Wow, my final Lads to Leaders as a participant is over! Lads to Leaders is a program in the church whose purpose is to instill the Word of God in kids and adults through leadership and service events both at the yearly convention and during the rest of the year. My congregation took about thirteen kids down to Louisville, Kentucky last weekend for convention. Since I’ll be graduating in only 17 days (ummm, what!?), I’ve been reflecting on the activities I’ve been involved in during the past four years. Lads to Leaders is one of the best on the list.
My participation in Lads to Leaders began seven years ago. My parents made me participate in speech and song leading categories, even though I was deathly afraid of standing in front of people. Surprisingly, I loved writing my speech and learning the hand movements for song leading! After that first or second year, I gave a speech and led a song not because I was being made to but because I wanted to. Since that time I became involved in several more of the events, and I loved every one.
Lads challenged me in ways I had never been challenged before. One year my sister and I decided to participate in Centurion of Scripture, a program where young people memorize and recite one hundred verses of Scripture. The year we worked on our gold level (reciting all one hundred verses in one sitting), we memorized Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. For months, I paced in my bedroom repeating verses to myself and sometimes I got frustrated. But when I walked across the stage to get my gold medal at convention that year, I was euphoric! I was proud that I had accomplished what had seemed nearly impossible to me just a few months before. And let’s face it, few Christians memorize one hundred Bible verses in a year without some kind of incentive. The Centurion of Scripture event helped me see and understand the importance of writing God’s Word on my heart.
Three years ago, one of my friends at church approached me and asked me to be in the puppets program. I was hesitant; doing a puppet skit seemed an awful lot like acting, and I (again) didn’t want to be in front of people. At last I agreed, but under the condition that I only have a few lines. However, after weeks and weeks of practice and our performance at convention, I wanted a bigger role the next year! Puppeteering was so fun that I forgot my nervousness.
Another new experience Lads brought me was the chance to engage in a mock debate. When a friend from my congregation asked if I would do it with her, my nerves went crazy. Admittedly, our debate this year was the scariest thing about the entire weekend. But as we prepared for our topic (“Can a Christian fall from grace?”), I started to appreciate the whole point of the debate: to get young people to be able to study and have an answer to defend their beliefs, as 1 Peter 3:15 instructs us. And when all was said and done, I had a great time!
While I was having fun with Lads, what I didn’t realize was that I was also learning— a lot. I learned how to develop a devotional from the Bible and lead women in songs of praise to God. I learned how to expand my abilities and have confidence in them. Public speaking, they say, is Americans’ greatest fear, but Lads to Leaders helped me conquer it. Centurion of Scripture not only helped me learn how to memorize, but was an opportunity for me to commit to heart three chapters of the Word of God. The service projects that I was a part of also helped me have a more humble and loving heart.
Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the Lads to Leaders program is something that only hit home to me this year. As I walked around the convention center in Louisville, saying “hi” to everyone I knew and even meeting new people, I was overwhelmed with the unity of the Lord’s church. Because we all serve a common Savior and are striving to be like Him and to serve His people, our differences fade to nothing when we have fellowship with one another. The adults and children that I passed in the halls were all friendly, often complimenting and encouraging those who were on their way to a competition. Even competitors were kind and open. I have made friendships that will last for years with girls that I competed against. People never viewed each other as opponents, but rather as brothers and sisters.
This year I was blessed to attend singing devotionals after the award ceremonies on Friday and Saturday night. We gathered to sing praises to God, sometimes holding hands in a circle as we praised our Lord. In those moments, we were truly together. The competition of Lads taught me that competition isn’t what’s most important— worshiping God together is.
As I reflect on my years in Lads I am overwhelmed with thankfulness, joy— and sadness too. I will miss the opportunity to speak, engage in a debate, and practice a puppet skit with my friends. I will miss acting silly and eating pizza with the kids in my youth group during the weekend; encouraging each other as we compete in speech or song leading; and cheering myself hoarse when someone from our congregation has their name called for an award. I will even miss the busyness and nervousness of convention weekend.
But I am deeply indebted to the Lads to Leaders program— for seven years of memories, learning, challenges, laughter, encouragement, and growth. L2L has taught me (and many young people like me) that we are capable of leading, that service is a beautiful thing, that we can succeed at things we never thought we could, and that our Lord is worthy of our time, effort, and lives.
Lads to Leaders, I will love you forever. Thank you.
Love,
Jewell
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” —Ephesians 2:10
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” —1 Thessalonians 5:11
Blissful Little Wonders 