Summer Staff Changed My Life | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Summer Staff Changed My Life

Broken faith was fixed through the Lord.

Madeline Klein
Aug 22, 2016
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
61
Summer Staff Changed My Life

My first article I ever wrote for The Odyssey was about how YoungLife changed my life. Now as I'm a WyldLife leader and in college, summer presents countless opportunities to serve within the YoungLife organization. There is Work Crew which is when high school students come to serve the Lord for a month at a time doing various jobs like being a server in the dining hall or in the pits or on ground maintenance. Summer Staff is where college students go serve the Lord for a month at a time doing various jobs like working in the coffee shop or gift shop, or even as a lifeguard.

Let me be clear in saying I have never been a camping type or an outdoor girl. However, I felt so compelled after leader weekend to apply for summer staff and serve the Lord. I left July 22 and would get back August 9th. Not quite a month, two and a half weeks actually. It would still be the longest I had been away from home and that idea scared me. The Lord gave me the strength and courage to go. I applied and found out that I had been accepted to work in retail about two weeks later. I packed up my stuff and left with two girls that were doing summer staff with me.

As I always do, I packed too many clothes. Getting there and meeting everyone was nerve-racking and so exciting at the same time. Everyone was so excited to meet everyone else. I had never witnessed pure excitement to meet others before. It was like I was being loved before anyone even met me. It was a really cool feeling to not be judged before being loved but rather the love coming first.

I knew summer staff would be the ultimate test of my Faith. And it was. Three days before I was supposed to come home my cat I have had since I was six got very very sick. I had to come home early to say goodbye to her. When I got this news from my mom I was angry. Here I was serving the Lord and it seemed like God was punishing me. For what? I thought what I was doing was good. It turns out, summer staff wasn't what was testing my faith, this situation was. Through prayer from myself and fellow summer staffers I have overcome the anger. I remembered that everything happens for a reason. A good one. The Lord has a plan for each and every one of us, including pets. This just happened to be His plan.

Summer Staff really changed my life for the better.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

AI music threatens creativity

The Soul of Sound: How AI Challenges Human Expression in Music

120352
Humans and robots face off in a rock band battle with guitars and drums, under dynamic lighting.
StableDiffusion

In an age where artificial intelligence can mimic the voice of Freddie Mercury or reimagine pop hits as synthwave ballads, a new frontier has emerged — one that blurs the line between innovation and erosion. While AI offers undeniable benefits in technical domains, its intrusion into creative arts, especially music, raises urgent questions. Not just about copyright, but about culture, education, and the very soul of artistic expression.


Keep Reading...Show less
ai generated music
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

Miami University
438698
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
music
Entertainment

Why Your Astrological Sign May Not Match Your Personality

We are all more than just one sign.

SUNY Plattsburgh
348464
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
astrology
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

UNC Greensboro
313559
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
spring
Relationships

The Importance Of Being A Good Person

An open letter to the good-hearted people.

Sacred Heart University
559801
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
good person

Trending Topics

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments