Selflessness.

The word selflessness has been etched onto my heart in completely new ways. God is so great. I can't really even begin to express how honored I feel to have witnessed His greatness in the ways that I have over the past month--and when I think of His greatness...His glory...the holiness of of God that sets Him apart from all else. I am truly humbled by the selflessness He has exhibited through the teenagers & adults I have been so blessed to serve in ministry with over the past several weeks. 


Two mission trips, one week at camp & one of our largest church wide outreach events all happened within a span of 3 weeks. Over those 3 weeks, I heard many comments like, "Are you crazy!?" "Are you tired!?" "How are you still going?" Well, to be completely honest...yes, I probably am a little crazy. There were days that I did feel tired. Without a doubt I kept going by a fuel that only comes through the grace and love of Jesus Christ. So thankful that the Lord always gives us what we need to sustain us in Him.


Here's the honest truth---I loved every moment of it. The early mornings and the late nights, the crazy air mattress I had to sleep on, the 12 passenger van full of sleeping students as I drove, the bathroom stops that take 30 minutes with 60 people.I loved watching our students form new friendships with one another and re-kindle old friendships. I love watching the students love on their adult leaders. Hearing them yell, "Rooooonnnnn" every time Ron Miller walks into a room. I love the silly caravan of vans as we travel. I even secretly love the moments when Joe & I have our classic "navigation errors" and end up in a subdivision instead of the park we were headed to. I love the new people that God has brought into our life through Youth Works & Camp Lakewood--to watch our students reach out and make new connections with the counselors and staff they are serving alongside. I love watching our teens fall in love with serving others whether it's playing kickball at a Boys in Girls Club, teaching their campers to sing 500 miles for the first time or playing Bingo with the elderly at a nursing home--it's transforming to watch their hearts develop more and more towards the call to be the hands and feet of Christ. I love taking some folding chairs and forming them into a circle with students and leaders that leads to literally hours of affirmation, prayers, laughter & tears. I love getting down on tired knees and washing the feet of students as an act of love in attempt to remind them that Jesus gave us the ultimate example of love. I love waking up in the morning and hearing 12 voices say "Good morning, Steph." I love the line of boys at breakfast who walk up to give me a high five or hug to start my day. I love watching adult leaders go on their first mission trip as a chaperone and watch their faces as they start to fall in love with our precious crew. I love all the random little things that happen that make us all laugh so hard our stomachs hurt. I love that my students know how emotional I am and pass a Kleenex towards me. I love that God has blessed me with such an awesome co-director in Joe that sometimes he can read what I'm thinking with just a look or a head nod. I love the Facebook comments from all of our student's families and parents from home when we post updates on the road, they are always full of love and prayer and God uses that love to keep us fueled & safe & well. I love it all. Every moment of the crazy mission trip/camp lifestyle is a blessing. 


And then there's the selflessness I've seen displayed. Over and over again I watched our crew put themselves last...whether in the love they extended to strangers or to one another. I saw it again and again, day in and day out. So powerful. So moving that some nights tears rolled down my face as I fell asleep because I was so touched by their selfless acts I saw displayed throughout each and every day. And, no we aren't a perfect group. And, no these trips weren't without splinters and struggle. But Jesus came first--and when Jesus comes first love falls into place in the most powerful of ways. 


In Colossians 3:14-15, "Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful."  I watched Paul's words come to life in the past 3 weeks. I watched one body form-- the command to be thankful takes on new meaning to me after this past month.


I can only imagine how God will bless us as we take what we have learned and the love we have discovered in the past 3 weeks and use it as our driving force into the mission field of our everyday in this coming year.  To God Be the Glory--Great Things HE has Done!