This past week, I went on a trip with my high school youth group that we call, “Trip Through The Rockies.” It’s one of my favorite trips that we take because it’s very meaningful to the whole group; due to the fact that it’s the senior class’s last trip. I honestly didn’t think about what would happen when I was a senior saying goodbye, rather than saying goodbye to previous seniors. I told myself, “I have plenty of time before that’s me.” Now, here I am, writing about the amazing time I had on my last youth trip. From worship and lesson to all the fun we got to have made this trip really memorable.
At the start of the trip, I was ecstatic. Everything was packed up for the next five days and we started off to Glenwood Springs in our white school bus full of kids. I got the chance to talk to some of the younger classmen and share stories of when I was in youth group at their age. I told them to cherish the time they had with the group cause four years seems like a long time, but all of a sudden it sneaks up on you. Then you’re left looking back, revisiting memories of powerful moments with God, watching the friendships you’ve made flourish, and wishing you had more time. It reminds me of that country song Don’t Blink, by Kenny Chesney. He says, “Don’t blink. Just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap, then you wake up and you’re twenty-five, and your high school sweetheart is now your wife.” Wow…how true that time just flies.
We visited the hot springs during the second day when we were in Glenwood, making more memories as we splashed and played in the warm water. We also got to do some swimming under the stars! I was floating in the water, stargazing to my heart’s content (I love stars if you couldn’t tell), and all of a sudden I saw a little shooting star! It was so small I almost thought I made it up but I knew that God had something special in store for me, just by seeing that shooting star.
Later on, I got the chance to give some words from the Lord to different people. I made a few people cry (in a good way) and got many thank you’s. However, it was all God. I had no idea what these people in my group were going through until I spoke those words to them. It helped me get really close with them and I was very glad to have had those experiences.
Day three, we pack up our stuff in our hotel and go high up in the mountains to camp! We had no service but a majority of us absolutely loved it! I had amazing conversations with people I knew well and people who I had just met. Everyone was making the most of their time left with the seniors of the trip and taking time in the mornings to sit in His presence. That evening, after an amazing lesson and worship time, darkness had fallen over the camp site and when I looked up I was in awe. I’ve seen some awesome stars in my lifetime but you could see the whole Milky Way from where we were. I took the time, standing in the middle of a grassy area, to just thank God for placing all those stars in the sky for us and the time I’ve gotten to have with some of my favorite people.
On our fourth day, everyone was stoked! We got to go white water river rafting! We were on the river for almost 4 hours but it was amazing. At one point, my raft became the rescue boat for some of our friends whose boat had flipped in a rapid. That was a funny memory for sure! Our boat, designed to hold 8 people comfortably, had 12 people in it! They were shaken up for sure but happy to be out of the cold water. Once we had finished rafting for the afternoon, we all found out that a senior on the trip was going to get baptized! It was a really cool experience to see her get baptized by two of our leaders. I was so happy for my friend.
That evening, we do what we call, “Cry Night.” After the lesson and worship, the group gathered around the camp fire. The seniors get the chance to say what the group has meant to them over their time there and the rest of the group gets the chance to tell the seniors what they have meant to them personally. I didn’t know I could shed so many tears. For most of these people, I’ve gotten to see them grow so much in their faith for the time I’ve known them. I got to tell people how proud I was of them and that I saw them going and living for God, whatever that looked like for each of them. That night I felt the presence of God all around us, embracing us and comforting us as we wept.
As my time in youth group comes to a close, and I open a new chapter of my life, I am both excited for the new chapter, but sad that the previous chapter has ended. I will keep so many memories of my time with these wonderful people I have the pleasure of calling family. Now, many new memories are begging to be made as I open this next chapter of life. My dad showed me a lyric from a song he played when his time of being a youth group leader came to a close. It goes, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.” As sad as I am to leave this group, I know that the plan God has for my life will lead to an amazing new beginning of this chapter and lead my group into their newest chapter as my class says, “Goodbye.”
