Lighthouse

Last winter and spring I spent quite a bit of time thinking and praying and fretting about sponsoring a Lighthouse trip for this school year. I was in the throws of an extremely demanding semester and frankly, was not sure I had it in me to take on another committment. As a student, I went on a Lighthouse trip that was very formative for me. I had great leaders and a team dynamic that was very positive. It was very important for me that I would be able to commit myself to a team's preparation and development sufficiently. I think what eventually pushed me over the edge enough to make a decision was that my friend Amy Barnett found out from her supervisor that he'd let her lead a trip this year (Amy's wanted to lead a lighthouse trip for some time now, but her job's calendar isn't very conducive to taking the month of January off). Sometime in late April we found out we were going to be leading the trip to the Czech Republic. BOOYEAH!

My Lighthouse experience as a student was also to the Czech Republic, which only increased my already high level of excitement. We'll be working with the same host missionary (Joanie), that I worked with as a student. I'm very excited. Over the summer Amy and I got to select our team of 16 students. 5 guys and 11 girls. I was suprised at how few of the applicants I knew. Again, this was a process covered in prayer over a week or so. Amy and I spent several summer nights sitting in her back yard by a fire talking about plans and desires for our team, the most significant of which, was the idea that we wanted to foster the idea that God is not waiting to work in my life this January while I'm in Czech. In fact, He's at work right here; right now. It's our goal throughout the semester to pose the question 'How do you observe God at work in your life right now?' often. We've also challenged them to consider packing their bags for the month in such a way that they would be able to donate everything they bring to the missions organization except for the clothes on their back and a souvineer or two.

Since school has started, we've had team meetings every Monday night for a few hours. We also went on a 24 hr. retreat to my parents' place on the lake on weekend. Honestly, my excitement for them has grown with each interaction! Each of these students is fabulous. At the end of each meeting, after everyone leaves, Amy and both look at each other with huge smiles. They are 16 unique and engaging personalities. We're meeting one-on-one with each student throughout the semester, which has also been such a blessing. These students, individually, and this team, as a group, are special. I can already tell. They may not know how well they're going to fit together yet, but Amy and I already see it.

Amy and I went to Payne's tonight and got some coffee and talked for a while. The conversation eventually got to lighthouse and I think we must have spent a good hour to hour and a half laughing and talking about our team. We made a several predictions and lists in the same vain as yearbook 'most likely to' stuff. For instance, 'person most likely to punch a crying girl on the trip ____'. We also decided to both journal about our personal goals for each student on the team. This will be good to direct my individual time with these students.

In Lighthouse, I see maybe the most tangeable mainfestation of God's sovreignty in my life. Last spring, when I agreed to lead a trip, I was unsure about whether I had the time for this or the discipline to juggle all of my priorities correctly. I also would not have guessed how things have changed with Angela and I. I think that this group of students stands to be the direct beneficiary of that change. As I will now have more of myself to offer them personally and emotionally. I think that they will likely fill at least part of a very empty spot in my heart over the next few months. I hope that this is beneficial for all involved.

Lighthouse was a big deal for me as a student. I learned alot about the poor and marginalized, the world outside of America, the global church, culture, diversity, faith, the great commission, and loving people. None of these concepts were new to me at the time, and in fact, I would have said that I had a fairly deep understanding of several of these things before I left. But the experience shifted things for me. New perspective is so powerful and so often worthwhile. One of my most repeated prayers for these 16 students is that this experience offers that to them as well. These are things that occur outside of the details of a well delivered program. They are things that happen outside of reading a book and writing a paper about it. They are sensed and formed through the nuances and intricacies of personal experience. I hope that even in spite of Amy and I, that they are able to experience this shift. I pray that God is bringing together the perfect storm, of sorts, in their lives right now so that their experience in Czech is valuable and significant, and purposeful, and new.

I barely know most of these students at all, but I have already found them endeered to me in so many ways. God be with us in our efforts to give you glory by the way we show love to one another over the rest of this semester and while we travel to Czech.