30til30: Day 14

I have 30 days until I turn 30, so I thought I'd try to choose 30 moments that have helped shape who I am and want to be. Coming up with the list has been challenging...and enlightening. These are in no particular order.

14: SLAM.

I had the unique opportunity to take a handful of kids to a week-long event called SLAM (Students in Leadership and Ministry). We went three different years: two in Washington D.C., and one in Minneapolis, MN. Not only were these fun trips, they were life changing. I learned a lot about leadership and creativity in ministry on these trips. Each year, they gave our group more responsibility, until in the final year we were planning the worship services. Some memories from that particular trip:

• Team building in the old Grace Worship Center.
• Planning worship services for every morning and evening.
• Making the decision to reset the room every single day so it felt like a new experience.
• Hands in the middle with an awesome team. 
• Rich prayer times with the team.
• The prayer wall.
• Telling a group of kids that I was disappointed in what they were doing 5 minutes before they were supposed to perform for 150 people. Ugh. That was a bad moment.

How it shaped me:

• This was another event that shaped my ability to plan and execute services. It's the event that made me fall in love with it, to be more specific.
• I got much more laid back with kids after that trip. I didn't lower my expectations, I just got nicer about it.