The message from last Sunday's Youth Day Service is still imprinted on my mind. It was a celebration of youth, and the pastor spoke on the different types of youths present in today's society - the poseurs, the muggers, the emo, the sporty, the cool...

Then he shared personal stories of the youths in church, to illustrate how some of them have grown in stature over the years.

The story of one particular youth brought tears to my eyes. Fast and furious they flowed; uncontrollably, and unashamedly.

This was the story of someone I have been mentoring since I first answered God's call and entered youth ministry five years ago. He was then an ordinary youth who was one day chosen to be a leader because he was a year older than the others. The journey has been long, and I still retain many fond memories of the times spent together over the years, as I started a mentoring relationship with him and other youth leaders. Since then, this youth has grown much in stature, and it still brings tears to my eyes as I reflect on the key milestones in his life - footprints in his life which I know that God had honoured me with - by using me as His instrument to shape the life of this youth.

It dawned upon me then that I have been serving in the youth ministry for the past five years. On reflection, this constitutes one-sixth of my physical life, and it's indeed no small part. Looking back, I don't think I would ever have imagined that God would take me down this path. I remember the first youth camp that I helped out in so many years ago and the intensity of the emotions then still brings tears to my eyes now - just as it had brought tears to my eyes then - when as youth leaders, we cried our hearts out as we prayed for the youths of this generation.

As I started to dry my tears during the service last Sunday, I was again reminded of God's call in my life - to be a minister to young people in need of Him, and to mentor young leaders to walk the way of Christ. This is something I know I want to continue doing all my life - or at least as long as He continues to call me in this direction.

It's been a few months now since the senior youths in my church came together as a cohort, leaving their previous cell groups for the newly-formed Senior Zone which comprises three new cell groups. It has indeed been a joy for me to take up the role of mentoring the leaders of these groups on a fortnightly basis together with two other adult leaders.

Over the course of these past few months, we have seen old bonds strengthening, new friendships forming and newcomers receiving Christ as their personal Saviour. That these youths have since integrated with the rest of the youths has been really wonderful for us, and it’s truly been an honour and a privilege to partner with God in the entire process.

The life of every group goes through four stages - forming, norming, storming and performing. I feel that the current Senior Zone has made it through the forming stage – when its members begin to get comfortable with each other, and are now at the norming stage – when the members begin to form regular routines and establish a modus operandi and group culture. My prayer is that the group will steady itself as it goes through the storming stage – when the group encounters trials, and eventually settle into the performing stage – when group members are finally able to realise their fullest potential.