body shop post #6 lock-in edition 1.2

ok...so now that i'm somewhat caught up on my sleep time to fill in the incredible details of the night...

i showed up at bodyshop at 6 on friday not knowing really what my role would be in the event. i knew i would hang out with the girls, but other than that i was clueless. what my part ended up being was really a support to the girl that planned the whole night. i took charge of checking the girls in as they arrived and collecting their money, i took part in the comedy show that all of the leaders put on, i was official photographer for the night, and helped to get activities set up throughout the night. i was really able to see myself be sort of the behind the scenes leader...i wasn't really up front at all or leading any of the activities and even though i did spend quite a bit of time with the students it was not as much as the other leaders...i was really able to be the one to serve the other leaders to enable them to do their "thing."

it was really cool for me to not only see what kind of leadership i would bring to the night, but also to watch the other girls who were leading as well. they were all freshmen and sophomores, so i was the oldest leader their and i was really impressed with all of them. they stepped up and really got to know the girls, they dealt with girls not feeling well, with some drama that could have ended badly, but they were able to work it out, and they did a great job of leading the various activities throughout the night.

do give you an idea of what the night looked like...we began with big group, ice-breaker, type games in the gym, we then moved to decorating shirts and shoes with markers, fabric paint, hot glue and gem stones. after that we played crab soccer, which is when the kids do the crab walk to play and use a big beach ball! it was really fun to watch that game!! after that we did the comedy show and by towards the end of that the girls were beginning to disengage a bit so we were a little worried that things would go south fast. we were sorely mistaken. after the comedy show, one of the leaders sat down and shared her testimony with the girls...she was very transparent with the girls about things she had struggled with in her life and the girls really latched on to what she had to say and were very attentive. it was clear that God was speaking through her to these girls and they really responded. we spent the next two hours talking and praying with girls who were sharing their struggles and some really hard things that they were dealing with. through this time we were able to see the girls encouraging and loving on each other and even see one 6th grader lead a 7th grader she had just met to Christ. it was really an incredible couple of hours!

after that time, we moved into a dance party and then put in a movie. we ended with breakfast and clean-up about 7 in the morning and the girls were picked up at 8. all of the leaders were exhausted by the time the girls left, but we all felt so good about the things that took place throughout the night, both the more serious things and the crazy fun things!

i feel that i really got to connect with some of the girls this weekend and honestly, i wish that this event had been earlier in the semester so that i could have connected better in the beginning and continued the relationships rather then it feeling like they are just now starting at the end of the semester...oh well...i'll just have to try and make the most of the time that is left!