Sojourn

We have been blessed to get to be part of a high school youth ministry called Ignition for 6 years.  It has changed dramatically throughout that time including some pretty significant ups and downs.  I’ve mentored girls all the way through their sophomore through senior year and looped back around again.  This year one of the girls from my first small group graduated from Georgia Southern. 

It has been a roller coaster and a complete joy.  I am so thankful that God granted us this opportunity.  Two years ago our resolve was put to the test when the youth pastor that we loved dearly left the church due to some unfortunate circumstances.  It felt like the floor had fallen in beneath us.  It forced us to examine how we felt about the way the church handled the whole situation and made us dig really deep to continue on with the ministry we loved so dearly.  The next year involved all the volunteers being pushed outside their comfort zones.  We were rotating as speaking pastors for youth services and trying to keep morale up with the kids. It felt like we were barely treading water but I learned a lot about faithfulness and digging deep in that year.

God was faithful and after a tough year the ministry was blessed with a new youth pastor.  Not only were we thankful for having a pastor again but also for what it meant to the ministry which was having a spiritual leader with a full time focus on strengthening the students and the leaders.  Fast forward a year and Andy planned an incredible event for the Ignition leaders.  We spent the evening at Perimeter church with one of their ministries called Sojourn.  A sojourn is a stop or rest on a journey.  Their mission is to be a stop for groups or ministries to get out of day to day activities and reflect on the dynamics of the groups, skills for leading/following, and bonding as a group.  The idea being that the things you learn during the sojourn/stop can then be applied to your regular activities once you resume your journey.  There were a series of challenges and activities that put our leadership, listening, and team building skills as a group to the test.  During and after each activity we stopped and talked about what worked and what didn’t.  It is amazing how much a simple game or activity can teach you about the way you interact with others.  The things that can be hard to see in a larger environment are easier to see when you isolate them in a focused activity.  It gave us some great insight and was a lot of fun.  After the challenges we prepared to head up for the zip line.  We got geared up and climbed up the robe wall to the top of the platform.  Until I reached the top I was completely excited and energized about the zip line.  The second I stepped to the edge of the platform I lost my nerve and felt butterflies in my stomach.   It was very comforting to be surrounded by such a great group of people who were encouraging and even sang a few lines of “Let It Go” from Frozen to ease my nerves.  As I stepped of the ledge it was an incredible freeing feeling that comes from letting go of control and trusting whole heartedly.  We ended the evening playing laser tag which was a ton of fun!

I think we all walked away feeling closer and more unified as a group.  On a personal note I walked away feeling more motivated to work on personal issues of wanting to be in control.  The way I stepped off the ledge and let go on the zip line is how I need to mentally handle more situations in my life.  I have the right equipment and strong faith and God will handle the rest.  God is so much better at taking control than I am and I want to continue to work on being more trusting and less anxious.  I have so many blessings in my life and I want to focus on having a humble and thankful spirit rather than allowing anxiety to cast a shadow on the joy in my life.  

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”