I AM Project: Ruth Hueber

Have you ever loved a person so much you just wanted a pocket-size version of them to have with you at all times?  That’s how I feel about Ruth Hueber.  Her energy and bright smile draw everyone to her and it’s impossible not to laugh when she’s around.

As a Young Life Volunteer Leader, Ruth works with young people by coming alongside them and being a friend and mentor. Even at camp as a child, she was concerned about her fellow campers.

“I’ve just always had a bring-along kind of mentality,” she said.

I asked what the purpose of her ministry was and she answered, “Explaining to people that they have value that no one can take away from them.”

Her work can be exhausting, and I asked what encouraged her and gave her strength to keep going.  She thought for a moment and then began: “God shows me that He sees me, He’s pleased with me, and He loves me.  Without God, it’s all self-striving like a scared puppy.” She continued with a chuckle, “I live my life in aggressive seasons.  But He is instilling in me that I am to enjoy him.  Last year I sang to Him about everything that I was learning—and I am not a musical person!  When you sing so loud you end up coughing in the end, you know you did it right.”

“You always need to understand that the great commission isn’t about you,” Ruth said to me. “God’s will is going to happen, I just can choose to be a part of it.”

Her goal is to bring God’s heavenly desires for the people around her into their lives with her words and actions.  In the end, “People matter.”

Finally, I asked her, “Who is God in your story?” She answered quickly, “God is the definer.  He defines who we are, what we’re about, and who we’re gonna be.  Let no one else define you because it’ll always be less than.”