Work is really hard at the moment....

Well I should start off by saying I love working with teenagers. I'm not sure if I would say I am 'Called', but definitely have a gift. This gifting is part due to experience and part personality. This was always a struggle at school when asked when you were called, because in part I believe everyone is called to do good work. To separate those in full time ministry and those not merely put up walls for christian conversations on the Christian life.

I am a treatment worker at treatment centre for teens with addictions and co-occurring disorders. I guess sometimes I wonder how people get into this line of work, because one does not get a lot of money. In reading Donald Miller, I started to ask more why questions that many of the people at work have answered similarly. However, it seems we have a few staff who have lost that visions and because a job not a way of life. One of the staff constantly engages in power struggles with the teens and get them kicked out of the program, if she doesn't like them. I struggle how to address this because I think she does a good job as a counsellor. However, she does create tension and conflict for the teens and hinders the healing for redemptive work that can happen.

Well we have team meeting tomorrow, I believe a lot of the tension will come to head tomorrow. This weekend everything came to a head as the staff got a teen discharge for basically swearing at her, when she called a house meeting on rumors. To make the story short she started accusing the guys of obtaining drugs, which led the guys to react strongly and swear at her. I am not defending the guys for swearing, but being sworn at is an everyday occurrence at work.

I guess this is sort of a prayer request. I've been doing a lot of praying about the situation, mostly how to address the situation in a loving, peaceful, and Christ like fashion. I firmly believe that this staff is a toxic influence for our therapeutic community.