A Letter to my New Teamie

2 years ago was the start of the best years of my life. I remember the anticipation of wondering which Young Life team and which high school I would be placed at. Athens freaking Drive. Being a YL leader has grown me, pruned me, and taught me more than I could have ever imagined. I am giddy with excitement because TONIGHT we get two new teammates. Two new people to run alongside of us as we run alongside of Jesus in the work He's doing.

 A letter to my new teamie:

I’ve been freaking waiting for you. WE, as a team have been praying for YOU! Get ready. The Lord just hand picked YOU for what I believe (maybe I’m biased) is the greatest school in Greater Raleigh. This team of people are a people rooted in Jesus whose hearts LONG for these Athens kids to know full life. So, WELCOME!

Our focus is not to try to be the coolest YL leaders or the greatest YL leaders in the area. Or to have the most kids at our club or campaigners. Our focus is the Athen’s kids hearts. It’s to recognize that we, ourselves are broken and messed up. That we are simply along for the ride with the King of Kings. That we don’t have the power of bringing these kids from death to life but we follow the One who does. It’s to simply be WITH these kids, to show up in their lives, to care for them, to love them in hopes that Jesus would move in their hearts. Our focus is to be a team who seeks first the Kingdom. To be a team who holds one another accountable, a team who is vulnerable with each other, a team who extends grace to one another, a team who reminds each other that we cannot do this without spending time with Jesus, a team who knows that we are simply seed planters and that it’s not going to be us who changes these kids hearts. Our focus is not to put on club or a bunch of events in the name of Young Life. It is to do absolutely every single thing, from switching on the lights in between songs at club to praying with a kid at summer camp in THE NAME OF JESUS and for HIS Glory and HIS Glory alone. Not for our Glory, or our ego, our our reputation.

That is who Athens Young Life is. And we are PUMPED that YOU are joining us for the ride. I once heard it put that it’s like ‘Bring your kid to work day’. That’s us. That’s ministry. Jesus brings us to work with Him.The Lord is doing the work, the Lord makes the calls. He doesn’t need us at all, but he chooses us to come along with him. He chooses YOU to sit down with a girl over coffee and to listen to the utter brokenness in her life. He chooses YOU to step foot in that Athens parking lot & to watch as kids pour out of the front doors. He chooses YOU to have a front row seat of redemption in your girls’ lives.  He chooses YOU to be rejected time and time again. He chooses YOU to live life these girls. We just simply have to show up. What a privilege.

Here’s just a couple of practical things I’ll throw at ya, that I would have really wanted to know when becoming a Young Life leader:

1. Wake up an hour early and spend time with Jesus. I”m telling you. This is a must. You will become dry, worn out and run down if you don’t. You have to go to His feet each morning and be filled with him. Find a routine. Don’t make it a checklist thing. Pray that He would wake you up in the morning refreshed and hungry to spend time in His Word. Maybe it’s praying a Psalm, maybe it’s journaling a prayer, maybe it’s reading aloud a chapter in Ephesians. Maybe it’s getting on your knees. Like actually getting on your knees and being silent to HEAR His voice.
2. Contact work is scary. Stepping foot in that Athens parking lot is scary. BUT, it’s worth it. PRAY. Pray before you go to the school, pray before you get coffee with a girl, pray the day of club, pray before campaigners, pray for your girls. Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do.
3. Don’t compare. Oh, how EASY it will be to compare yourself to your friends who are leaders. The moment they post that instagram or come home raving about how many girls came to this or that. Celebrate with them! Girls are seeing Jesus and that is awesome. But don’t compare. Don’t be discouraged if more girls are coming to their stuff than yours or if they have more phone numbers than you. Trust that the Lord is working through you. Whether you have one girl coming to things or 100 girls. He’s planting seeds and your work is not in vain.
4. Plan your weeks on Sunday’s. Discipline is going to be key in being a YL leader. You have to manage your time. Sit down on Sunday’s and pre plan when you are going to go to after school, which games you will go to, when you will do contact work. You have to sacrifice things. There will come a day when you are in bed or have had a long day and the last thing you want to do is go to after school. Well, GO. Trust me. Get up and show up. And remind yourself that we’ve got a gift because the Athens parking lot is a total of 10 minutes from your front door. That rocks.
5. Be who God made you to be. Girls are attracted to you and your personality is magnetic because JESUS is inside of you. Throw away the mask and live in the realm of knowing God made you to be specifically you, with your own unique likes/dislikes and gifts. High school girls are around enough people who put on fronts. Don’t be one of those. You are refreshing to them, they see something different in you. Never get so caught up in YL and going through the motions that you’re numb to the very truth you tell your YL girls. YOU are beloved, God is for YOU, He is jealous for YOU. His promises aren’t just for your girls, but also for you. Let your identity be rooted in Jesus.

I don’t have it all figured out, trust me. But I’m growing and I’m learning every day what it looks like to follow Jesus in this world. And I’m excited to do ministry with you and to be your teammate. Your heart will soon grow to cherish Athens Drive High School more than your very own high school, your heart will soon break for the high school girls you begin to live life with and your heart will begin to be changed simply by choosing to run after these girls like Jesus runs after you.
Welcome aboard and get ready for the ride of your life. Go Jags.