunk matter-of-factly.

I looked at her and hooted. "I'm not even going to offer to do that job for you," I grinned, envisioning her presenting Neil to Brandon in his room. ("Special delivery!")

So Neil went to Brandon and Don went to Daniel M. . . . When Mr. Holifield finished a job with Andrew around 2:00, he brought him in to me [in the LIT office]. "Where can we find Jason B.?" he inquired.

"Um, in counseling," I replied.

"Well, can he stay with you for half an hour or so?" Mr. Holifield asked.

There wasn't anything else to be done, so I agreed. I gave him school-type projects to work on at the middle desk in the office. Colleen was out for a while, but when she came back, I breathed a sigh of relief. "I was just wondering what I was going to do 'cause I have to to go to the bathroom," I told her. The look on Andrew's face was priceless.

"Good thing there's a waiting room in there," Colleen told him.

Of course I wouldn't have taken him into the bathroom, but I wouldn't have left him in the office, either. I would have liked to see him explain to passersby why he was standing in front of the ladies' room. He would have had to tell them he was waiting for his leader.

Mr. C. had taken Alex with him somewhere, but when he came back, he presented Colleen with her LIT. . . . Actually, she let him play a game, then played "Old Maid" with him, provoking Andrew to envy (envy about the game, not old maid status). I took pity on him around 4:00 and asked Mrs. C. if we could go outside and play basketball. . . . "I feel weird," Andrew commented as we paraded through the lobby.

"I feel weird," I responded. . . .

"I thought it might be fun this afternoon having a different leader," Andrew confessed. I think he changed his mind, especially after I made him sing the fourth verse of the National Anthem. Am I cruel? Of course not! When I asked him if he had it all memorized [for a school assignment], he bragged, "I can say it, and I can even sing it!" So he did.

"You're just lucky that girls aren't your leaders all the time," Colleen informed him. "You wouldn't get away with half the stuff you do now, and you know it!" He did because he hid behind his book.

What a long half hour.