G-Live with the seniors
One of the biggest sources of joy for me in the past two months was the G-Live experience. Something about this time around stands out much more than the previous experiences. Though it started off a bit slow and late in a sense, it was amazing how every part came together, starting with the week of G-Live camp and the massive amount of work and practice that was accomplished and completed during that short time of spring break. I was thankful as I thought about how the majority of our college students were spending their spring break – making props, practicing singing and dancing, repeating their one line again and again, cramming into various houses and apartments, sleeping like packed sardines in the floor, and bonding and creating unforgettable memories together through the whole process. What a contrast to how they have spent their spring break in the past, or how they would have – sleeping in, lounging around home all day, watching hours of TV and movies, playing video games, endless hours on the internet updating their facebook accounts, chatting, looking through mindless images, even maybe much more harmful and dangerous activities that could possibly deaden their soul and mind. Also such a contrast to how so many college students spend their spring break – going to a resort in Mexico, partying, etc. But here they were, each day as I rushed to NL after work, I was greeted and surrounded by numerous students who were laughing, eating, hanging out, enjoying one another’s presence, and even at times when they were tired, it was a good tired – tired because they were exerting their time and energy to a cause greater than themselves, tired because they were practicing one particular thing again and again, to get it just right so that that one line could be delivered well to communicate the message, and tired being engaged in doing something together with so many others. They were doing something worthy with their time, and it was something pleasing to God. The time spent with them during the down-times, just getting to know some of them was also invaluable.
In the midst of the busyness, physical fatigue, and sometimes stress that came with G-Live, I was personally very strengthened by being among the senior class. It was very encouraging and uplifting to see just how excited and grateful they were throughout the whole time. They were willing to give it their all in whatever big or small part they had. Of course they had fun dancing and acting, but I saw how much they encouraged and supported the ones who may have had more prominent roles. I loved seeing Steve and Wesley in the back working on the unseen things like lighting and sound; Judge, Christina, and Albert working so intently on the mics and also taking part in something that is often unnoticed. My favorite were the “ninjas” that dressed all in black and zealously moved the props and helped their peers with multiple costume changes. This reminded me of Nehemiah 3:20 where “Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section” – which may not have been some significant part, yet it was how he did it – zealously. And in Nehemiah 4:6, it is described that the “people worked with all their heart” – and I got to see this happening with the students. It was an eye-opening experience for them to see, as seniors this time around, the amount of time and work that goes into all the various aspects of G-Live. They were also prayerfully inviting their friends and classmates. No matter how well G-Live turned out, just knowing how the attitudes and the hearts of the students changed through the process of participating in it made all the difference.
The pep rally that was incited in the overflow was also another incredible picture of the kind of enthusiasm and joy that comes in doing something together as a church, taking part in God’s work of sharing the gospel, and the true exhilaration that comes through it. It was a beautiful sight (loud and crazy too) to see and hear the seniors cheer on the freshmen and sophomores as they returned from being on stage, and the underclassmen cheering the seniors on as they left to go on stage.