I was in charge of speaking for spring retreat this year, and let me tell you.. I was very nervous. That means I was in charge of four talks through out the weekend. Granted that was my only task for the weekend, but I was still very nervous.
I ended up speaking on the woman at the well. She was a woman with a past and everyone knew it. However when Jesus met her, he did not condemn her for her past or call her names (as many had done) he simply loved her and compelled her to be different. Through out the weekend I asked the youth to write out their own well story and at the end of the weekend they were encouraged to share them with the group.
Many of our youth at treehouse have pasts. Some of them have been in jail, have been addicted to drugs, have been molested or raped, or just been really hurt. And the wonderful news is that God meets them where they are at, and wants to heal their hearts. The whole weekend I wanted to really drive in the fact that when they accept the reality of their situations and are honest with what they have done or have had done to them, they will be able to heal and move on. I'm not sure if that happened or not, but I pray it did! When it was time for the youth to share their well stories, I was nervous that no one would get up. However, I heard four accounts of youth who have been stuck in different situations in life and who want to change, and who are asking for God's help! I was so proud of them for sharing in front of the group. Of course I cried, and cheered.
The coolest part of it all is that we as TreeHouse staff get to run alongside these youth now as they start to be honest and begin to heal. I feel so privileged that these kids would share their inner most thoughts and fears with us. What a great job you all allow me to have.
Thanks for reading and encouraging me!
here is the spoken word of the woman at the well. This is kind of what our youth performed on the last day.
