3 Effective Questions
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Something a Little Different...
Hi everyone! I'm writing this week from Camp Iroquoina in Hallstead, PA, where I'm speaking for two weeks at Boys Camp. This email shares an idea with you that I began using many years ago.
While working at Camp Fireside in NH one year, I set aside time to talk individually with the oldest group of boys. To facilitate the conversations, I told them I would ask them 3 questions:
What's going well in your life right now? (What are you happy about? What's happening that's good? Etc.)
What's hard in your life right now? (What are you struggling with? What challenges are you facing? Etc.)
How else can I pray for you?
This ended up being very effective, and I've used it many times since then both at camps and in schools.
How To Use It
The order is important. Start with the easy one!
When they sense your genuine interest and willingness to listen when they share the positive things going on in their lives, it will feel safer to honestly answer the second question - the harder question.
The third question gives them a chance to share anything else that may be on their mind.
You can use these questions for a one-time conversation or an occasional "check-in."
When I ask campers these questions, sometime it's their only year at camp, and other times they return year after year. It's effective to use one time or several times with the same young person.
If you're a parent, grandparent, or mentor, you could use these questions to occasionally check in with a young person - maybe once a month or once a quarter. It provides an easy framework for a personal, spiritual conversation, and it gives you an opportunity to follow up on anything they shared the last time.
Close in prayer.
Pray with them, rather than just saying you'll pray for them.
Please pray for a fruitful two weeks at camp. Thanks!