This past week I announced my plans to go on the World Race with 300 of our high school students on our High School Mission Trip.
I had prepared, I knew what I was going to say, but as the moment grew nearer I couldn’t help the overflow of emotion at having to announce I was leaving these students. While I wanted them to know my plans, I was heartbroken at having to say goodbye.
I love my job. I have been a student minister for almost three years now and I love that I get to spend my days mentoring, teaching, playing with and loving the most amazing group of students I have ever met. They constantly surprise me with their deep questions of faith and thoughtful views about life. I have loved watching them grow and mature into young men and women who will have a big impact on this world.
Sharing with them my plans to leave the student ministry to go on World Race, my first real goodbye, was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I knew that one of the sacrifices I would be making to go on the Race was to leave my job but this is so much more than leaving coworkers and a company. It means leaving kids that have become such a big part of my life.
But, even through my leaving I want to teach my students. I want to demonstrate how I am following Jesus and what it looks like to say yes to Him. I am so excited to be able to share my thoughts, feelings and experiences with them as I journey around the world. I want to help them see the world outside their own community and see how Jesus works in the field. I want to show them what it means to be the hands and feet of the Lord and how to love people who are different from you. I know it won't be easy but it will be worth it.
I know that this isn’t the end with my students. It’s the beginning of a new stage in my relationship with them. And even through goodbyes that frankly suck, I know my God has a plan for me and for them that I can't even begin to imagine.
