The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Okay, so some people heard what I said at church, but for those who didn't, I am posting about it.

Sunday through Friday, I went to Compass Ministries in Omaha with nine people from youth group. We stayed at a dormitory on a campus that is strictly for ministry purposes. The first day was mainly to get settled in and then we went to the Stephen's Homeless Shelter. I think most of us were expecting it to be a little creepy and dirty, but it turned out being clean. The people were so sweet! And get this... (Get ready for a big shocker) they were HUMAN! *gasp!* I loved helping out there, and I found out that pulling weeds and singing Veggie Tales is super fun!

On Monday, we headed to Compass. We met Miss Jenny and had a Bible Study with her, then we got to meet the kids. In the beginning of the time with them, I really struggled to simply talk with the kids because that is not my strong point. But over the week I grew more comfortable with them.

We went to The Bridge on Tuesday night, which is the hip hop youth group in the area. I'm not much into that style of music, and I am a horrible dancer, but I really enjoyed the message and the prayer groups that we formed at the beginning.

Then on Wednesday night, we went to Gravity Youth Church. I've been there once before, so it was not much of a shock. They had about 300 kids there, and the worship team is extremely talented. Even though I didn't know the words to some of the songs, I was able to simply stand there and absorb the energy of all the worshipping people around me. THAT was enough to feed my soul!

On Thursday, we went to Red Lobster and relaxed for a couple of hours. It is hard to put into words how much fun we had laughing together. I sat with Marci, Bailey, and Natalie while we ate, and we laughed almost non-stop throughout the meal. I won't mention all of the conversations we had, but you should ask one of us about Marci's cheddar biscuits sometime. It is a hilarious story! :))

On Friday we took the kids to Fontanelle Forest for a field trip. We got eaten alive by mosquitoes, but it was worth it for me because I had so much fun with my buddy, YaYa. She clung to my hand for most of the hike and chattered away with a smile on her face. It felt so good to know that she was having fun with me. :)

Friday was also our last day. It was very hard to say goodbye, but we knew that we'd be coming back to help again.

Okay, now for the important parts--what I actually experienced. While I was with the kids, I often helped with chapel. Over the week, kids got closer to us and wanted to snuggle up. I have never been one to enjoy snuggle time, so God really gentled me to it last week. I slowly felt more comfortable with it and now it isn't so bad. :) One of my favorite times of the day was always recess. I played basketball with some of the kids a lot, and even though they were way better than me, they didn't judge me for stinking at shooting hoops. They simply loved having me take the time to play with them.

During our Bible Studies with Miss Jenny, we learned spiritual disciplines. I learned once again how powerful silence can be (even if the lights are turned off and a couple people start snoring!), and I also was deeply hit by praying Scripture. The power of the Word was constantly emphasized last week, and I don't see how I can ignore that anymore! It was often an emotional time for some of us, including me.

At night in the dorm, we would have circle time. This was a very intimate way of sharing our highlights of the day and also what we felt like God was doing in our lives. There were sometimes a few tears, but we were mostly doing a lot of laughing, praying, and building each other up. Through this time, which was often from about 9:30 at night to about 11:00, we got a lot closer to each other and revealed things that often had been buried inside for a long time.

One of my favorite parts about being in the dorm was rooming with Amanda. I had known her before the trip, but I was never very close to her. Through two different nights of staying up late talking, we both told each other things that were very personal. I know for me, a trust level was built that first night. Most of what we talked about did not require lots of giggles. As my sister said, “We got deep pretty quick.”

The biggest thing that I took away from last week was that I needed to be willing to pray with confidence in front of other people. Over the week, Connie asked us to pray more and more in front of each other. It was hard for some of us, but it got easier as we grew more used to it.

A huge thing that happened this week was the development of a lasting bond among our group. While not all of us attend the same church, we are still able to communicate through texting, calling, and Facebook. We are a serving group…there will be other times that we come together in order to serve. Even when we are not serving the Stephen’s Center or Compass Ministries, we will still be able to unite as a group to help others. I am excited to see how we continue to grow in our relationships with each other and with God.

Friday, June 10^th was the first day of the rest of my life.