Journey. It builds friendships throughout thick and thin, providing memories that will last a lifetime. On my last post, a Journey leader shared his story of his students creating a silly little catchphrase during a Quizzing practice, and this saying remained with them for years to come. A friend did a similar thing during my freshman trip, way back when Summit was still in Chicago. He was constantly quoting the movie Elf, in particular the line “The yellow ones don’t stop,” in reference to taxis. Our church was located in a rural part of New York so we rarely saw taxis in person, making a sighting of them incredibly exciting for us, much like seeing a unicorn would. Experiences and stories like these are what truly made Summit special for me, and I’ll be sharing many more of my favorites as the weeks go on.
While Summit itself is still a little ways away, Regionals are here for many of you. For those who have never participated in a Regional competition, they were a constant in my Awana career from the time I was in second grade all the way until junior year of high school. These competitions were far less intense than Summit competition-wise, but no less beneficial.
The most obvious impact was that Regionals showed my Journey Team, and myself, where we needed to dedicate our practice time. Whether this was a new strategy for the Balloon Relay, more intense Volleyball practices or renewed focus on a particular section of the Quizzing material, Regionals were essential in our preparations. Without these intense events we would not have been the same team at Summit-certainly we would have arrived less prepared.
These trips also provided something far more important than practice: friendships. While the teams we competed against were from all over the state, there were people we just clicked with. Every year we’d be thrilled to see who came to compete and who came to support, especially our recently graduated friends. These friendships added so much meaning to Regionals, giving them a value far beyond a trophy or ribbon.
I had an incredibly weird coincidence show up my sophomore year, when my best friend from my basketball team and I were chatting about Awana. Her church offered it up through T&T, and we were discussing quizzing when our T&T years came up. She mentioned participating in Regionals, a remark that made me freeze. There was only one Regional competition for T&T in our state-the same one I competed in annually. As it turns out, we had competed against each other in quizzing for all four years of T&T before we even knew each other! Two of those years my Quizzing team had actually beaten hers by only the slimmest margin. God had brought us together years later and granted us an-admittedly unique-bond through these competitions.
If I had to give you a moral through this post, it’s never underestimate how God is moving in your life. Regionals grew me both spiritually and in maturity through ways nothing else could have. If you’re feeling doubt, fear, or boredom about Regionals, talk to God. These competitions may seem silly and trivial, and honestly, in the long run–in the world’s eyes–they are, but don’t let this prevent you from being open to God moving in your life. I’ve heard countless stories about how Summit impacted my friends-don’t limit God to those three days. Use this entire experience from the first Journey meeting of the year to the finale event as an opportunity to grow.
For my next post, I want to hear your stories of how Summit challenged you. These can be simple things, like patience with your team at 1 a.m. or more personal, such as your relationship with God. Don’t feel pressured to share anything, especially if it makes you uncomfortable. I want this blog to be a place of encouragement for the Summit community. Please e-mail your stories to me.
I’m praying for you all!