For the last nine months, I have had the distinct privilege of relaunching SDBC Young Adults and helping to facilitate Gap and Gap Jr. programs. I am grateful that the Lord made it possible for me to serve SDBC in this position. It was a moment of coming full circle for me, as all of these programs mean so much to me and they have helped me to find community when my family first moved to Canada and when I graduated high school and felt adrift.
During my time helping to run these programs, I have learned a great deal and have witnessed the Lord at work. I have seen the Lord move among the youth and inspire many deep conversations, both practical and theological. As I have had the opportunity to bear witness to the Lord moving, I have also benefited from the Lord teaching me as I worked with the youth. He taught me patience, consideration, surrender, and a willingness to listen. Two passages from James can summarize all of these lessons that the Lord has taught me.
The first comes from James 4:13-16 ESV: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'–yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." When I started running Young Adults and helping run Youth, I had big plans and ideas; however, reality came crashing in. I did not see the numbers I was hoping for among Young Adults. Yet, as time went on, I came to appreciate how the smaller numbers have allowed a core of consistent young adults to come together and form a strong foundation that the ministry can build upon. Had we had the big numbers I wanted from the start, I doubt the ministry would now have the stability and strong community it enjoys now.
The second verse is James 3:1 ESV: "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness." In my time as the intern, I was reminded again and again that what I said or did was being evaluated by my students. I was subconsciously aware of this from my own experiences and my teacher training, and yet it was helpful when Jacob Harder or Brian Griffin would verbally remind me of my role as a role model. This responsibility, combined with strong team support, helped me to remain humble and willing to learn.
I would like to conclude this final blog post as the intern before I hand things over to Troy Weatherly, who will be an excellent summer youth intern, with a word of thanks. I want to thank all the Gap and Gap Jr. volunteers who showed up each week and were happy to share God and participate in the ridiculous games. I also want to thank those who opened up their home or donated food to the Young Adults ministry, as it truly helped us to flourish. Finally, I would like to thank the SDBC community as a whole for its support of these programs, whether it was financial or through prayer or service.
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