Being part of something that matters

A year ago I was just starting to meet with Jon Houghton and a small group of moms. We started the conversation about bringing Young Life to HSE High School and what that would look like. We prayed and gathered more people and shared this dream and God continued to show up in big ways.

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call on me, and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

We took kids to Wyld Life camp this summer and have been doing contact work since school began, but tonight was the very first Campaigners. It felt huge. My anticipation and excitement were so high and I wasn't sure what to expect. The coolest thing today was watching YL kids post and comment on Instagram. I'm so encouraged by how these kids have gotten hooked on Young Life, gotten hooked on God, and they want to share it with their friends. They want more people to find what they've discovered. It's contagious.

So tonight I got to sit around a table and share dinner with the people that will be the leaders for this team. We ate together and laughed a lot and told our stories and shared our dreams for YL and could have kept on talking for hours more but the kids began to show up. And the kids were exactly why were there.

On nights like tonight I wonder why I ever doubt that God knows exactly what he's doing. I've been praying for kids, sometimes by name and sometimes in general, but trusting that God would get kids here that need this place and this community.

I asked the girls from my cabin about their dreams for YL a couple weeks ago and tonight I saw some of their dreams coming true. We had Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors gathered together. There were people from different groups of friends. There were people who had never heard of YL before that came just to check it out and said they loved it when they left.

We talked in our group about a community of Christians and how powerful that can be. It is already happening here. God is alive and at work and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I love that when I first started teaching, before YL was even a dream, God already knew that someday Saba and Natalie and I would be doing this together. I love that this group of guys showed up tonight and that they brought their friends along. I love that Haleigh and I got to go to camp together this summer and that we have four whole years to keep living life together.

I didn't expect to see Kylie and Hannah or Ali and Hallie show up tonight but was thrilled when they walked through the door.

If we never grew bigger than the group we had tonight that would be enough, that would be more than enough. Of course we want to reach as many kids in this school as we can but I'm so thankful for what has already happened up to this point. Tonight God was glorified through our conversation in groups, encouragement like "the Bible is actually really cool--I love reading it now", singing "Holy Is the Lord" together and coming together as a community where everyone is welcome.

When we went around saying our highs and lows almost every person mentioned how excited they were to be here tonight. Their is something so exciting about being part of this-- being part of something that matters, being part of something that brings life, being part of something that makes life better. Tonight was such an answer to prayer.