To all my Uth…
I consider it such a great honor to know each and every one of you. When God told me two years ago that I would be leading Ablaze youth, I would have never imagined where he would lead us. Some of you have been with me for the entire 2 years and others of you have gone your separate ways and some of you have come recently.
Let me just tell you, you have blessed my socks off over these past 2 years. As the day is drawing nearer for me to leave, the reality of all that I am leaving behind is weighing heavy on my heart. While I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am supposed to be going on the World Race, it does not make it any less sad to be leaving you behind. I wish that you could all fit in my backpack and experience this next year with me, but you can’t. Tears have already been shed at the thought of only having 8 weeks left with you. At the thought of not getting to share in your pain over having to go to school. Or not hearing about your how your week is each time I see you. I will miss your smiles, your stories, your personalities and your sweet hearts.
Thank you for putting up with my silly games and your willingness to dress up for Mid Month Meltdown (most of the time). Thank you for always making an effort to invite your firends to our adventures. Thank your for sharing your lives with me. I will miss you sharing what is on your heart and asking questions that take you deeper in your relationships with the Lord. I will miss your honesty, because I have never taken lightly the fact that you trust me enough to be 100% honest with how you feel. I will miss watching you love each other and love each new person that visits our group. You guys have such a special bond. You fight for each other. You love each other well. Don’t lose sight of that. It makes you guys so different.
Everytime we are together, I am filled with so much joy. When I see each of your hearts for the Lord, my heart gets just a little bit happier. If I am having a bad day, it is turned around within minutes of being in your presence. You exude love for Jesus and have poured into my life as much as I have poured into yours. Thank you for pushing me to be a better person and challenging me to be the best I can be. I will never be able to thank you enough.
You my teenagers, are destined for greatness. You will accomplish great things for God. You already are accomplishing great things for His kingdom. You are all so unique with the gifts that God has blessed you with. You have servant hearts and are a blessing to so many people. God has incredible plans for each of your lives even if you cannot see it now. I know that it is hard to be a Christian in your schools and it is intimidating to share Jesus with your friends, but know that your efforts are not in vain.
My prayer for the next year and even the years after that is that you will continue to grow into strong relationships with the Lord and that you would be an unstoppable force for His Kingdom. I know that he will use each and every single one of you. Don’t think for a second because you are teenagers that you cannot be used. Let him set your heart ABLAZE for His cause. May you see the world and people through His eyes. May He break your hearts for what breaks His and may that call you to action for the broken. I pray that God would disturb your life for what He wants for you!
“Disturb me Lord when my dreams come true only because I dreamed too small.
Disturb me Lord when I arrive safely only because I sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb me Lord when the things I have gained cause me to lose my thirst for You.
Disturb me Lord when I’ve aquired success only to disturb my desire for excellence.
Disturb me Lord when I give up too soon and settle too far short of the goals You have set for my life.”
~Sir Francis Drake
When God put it on my heart to leave in July on the Race, I told Him that he was going to have to send someone to love you guys while I was gone. At the same time that I was applying and being accepted, he sent us Krysta. So while I will miss you with all of my heart and while I will cry when we have to say “see you later”, I know that you will be loved beyond measure. I will leave knowing that you are in such good hands.
Thank you for being some of my most faithful supporters and encouragers throughout the entire process of preparing for the World Race. Know that I am praying for you daily and that will not change. Though I will be thousands of miles away, I will still fight for you and pray for you. I love you all like my own children and I expect to have e-mail updates about how your weeks/lives are going 🙂
Love you all bunches!
Alyssa
