Going to MOVE, a week-long conference put on by CIY (Christ In Youth), was always the highlight of my summer for the past four years. Last summer was the last year I was eligible to go as a student and I had always claimed that I would continue to go as a leader, but that idea was repeatedly struck down by my two younger sisters. I had accepted the fact that I most likely would never experience another week of MOVE. Until two weeks ago when my youth pastor texted me asking if I could possibly go as the female chaperone for the conference that was less than a week away. Obviously, I agreed to go.
It was different for me experiencing the week as a leader, even though I've only been out of the youth group for one year. I could kind of tell that the girls didn't really see me as their leader because of that along with the fact that two of them were my sisters, but I made sure I tried to connect with them all and engage them more, and I think it actually worked. Although, I'm pretty sure they thought my main job was to call campus safety several times throughout the week when they locked themselves out of their rooms. But I feel like I've matured and grown a lot in my faith and leadership over this past year, so I was able to think differently about the messages throughout the week than I had in years past. I feel like it had more meaning for me going as a leader because I was able to watch the youth group more intently to see how God worked in them throughout the week.
At MOVE, they always do a lot to stress the importance of Kingdom work, using the gifts God has given you to advance His Kingdom. My favorite part of the week is when they pass out the Kingdom Worker cards on the last day. Each person (leaders included) gets a little card in an envelope and they don't have to open it, but if they do, they are committing to do whatever challenge is on the card. There are close to 100 different cards that range in difficulty, so you never know how intense the challenge you get is going to be. My first year, I got a card that said to collect school supplies for students in need and I completed it that summer, which was a really cool experience. The cards our group got this year are probably my favorite bunch because they're all really different from each other and they're ones that nobody's gotten before. Here are the ones our group got:
-Turn your phone off for one week, and spend 20 minutes each day praying for your family.
-Fill your parents' gas tanks with your own money. Tell them what you appreciate about them.
-Raise money to purchase school supplies for kids in your area that are in need.
-Do a random act of kindness each week for 6 months.
-Go out of your way to serve and love your sibling for one month. If you don't have a brother or sister, serve & love your parents.
-Look for someone in your group or school who needs a friend. Get to know them, spend time with them, and see how you could serve and love them like Jesus would.
-Read Romans 12:18. Think of anyone you need to try and make peace with and do what you can to restore relationships that are broken.
-Plan a family vacation or weekend for your whole family. Plan everything- where to go, what to do, where to eat, where to stay- use it as a way to serve and love your family.
-Don't buy any new clothes for one year. Use the money you would have spent on clothes to bless a missionary your church supports.
-Share what you experienced this week with 5 people who did not come. Tell them what you learned and what you liked most.
-Work in a homeless shelter near where you live for at least an hour each week for 6 months.
-Attend a leadership conference of your choice this year. Apply what you learn to your life. (This is the one I got)
I think the cards are so awesome because they challenge you to do some pretty cool and sometimes difficult stuff. And you don't have to have a card to do something, you could take any of these ideas or one of your own and commit to doing Kingdom work. Overall, I had a great week at MOVE and am so thankful I had the opportunity to go as a leader and experience everything a little differently.
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