I don't even know where to begin. Fall Weekend was wild, exhausting, fun, intense and left us with a ton of vision and momentum about our next steps with Young Life in Franklin County. When all was said and done we ended up with a total of 28 people from FranCo signed up for Rockbridge. This was my first Fall Weekend taking kids to camp so I was hoping that all my ducks were in a row. The biggest question mark that came together at the last second was the bus.
Originally we didn't think that we would need a bus. It was our first year taking kids, and a few places that we asked were out of our price range. I figured with 4 leaders we could take a couple cars of kids with us driving. That was before we had twenty kids sign up in two days. We then realized we needed to find a bus. Luckily at the 11th hour we found a bus, our own driver for the bus and were approved with the insurance the day of Fall Weekend. The last step was to get the bus to the YMCA parking lot where we were to meet kids at 6:30. And then the bus wouldn't start.
We spent a half an hour trying to figure out what the heck to do. The bus was in one parking lot, the kids were in another and it was freezing outside. As the minutes ticked on half of our leaders and committee were at the bus with our driver trying to figure out what was wrong while the other half hung out with kids and tried to reassure parents who probably wondered if we knew what we were doing. Just as we decided to pack into cars with our leaders and committee driving, the problem was found. In a school bus all of the emergency exits must be perfectly locked AND the driver seatbelt must be on. We now know this.
Finally, 45 minutes late, the bus rolled around the corner to cheers from kids and parents alike. Undeterred we clambered on the bus, made a quick headcount and checked for health forms, and started our journey to the greatest place on Earth; Rockbridge.
Word of mouth spread pretty quick in Franklin so many kids that we didn't know previously made the trip. Kerry and Becca had never met 95% of the girls on the bus while I only knew about half of the guys. Ben was taking a late car down with our three varsity basketball players, a cheerleader and her good friend Jill. The bus ride became a rallying point. We made Franklin County chants, did our best to get on the phone line with Delilah, our favorite radio show host, and ate countless cookies provided by our committee and parents.
My favorite part was that most of the kids had no idea what Young Life even was. They were there simply on somebodies word that it was going to be the best weekend of there life. A certain guy was introduced to me by Alan Janney, a teacher at FCHS, who said he should go. He walked into the room, was introduced to me, Mr. Janney told him he should go to the weekend and he looked at me and said, "You think I should go?"Having just met him I said "I guarantee it'll be the best weekend of your life." He turned his form in the very next day. On the way up the kids asked a million questions just wanting to know what it would look like so we continued to be cryptic not wanting to ruin any surprises.
Finally we rolled into the gates of Rockbridge and pulled up to the entrance tent as the kids marveled through the windows of the place we had just arrived at. We had made it.
To be continued . . . Sorry, but I'm in the yearbook classroom and I have to leave! But I'll try to finish this story soon!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The Engagement Part II
I picked her up around 1:30 and was calmer than I expected to be. We headed out to get something to eat and I suggested Panera, a place I knew she loved and a place I knew would by light on my nervous stomach. I insisted we go to the Christiansburg Panera, rather than the one much closer in Blacksburg, saying that it was better, but really I just wanted to buy some time. Usually I'm a very quick eater but I took my time while intermittently checking my phone making sure that all parties were on the same page. Luckily Becca thought that I was checking the score of the Tech game. Finally she noted that we had been at Panera forever, so I began our tour of Christiansburg.
I really had no idea where to take her. Most of the places I could think of we had already been. So I told her since we'd been to those places at night I wanted to show them to her in the day time. Seriously, I was stretching for everything. We went to the house I grew up in, a bridge my dad used to take me, the new house my brother and his wife bought, and my brother's sister-in-law's house. I was desperate. I told Brendan we would be there at 4, so finally at 3:35 we headed back for Blacksburg.
When Becca and I first started hanging out we had a few run-ins with the police. It started on our first date when I got pulled over for my tags being expired. It was then that Becca told me how much she HATED being pulled over. I've never known someone who hated run-ins with the cops so much. The next two times we hung out after our first date we also got pulled over; three times in the first week of us hanging out. I finally got my tags changed knowing that if I got pulled over again with her in the car she would probably never drive with me again.
This is important because of what happened on the ride back. As previously stated it was the day of the Tech vs. UVA football game, a game that VT traditionally wins regardless of how terrible a season they are having. Becca said at one point that if UVA won it would be the worst day ever. While I knew she was joking, I desperately wanted Tech to win. As the Hokies drove down with the final seconds ticking away and the score tied up they took a time out to set up the field goal with four seconds left as we listened on the radio. It was then I noticed the police car behind me with it's lights on. The problem? My tags were expired. I love when things come full circle.
So as the officer wrote me a ticket we listened to the Hokies kick the game winning field goal before finishing things with the cop. We then FINALLY made our final push towards the Chapel. Now, Becca didn't know that was where we were going. But I knew if I hinted enough about me playing piano for her she would ask me too, and in that case there was only one place I could take her with a piano; the Chapel. So I hinted, she asked, and away we went. We parked in an illegal spot but as we walked into the Chapel I dropped the keys outside the door so our friend Ben could move it without her noticing. Together we walked in.
The trick for me was to set up the Chapel in a way that it was decorated, but not obvious. I told her they must have put up their Christmas decorations. We walked over to the piano and I told her that we'd never sang a song together and I wanted to sing. I played the song Give Me Jesus while we sang which was a really cool experience. I kept my eye on Brendan who was well hidden, but stuck out enough if you were looking for him. I finished the song and became instantly aware I had no idea how I was going to transition to the little speech I had planned, so I just dove into it.
As is my custom I started pacing as I told her what I'd been learning about marriage. She hadn't noticed that my Bible was sitting on the alter and so I went over and grabbed it as she followed me over.
Becca and I started dating on April 29th, 2011 and one day I got bored and looked up all the 4:29s in the Bible. I came across Deuteronomy 4:29 which is "From there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul." That became the basis of our relationship for me and we often referred to it. The purpose of anything is to draw us closer to the Lord; especially a romantic relationship. God didn't make marriage so that we could just enjoy another person, but so that we could better understand who He is. It's a wild concept that I've been learning about for the past year and a half now.
In asking Becca to marry me I was asking her to chase after the Lord with me for the rest of our lives together. My Bible has fallen apart and even is in two pieces now right where Deuteronomy 4:29 is (due to the fact that I kept all the letters Becca sent me there) and so that is where I put the ring. As I talked to her I grabbed my Bible and asked her what Deuteronomy 4:29 said. As she started to say it she looked around and caught sight of Brendan.
That was the moment she realized what was going on. I knew she was suspicious at different parts of the day but once she saw him every doubt was erased. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. Her eyes started tearing up at she looked back and me and her hands started to shake. I grabbed them as I pulled the ring our of my Bible and dropped down to one knee. I honestly can't even remember the words that I used at the point but the gist was that I wanted to spend the rest of my life running after Jesus together.
There should be a class for things that guys don't know about engagements. One of those things I didn't know was which hand to put the ring on. After reaching for the wrong one she gently placed the right one in my hands and I slipped on the ring that had been burning a whole in my pocked for the month prior on to her finger. Then that was it! We were engaged. She hugged me and didn't let go for what felt like forever. Brendan took a few pictures more and then snuck our without a word leaving us to sit by the alter and take in everything that had happened. I finally got to tell her all the things I'd been hiding from her over the past few months trying to make the engagement a surprise.
After we had time to talk we called our families to meet us there and got to spend some time before heading to our engagement party. A crazy amount of our friends showed up and we got to spend the night celebrating the big, big things that Jesus lets us enjoy. And now I get to tell the world that we are happily engaged! I've wanted to do that for a long, long time. I told my mom a week after we started dating that she was the one I was going to marry. I spent the next year and half convincing her of that!
I want to thank everyone who made the day ridiculously special. Our families for supporting us, Brendan for taking pictures, Katie Meehan for planning the party and Hypes for making some ridiculously delicious food and all our friends that were able to make it.
I hope that as you read this that you walk away with a clearer picture of who the Lord is and what His role is in relationships I don't post this blog so that every girl who reads it will cry and think how sweet everything is. I post it because before Becca I had no idea what a Christ-centered relationship should look like and maybe this gives you a better picture. And now we get to start our ministry together in Franklin County soon! Big, big things.
I really had no idea where to take her. Most of the places I could think of we had already been. So I told her since we'd been to those places at night I wanted to show them to her in the day time. Seriously, I was stretching for everything. We went to the house I grew up in, a bridge my dad used to take me, the new house my brother and his wife bought, and my brother's sister-in-law's house. I was desperate. I told Brendan we would be there at 4, so finally at 3:35 we headed back for Blacksburg.
When Becca and I first started hanging out we had a few run-ins with the police. It started on our first date when I got pulled over for my tags being expired. It was then that Becca told me how much she HATED being pulled over. I've never known someone who hated run-ins with the cops so much. The next two times we hung out after our first date we also got pulled over; three times in the first week of us hanging out. I finally got my tags changed knowing that if I got pulled over again with her in the car she would probably never drive with me again.
This is important because of what happened on the ride back. As previously stated it was the day of the Tech vs. UVA football game, a game that VT traditionally wins regardless of how terrible a season they are having. Becca said at one point that if UVA won it would be the worst day ever. While I knew she was joking, I desperately wanted Tech to win. As the Hokies drove down with the final seconds ticking away and the score tied up they took a time out to set up the field goal with four seconds left as we listened on the radio. It was then I noticed the police car behind me with it's lights on. The problem? My tags were expired. I love when things come full circle.
So as the officer wrote me a ticket we listened to the Hokies kick the game winning field goal before finishing things with the cop. We then FINALLY made our final push towards the Chapel. Now, Becca didn't know that was where we were going. But I knew if I hinted enough about me playing piano for her she would ask me too, and in that case there was only one place I could take her with a piano; the Chapel. So I hinted, she asked, and away we went. We parked in an illegal spot but as we walked into the Chapel I dropped the keys outside the door so our friend Ben could move it without her noticing. Together we walked in.
The trick for me was to set up the Chapel in a way that it was decorated, but not obvious. I told her they must have put up their Christmas decorations. We walked over to the piano and I told her that we'd never sang a song together and I wanted to sing. I played the song Give Me Jesus while we sang which was a really cool experience. I kept my eye on Brendan who was well hidden, but stuck out enough if you were looking for him. I finished the song and became instantly aware I had no idea how I was going to transition to the little speech I had planned, so I just dove into it.
As is my custom I started pacing as I told her what I'd been learning about marriage. She hadn't noticed that my Bible was sitting on the alter and so I went over and grabbed it as she followed me over.
Becca and I started dating on April 29th, 2011 and one day I got bored and looked up all the 4:29s in the Bible. I came across Deuteronomy 4:29 which is "From there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul." That became the basis of our relationship for me and we often referred to it. The purpose of anything is to draw us closer to the Lord; especially a romantic relationship. God didn't make marriage so that we could just enjoy another person, but so that we could better understand who He is. It's a wild concept that I've been learning about for the past year and a half now.
In asking Becca to marry me I was asking her to chase after the Lord with me for the rest of our lives together. My Bible has fallen apart and even is in two pieces now right where Deuteronomy 4:29 is (due to the fact that I kept all the letters Becca sent me there) and so that is where I put the ring. As I talked to her I grabbed my Bible and asked her what Deuteronomy 4:29 said. As she started to say it she looked around and caught sight of Brendan.
That was the moment she realized what was going on. I knew she was suspicious at different parts of the day but once she saw him every doubt was erased. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. Her eyes started tearing up at she looked back and me and her hands started to shake. I grabbed them as I pulled the ring our of my Bible and dropped down to one knee. I honestly can't even remember the words that I used at the point but the gist was that I wanted to spend the rest of my life running after Jesus together.
There should be a class for things that guys don't know about engagements. One of those things I didn't know was which hand to put the ring on. After reaching for the wrong one she gently placed the right one in my hands and I slipped on the ring that had been burning a whole in my pocked for the month prior on to her finger. Then that was it! We were engaged. She hugged me and didn't let go for what felt like forever. Brendan took a few pictures more and then snuck our without a word leaving us to sit by the alter and take in everything that had happened. I finally got to tell her all the things I'd been hiding from her over the past few months trying to make the engagement a surprise.
After we had time to talk we called our families to meet us there and got to spend some time before heading to our engagement party. A crazy amount of our friends showed up and we got to spend the night celebrating the big, big things that Jesus lets us enjoy. And now I get to tell the world that we are happily engaged! I've wanted to do that for a long, long time. I told my mom a week after we started dating that she was the one I was going to marry. I spent the next year and half convincing her of that!
I want to thank everyone who made the day ridiculously special. Our families for supporting us, Brendan for taking pictures, Katie Meehan for planning the party and Hypes for making some ridiculously delicious food and all our friends that were able to make it.
I hope that as you read this that you walk away with a clearer picture of who the Lord is and what His role is in relationships I don't post this blog so that every girl who reads it will cry and think how sweet everything is. I post it because before Becca I had no idea what a Christ-centered relationship should look like and maybe this gives you a better picture. And now we get to start our ministry together in Franklin County soon! Big, big things.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Engagement Part I
To me this blog is more exciting that any I've done so far. The ministry implications that this event will have is incredible. Bringing my fiance Becca here to Franklin is going to drastically impact the high school in an eternal way. The story that follows is my best recollection of the wild, wild day that Saturday was.
For months and months I have thought about how I wanted to propose to Becca. We had been dating for a year and a half and after the first week of dating I told my mother that I wanted to marry her. The rest of that time I've spent trying to convince her that she wanted to marry me. As I've mentioned before, we asked Becca to come and lead on our Fall Weekend with us because we don't have any female leaders. However, I wanted her to go into the weekend knowing that she would be back in these girls lives, and not just there for the weekend. So I knew that I wanted to ask her before Nov. 30th.
In all honesty, I wanted to ask her much sooner. I graduated from Tech in May but she had another year of school left in Blacksburg. While selfishly I wanted to rush it I knew the Lord had intent in allowing us to be in different places for a year growing in different ways. While big things are happening here in Franklin, she is doing big, big things in Blacksburg. But as I prayed, waited and planned I saw that November 24th would be the perfect day. In the weeks leading up to it I asked her father, got the ring and planned out the whole day. The day finally came for me to head home for Thanksgiving and I did so with a ring in my pocket anxiously anticipating Saturday.
Now, the plan was that her family would come into town for the VT vs. UVA game. I knew I wanted to do it on a day we could have her family come in for and the game was the perfect excuse. It was also a great excuse for a lot of our friends to come into town without raising too much suspicion. When I talked to her our plan was to go to the game, spend some time with each other after the game, and then go out to dinner that night with our families as they met for the first time. I had other plans.
On Saturday morning I woke up after a good night's rest. I hadn't expected to get much sleep but it was a gift to get a good amount. I showered and headed over to her house to meet her parents for some breakfast before the tailgate. We had a few friends come over and stop by, and at one point I looked around and realized that everyone there knew that Becca was getting proposed to that day except for her. We had told a group of our friends we wanted to be at a party afterwards and word spread pretty quickly. Luckily they kept it away from her.
Soon enough she and her family left for the game while I stayed behind to "watch it with some other friends" because I "couldn't find a ticket". As they left my buddy Brendan and I headed right away to the Chapel where the proposal was to go down.
Here is where I need to take a break and explain some more things. The Chapel on Virginia Tech's campus is very dear to me. I have spent countless hours there over the last two years simply spending time with the Lord. I play a bit of piano and there is a gorgeous Steinway that is always unlocked at night. When I was a Freshman Fellowship leader at Virginia Tech I often went to the Chapel with guys and talked about life and Jesus late into the night. When Becca and I first met I had many conversations with friends and with Jesus there about her. It's a place to me that symbolizes my walk with Christ. It is the closest thing to a holy place that I know. Often Becca wanted me to take her there and play her piano but I never wanted to. To take her there meant taking her into the inmost part of who I am and who I am in Christ which is terrifying. I wasn't ready to do that until I was certain I wanted to marry her. That's why instead of trying to do something extravagant, I wanted to take her there.
So Brendan and I spent a while setting things up. I wanted him to be able to take picture to we moved some things around so he could hide between a pillar and fake tree with a good angle of where I would propose. We set up with the assumption that Becca would text me after the game, around 3 or so, and then I would pick her up and grab a bite to eat before taking her to the chapel for the big event. To my surprise I got a text at 1:18 that simply read "heading home". It was a cold day in Blacksburg so she and a few friends decided to head out a little early. Instead of an hour of time to kill it turned into two and a half. So Brendan and I prayed and it was time to head out. Nervous but ready as ever.
For months and months I have thought about how I wanted to propose to Becca. We had been dating for a year and a half and after the first week of dating I told my mother that I wanted to marry her. The rest of that time I've spent trying to convince her that she wanted to marry me. As I've mentioned before, we asked Becca to come and lead on our Fall Weekend with us because we don't have any female leaders. However, I wanted her to go into the weekend knowing that she would be back in these girls lives, and not just there for the weekend. So I knew that I wanted to ask her before Nov. 30th.
In all honesty, I wanted to ask her much sooner. I graduated from Tech in May but she had another year of school left in Blacksburg. While selfishly I wanted to rush it I knew the Lord had intent in allowing us to be in different places for a year growing in different ways. While big things are happening here in Franklin, she is doing big, big things in Blacksburg. But as I prayed, waited and planned I saw that November 24th would be the perfect day. In the weeks leading up to it I asked her father, got the ring and planned out the whole day. The day finally came for me to head home for Thanksgiving and I did so with a ring in my pocket anxiously anticipating Saturday.
Now, the plan was that her family would come into town for the VT vs. UVA game. I knew I wanted to do it on a day we could have her family come in for and the game was the perfect excuse. It was also a great excuse for a lot of our friends to come into town without raising too much suspicion. When I talked to her our plan was to go to the game, spend some time with each other after the game, and then go out to dinner that night with our families as they met for the first time. I had other plans.
On Saturday morning I woke up after a good night's rest. I hadn't expected to get much sleep but it was a gift to get a good amount. I showered and headed over to her house to meet her parents for some breakfast before the tailgate. We had a few friends come over and stop by, and at one point I looked around and realized that everyone there knew that Becca was getting proposed to that day except for her. We had told a group of our friends we wanted to be at a party afterwards and word spread pretty quickly. Luckily they kept it away from her.
Soon enough she and her family left for the game while I stayed behind to "watch it with some other friends" because I "couldn't find a ticket". As they left my buddy Brendan and I headed right away to the Chapel where the proposal was to go down.
Here is where I need to take a break and explain some more things. The Chapel on Virginia Tech's campus is very dear to me. I have spent countless hours there over the last two years simply spending time with the Lord. I play a bit of piano and there is a gorgeous Steinway that is always unlocked at night. When I was a Freshman Fellowship leader at Virginia Tech I often went to the Chapel with guys and talked about life and Jesus late into the night. When Becca and I first met I had many conversations with friends and with Jesus there about her. It's a place to me that symbolizes my walk with Christ. It is the closest thing to a holy place that I know. Often Becca wanted me to take her there and play her piano but I never wanted to. To take her there meant taking her into the inmost part of who I am and who I am in Christ which is terrifying. I wasn't ready to do that until I was certain I wanted to marry her. That's why instead of trying to do something extravagant, I wanted to take her there.
So Brendan and I spent a while setting things up. I wanted him to be able to take picture to we moved some things around so he could hide between a pillar and fake tree with a good angle of where I would propose. We set up with the assumption that Becca would text me after the game, around 3 or so, and then I would pick her up and grab a bite to eat before taking her to the chapel for the big event. To my surprise I got a text at 1:18 that simply read "heading home". It was a cold day in Blacksburg so she and a few friends decided to head out a little early. Instead of an hour of time to kill it turned into two and a half. So Brendan and I prayed and it was time to head out. Nervous but ready as ever.
Monday, November 19, 2012
The Banquet
Week after week I've gotten to write about the big things the Lord is doing. It seems to me that week after week the Lord outdoes himself. Last week was no exception. After hours and hours of planning, meeting, and organizing our banquet it was finally the night we had all been waiting for.
The picture to the right is the Law Cafeteria in Franklin County High School. The school is so large it has two cafeterias and six different lunches. For our banquet we rented this was the space we wanted for the evening for a number of reasons. First of all the theme we decided on "Cheering For Kids". People from Franklin County already love FCHS and its kids. That was nothing we had to sell them on. Our theme allowed us to invite people to wear their Red and White, the schools colors, which also gave us a more laid-back feeling. It is easy to blend in with all the other banquets people attend throughout the year, so we wanted to stand out a bit. We wanted to have a banquet that truly exemplified what Young Life is about. When you walk into one of our high school clubs there isn't a formal, stuffy feel to the room but rather a vibrant, inviting atmosphere. We didn't want people wearing their Sunday best.
Secondly it was a place everyone in the county knew. A lot of people that go to FCHS end up staying or coming back to the area at some point. The school has been around since 1950 so having it there brought along some nostalgia for a few of our attendees.
Lastly as we describe to people what Young Life is for the first time, we often describe how we go to where kids are at. What better way to exemplify that than to have our banquet where, earlier in the day, hundreds upon hundreds of kids have been. It was the perfect place.
Often in an area's first year the banquet can be rather small. As you've heard me talk about in many previous blogs getting things started isn't easy. However, when you have a committee that is sold out to the cause it certainly greases the wheels. We were incredibly encouraged by our Table Host meeting and hoped that we could get close to the goal we had set for ourselves: 200 people. Going in we knew that it was a lofty goal, but certainly one that was worth pursuing.
As the day drew nearer we began to get a clearer number of just how many people we would have, and the number climbed up from 170 to just under 200. While we were unsure of what the final number would be, or how many people would actually show up, we kept praying that the Lord would bring who he wanted. Did he ever.
At 3:30 most of our committee members showed up along with a few good friends of mine from VT. These guys have been wanting to visit all year and offered their help as soon as they knew we were having our banquet. When you're setting up 25 tables with full decorations and 200 chairs its good to have some hands on deck. As 6:30 drew closer things started to come together. It was awesome to see the way in which different Young Life areas contributed to our cause. The New River Valley sent guys to help, a projector and speakers. We had red and white table clothes courtesy of Rockbridge. We had Andy Fetzer and four of his Campaigners come with one of them giving their testimony during the banquet. It was a kingdom project.
Around 6:15 people started to come in droves. I couldn't keep up with everyone that was signing in and getting their name tags but I got to meet a few people here and there. Seats started filling up and butterflies started kicking in. Pretty soon the room was full and buzzing. The feeling in the air was just fun. There is no other way I can think to describe it. A lot of people knew each other and the conversations were flowing. Steve Schmitt and I got on the microphones and welcomed everybody. We told them instead of just releasing them table by table in a uniform way we wanted to have fun with them. The theme of the banquet was "Cheering for Kids" after all and we wanted them to earn their spot in line. So, taking a page out of Wytheville's book, we told each table that they had to distinguish themselves to be dismissed for food. Immediately a table in the corner burst into action coming out with some sort of chant while standing on their chairs. Once that was the standard it progressed from there.
Soon everyone was well fed from the plentiful buffet and we were ready to get into the heart of the program. I had the unenviable task of explaining to a room of 200 adults what in the world Young Life was. I got up and spelled out the 5 C's of Young Life; Committee, Contact Work, Club, Campaigners and Camp. I explained to them who we were and why we were there. I tried to put words to what they had started to see happening in and around the school. To further illustrate I showed them this video by Brendan O'Connor. You need to watch that video.
After a ridiculous skit that ended with a Brendan, myself and four attendees forming a human pyramid we got to hear from Ryan Lauria. Ryan is a Young Life kid at Hidden Valley high school. He had welcomed us when we attended club there and he himself was doing huge things for Jesus in his school, using Young Life as a vehicle to bring his friends to Christ. We could have stood up there and talked about Young Life till our faces turned blue, but there is something different about watching a kid who is walking with Jesus in high school talk about how it has helped him to pursue his friends.
To end the evening we brought in our heavy hitter; Steve Schmitt. Now, I've gushed enough about how awesome Schmitty is in previous blogs so I'll spare you the rant. Suffice it to say he communicated to the adults in the room in a way that allowed them to truly understand what kind of need there is in a high school and what we are trying to do about it. He ended with an invitation to contribute in many different ways and we ended the night with a quick prayer.
We walked away from the night confident. We were just shy of our goal for the night, financially, knowing that many people left with the intent of discussing it before giving. We are hoping that in the coming week or two we will be fully funded as an area, for this year at least. From connections we made the banquet we have many more families looking to help in any way that they can. We have people interested in joining our committee, a few possible places to hold club and campaigners, a possible office space and a lead on a bus for Fall Weekend.
In the end, the victory for us was a room full of people who got to see where the Lord is moving. Our hope and prayer is that they were ministered to in a way that allowed encouraged them toward knowing Jesus. That is what counts. So again we stand excited, encouraged and ready for what the big guy has next. Which just happens to be Fall Weekend 2012.
The picture to the right is the Law Cafeteria in Franklin County High School. The school is so large it has two cafeterias and six different lunches. For our banquet we rented this was the space we wanted for the evening for a number of reasons. First of all the theme we decided on "Cheering For Kids". People from Franklin County already love FCHS and its kids. That was nothing we had to sell them on. Our theme allowed us to invite people to wear their Red and White, the schools colors, which also gave us a more laid-back feeling. It is easy to blend in with all the other banquets people attend throughout the year, so we wanted to stand out a bit. We wanted to have a banquet that truly exemplified what Young Life is about. When you walk into one of our high school clubs there isn't a formal, stuffy feel to the room but rather a vibrant, inviting atmosphere. We didn't want people wearing their Sunday best.
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| Things Starting to Take Shape. |
Lastly as we describe to people what Young Life is for the first time, we often describe how we go to where kids are at. What better way to exemplify that than to have our banquet where, earlier in the day, hundreds upon hundreds of kids have been. It was the perfect place.
Often in an area's first year the banquet can be rather small. As you've heard me talk about in many previous blogs getting things started isn't easy. However, when you have a committee that is sold out to the cause it certainly greases the wheels. We were incredibly encouraged by our Table Host meeting and hoped that we could get close to the goal we had set for ourselves: 200 people. Going in we knew that it was a lofty goal, but certainly one that was worth pursuing.
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| Table #1 After Being Decorated! |
At 3:30 most of our committee members showed up along with a few good friends of mine from VT. These guys have been wanting to visit all year and offered their help as soon as they knew we were having our banquet. When you're setting up 25 tables with full decorations and 200 chairs its good to have some hands on deck. As 6:30 drew closer things started to come together. It was awesome to see the way in which different Young Life areas contributed to our cause. The New River Valley sent guys to help, a projector and speakers. We had red and white table clothes courtesy of Rockbridge. We had Andy Fetzer and four of his Campaigners come with one of them giving their testimony during the banquet. It was a kingdom project.
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| Our Full 200 As the Banquet Began. |
Soon everyone was well fed from the plentiful buffet and we were ready to get into the heart of the program. I had the unenviable task of explaining to a room of 200 adults what in the world Young Life was. I got up and spelled out the 5 C's of Young Life; Committee, Contact Work, Club, Campaigners and Camp. I explained to them who we were and why we were there. I tried to put words to what they had started to see happening in and around the school. To further illustrate I showed them this video by Brendan O'Connor. You need to watch that video.
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| A Few of Us after the Banquet! |
To end the evening we brought in our heavy hitter; Steve Schmitt. Now, I've gushed enough about how awesome Schmitty is in previous blogs so I'll spare you the rant. Suffice it to say he communicated to the adults in the room in a way that allowed them to truly understand what kind of need there is in a high school and what we are trying to do about it. He ended with an invitation to contribute in many different ways and we ended the night with a quick prayer.
We walked away from the night confident. We were just shy of our goal for the night, financially, knowing that many people left with the intent of discussing it before giving. We are hoping that in the coming week or two we will be fully funded as an area, for this year at least. From connections we made the banquet we have many more families looking to help in any way that they can. We have people interested in joining our committee, a few possible places to hold club and campaigners, a possible office space and a lead on a bus for Fall Weekend.
In the end, the victory for us was a room full of people who got to see where the Lord is moving. Our hope and prayer is that they were ministered to in a way that allowed encouraged them toward knowing Jesus. That is what counts. So again we stand excited, encouraged and ready for what the big guy has next. Which just happens to be Fall Weekend 2012.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Controlled Chaos
The way a lot of people describe a Young Life club is 'controlled chaos'. For me the month of November looks like a whole lot of controlled chaos. It all culminates on the last day of the month where we take kids to our first official Fall Weekend at Rockbridge. A few weeks ago I posted a picture with the flyer on the blog. We've been handing out that flyer ever since. A lot of kids have been interested, but we were still waiting for the first kid to turn in their money and form; that is until last night. Pictured right is our friend writing his check to secure his spot on our Fall Weekend trip. This is no small happening. As you can see Brad is writing his check on the hood of his car in the school's parking lot. What the picture doesn't tell you is that this is after we had been standing outside in freezing weather for the last half an hour talking at 11:15 at night. But to give this story a bit more context, let me backup and explain.
One of the privileges I have as being a Young Life staff person is that I get to help out other areas and have other areas help me out. That sense of serving one another expresses itself in many ways, but two of the most obvious come in Fall Weekend's and Banquets. While Young Life camps are fully staffed with incredible year-round personnel, when there is a Fall Weekend or summer camp Staff people from different areas come to serve in different ways. One of those ways is being the program for the weekend. The program acts as the directors of the weekend; planning the schedule, setting up everything for club, being the run-on characters, assembling the music team, the list goes on. As you can imagine this is a pretty hefty task.
This fall I've been asked to be on a program team for a fall weekend in Lake Champion with two of my best friends, Craig Sweeney and Alex Hopkins, on staff in Fredericksburg and Charlottesville respectively. Planning this has been a huge task, and a lot of fun. Its also been stressful as the weekend (Nov. 9-11) draws closer and we prepare our attempt to control chaos. Later, when we go to Rockbridge, we'll have a team serving us in the same way.
Banquets are another huge event in every area.
Similarly, an area will usually bring in staff people from another area to speaks and run programs for their banquet. For our own banquet we are bringing in people from other areas for just those purposes. I was asked to form a program team for the Young Life banquet at Wytheville. To join me I asked Brendan O'Connor. Brendan and I led together when I was at Tech and he is one of my best friends in the world. You can see us pictured right, before we went out trying to make people laugh at the banquet. We also brought along Ben Gallagher, a WyldLife leader and good friend of ours to help us out.
With all of this going on its been a whole lot of fun trying to juggle program for a banquet, program for a Fall Weekend, and all of the wonderful things that are going on here in Franklin County, including our own banquet and Fall Weekend! In the midst of this Ben and I had talked to a few kids about going to Hidden Valley's club again on Monday night and there was a lot of interest. Unfortunately for us it turned out that it was on the same night I had to be in Wytheville doing program. Ben decided he would take the solo trip with neither of us really knowing how many kids would come. So I headed to Blacksburg to pick up Brendan and Ben Gallagher and made the trip to Wytheville in nervous anticipation of making a fool of myself in front of 100 or so people. Ben Brodin started making calls to see who wanted to venture to Hidden Valley's club.
The banquet ran great. We got more laughs than we expected and the whole thing ran smoothly. Towards the end Steve Schmitt stood up and gave them a picture of what Young Life is and what it would mean to have it in Wytheville. It is a new area with three high schools and three middle schools in the area. Looking forward, we are hoping that enough money will be raised that they can have their own staff person. Who knows, maybe soon we'll see "Adventures in Wytheville" coming around from a new staff person. In the end we were thanked over and over for coming, and left feeling like big things were going to happen in Wytheville. As I drove back, finally allowing myself to breathe after being so nervous, I gave Ben Brodin a call to see who had ended up going with him. I couldn't here a word he said when he answered, but I could tell he was somewhere with a lot of people. After club, its a tradition to go to a fast food place and eat, or just to hangout. In Roanoke all three clubs in the area come together for Bojangles afterwards and I guessed that he was there. Once I could hear him he told me that seven kids went with him, only one of which went with us last time. For those of you who aren't math majors, that means six new kids got to hear what Fetz had to say about who God was. Six kids got to catch a vision for what Young Life could be at FCHS. Six kids got to catch a glimpse of what Fall Weekend would be like. As I drove back I realized that we would be getting back around the same time, so I headed to the high school hoping I'd get a chance to catch them as they pulled in.
After sitting in my car for 5 or so minutes Ben's car pulled into the parking lot an unloaded half of the gang; the other half had already gone home. We hung out outside of Ben's car in the school parking lot and talked for at least 30 minutes. The guys were stoked about club and we got on the subject of Fall Weekend. One of them was so hyped about it he went to his car, grabbed his checkbook, and secured the first FCHS spot ever. It was awesome. The Lord only added to the moment when I found out his last name was Rayburn, sharing it with Jim Rayburn who started Young Life. Suffice it to say, it was a pretty incredible moment. There are times in life when you just can't stop smiling because you are so excited about what is going on. This is one of those times for me. While I am in the midst of all of this chaos, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can only hope that our first sign up will get the ball rolling in a big way. That it would snowball into more and more sign-ups this week and we move closer and closer to November 30th.
I know this blog had been long, but I can't get over how much has happened. As I talk about controlled chaos I'm reminded again and again the the Lord is in control as the chaos of banquets, Fall Weekends and sign-ups seem insurmountable. But the more chaotic my life gets, the more I'm able to realize who exactly is in control and simply enjoy the ride. I can tell that is going to be the story of my November.
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| Epic. FCHS's first ever Fall Weekend Sign-Up. His Last Name? Rayburn. |
One of the privileges I have as being a Young Life staff person is that I get to help out other areas and have other areas help me out. That sense of serving one another expresses itself in many ways, but two of the most obvious come in Fall Weekend's and Banquets. While Young Life camps are fully staffed with incredible year-round personnel, when there is a Fall Weekend or summer camp Staff people from different areas come to serve in different ways. One of those ways is being the program for the weekend. The program acts as the directors of the weekend; planning the schedule, setting up everything for club, being the run-on characters, assembling the music team, the list goes on. As you can imagine this is a pretty hefty task.
This fall I've been asked to be on a program team for a fall weekend in Lake Champion with two of my best friends, Craig Sweeney and Alex Hopkins, on staff in Fredericksburg and Charlottesville respectively. Planning this has been a huge task, and a lot of fun. Its also been stressful as the weekend (Nov. 9-11) draws closer and we prepare our attempt to control chaos. Later, when we go to Rockbridge, we'll have a team serving us in the same way.
 |
| Brendan and I Ready for the Wytheville Banquet. |
Similarly, an area will usually bring in staff people from another area to speaks and run programs for their banquet. For our own banquet we are bringing in people from other areas for just those purposes. I was asked to form a program team for the Young Life banquet at Wytheville. To join me I asked Brendan O'Connor. Brendan and I led together when I was at Tech and he is one of my best friends in the world. You can see us pictured right, before we went out trying to make people laugh at the banquet. We also brought along Ben Gallagher, a WyldLife leader and good friend of ours to help us out.
With all of this going on its been a whole lot of fun trying to juggle program for a banquet, program for a Fall Weekend, and all of the wonderful things that are going on here in Franklin County, including our own banquet and Fall Weekend! In the midst of this Ben and I had talked to a few kids about going to Hidden Valley's club again on Monday night and there was a lot of interest. Unfortunately for us it turned out that it was on the same night I had to be in Wytheville doing program. Ben decided he would take the solo trip with neither of us really knowing how many kids would come. So I headed to Blacksburg to pick up Brendan and Ben Gallagher and made the trip to Wytheville in nervous anticipation of making a fool of myself in front of 100 or so people. Ben Brodin started making calls to see who wanted to venture to Hidden Valley's club.
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| A Completely Unrelated Picture of the Dodgeball Champions |
The banquet ran great. We got more laughs than we expected and the whole thing ran smoothly. Towards the end Steve Schmitt stood up and gave them a picture of what Young Life is and what it would mean to have it in Wytheville. It is a new area with three high schools and three middle schools in the area. Looking forward, we are hoping that enough money will be raised that they can have their own staff person. Who knows, maybe soon we'll see "Adventures in Wytheville" coming around from a new staff person. In the end we were thanked over and over for coming, and left feeling like big things were going to happen in Wytheville. As I drove back, finally allowing myself to breathe after being so nervous, I gave Ben Brodin a call to see who had ended up going with him. I couldn't here a word he said when he answered, but I could tell he was somewhere with a lot of people. After club, its a tradition to go to a fast food place and eat, or just to hangout. In Roanoke all three clubs in the area come together for Bojangles afterwards and I guessed that he was there. Once I could hear him he told me that seven kids went with him, only one of which went with us last time. For those of you who aren't math majors, that means six new kids got to hear what Fetz had to say about who God was. Six kids got to catch a vision for what Young Life could be at FCHS. Six kids got to catch a glimpse of what Fall Weekend would be like. As I drove back I realized that we would be getting back around the same time, so I headed to the high school hoping I'd get a chance to catch them as they pulled in.
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| Another Unrelated Picture of FCHS's Live Morning Show |
I know this blog had been long, but I can't get over how much has happened. As I talk about controlled chaos I'm reminded again and again the the Lord is in control as the chaos of banquets, Fall Weekends and sign-ups seem insurmountable. But the more chaotic my life gets, the more I'm able to realize who exactly is in control and simply enjoy the ride. I can tell that is going to be the story of my November.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Showing Up
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| Our Powderpuff Cheerleading Squad During the Game |
When you look at Jesus' ministry he was always showing up in people's lives. There were many instances people came to him, or that he would be in a public place preaching, but his ministry was also characterized by going to where people were. For instance, when we look at His calling of the disciples they weren't in a church service, but rather at their jobs in many cases. There are countless other examples, the woman at the well, the man by the pool and even our dear friend Zacchaeus. Jesus just happened to be walking down Zacchaeus street when he calls him down from the tree and goes to his house to eat with him. In following Jesus example we cannot afford to miss his missionary tendencies of meeting people where they were at.
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| Obama 'Showing Up' at the Volleyball Game |
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| I 'Showed Up' to Hang with the Band at Halftime . . . Then Stole Their Drums. |
About a week later, Ben Brodin and I headed to the next home game (if you haven't read about Ben yet read the post with him in antlers; priceless). This was by far the most fruitful and exciting time with kids yet. Kids recognized me, remembered my name, and asked me about fall weekend. I met ten new kids that I hadn't known before, a lot of them from different areas of the school. It was awesome. It was a moment that made me realize how at the slightest inconvenience I'm ready to jump ship when in reality I'm working towards something bigger. It was a good night. After talking with the Video Production kids, president Obama (pictured about) and a few football players we left the game amped about what the Lord was doing.
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| A Local Church I Got the Chance to Speak At on Sunday. |
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Progress, Patience, People and Preparation.
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| Talking Life with Brendan and Troy in My House |
However for myself, this takes patience. I don't know when I got the idea that everything should be immediate. Biblically we are called to be workers of the harvest, a year long process of toiling through intense physical labor for the joy of the harvest which comes once a year. If I work at something for a day and there isn't a harvest I wonder what I did wrong. But I'm learning. I'm learning that building relationships with kids take time. I am slowly getting to know kids in yearbook. Slowly getting to know the kids that we took to club. Slowly becoming recognized in the school. The other night, for the first time, I wondered what the heck I was doing at a volleyball game. I had been there the whole time and only had a few brief conversations with a few kids. What was the point? I realized though that I had to rest on the truth that I was there in Christ's stead. I have no idea what He accomplished by my being there. Even if it seems like nothing, my call to obedience doesn't change. We aren't to be fair-weather followers. And I'm being a brat if I get whiny when a kid isn't my best friend and asking questions about Jesus after one day. Pump the breaks, Nagle, just sow seeds.
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| Troy and Brendan joined Me In Praying at the School |
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| Our Incredible Fall Weekend Flyer, Cudos to B. O'C. |
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