Liz Schauer

We first met to discuss plans for Blast 2013 in the middle of the fall. The weather was still warm and Blast seemed centuries away. We laughed about how we could shift our minds to think about Blast that early and scratched our heads as we brainstormed what the focus of camp would be. That first meeting, we prayed. We didn’t want camp to be just something we did, something trendy, something catchy. We wanted camp to be what God wanted it to be. As we prayed and listened, God united our hearts behind a vision that only he could create. We shared our passions for a camp that spoke of the majesty and holiness of God. A camp that did not water down the Gospel. A camp that did not answer every question. A camp that caused students, leaders, and staff alike to stand humbled in the presence of a God that is bigger than they can imagine and closer than they could think. And so the planning began…

Months and months of list making, meetings, practicing, creative thinking, writing, editing, rewriting, phone calls and negotiating went by and yet the Lord continued to speak to us. He asked all of us to make him the focus of everything we did. Whether it was video editing or seat planning, writing curriculum or putting 1350 people into rooms. God wanted us to remember why we were doing it all: for him and him alone.

One week before camp, our levels of anticipation were high as we saw students reaching out and inviting their friends, leaders paying students to go, parents stepping up and volunteering… Supplies were purchased, set lists were made, sermons were written. We gathered for our weekly prayer meeting and Tony posed the question, “What do we want to see God do at Blast? Not just big picture, but specifically.” Once again, we sat around a circle and looked at each other, knowing God would work, but not certain of the specifics. We began dreaming of the students who would experience the power of Christ that would set them free from their sin and give them a purpose. We thought of the students who had never experienced God’s love, who would feel fully known and loved for the first time. We thought of those whose faith was based on a list of do’s and don’t, who would finally fall in love with Jesus. We prayed and God assured us that he would move in more ways that we could ask.

The week of Blast, almost the entire staff got sick. Bryan and I got the flu, Tony lost his voice, Jonathan got a cold, Jason teetered on sickness and steered clear of the rest of us. In the midst of feeling terrible, not one person lost focus. Complaining was replaced with prayers and I found myself so grateful to be surrounded by a group of people who trusted God to work even if they were unable to. God would work in our weaknesses, even if the worship leader had no voice. God assured us that nothing, sickness or weakness, could thwart the work he was planning to do in the hearts of 1350 students and leaders.

In the blink of an eye, camp came. The Lord answered the prayers we prayed, and those we didn’t know we needed to pray. He sustained, he provided, he did abundantly more than we could think to ask for.

I wore many hats at camp this year. I was a small group leader, a house group leader, an operations staff member. I felt overextended, but God made sure I knew he would accomplish his will if my heart and hands were open.

Friday night, I saw students stand amazed at the grandeur of God. No longer did they cling to a picture of God that was too small to overcome the obstacles in their lives; they saw a God who held it all in the palm of his hands. I listened as my small group wrestled with the pursuits of their lives. Their eyes were opened to the brevity of life and the temporary status of all that they were building. I’d be lying if I didn’t say they were slightly disappointed that their altar of popularity and accomplishments wouldn’t endure, but they would soon learn about that which can replace their own altar and last into eternity.

I woke up on Saturday with great expectations. God told me to keep my eyes open and try to see all the ways he was moving. In the first session, students learned about God as Emmanuel. They learned that the loneliness that often plagued them was not what God wanted for their lives. They learned that they were never truly alone. My girls felt the freedom to admit that they felt more lonely that anyone ever knew. They also felt the struggle of how to know that God was actually with them. How do they feel it? How do they believe it? How do they hear from him? We talked about their prayer lives and what it looks like to spend time with God. We closed small group by creating a space for them to just sit and pray. We listened to a song called “Yearn,” and that became their prayer. Lord, I want to yearn for you, I want to burn with passion for you and only you.

That evening, one of our freshmen boys approached me and told me about a song he wrote. He wanted to share it with the community and so we rushed over to the Mega Center to get it recorded. He sat behind a camera in a dimly lit room and poured out his heart. Chris Bowman pressed into him and asked why he wrote the song. Antonio looked down for what seemed like minutes, looked into the camera and said, “I didn’t think I would share this.” He continued to tell of his family situation, an unstable one at that. His mother didn’t want him alive, and yet, he found hope in Christ. Fighting a flood of emotions, he paused and said, “For the first time in my life last night, I cried happy tears.” Unexplainable gratitude filled my heart and soul as I saw this 14-year-old, 6 foot 2 boy share of the power of our God.

The rest of the evening was a whirlwind of emotions and experiences. As worship began in the night session, I felt as if I needed to go take advantage of the worship stations in the back of the room. I wandered to the Evangelism station, where students could write a name of someone they wanted to know Christ on a bag and place an electric light in it as a symbol of their commitment to share the light of Christ with them. I wanted to pray for each name on the bag and for each person who wrote the names. As I approached the station, I knew that I needed to write a bag for some very important people in my life. Choking back tears, I wrote “Mom and Dad” on a bag and got down on my knees. My heart aches for my parents to know the power and love of Jesus Christ, and I pleaded for him to move in their lives. Revelation Song was being played by the worship team and I prayed that they would one day be able to declare that they are filled with awestruck wonder at the mention of his name, for his name is power, breath and living water.

I returned to my seat for a brief few minutes before a leader pulled me into the hall. I was informed of a situation where a high school girl spent months harming herself. She refused to look up at me and I felt the Lord tell me how much she is worth in his eyes. I got down on my knees and told her something she deep down didn’t believe. I looked her in the eyes and told her she was worth it, she was beautiful, she has a plan and a purpose, that God does not want her to live in misery, that he desires freedom and joy for her life. As I finished speaking, I knew all I could do was pray, and so I asked God to show himself powerfully to her. I trust that he will.

I returned to the service and heard a powerful call for students to no longer be fans of Jesus who seek him only when they desire blessings or help. Bryan called students to give their whole lives to him, to seek God for the sole purpose of finding him, not just his blessings. I sat in the back of my House Groups section and watched each one of my girls stand up and declare that they were done being fans, they wanted to be followers. Tears flooded my eyes, their lives will never be the same. I watched the Hoffman community respond with tears, hugs, and prayers for one another. In no other circumstance would Black, White, Asian, and Hispanic girls and boys with different interests and passions surround each other with such love and support. That is the Body of Christ.

The session ended with our entire Hoffman family dancing in the aisle in the joy of the Lord. There is no shame, no judgment, just freedom. I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate.

As a leader, I struggle to lead small group after students decide to follow Christ. How do you put that into words? What questions can you ask that can possibly capture everything that happened? I asked one of my girls what God did in her that night and she just smiled and cried. She looked at us and said, “I have never felt like this before, and I never want it to change.” That is the presence of God wrecking students. I sit in awe.

When I returned to my room, I got the opportunity to celebrate with my dear friend Jen. We shared stories and praised God for the way he powerfully called students to himself. Never before have I had a group of girls who all decided to be followers. Jen looked at me and said, “Maybe the verse Jason shared this morning was prophetic for you!” You see, that morning, Jason Petty shared what he believed was the youth ministry verse with our leader community. In 1st Corinthians, Paul calls people to follow him and he follows Christ. Daunting indeed! I had a moment to reflect on the way I led my girls that weekend. Being my tenth Impact camp, things have changed quite a bit in my leadership style! In the past, I would use my story to show students about the power of Christ. This time, I realized that I hardly talked about my past. All I want is my students to know Jesus in his glory, and that is what I talked about in hopes that it would be enough. I felt affirmed as I read an encouragement note from one of my freshmen girls that said: You have a passion for prayer and Scripture that is inspiring. That is part of the reason why I stood up. I want to follow Jesus like that. It is slightly terrifying to think that students watch you that closely. I praise God that he has done such a work in my own life and that he speaks to students through it.

That night, we were hit with the reality of the impending Winter Storm Watch. It seems fitting that we wouldn’t make it through camp without a wrench thrown at us! As a staff, we ran through various plans, shifting schedules to ensure that we would get students home safely. Websites were updated, emails were sent out. The hours ticked by and we had a solid plan by 3:30AM. While hashing out the pros and cons of cutting things out of programed elements and shortening House Group times was difficult, I couldn’t be more grateful for the team that came to that decision. We all got a bit feisty as the exhaustion set it, but the Lord faithfully provided a way for us to make the last day the very best it could be and still get people home safely. Jason said it perfectly as we were all heading back to our rooms: This is why it is fun to work on a team.

As quickly as Blast began, it seemed to come to an end. Sunday morning was a whirlwind of parent communication and my operations hat was put on over my House Group leader hat. I was grateful to make it to my House Group just in time to celebrate those who chose to follow Christ, sing a hymn together, and pray for the Lord’s presence to consume our lives. Our winter storm plan fell into place and we were off to the final session. I stood in the back and watched my friend Jason deliver the most powerful introduction to a message I have ever heard. Three minutes in, I was crying as Jason shared the prayer request of a student who was struggling with sin. There were no jokes, no smiles, Jason looked up from reading the request and said, “This message is for you.” Students sat silently as they heard that the life of a Christ follower is not just about the salvation of their sins, it is about allowing God to transform us into the image of his Son. I think many students now have faith that they will not live a life of sin struggle. They can be free. Tony ushered us into a time of reflective worship as we all prayed that the Holy Spirit would be welcome, not only in the room, but in our hearts and lives as well. Never before have I seen students give themselves so fully to the Lord. I cannot wait to see the change they will bring to their families, schools, and this world.

I drove back to Willow with Bryan to prepare for the Parent’s Meeting. Traditionally, the Parent’s Meeting is difficult. This time, it was quite the opposite. Parents got to hear about the work of God in as best words as Bryan could conjure up. They heard from our parent guest, Carolyn Muir, as she shared about her experience at Blast. She shared powerfully about how a new generations is being raised up that is fervently following Jesus. As the meeting wrapped up and the buses pulled it, the snow and sleet began to fall. Once again, I am thankful for the Lord’s protection and provision.

This morning, my inbox was filled with stories passed on from leaders and staff members about the work that God did this weekend. My heart is full of joy in knowing that these stories are a small fraction of what happened at Blast. I am humbled at God’s faithfulness. He has worked in our weaknesses, he has provided, he has spoken, he has revealed. I feel it is only fitting to end this post in prayer.

Lord Jesus, you are more than all I can ask or imagine. You are faithful, you are good. You have led us and provided all that we needed. You have worked in spite of us, you have worked in our weaknesses. You have answered each prayer we have prayed and each prayer we didn’t know we needed to pray. Thank you for the way you spoke so powerfully to students, leaders, volunteers and staff members. Thank you that you hold each one of us in your hands. Thank you for being in control. Thank you that we do not have to live in sorrow and misery, constantly struggling to better ourselves. You have made a way for us, you transform us. Lord, I ask that as we all reflect on Blast, we would stand amazed at who you are. May we place stakes in the ground and resolve to follow you wholeheartedly. I pray for each student that is returning to school this week. May they be changed, may they spread light, may they hear your voice as you seek to draw each one of their classmates to yourself. Use us to carry your Word to this world. We are humbled and amazed at who you are. Thank you for the opportunity to play a small part in bringing your Kingdom to earth. To you be the glory for Blast 2013. Amen and amen.