End of year

The end of the school year . . . (Why does it not concern me at all that I STILL think of my year in terms of the school calendar?) . . . comes with a lot of celebration and goodbyes.

We had our last YoungLife leadership of the year. The weather was great so we spent the first part of the night out on my terrace.

There were kids everywhere-we had 20 people there! Then we moved inside and talked from Mark 4 about the different types of seeds-not just in context of believing but also in context of letting Christ speak into different aspects of our lives and how we receive that. It was a great conversation!

One of the best traditions we have is that at the last leadership we pray for our seniors as they leave us and move on to college. Next year our seniors will be in; London, Virginia, North Carolina, California, Belgium, South Carolina and Tennessee. I was struck in that moment how much I LOVE these guys and how much I am going to miss them. God has given me such grace with these seniors. I have known a lot of students over the years but for some reason I feel especially close to this group. Some of them are students I have know for 3 years. Some of them I have know for 1 1/2 years. Some of them have a very strong faith in Christ, some are still exploring what that relationship might look like for them. Some of them had a relationship with Christ before I met them and some of them I have had the privilege of walking alongside of as they began their relationship with Him. I am SO BLESSED to have know each of them. I have never been a parent but I think I got a taste of what it feels like to send a child you love off to their next adventure. As I stood there praying for them, for their relationships at school next year, for critical decisions they would be making in the next few months and years- I was so thankful that I know that though I will not be there with them- Christ will be. They were in His hands long before I met them and He has them in His hands as they head around the globe next year.