for seven years I’ve been in teenpact. twenty-four events, 12+ fifteen passenger van roadtrips, sixteen bill skits, countless memories & moments, numerous friends, endless hours of nerding out over elections & legislature. this journey has been a beautiful and long one. I thought a lot about this last event in my teenpact ‘career’, and wondered how I would feel in the final moments of this national convention. I thought maybe I would start to feel it during the last frisbee game, cheering in the middle of my best friends. I thought it might come when I watched the slideshow at the end of the week. it didn’t come in moments of laughter with friends or in times of prayer with people I barely knew. it came, instead, when we sang in worship together on the very last night, in the final moments before we went to bed.
I came to this organization as an insecure thirteen year old who was afraid to sing in church, who didn’t know how to talk about my faith, who was terrified of speaking in front of anyone, and who didn’t know how to express the love for Jesus that I had. a life without love and boldness isn’t a life at all. teenpact is where I sang loudly to God, where I prayed freely, where I saw unity in the church among teenagers, and saw the fire of Jesus in people my age. it showed me that faith is not found in people of a certain age, but rather of a certain heart. I met souls who loved Jesus and shared about him freely. people who used their youth not as an excuse, but as an advantage. I learned to seek Jesus and to recognize my weaknesses and call out to God to grow me in strength, to stretch me in areas I thought were impossible to grow in.
and so, in the last twenty minutes of worship, I cried. another thing I didn’t know how to do before teenpact. it’s given me the opportunity to cry with friends in joy and in sorrow, to comfort eachother in sadness and rejoice with eachother in celebration. I cried for the sole reason of thankfulness, as memory after memory came to mind of times the Lord has met me over these years.
I’m happy to be done with teenpact, I know when it’s time to move on to other things. the truth is, teenpact wasn’t created for us to stay in, it exists to train up leaders and spiritual warriors so that when we leave, we leave stronger and more prepared for the challenges ‘real life’ will undoubtedly provide.
I’m leaving with a stronger faith. I’m leaving with godly, humble, incredible friends. I’m leaving with memories to last a lifetime, a mind full of information and knowledge, and a heart full of joy at the opportunity I’ve had to be a student, a staffer, and a participant of an experience that bonds and strengthens everyone involved.
it’s hard to explain all that teenpact means to me. it’s not just a place or an event, it’s everything it includes. it’s worship and friendships and experiences. it gives perspective, knowledge. it requires us to think for ourselves and to not just accept everything we’re told. it tests our faith but gives reason and purpose so that we may not lose it, but instead make it our own.
to everyone involved, thank you. thank you for being my peers, teachers, encouragers, lovers of Jesus, examples, and friends.
I have peace leaving teenpact because I know that Jesus is the one that makes it possible, and the thing that made these years so influential. I am glad to know that in losing teenpact, I am not losing my savior. in following him, I do teenpact proud. I’m no longer a student. I’m not even a staff now, as I have been for three years. but I am a child of a loving God, and I am content in that.
adios, teenpact. love you much.