Monday night I had the opportunity to attend the annual Young Life Fundraiser Banquet for Thomas County, and while it made for a great story, I feel like I should let you all know I was extremely active in Young Life during my high school years. 

For those who have not yet read the article, Young Life is a Christian-based ministry, whose sole purpose is to lead youth to Christ through music, activities and of course the Bible. 

I first heard about Young Life when I was a freshman in high school. Some of my friends were already attending, but it wasn’t until my parents were invited to a Fundraiser Banquet that I attended “Club” for the first time. 

“Club” was held every Monday night at 7:57 p.m. You would begin by playing games, before watching a skit, singing and eventually hearing a Bible lesson. 

I loved being a part of something that brought me closer in my relationship to God, but also brought me closer with my peers. 

After attending Young Life for a few months, the opportunity came for me to attend my first weekend camp with them in Jasper, Georgia. 

The camp was called Sharptop Cove and everyone was going. I begged my parents to let me go and they agreed. 

Camp was basically an extension of “Club.” You were there with several other Young Life groups, but you were served dinner and there were multiple activities to choose from. You could partake in them individually or with a group. 

During one of the group activities, one of the girls had to plop down on a shovel, while someone else pulled you through the grass and around the cone. 

I thought “whew I pray for whoever has to do that.” 

It was me. I had to do that. I slipped off the shovel a few times, but we made it. 

I also partook in the “big swing.” 

The swing held three people in a harness and brought you up to the top of the tree, before releasing you flying into the sky. 

I was terrified, but I closed my eyes and overcame my fear of heights. 

I really loved Sharptop Cove, but the best was yet to come. 

The summer of my sophomore year of high school, I signed up to go to Frontier Ranch in Colorado. 

I boarded a bus and spent the next two days traveling across the U.S. with some of my best friends, eating a lot of McDonalds and brushing my teeth in gas station bathrooms. 

Finally, we arrived in Denver to shower and get ready to head into the campground. 

The week changed my life for the better and I had never felt closer to God or so loved. 

The activities paled in comparison to the true life-changing experience I felt. Don’t get me wrong, the activities were run, repelling off a mountain, hiking peaks, completing scavenger hunts, but nothing tops the pure love I felt. 

I know not everyone’s experience will be the same, but I feel I would be doing an injustice if I didn’t tell the kids of Thomas County to give Young Life a shot. 

In the words of my friend Davis Hines, Y the L not?