I Have Been CHANGED

Preparation for Steubenville 2006 began almost immediately after 2005’s conference ended, and the greatest part of preparation was for the mere fact that the Lord had blessed us with the opportunity to serve Him and all of you through not only one, but two conferences for this summer. And what a blessing it truly has been!

I returned this summer as the Steubenville intern, which meant I did everything from counting out 100+ lanyards for some groups, to organizing a room for every person attending, pulling all-nighters with Rosanne to print 4000 name tags, to most importantly, praying for all of you. I got to experience something insanely beautiful and moving that it touched my heart many times throughout the weekend just watching in awe as the Holy Spirit worked through all of you.

The theme for week 1 was completely evident this year. As Sr. Consolata and Rosanne often reminded me, because the Lord is the only UNCHANGING aspect of our lives that would therefore imply that everything else around us would CHANGE. Oh boy did things change! Rearranging seating, losing and thankfully gaining volunteers, drops and add-on’s for each group, room list, updated room list, and even the further updated room list… and the list goes on and on. CHANGE surrounded us all in the Office of Youth Ministry, and we were happy to go along with those CHANGES knowing fully that our God would be UNCHANGING, and therefore with us at all times.

When we arrived on campus on Thursday, the joy was present, the excitement was present; the Lord was present. Preparation and set up went phenomenally well, (shocking considering usually there are an abundance of CHANGES), but above anything that came our way, it was understood and believed that the Lord was there, in all His UNCHANGING ways making things flow wonderfully. I was ecstatic when you all began to arrive. It was that anticipation from the months of work had finally come down to this weekend, and I could not have been more ready to be with you all! Unlike last year, this summer I spent much time on the phone and contacting the group leaders through email. I began to form relationships with the group leaders and a love and care for every one who would be attending the conference. The smiles, the laughs, the hugs were all so wonderful especially putting faces with names. God truly is incredible.

Friday night I stepped into Juanita K Hammons Hall and looked up at the almost 2000 teens, chaperones, and volunteers who had CHANGED my life. I was speechless. You are quite the sight to see! And I sat back and smiled, shed a few tears at the beauty of our UNCHANGING Father and realized that you all had no clue about all the CHANGES that had occurred throughout the months prior to the conference because you didn’t need to know about it all. Instead, you were blessed with the knowledge of how through the UNCHANGING power of the Holy Spirit we can in fact be CHANGED. And I remember years ago when I sat in your seat grasping the most out of the conference and having no knowledge of the CHANGES that must occur in planning such a big event. However, I began to realize how I had been the one CHANGED through all of the CHANGES that had occurred. It was through those CHANGES that the Lord taught me humility, patience, gratitude, and selfless love for others.

I stood on stage on Sunday morning looking out into the crowd and smiling the greatest smile realizing how I had in fact done what Fr. Larry had said. Through being exhausted, I had given life to others. Now, I’m not saying this as a plea for attention or to stress how much work it was because in the long run, watching every teen dance and praise the Lord, made me understanding that not a single second of my work mattered. And you know why? It was never my work to begin with; it was God’s. However, I’d like to reiterate what Fr. Larry said about being tired and giving life to others. I thought about the usual lack of sleep tired, but then I realized that sometimes we become tired and worn from life. From all the CHANGES that exhaust us in our daily lives we become worn and tired, and at those moments we are most meant to be serving the Lord by giving life to others. There are moments in my life when I become worn and tired and I look to you all to keep me going. You are the ones that inspire me to live my life serving the Lord, and for that I am extremely grateful. You all mean oh so much to my life, my heart, my faith. And I want you to know that you all were worth every second of being tired for this weekend. Every single second.

I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to become tired, for all those CHANGES you brought to my table, and therefore humbling me through offering all the CHANGES at His table. As teens and group leaders, you really have no idea how Jesus works through you to CHANGE me. Thank you for humbling me. Thank you for challenging me. Thank you for giving me life and CHANGING me through all that you do just simply by letting the Lord work through you. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you at all hours of the day, and thank you for your faith, and the life you give to all those you meet. I am moved by your love for our God and because of that reason alone, I want Him to work through me at all times to serve others. You are all blessings in my life because of CHANGING me by letting the only UNCHANGING one work through you.

Can’t wait to see you next year! God Bless you!