God does amazing things, and our youth ski trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn., truly became God’s trip. He had a plan, and we all adjusted through prayer and faith; but it wasn’t easy at first, especially for me.
As the youth director of Rincon United Methodist Church in Rincon, Ga., I was in charge of taking our youth group on a weekend ski retreat in February 2010, a trip we decided would be even better if Springfield United Methodist and our church took the trip together. Everything was planned. With the help of Springfield’s youth pastor, the entire weekend had been laid out carefully: what the kids would be learning, where we would be staying, when we would get to have some fun and ski—you know, normal retreat plans. We booked an absolutely gorgeous cabin in the mountains, just a few short miles to the ski resort and Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, which were major stops on our agenda. We even decided to call the retreat “Believe It or Not,” to bring the fun into the serious and spiritual.
Being from Georgia, many in our youth never had seen snow in their lives; but as luck would have it, our little town was blessed with a couple of inches the same weekend we were off to see snow ourselves. Bundled up in our warmest clothes, we set off for Tennessee. About this time, our group witnessed snow falling before their eyes and sticking to the ground! (For kids who have never seen more than a couple of flurries, this was big news.) The kids were more excited than I have ever seen them before. Snow!!!
As we progressed toward our destination, the snow started to fall more and more heavily. The more snow that fell, the more excited the kids became. They were taking pictures with their phones so they could text their friends; they were singing at the top of their lungs; and at every “potty break,” they piled out of the vans to make snowmen, snow angles, and snowballs for their continual snowball fights. This was great!
As we moved forward, getting closer to our destination, the snowstorm moved through our route, and we were blocked from continuing at every pass. Snow covered every entrance into the mountains…where our cabin was located. We tried every direction we could. As we stopped for directions, each person would tell us the same thing: “This pass is closed because of the snow. It is just too dangerous. Maybe you could try this route instead,” showing us a map to a new route. We must have tried 10 different routes before we decided to regroup over pizza. We had come too far to turn around. Almost everything was closed due to the snow. I have to admit, I was worried, upset, angry—anyway you put it, my plans were all undone.
What would we do now? What do you do when the plans have been made, you embark on an adventure retreat with your youth group and something the drastic happens? How do you plan something new at the last minute and make it meaningful for the kids? All these questions were going through my head at lightening speed. As I was complaining to my husband, he brought me back to the present: “Just go with it, Leslie. Look at the kids. Are they upset? Do they care about your plans? This is an opportunity! Take it!” I looked at him. Then, I looked around at the faces of the youth. He was right. Not one kid was frustrated or upset. Hours upon hours stuck in a van with each other, and they couldn’t be happier. They were too excited about the snow. This was an opportunity, and God was truly in control. My plans were buried underneath the snow.
After pizza, the youth played in the snow, and the adults talked about a new plan of action. We needed a place to stay for the night—no. 1 priority. No more than 2 miles away was a nice hotel that had space for us. God provided!
We loaded up the vans and headed off to the hotel. By this time, it was dark; everyone was tired; and a warm hotel was welcoming. An added bonus was the hot continental breakfast! Being on a budget now that we had to book hotel rooms, this was amazing news. We separated the kids into rooms, and prepared to settle in for the evening. Everyone one would meet in the common area at a designated time to discuss the new plan.
After the kids were settled, I allowed myself to settle, as well. I went into my room, plopped on the bed, looked toward the ceiling (imagining it was heaven), and asked God what to do. This was no longer in my hands. After praying and trying to listen, I started to look around. I took out my laptop and started browsing the Internet for ideas. None there tonight. I looked through my purse and found some Bible verse cards that I had purchased not to long ago. That is when God gave me our evening activity.
We met in the lobby as planned and talked about what was happening. The kids were excited that God had a new plan for us—not one complaint! The snow was a treat, and the lobby had a beautiful fireplace that set just the right mood. With my Bible verse cards in hand, I asked the youth to make a circle around the room. The counted off for 10 groups of five or six, and I handed each group a card. I had them find a quiet place within the lobby to reflect on the events that had happened, the verse they carried in their hands, and relate it to our weekend. We were lucky enough to have two chaperones per group of five kids, which allowed the groups to subdivide from the larger group.
My group stood in a circle and we talked about what our verses meant to us. We related them to our situation and how God works miracles through our failed plans if we allow Him. The groups came back together. Some faces were red from tears, some elated, some peaceful. I never will forget the atmosphere among the youth that night. From each group someone shared his or her group’s experience, sharing their verse and the group’s thoughts. The entire group discussed each individual group’s experience, as well as personal stories of how they felt about the day. We prayed, and all went off to our rooms for a peaceful rest and a new adventure for the following day.
The next morning, we all met in the lobby for breakfast. We were able to take our time, enjoy the morning and watching the snow outside the massive glass walls overlooking the pond behind the hotel. We watched the weather for any indication that we would be able to make it to our cabin. The youth decided it was a wonderful morning to play in the snow. They continued the ongoing snowball fights, built more snowmen and snow forts. I never had seen the youth happier in more than a year that I had been with them.
Finally, we were given the OK to head up the mountain. It took longer than we expected, but that was fine. Originally, it was our Ripley’s Believe it or Not day; now it was our relax and enjoy God’s beauty in the mountains day. Never was it more true to “Be still and know that He is God” (
“Go out and stand before Me on the mountain, the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper” (
Our week was just as this, and the similarity was not missed even by the youngest youth in our group. After taking time to study this passage and others, each youth took time alone to listen—to hear the whisper of God on the mountain, in the stillness. This was a lesson that couldn’t be taught, but had to be experienced.
Stuck in the cabin for the day, we became family. My husband taught the boys to cook, and they served dinner and played pool upstairs. The girls giggled and shared stories with each other, then sang karaoke from the TV in the main room. After a little fun, we congregated in the main room once more for a special ceremony.
Several of our group participated in the “True Love Waits” series several months before. I brought the rings with me for the trip, looking for the perfect opportunity. It was time. Because of the events of the previous day and the lesson from that morning, the youth were spiritually prepared to receive their rings, and make the pledge for purity. We started the fire, turned down the lights, and the ceremony began. Each graduate of “True Love Waits” waited for her name to be called. The adults and the youth welcomed each one into the circle of purity or rededication of life to God and purity. Each repeated the words, a few with tears, and accepted the ring. We discussed the meaning of the ceremony and the rings and the difficulty of the challenge. The youth took the challenge and moved on to spend the rest of the evening with God in their hearts.
We were able to ski the next day, and many more amazing miracles happened throughout the weekend. God works in ways we never truly will understand; and the youth, chaperones and I returned home (on time) with a true gift from God and an amazing spiritual memory that will last a lifetime.
