Our team at the Awards Banquet 2011 (Photo Credits go to Mrs. Hines :)

Publish Post

8000 Miles

And now, on the shores of the sea, comes the end of our fellowship. I will not say: do not do not weep, for not all tears are an evil. 

 It is time Frodo...

(Gandalf: LOTR-Return of the King)

As our awards ceremony came to an end Monday night, I kept thinking of the final scene at the end of Lord of the Rings. Frodo wanders through his empty house, after the long, harrowing journey, wondering: How do you pick up the threads of an old life, how do you go on, but in your heart begin to understand, there is no going back...

(LOTR-ROTK)

Honestly, I don't want to go back. Our play was about reaching the lost for Christ, and in as much as I have been given all the tools throughout my entire life, I have never felt the least bit confident when speaking with a non, or shallow believer about my faith. Within the space of about a week we had the opportunities to go to both a Juvenile Justice Center, and a home for troubled kids. I had three conversations from my time there, with teens who really needed something more. They believed in Christ, but had yet to make their faith a full commitment. I felt so helpless talking to them. It was not that I was unable to talk, but that I felt that what I had to say was giving no comfort at all.

The old me, before this summer would have just taken it all in stride. Seen the lesson, felt a moment of conviction, then moved on without any change. But now I want something more. I want to be able to follow 1 Peter 3:15, to - be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you...

For those of you who never saw our play, the last scene is the poem The Harvest and the Tempest. A girl is dreaming of a harvest that is lost while the laborers play games and ignore the approaching storm. I, as the unnamed man, show that the harvest is the lost souls on earth, and that the storm is Gods judgement day. Then I disappear, leaving the girl to wonder why she has waited so long to serve the Lord with her whole heart and spread the gospel to the lost. In our dramatic reading I, wearing all white, was suppose to be enveloped by the reapers, who wore all black. But be cause they were not as tall as me I had to go to my knees. About half way through the summer I realize this was an open opportunity to pray. We had lots of tech problems that needed prayer, and there was always the invitation that followed our presentation to pray for as well. But going into the last few weeks, I started listening to the words Grace, who played the girl was saying:

Then Calling on God in the heavens, with contrite spirit I prayed;

"Oh Lord, I will be a worker! Too long, too long have I played;

Because of the ripened harvest, I give you my heart and my arm;

I’ll spend my life in the valley to save the grain from the storm."

I don't exactly know what I should be doing from this point. I feel a great amount of conviction from this portion of the play. I feel a great amount of conviction from the entire summer, but I have no idea where that conviction is taking me. If you had asked my during my senior year and on if I was lead to the college I chose, and I would definitely say yes. There was a definite path that lead me there, even though I could not see it at the time. But now I am wondering, was the only reason I was lead there so that I could have a spring break that ended with me being invited to travel this summer? And now, is there another pathway God wants me to take?

You cannot always be torn in two. You must be one, and whole for many years. You have so much to enjoy, to and be, and to do. Your part in the story will go on....  

(Frodo to Sam: LOTR-ROTK)

On the way home I finally reached a place of peace. That place was faith. Faith is always something I have struggled with. I like control when it concerns my own life. I have plenty of faith that God will keep the world spinning around me, but I always want to at least know, if not be in control of how my part is spinning. I got into the bad habit last semester about daydreaming life scenarios for myself with various paths I could take. I really became obsessive about it and finally had to give that time back to God. I don't really need to know everything that is going to take place in the future. Many people asked me if I would travel for another summer. I would obviously love to, it was a life changing experience and our team was able to reach so many with our message, but that to must wait. I am making the commitment to not think about anything but "this semester" this semester. Last semester I lost focus, and it hurt my grades and my walk with Christ. I wanted to tell you all this so that you will be able to hold my focus to this one goal. My future is in Gods hands, it always has been, but now I need to let him have the control...

I want you all to know how grateful I am to you for giving me this opportunity to serve and to learn. I apologize for not keeping in touch with you all better throughout the summer, but please know that I thought about you often, and definitely felt your prayers. God's hand of protection was definitely over us. It is a miracle that we only had one blown tire the entire summer. The East Team had a couple of breakdowns (one on there way back to the Academy Monday) and a blown tire, while Team South had five different tires blow (several on their trailer in one incident), and never had AC for the entire summer. The Devil did try to use our lights and tech to defeat us, but after many years of problems in Midwest churches, the Academy has learned to send the Midwest team with many backups, most of which we used at least once during the summer.

But now the summer must end. No matter how often I think about our travels, or what little things I encounter throughout the day make think about of where I've come from, I have to move on. Three of our team will return to the Academy's college program in the fall, one has finished her time there and is going on to complete her education at home. Seven of our team will be returning to high school in the fall, many for their senior year. And for me, I will be returning to Waynesburg for my second year. We could all use your prayers as God guides us each on our journey.

Yes, for me, the summer is over, but now...

I think I'm quite ready for another adventure.

 (Bilbo LOTR-ROTK)