The Summit 2015 Adventure began early Saturday morning. 17 Young Life and Wyld Life leaders met up to pile into cars loaded with coffee and baked goods. Our destination? Bagdad, Kentucky. Kaelyn, Kaitlyn and Genna jumped into my car and we started the listen-to-every-Taylor-Swift-song-ever-written marathon.
While the rest of our friends drove South through Louisville, we ended up driving South through Ohio instead. We let our friends know by sending some Ohio River and Kentucky selfies.
We took a quick detour at Choctaw Jim's because that giant buffalo and because Choctaw...
I made the girls walk around inside Choctaw Jim's and they were terrified.
Right before camp we took the friendly advice of a few elderly church members passing out free water who told us to try the Amish restaurant Main Street Cafe and Bakery for lunch.
It was quite the culinary experience and a chicken finger and french fry success. Our friend even drove over to check on us and make sure that we made it okay.
Finally we made it to Cedarmore and met up with the hundreds of Young Life leaders from all over Kentucky and Indiana aka the Raceway Region. One of the very best parts of the weekend is reuniting with Young Life friends from different areas like rock stars Emily Sell and Katie Evans.
KCraig was the speaker at our first Club of the weekend and she totally rocked it. Watching her on stage was like knowing a celebrity.
"In all of my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:4-6
It can be scary to stop everything. It's risky. We are creations designed to move and change and grow and transform.
"I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13
Live in the beautiful tension of awareness.
I love these people. We got to listen to different break out sessions and then come back together to share what we heard. Being part of the conversation together is so valuable. We've got a few years of experience behind us and we're growing and learning and living together.
"Club becomes special when... the Gospel is boldly proclaimed and lived out, leaders are excited to be there, it actually sets leaders up to be with kids, kids catch the vision, kids feel ownership and are engaged."
"No matter what we do-- we're going to have a blast with kids and show them what life with Christ can be like by the way we interact with them and with each other."
"We want to fill needs for other people, but we don't want to risk telling others our needs. Can you ask for what you need and find a way to offer it to the group?"
We ate together, we laughed together, we danced together. This weekend was awesome.
"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gifts to make you strong--that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Romans 1:11-12
We are in this together. We are part of this family--sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's difficult, but it's always worth it. I love these people.
On the way home we continued our annual Summit tradition of stopping at Cracker Barrel for lunch. Glorious macaroni and cheese, hash brown casserole, steak fries and biscuits. Long live starch and carbs. I don't know if I've ever seen such joy around a table as when we ate together this afternoon.
The only sad thing about the weekend was that I had to miss Lincoln and Redford's Super Hero birthday party. But look how awesome Linc is with his new Batman gloves that spray silly string. This is awesome.
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