What's been going down...

Goodbyes are hard, part two

My heart sunk several months ago when my best friend told me he and his wife would be moving. Even though I knew they had prayerfully considered it over the last year, it didn't feel quite real; it still doesn't. I replied, "Yeah, I'm just going to push down all my feelings until you're at the airport." I was decently stoic but ultimately failed in that goal. My relationship with Paul deserves more words than I can give. We first met 8 years ago and for the last 5 he has been a flatmate, confidant, contemporary, coworker, advisor, inspiration, and comrade. Likewise, Hanna has been a dear friend, reliable colleague, ministry catalyst, and durable sounding board. Even Lupo is losing one of his friends, their dog Jules. On one hand, I am genuinely excited for them and the new adventure awaiting them; on the other hand, I feel a huge part of me left with them. The good news is that it isn't permanent.

I was utterly shocked when my friend Pascal told me our mutual friend Joel was dead. Joel was young, healthy, and one of the most vibrant people I knew. He had been an elder and early member of Mosaik Kirche as well as co-founder of Mosaix Academy, a set of online courses for multicultural church plants. He and his family are good friends and were essential in helping me acclimate to Germany. Why Joel of all people? Joel, I miss you man. I'm glad our last time together was full of laughter and joy. If you want to support Joel's family, you can do so here.

Not Alone

It is hard to believe I have five English Camps under my belt. This year I had the honor to serve as one of five co-leaders running the camp alongside our two camp directors. Another co-leader and I were in charge of Spiritual Development, overseeing all the small groups, Celebration Times (that's what we call the nightly chapel), counseling, prayer, worship night, etc. Basically, anything regarding the spiritual side of camp was our responsibility. Despite my extra responsibility, I still did most everything I usually do, except, ironically, teach an English class. It was fun planning the camp with the other co-leaders and I already signed up to do so again next year.

During camp my focus was mainly on the other staff and making sure they had what they needed. One of them asked me what it was like being a co-leader compared to my previous experiences. I told her that in the past my focus had been primarily on the campers and secondarily on the staff; not out of duty but because of my spiritual gifting and personality, I naturally look to support the other staff. This year it flipped. I was still involved with campers, but my focus was primarily on mentoring and encouraging the staff members under me. It felt like a role that played to my strengths. Plus, I had an amazing partner who joyously did most of the heavy lifting before I knew there was lifting to be done. 

God really surprised me through my small group. Since I was overseeing all the groups, my group was actually led by another staff, and I assisted him as needed. It was his second year as a staff and first time leading a small group. Last year he had been a small group assistant, and I had heard some negative feedback from the leader. Additionally, I was warned about a few boys in the group who had behavioral problems. Because of this, I was concerned that I may need to take more control of our small group. However, my concerns were unnecessary. The boys had some minor, but normal, rough edges yet ended up showing inspiring teamwork. As for the other staff member, he displayed incredible devotion and mature leadership. I was impressed. One boy from our small group even told us we were his favorite part of camp. That is just one example of the spiritual growth I have seen in the staff over the years and part of what brings me back each time.