The Final Countdown

With only days to go until the trip, the final countdown has begun! (How many of you are playing the keyboard in your heads and singing right now? Sorry - hehe) As our departure day gets closer, this trip becomes more real. No more, "I'll take care of that later." It's right around the corner now. For me, the last minute preparations are not a big deal. Since this is year 12, I can pretty much pack my things in a few minutes. I just take out the bag of mission trip clothes from my closet that I haven't worn since last summer! Because of this, I sometimes take for granted just how nerve-wrecking it can be for all of the new members. I was speaking to a few kids (and adults) at church Sunday about how nervous they were. They were seeking work clothes advice (Are these shorts too short?), room assignments (We have to share a bed?), leader devotion preparation (I've already read the first three days!), and the itinerary for departure (Do we really need to be at church by 5:30? YES!). These questions and conversations brought me back to year 1 of the trip way back in 2005. If you've heard the story before, you can scroll to the end, but I'm telling it again anyway. Way back in the fall of 2004, Ken Parker came to me and asked if I'd be willing to chaperone a trip to the Bahamas with the Senior High. I had only been a youth group leader for a few months and still felt like the new kid on the block. I was very hesitant, but with a push from my wife I decided to give it go. As I arrived at church to get on the bus to the airport, I was more nervous than ever. Not only about the trip, but how was I going to fit in. Seems silly, right? A 32 year old should not be afraid of what high school kids think of him, should he? Well I did. And since no one had been on this trip before, we didn't know anything about what would happen: the schedule, the hotel, the worksite, the food! Every moment was a brand new experience for all of us. It didn't take long for us to get into the routine and fall in love with the island. And by the end of the week, our random group of 16 had become a family. So much so that one of the trip members is one of my best friends now. (yes that's you Rob) And that is what is so awesome about having 21 new people on the trip this summer. I will get to be a part of that feeling all over again - watching them grow from strangers on that bus to a new family on that last night at our closing service. And hopefully along the way you create some friendships that will last a lifetime. God Bless this trip!!