A Grand Farewell

Going into tonight I was excited but aprehensive at the same time. It was Ben, Katie and Noah's last time at Crew (high school group). Going into the night I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't sure if it would be awkward or what things would be like but it turned out to be a great night. Noah's birthday is on Tuesday, so we had a cake/party for him, then we had a sharing time for the students to talk about what their family has meant to them and ended with a slide show. I think it was a great thing for me to experience with this group. There was definately the sadness of The Kerns Family leaving, and that is still there but I also think it was a growing night, and could be a catalyst for some great things happening here at River Ridge.

We had an open mic time where a lot of people shared, then Ben and Katie both shared, and it was a sad farewell, but also a great time of looking back at what God has done through them in this last year and a half, and also a excitement of what God is doing now in them and also in the group at River Ridge.

It felt like the passing of the torch. Because we had the farewell for Ben and Katie, the students are more open to me. I had 2 students come up to me and gave me hugs and were like okay I'm ready to be led by you now. It felt like it was a good thing for the students to see that I care about Ben also, and wanted him to be celebrated and I want to share and have great experiences with them as well. It was awesome being a part of the celebration and seeing what Ben and Katie have done in their year and a half here. They have made a huge impact and I'm excited to continue that. These last 3 weeks working with Ben, but also living with them has been a really great experience. They have made the transition very easy, and although I've only known them a few weeks, I'm definately going to miss a lot.

It was a good night.