Walking In Redemption: Christ on the move

Before you read further I'd like to let you know that some of what is talked about may be surprising. Also this post is partially heavy But, it's also about redemption.

With that in mind...

God did some amazing things on our middle school retreat a couple years ago. 

The even more amazing thing is that all of this started with me being obedient 

to what God called me to around the same time.

During this time in youth group we were doing a series on different types of conflict. 

One of the youth pastors from my church was planning an all worship night to have leaders share about their Conflict with Self. 

The pastor asked the leaders to think about sharing part of their story. 

God laid it on my heart to share part of my story. 

I talked to my youth pastor, and worked the kinks out. 

It was amazing night! 

The worship was exactly what the students needed. 

There were five leaders who were vulnerable to talk about their conflict with self.

My self-conflict I struggled through was self harm.
 I struggled with and through it after losing my dad. 

God used that part of what I've gone through to help my students.

Flash forward a few weeks from when I shared:
the youth pastor and youth volunteers started to plan the spring retreat for the middle school students.
We thought of everything from games to lessons and ways to keep the students engaged.
One of the pastors asked what we as leaders wanted to get out of retreat, one of the leaders felt like led to do baptism. Plans kept developing and growing for the retreat.

The day of the retreat came.
The students checked in, the bus was packed and we left.
We arrived at Dunes and got our cabin assignments.
We started with worship and a lesson from the speaker.
The theme for the weekend was M.A.D.E.
We played games, got messy, and had a blast.

(Above is my cabin from the camp)

After one of the night sessions I had an eighth grade girl come up to me.

She asked if we could talk and I took her somewhere quiet to talk. 

We sat down, and talked through what was on her heart. 

She told me that God had laid it on her heart to come talk with me the night I shared my story in youth group. 

She knew she wasn't ready to talk. 

She came on retreat and God told her to talk to me again, and she was ready!

She told me how she also struggled with self harm as well, and had won the battle. 

We were able to talk about how God chose to redeem her story.

God does not make mistakes.

What you're going through is not easy but it has a purpose.

God will bring you through to the other side and use what you went through for a bigger purpose. 

Redemption is coming.