Year after year we have watched little freshmen walk into youth group...unsure, unsettled...nervous...scared...excited...and quite honestly...a bit immature! :-)
Then...as the weeks and months fly by...they settle in...learn who they are...and spread their wings.
All the while...we love on them, pray for them, teach them, laugh with them, cry with them, confront them, challenge them...and give all our energy and passion to their discipleship.
And in what seems like a moment...they are donning their cap and gown...beaming with excitement...and bidding us farewell as they are off to their new adventure.
It is a bittersweet process.
One that involves a give and take...a letting go...and a leap of faith.
But this year...is different.
This year, we will say farewell...not just to our seniors...but our juniors...our sophomores...and our freshmen.
This year...we are the ones that are on to a new adventure.
We are the ones letting go. Taking a leap of faith.
We are bidding farewell.
I can still remember walking into the "youth" room...wondering if this is what God was calling us to do.
And walking out...thirty minutes later...knowing that this was going to be hard. Really hard.
Little did I know all that God had prepared for us in the years to come!!!
Jason, obviously, is a natural at adapting.
He can be cool, crazy and intensely serious all within a thirty-second window.
I had a bit of a harder time adjusting. It was easy for me to be crazy...but cool? That was never me.
God began to show me...it wasn't about being another "friend" in their life. Most of them had plenty.
No...they needed more than that.
Taking time to listen to their hearts...spending time breaking down the Word with them...and holding them accountable to commitments made...that became my priority.
There were definitely high times and low times.
Times of great exhilaration to see our "children" walking in the truth.
And other times of great sorrow and discouragement as those we had prayed over and mentored...chose to abandon their first love.
But the relationships we have formed...will be with us forever.
We will not say farewell to those students that have worked their way into our hearts.
Have become to us like our own children. Those will continue to grow...but on a different level.
It is not unusual to get a phone call, email, text...or even a visit from our former students.
Some just want to catch up...share exciting stories...life-changing events...others need a bit of a truth-slap-down and know they can always count on us to do it.
These relationships have transformed over time also...changing from mentorship to friendship.
Watching these former students take on life's biggest challenges...watching their faith become their own...watching them learn to run to their Savior for every need...that is the sweetest harvest.
We could not have done the youth group without those that faithfully served alongside of us.
These are the friendships that became our backbone.
Giving up their vacation time, their free time, their social time, and sometimes...their sanity...they willingly "held up" Jason's arms throughout the ministry. (Exodus 17)
They were our biggest cheer-leaders...our loudest affirmation...and our constant support.
Having these devoted friends...made camps more fun...lock-ins more bearable...and our load lighter!
Some of them had never worked with high school students before...but they jumped in with both feet and were willing to learn and willing to open up their hearts.
Camps were always the highlight of the year.
So much preparation for such a short amount of time.
But the relationships formed...the decisions made...and the TRUTH proclaimed made these weeks the most memorable of the ministry.
And what would youth ministry be without all the crazy events...
and missions trips...
Nicaragua...
Mission @ Charlotte...
NYC...
Columbia...
These trips proved to be the catalyst for several of our students' decision to enter into full-time ministry.
An amazing time of servanthood, humbling, and grace.
Two out of our four children were born while serving in the youth ministry...so we watched our own children grow and learn and "play" alongside the high school students...
Having our students studying the Bible in our home throughout the
summers was probably Jason's favorite thing.
This was a smaller group.
Only a dedicated few gave up precious time in the summer to dig deeper into God's truth.
But we LOVED these evenings!
When working with youth...it becomes inevitable that their lives are changing at warp speed.
Watching them grow up...sending them off to college...and eventually getting the call...
to invite you to their wedding!!!
It is incredibly humbling to watch those you've ministered to, prayed with, cried with, and laughed with...
...enter into one of the biggest decisions of their lives...and allow you to be a part of it.
Nothing could prepare me for the challenges and joys of serving in the youth ministry.
Serving alongside of my husband brought me to a new understanding of his gifts and calling.
It allowed me to see him...being used by the Holy Spirit...completely sold out for the Lord...humbly serving at all costs.
Standing alongside of him...watching him grow in his faith and gifts...
has opened my heart to the possibilities ahead.
Submitting to Christ's authority over our family...he has obediently gone wherever God has asked.
I am so blessed to have served with him during this chapter of our lives.
But more than anything else...this journey has brought many different treasures in my walk with the Lord.
Being accountable to a higher standard...that of teacher, role-model, mentor...caused me to take a hard look at all areas of my life. Most of which were not up to par.
My love for the Word and the need to really dig deeper and study began to change my heart. My need for grace and compassion opened my eyes to those in need of the same.
Working in the youth ministry brought me face to face with painful situations...ones that aren't even imaginable. Car accidents, family emergencies, fatal illnesses, horrible abuse, traumatizing circumstances...all hidden in our students' hearts. My understanding of God and His grace changed dramatically.
Reconciling pain with His nature and goodness became a new element in my faith.
Lessons that cannot be learned without the blessing of a hundred high school students filling my life...ones that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world!
I am a different person because of this journey we've been on.
So as we say farewell to this ministry...we are so very thankful to have been chosen and called to serve for the time given.
The students and leaders will always be engraved on our hearts and will continue to fill our prayers.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you.
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.
Colossians 1:9-12
Farewell!!!
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