Someone Noticed

To our small group leaders who came with our students on our Fall Retreat this weekend.

I noticed:

1. Your setting aside of your own struggles and things you are dealing with at home so you could take time to care for and listen the students this weekend.
2. Your sacrifice of your weekend to sleep on uncomfortable cots in rooms full of students so that they might love God and others more.
3. Your willingness to drive your personal vehicles or negotiate the use of someone’s vehicle so that you could help transport students to the retreat.
4. Your ability to make students laugh and have fun.
5. Your sacrifice in the kitchen to cook and clean up.
6. Your flexibility when things didn’t always go the way we had planned.
7. Your participation in crazy yoga poses that most adults would never get to try just to build relationships with students.
8. Your intentional looking out to make sure everyone was involved and having a good time.
9. Your leadership and patience in small group with tired students (and when you were tired) so that necessary conversations could take place.
10. Your encouragement to your students even before the retreat to get them to sign up.
11. Your words of assurance to parents that their kids would be okay away from home for the weekend.
12. Your actions and words to make new students feel welcome.
13. Your example during worship.
14. Your prayer for students to know God more.
15. Your model in quiet time.
16. Your flexibility when the schedule had to change.
17. Your encouragement of the band and speaker as they ministered to students.
18. Your support of each other and prayer for each other as small group leaders.
19. Your time spent playing late night card games or other things in cabins.
20. Your support and encouragement to me in your words, presence, and prayers.

There are many other things I could write, and I want you to know that I really appreciate you all and am so glad that you are on our team.

Thanks!