Inspired By You letters give teens an opportunity to reflect on a person who has inspired them. They are also an opportunity to inspire themselves! This activity goes well with a youth ministry meeting focused on the Holy Spirit or on Scripture as the inspired Word of God. It could also be used as part of a Confirmation program.
In this activity, teens write one letter to a person who has inspired them in their faith journey. And they write a second letter to themselves, to inspire them to keep the Light of Christ burning brightly within themselves.
Inspired By You Letters
Materials
- Stationary
- Envelopes
- Pens
- Stamps
Instructions
First, have each teen write a letter to a person in their life who has inspired them in their faith journey. Suggestions include parents, grandparents, priests, religious, teachers, friends, coaches, club moderators, Scout leaders, etc. The letter should include some concrete examples of how this person is an inspiration. Here are some questions to help them:
- How is this person a model of faith?
- Is there a challenge this person has faced in life with the help of faith?
- How is this person involved in their parish?
- Do you see evidence of the power of the sacraments or scripture in his or her life?
- Does this person speak about their faith?
The letter should include a “thank you” for being an inspiration. The teens should take these letters with them and give them or mail them to the person. Follow up in a week to ask them if they have done this.
Next, have each teen write a letter to themselves, to be mailed at a future date. This should be far enough in the future that it comes as a surprise when they receive it, but not so far that the youth minister forgets to mail it. 🙂 Six months to a year is a good time frame. For a Confirmation program, this could be mailed on the one year anniversary of their Confirmation.
For this letter, they should encourage themselves to continue to live their faith and to inspire others. Here are some questions to get them started:
- Where do I want my faith life to be in a year?
- What prayer habits or other actions am I starting now that I still hope to be doing in the future?
- Am I feeling a call to conversion? If so, how will I act on it?
- Is there some burden I am carrying now that I hope to let go of?
- Is there a gift from God in my life that I want to remember to be thankful for?
- How do I hope to grow during my faith journey?
Let the teens put the letters in the envelopes, seal them, and write their names on the envelope. These letters are for their eyes only. And then mail them to them at a future date.
