Have you ever walked into a place and felt completely lost? You didn’t know anyone and you felt almost like a small lost child? Last week Sunday, less than 24 hours after my parents dropped me off at college, I walked into a new church in a new town. I didn’t know anyone and felt clueless. I was that small child. Walking past the crowd of people and greeters, I found the sanctuary. Immediately after sitting down, the lead pastor walked up to me. He introduced himself and asked about me. Soon he directed me to the place where rest of the college group sat and invited me to join them. Having nothing to lose, I said yes. After worship, the church holds what they call “College Life.” It’s a time for college students to come together for food, fellowship, & to deepen their connection with God. Once again an invitation to join was extended, and once again I said yes. I walked into the room and sat down at a table with a girl I had never seen before. We talked for a bit and I found out she was also new to the church. She was also a freshman at the same college and we quickly hit it off. Throughout the past week, we’ve had lunch several times and shared many conversations. Other people joined us at the table, and we were all invited to go on what the group calls “24 hour epic road trips.” This road trip was to include tubing, water skiing, and just plain fun on the lake along with some Jesus time. Being the fun loving person I am, I said yes. Just don’t think my mom was too thrilled when I called her and said that I was going with a group of people that I had just met to a place I had never been. Throughout the week, I sometimes wondered what I was getting myself into. Each day, I would try and convince my new friend to go so that I wouldn’t be alone. However, I was never able to convince her. Last night as we gathered in the parking lot and loaded up the vehicles, I looked around and only recognized five faces. Out of those five faces, I had only talked to one for a few brief minutes. Once the vehicles were loaded, we gathered in a circle to pray and headed out on our way. The ride was filled with a combination of silent moments and very loud moments. We shared different parts of our lives and became familiar with where people came from. I soon felt slightly less lost. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the associate pastor of the church and the older couple who owned the home we would be spending the next 24 hours in. They showed us to our rooms and we gathered downstairs for a Bob Goff video and carrots. Yes, you read that right, I said carrots. As the video played each one of us chewed on a carrot. Take a moment to picture that in your head. Nearly twenty college aged kids sitting around a living room watching Bob Goff, eating a carrot, and laughing. The video concluded and we headed outside to sit around the fire. We ate s’mores, animal crackers, gold fish, cheese balls, and carrots while drinking pink lemonade from the carton. We sang songs of praise and worship while enjoying the stillness of the night. Prayers were spoken and we gathered together in partners to share with one another what we believe God is calling us to do. Long after most of the group had gone to bed, only a few of us remained. We shared our hardships and poured out our hearts to people who had only met within the past few hours. It was a safe zone, one in which we could freely talk without fear of judgement. We made connections and heard stories that almost resembled our own. The night ended as the four of us held our hands together in prayer. This morning when we awoke, we made a special time for devotions. I sat out on the dock and read from my Bible while the cooking team prepared breakfast. I felt a sense of calm and peace that I continue to feel even now as I am back in my dorm room typing. Being surrounded by people who hardly knew me, but accepted me anyway was a feeling like no other. Our day was spent out on the lake. We tubed, rode on the jet ski, and I even learned how to waterski. Meals were shared gathered around the table out on the patio and hearts were renewed. All of this wouldn’t have been possible if I wouldn’t have said yes. Now as I sit in my dorm room, I can’t wait to get up and go to church in the morning where I will once again be surrounded by those same people. So I encourage you this week, to go out and try something out of your comfort zone. All it takes is for you to just say yes.
1 Comment
|
AuthorHello everyone, I'm Bri! Here you can find me writing about life in order to help provide you with encouragement and hope. Want to find out more about me? Go visit my "About Me" page! Happy reading! Archives
April 2017
|