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Payroll manager's work
with youth pays off

Building relationships is her No. 1 goal

Debbie Speer spends her working hours in her office in the administration building. Miss Speer fills her working space with touches of warmth: a small plant and a watering pitcher rest near the window, pictures of her family and her trip to Yellowstone Park fill the bulletin board and office wall, and a tree-peppered print that simply states "Possibilities" with a quote from Robert Frost hangs next to the door.

Although Miss Speer has spent more than five years working for Multnomah Bible College and Multnomah Biblical Seminary -- a majority of the years as the payroll manager -- her career at MBC fills only a portion of her life. While some people may go home and kick off their shoes after a long and grueling day at work, Miss Speer keeps busy. Very busy.

She describes herself as a friendly, athletic and tender-hearted person full of concern for others. She also thinks of herself as a people-person who gets excited when others are excited. She loves to have fun.

This year, Miss Speer begins her fourth year of coaching junior high varsity and varsity volleyball teams at Damascus Christian School. Having played volleyball since junior high herself, she thought that teaching volleyball would be fun.

Miss Speer did not have coaching experience when she started coaching at the school. At first, she said she felt "overwhelmed with coaching but extremely in love with it at the get go. It is such a privilege to teach something that I enjoy."

Miss Speer teaches her girls the techniques needed to compete, but she also teaches them how to have fun in the sport by holding an overnighter at her home so the girls can laugh and relax away from school.

Last year, her team placed third in the Casco League, an A league for small schools. With a season that lasts from the end of August to the beginning of November, Miss Speer feels joy when her girls begin looking forward to the next year's season, sometimes as early as December.

Besides her involvement with volleyball, Miss Speer spends much of her time after work helping out in Wood Village Baptist's youth program.

She worked with several different age brackets before she knew she belonged with junior highers. On her first day working with the youth, she said, "I felt like I fit. It felt natural. It's so easy to get into their lives if you just accept them for who they are. They take you for your word. They're willing and open to be themselves." That was six years ago.

The youth program follows a rotating teaching schedule, so Miss Speer might teach on Sundays for one month, two or three times a year. In one rotation, she taught about prayer.

Miss Speer said she was greatly influenced by youth leaders she had while growing up. The ones who affected her most spent time with her beyond the routine Sunday and Wednesday meetings. Miss Speer tries to do the same.

She said the most enjoyable part of her work is "doing life with them [the junior highers]." She "does life" with them by going out for ice cream, having sleepovers, shopping, camping or going to the beach. Building relationships is her No. 1 goal.

"I think they look up to me more than I realize," she said. "I'm surprised by the respect I receive from parents. It's an honor but also a big load. They are entrusting me with their child's life. It's very humbling."

Watching the youth grow in maturity in a short period of time causes Miss Speer to feel privileged. She said about half of the young people in the high school program participated in the junior high program, which gives Miss Speer the opportunity to see the results of her labor.

She said she sees them continuing to pursue their relationship with the Lord at a time when many young people tend to fall in and out of church. "Their walk with the Lord wasn't all just fun and games," Miss Speer said.

Miss Speer meets weekly with Megan Hughes, 17, to disciple her. They meet for breakfast at Miss Speer's home before attending church every Sunday. "We meet at her house, talk for a few minutes and make breakfast," Miss Hughes said. " Sometimes we have muffins or eggs. We haven't had pancakes yet, but that's a good idea."

During their one-hour session, they go over chapters from James Dobson's book "Life on the Edge." Before they get together, they read one or two chapters of the book and then discuss what they read and answer questions Miss Hughes might have.

They talk about their physical and spiritual goals. They pray several times during their time together. "We keep tabs on each other," Miss Speer said.

Miss Speer taught Miss Hughes to "expect the unexpected and have fun in everything," Miss Hughes said. She adds that Miss Speer helps her to see that her plans may not be God's plans and to be open to His will for her life. Miss Speer has inspired Miss Hughes to keep her focus on God no matter where she is or what she is doing, Miss Hughes said.

Such a filled and busy life presents many hurdles for Miss Speer, especially juggling her time. She catches herself saying "yes" to young people for one outing or another because she knows how much joy the experience brings to herself and the youth.

However, she said she needs to have time to herself. "It varies on how much," she said. "It depends on how much sleep I've gotten. I'm pretty content to have one night a week or even a few hours when I can get things back together. Many times I don't even get one night a week."

During these times, Miss Speer attempts to squeeze in solitude whenever she can.

By the end of the volleyball season, Miss Speer said she feels drained and is not "the coach or person I want to be. You've got to know your capabilities. Sometimes it's more beneficial to rest," she said. Despite her busy life, Miss Speer said she deals with loneliness. She said she sometime longs for adult interaction.

Her parents have lived out of state for the last three years. She talks with them often over the phone but still feels lonely at times. She concedes that their absence is perhaps part of the reason she remains so busy.

Miss Speer also struggles with what she calls the "realm of singleness." She said she tires of making decisions on her own on everyday things such as whether or not to invest into a certain type of housing or what to do about car repairs. She said she can make the decisions on her own, but she desires someone to stand alongside her.

Yet she sees the benefits of her singleness. She said she can pour her life into other people and what they become. She said three-fourths of the things she does would prove impossible if she were married.

She longs to know God more. She wants to talk to him and seek him. "I want to see what He's doing in everyone's life, not just in mine," Miss Speer said.

She recalled when she first accepted Jesus into her heart. Her father explained to the 6-year-old girl about how Jesus died on the cross. Miss Speer remembers crying and asking, "Why would He do that?" She then prayed with her mother.

Now Miss Speer's goal is to continue developing a closer walk with God. She wants to memorize more scripture and "continue to be useful. I want to be a worthy vessel for his purpose," she said.

Miss Hughes said Miss Speer is a good friend. Miss Speer's influence has helped her make good choices in her life, she said. She wishes Miss Speer "happiness and that she'll keep her focus on God."






Debbie Speer (far right) went to Canada with (from left to right) Megan Hughes, Holly Sloop and Katie Dixon (bottom), along with others from her youth group.