I think there are a couple of things that distinguish this week from many others I’ve ever seen. I think the first would be the already-formed great bonds of our team. Much of this year’s HS mission team was also last year’s team (plus the great addition of Summer & Nick!). Because of having last year’s New York trip together - not to mention the whole April 2011 to April 2012 - we had a springboard to start off from right away. On that note actually, I’d just want to mention that by being with and looking at the people in this group, I can so clearly see the growth, the fruit, the investment...of Christian Life Center. Of parents. Of GC Group leaders. Of each other. Every single one of us has grown TONS in the past year, and while we’re all on journeys and I know that growth is true of every person every where, this team is just solid proof of the grace of Jesus. I’m so very honored to be in relationship with each person on the team.
And because this springboard of relationship had already been formed, we were just ready for more, for deeper. One aspect of DOOR (the organization we were working through all week) is Reflection. Each night we spent time with our two leaders David and Tim reading Bible and talking about what was going through our heads, but then also each night on our own we had times of worship, Bible, prayer, sharing, talking, or foot-washing. During all these times we got real. As I said, I feel that we were already close as a team... but man. I’m literally sitting here kind of chuckling, amazed at all that happened this past week. Yeah, I’m just so honored. We sang badly together. We shared things that we admitted to have felt unable to share before. We cried with each other. We encouraged one another. I’m telling you - this week was beautiful.
On a slightly different note, another aspect that I saw as important and very cool was that we got to work with a few different parts of the Church than we typically do. (I don’t say this as in, “woah - these people are so different - it’s crazy that we actually worked with them.” Not at all.) We got to know people from Presbyterian church and attend a Last Supper sort of dinner with them. We got to hear from a few Mennonites and work on their church’s community farm/garden. We got to spend the day with Mercy Community Church as they served breakfast, had really fun worship, had prayer in probably the most interesting way I’ve ever seen, did communion, and ate lunch in Atlanta’s streets. All through the week, it was the same Spirit. When it came down to it, it’s Jesus. And what’s beautiful is that we all got to learn from each other. We all got to be the Church together.
I could go on and on about probably thirty-four different trains of thought going through my mind right now. Really, I think this week was glorious. So much has been started in us. I don’t think I’m one who says that all the time, “this was so good!...the best week ever!” but seriously. This has been one of the best weeks ever. And what’s great is that I know it’s not done. It didn’t stop when we pulled into the CLC parking lot tonight. Church, know that you’ve got young people in your midst that are leaders. Sometimes “leader” is a term I struggle with, but this week I witnessed probably nine or ten different people essentially telling our team how peculiar we were. How deep were were. How willing. How unexpected. This team is full of leaders, and this team is solid. But we also need your help. We need your wisdom. We need your accountability. We need your stories. We need each other.
I am so blessed by (I’m sitting here trying to decide who or what to name, because there’s just SO MUCH that I and all of us are blessed by)...you. By David and Tim that led us this week. But Pastor Chad as he really exemplified Jesus. By an amazing, hurt woman named Gunnar that I met at Pastor Chad’s church. By a needs-to-be-a-pastor- guy named Demetrius also at Mercy Community Church. By Holly. By Josh. By Ericken. By Brianna. By Summer. By Nick. By Will.
Man, is it good to be a part of God’s bride, his Church.
- Ashley Loveless
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