Oh LIFE Groups....

I have had zero time since LIFE Group Leader Retreat, which was two weekends ago. That weekend was only the start of this incredible community that I am now a part of, along with 47 other LGLs, Lee Wilson, his lovely wife, Beth, their precious daughter, Abbey, and the rest of the Campus Ministries staff. The coolest part is that my three closest friends on campus are also LGLs-Lindsey, Natalie, and Luke. That makes the experience even better. I love that I get to have them by my side through this whole new journey.
The weekend of retreat really reminded me of my calling to be a LGL. I had no doubt in my mind that I was supposed to be there, with these specific people, at this specific time. The retreat really took us out of our comfort zones, but in doing that, it forced us to bond as friends and as a community. We actually stayed in a hostel, which was a first time experience for many of us. The interesting housing, combined with so many new friends, led to a great time of getting to know each other and getting closer to Christ.
The best part for me, and most of the other LGLs, was the Covenant process. As a community, we commit to a specific covenant that we actually wrote. It is all totally based on Scripture, and we are required to use specific Biblical references and language that reflects them. Writing a specific part of this covenant was so amazing for all of us. Seeing six groups of very very different people come together to write something so serious and important to the community was an experience that we will never forget. We started the covenant process at 8 pm and did not finish until 3:30 am. It was intense and hard, but something that was genuinely enjoyable because we were in the Presence of Christ and of other Believers.
Other highlights included a trip to Mud Island, which is on the Arkansas/Tennessee state line, Memphis Pizza Cafe, THAI FOOD, and Speed Dating, which was probably my second favorite part of the entire weekend. I loved getting to talk to every single guy LGL. It was so awesome to just get to walk and talk about every possible thing.
The attitude of the entire community is such a blessing. Being constantly surrounded by other people who live to glorify Christ is a totally new and fantastic thing. 47 other leaders in my school, 3 of whom are my best friends, all gathered in one place for one purpose=Out of this World.
But, the fun and craziness did not end after retreat. This week we had PARTNER REVEAL!!! Probably the most important part of LGs is the partnership aspect. I love that I have a guy to rely on and work with. And, I got the best guy possible: Alex Brown! He is a fantastic guy who loves Christ and I am so excited to be partnered with him.

This is only the beginning of this incredible journey. We don't even have freshmen yet! I am so stoked for this experience. I cannot wait for our freshmen to get here and our meetings to begin. I am so ready to see the glory of Christ evident over and over again in our lives.