Emerge 2010 I had the pleasure of being a part of Emerge 2010. Emerge is a retreat for High School students looking to grow their relationship with God. I am in awe of many of these students. Some come because a friend invited them, some because their parents signed them up, some because it’s a weekend away from home, some because of that cute boy/girl and some because they know they will get an entire weekend getting filled with some great talks, tons of fun and worship music that honestly, while performed by volunteers, would put any recording artist to shame!
The band heads up Friday mid-morning to set up and prepare themselves for two charter buses filled with students and adult leaders! As an adult leader, I prepare myself for little sleep and camp food! I open my heart to allow God to use me. I open my heart to allow God to work on me.
Friday night we arrive about 8:45pm. Students looking for their bags in the dark is always an adventure! Someone always ends up with another persons “black trashbag”, no matter how decorated it is! We get settled in our cabins, make our little home away from home and head out to our first session!
I had one of my regular small group girls on this trip and was assigned some new faces! Another leader and I chose to combine our groups. I knew that I was meant to step out of my comfort zone this weekend. I will tell you that the leader I combined with is WONDERFUL but very different than me. To be 100% honest, she isn’t someone that I would normally feel drawn to lead with. She and I are so different and so are our girls. Or so I thought…. When she and I were texting, “I’m ok with combining, how about you?”, “I can do whatever works” etc. I heard God say “yes, combine” so I text back, “let’s combine!” I will tell you, listening to God was THE BEST thing I did. Not only are we incredibly similar, I learned from her that I need to push my girls more. I learned from her that it’s ok to continually ask the tough questions. I learned that our girls are very much alike and the one common ground is their love of God. They also share their fears, their insecurities, their laughter, etc. Combining our group was the best thing for me and for our girls. We tend to get into our “group” and not allow others in when in reality, we learn so much from each other. Christiane, thank you for who you are and for what you do. Thank you for your fierce loyalty to your girls and to all the students in Velocity. Thank you for your energy and the humor you bring. Thank you for allowing me to learn and grow this weekend.
Saturday is the biggest day. We have a morning session, worship, breakout sessions, lunch and then about 4 hours of free time/activities. I usually do activities but decided that I wanted to hang out with students. I did do the zip line with 4 girls in our group and had the best time! I played Sequence with a girl that had never played before (thinking it would be an easy win for me, she was quite challenging!) I watched one of my girls participate in Paintball. I took my camera and got some fun pics! I was allowed in the game wearing a “yellow” mask which told the players not to shoot at me. I was still fearful for my life! I was fortunate enough to get to know some leaders better which is always a bonus! I was able to talk to a 10th grade student named David who told me that he listens to Dave Ramsey, saves his money when he wants to purchase something and doesn’t want to be in debt as an adult. I’d love to meet his parents and give them a big hug for raising an incredibly responsible young man!
Saturday night we go back for another session after dinner and get to listen to the best Worship music ever! The band that came for the weekend pour their hearts into what they do. For all but one of them, this is what they do on the side. They do all of this because God has given them an amazing talent and they chose to share that talent with 85+ students and leaders. It was a weekend commitment that they chose to do. They could have stayed home and spent time with their family/friends or working or studying or whatever else they have to do! I am certain that if you were to ask any of them, they will tell you that they were blessed. They will tell you that they were thrilled to have had the opportunity to do what they did. This is just the kind of people they are. I am thankful and I thank each one of them; Josh, Katy, Drew, Tommy, Ben and Justin. Thank you for your hard work!
It was great to see God work in the lives of these students. To listen to them talk about how they wanted to make a difference. They want to stand apart from the crowd. They want to help the hurting. They want to be role models. They want to be an example in their walk. They don’t want to try and convince their friends to “Get Jesus”, they want people to look at them and say, “hey, they’re different, I wonder why?”
As I leave the retreat completely exhausted, I always think, “I can’t wait until the next one!” When I return home I’m thankful for not having to wear flip flops in the shower. I’m thankful for my bed. I’m thankful to no longer eat the food there. I am thankful for strong coffee. But I have to tell you, I’d do it all again next week-end!
The band heads up Friday mid-morning to set up and prepare themselves for two charter buses filled with students and adult leaders! As an adult leader, I prepare myself for little sleep and camp food! I open my heart to allow God to use me. I open my heart to allow God to work on me.
Friday night we arrive about 8:45pm. Students looking for their bags in the dark is always an adventure! Someone always ends up with another persons “black trashbag”, no matter how decorated it is! We get settled in our cabins, make our little home away from home and head out to our first session!
I had one of my regular small group girls on this trip and was assigned some new faces! Another leader and I chose to combine our groups. I knew that I was meant to step out of my comfort zone this weekend. I will tell you that the leader I combined with is WONDERFUL but very different than me. To be 100% honest, she isn’t someone that I would normally feel drawn to lead with. She and I are so different and so are our girls. Or so I thought…. When she and I were texting, “I’m ok with combining, how about you?”, “I can do whatever works” etc. I heard God say “yes, combine” so I text back, “let’s combine!” I will tell you, listening to God was THE BEST thing I did. Not only are we incredibly similar, I learned from her that I need to push my girls more. I learned from her that it’s ok to continually ask the tough questions. I learned that our girls are very much alike and the one common ground is their love of God. They also share their fears, their insecurities, their laughter, etc. Combining our group was the best thing for me and for our girls. We tend to get into our “group” and not allow others in when in reality, we learn so much from each other. Christiane, thank you for who you are and for what you do. Thank you for your fierce loyalty to your girls and to all the students in Velocity. Thank you for your energy and the humor you bring. Thank you for allowing me to learn and grow this weekend.
Saturday is the biggest day. We have a morning session, worship, breakout sessions, lunch and then about 4 hours of free time/activities. I usually do activities but decided that I wanted to hang out with students. I did do the zip line with 4 girls in our group and had the best time! I played Sequence with a girl that had never played before (thinking it would be an easy win for me, she was quite challenging!) I watched one of my girls participate in Paintball. I took my camera and got some fun pics! I was allowed in the game wearing a “yellow” mask which told the players not to shoot at me. I was still fearful for my life! I was fortunate enough to get to know some leaders better which is always a bonus! I was able to talk to a 10th grade student named David who told me that he listens to Dave Ramsey, saves his money when he wants to purchase something and doesn’t want to be in debt as an adult. I’d love to meet his parents and give them a big hug for raising an incredibly responsible young man!
Saturday night we go back for another session after dinner and get to listen to the best Worship music ever! The band that came for the weekend pour their hearts into what they do. For all but one of them, this is what they do on the side. They do all of this because God has given them an amazing talent and they chose to share that talent with 85+ students and leaders. It was a weekend commitment that they chose to do. They could have stayed home and spent time with their family/friends or working or studying or whatever else they have to do! I am certain that if you were to ask any of them, they will tell you that they were blessed. They will tell you that they were thrilled to have had the opportunity to do what they did. This is just the kind of people they are. I am thankful and I thank each one of them; Josh, Katy, Drew, Tommy, Ben and Justin. Thank you for your hard work!
It was great to see God work in the lives of these students. To listen to them talk about how they wanted to make a difference. They want to stand apart from the crowd. They want to help the hurting. They want to be role models. They want to be an example in their walk. They don’t want to try and convince their friends to “Get Jesus”, they want people to look at them and say, “hey, they’re different, I wonder why?”
As I leave the retreat completely exhausted, I always think, “I can’t wait until the next one!” When I return home I’m thankful for not having to wear flip flops in the shower. I’m thankful for my bed. I’m thankful to no longer eat the food there. I am thankful for strong coffee. But I have to tell you, I’d do it all again next week-end!
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