Pastor Tia Felberg texted the Youth Worker Hall of Fame award announcement to Kim and other church members.

Kim Gross was walking into her granddaughter's play when she received an unexpected message from her pastor, who was attending the Annual Conference in Bismarck. It was a picture of a screen showing her as the Youth Worker Hall of Fame award recipient.

"Everyone was so excited, and I was just taken off guard."

Kim may have been surprised to receive this honor, but others recognize the impact she has made in the lives of youth for several decades.

As the award nomination form described, "Kim has been a mentor for numerous students, whether for confirmation or senior project. There are numerous kids who look up to her and call her to talk and ask advice."

"Kim is kind and caring and goes out of her way to make sure youth feel loved and valued," they wrote. "She prays often for them, and she is truly the hands and feet of Christ."

Kim's work in youth ministry started as a natural progression of serving in her local United Methodist Church in Iroquois, South Dakota.

She began helping with children's ministry when her kids were little and kept moving into the older age groups as they grew up. "I moved up to middle school and then high school," she recalled. "Everybody else was afraid to work with the older kids, but I found that you learn more when you do that because you have to challenge yourself."

"I just found it's good for me, too."

God next opened the door to minister to youth of the community through FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). After the coach who started the program in Iroquois moved away, Kim joined her sister, brother-in-law, and some other parents in stepping up to keep the program going.

"I went as a support system for food and just to be there for breakout groups or whatever," she recalled.

After her sister retired from the school system and moved to Huron, the program didn't continue.

But a couple of years later, God's invitation back into youth ministry came through another mom who approached her about starting up a youth group again. With that, ACT (Area Christian Teen) was born.

Once again, she started in a support role. But after the other mom got busy with needs around the farm, Kim stepped through the next door that God was opening—taking over the teaching and planning roles of the group.

As she reflected on her journey to leading youth ministry, she saw how God had prepared her.

"He didn't plunge me into it green," she explained. "My sister was my mentor in ways when it came to my faith journey. I felt like God had me helping her until I was equipped to do it myself."

Kim Gross shares the devotional message at the Iroquois High School baccalaureate meal.

Looking back and seeing God's fingerprints throughout her story is a common theme throughout Kim's walk of faith and service.

"I feel really strongly, when it came to youth ministry, I could see God's hands in it," she explained.

Hindsight has provided that affirmation of God working in and through her, but so have the words of appreciation from youth or their families—something that has fueled her commitment to continuing to serve.

"Every year, I think about whether or not I should continue it and whether I'm being effective and if somebody else would do a better job," she shared. "But then I see a student or a youth group member from another time or another year, and they tell me what a difference it made to them and that they enjoyed it so much, and they hope I still do it for the other kids."

"And I'm like, 'OK God, you keep giving me these signs. I will keep doing it. I just want to be effective. I want to serve you. I want to disciple these kids.'"

So she continues to serve and is delightfully surprised by the response of these teens as she opens her heart and her home to them.

"I can't believe that all these kids come to my house, to this lady who's 65 years old. It just blows my mind."

She hopes her service will translate into a foundation of discipleship and seeds of faith that will grow beyond her time with these young people.

"I tell the kids, 'I know you're not going to remember everything I say or that I share in the lessons," she said. "But mustard seeds were important in Jesus' time, and they're important today. And if I can share one mustard seed with you to help you in years ahead—something that you can draw from and fall back on and remember, something that helps you through something—it's all worth it to me.'"