Friday, April 17, 2009
i'm getting old. and lame.
I managed to convince my roommate, Kristin, to go to a BYX party last night downtown (BYX is the Christian fraternity on campus). It was a country western themed party where they encouraged attendees to dress in western attire and promised lots of country dancing. I was really excited about it because I love to hang out with friends in social settings and I absolutely LOVE to two-step. I've also been to several BYX events in the past and have had a really good time. Kristin, on the other hand, was thinking a little more realistically and was not as excited at the prospect of dancing or being in a room full of strangers, but was willing to go with me anyway.
I have to say that our night was sorely disappointing (to my surprise but not necessarily to Kristin's). The moment we walked into the room, I felt very out of place as I registered that about 85% of the people there were underclassmen, several of whom I recognized as counselors in Ignite. Hip Hop music was blaring over some speakers and most of the people on the dance floor were girls in cute dresses and cowboy boots. Although a few boys were dancing, many of the BYX boys were conveniently congregated on the edges of the dance floor (typical).
Pretty soon after we arrived, a series of country songs were played and Kristin and I watched as freshmen couples danced in front of us. I wished that I had either brought one of own familiar dancing partners, or that Daniel could have been there, or that I had kept up better with the people in the room whom I had once considered friends, but had now become simply acquaintances. It was at that point that neither of us expected to get asked to dance at all. We made our way to the drink table and weighed the situation. I'm pretty sure Kristin (who had no real desire to dance anyway) had checked out by that point, but I suggested that we stay and make the most of it. Eventually, I did manage to find a handful of friends to introduce Kristin to, but they all had either brought their own respective dance partners, or were definitely not there to dance.
Towards the end of our time there, Kristin and I went out and danced with each other to the Hip Hop music as I was at a loss for whether or not to join the circles of Ignite freshmen who were dancing around us. At one point, I did see a really talented dancer who used to go two-stepping with us in the past, but it didn't take long to realize that he was now dating one of the cute, cowboy-booted girls. Bummer.
Even though I wouldn't label our adventure as "a good time," I don't necessarily regret it. For one thing, Kristin and I got to bust a move to songs like "Wild Wild West" and "Cupid Shuffle." And anyway that knows me well knows that I love love love to dance! Also, I was glad to have the opportunity to talk with some of the Ignite freshmen outside of an Ignite event. That's important for me as a leader. Lastly, I definitely saw my 18-year old self in many of the freshman girls who looked like they were having the greatest time with their newly acquired college friends. Watching them confirmed that I really did make the most of that season of my college life. Whether I'm in a completely different season now is debatable, but I sincerely hope and pray that God will help me make the most of this time - of everyday that I have left to experience in these precious college years.
I have to say that our night was sorely disappointing (to my surprise but not necessarily to Kristin's). The moment we walked into the room, I felt very out of place as I registered that about 85% of the people there were underclassmen, several of whom I recognized as counselors in Ignite. Hip Hop music was blaring over some speakers and most of the people on the dance floor were girls in cute dresses and cowboy boots. Although a few boys were dancing, many of the BYX boys were conveniently congregated on the edges of the dance floor (typical).
Pretty soon after we arrived, a series of country songs were played and Kristin and I watched as freshmen couples danced in front of us. I wished that I had either brought one of own familiar dancing partners, or that Daniel could have been there, or that I had kept up better with the people in the room whom I had once considered friends, but had now become simply acquaintances. It was at that point that neither of us expected to get asked to dance at all. We made our way to the drink table and weighed the situation. I'm pretty sure Kristin (who had no real desire to dance anyway) had checked out by that point, but I suggested that we stay and make the most of it. Eventually, I did manage to find a handful of friends to introduce Kristin to, but they all had either brought their own respective dance partners, or were definitely not there to dance.
Towards the end of our time there, Kristin and I went out and danced with each other to the Hip Hop music as I was at a loss for whether or not to join the circles of Ignite freshmen who were dancing around us. At one point, I did see a really talented dancer who used to go two-stepping with us in the past, but it didn't take long to realize that he was now dating one of the cute, cowboy-booted girls. Bummer.
Even though I wouldn't label our adventure as "a good time," I don't necessarily regret it. For one thing, Kristin and I got to bust a move to songs like "Wild Wild West" and "Cupid Shuffle." And anyway that knows me well knows that I love love love to dance! Also, I was glad to have the opportunity to talk with some of the Ignite freshmen outside of an Ignite event. That's important for me as a leader. Lastly, I definitely saw my 18-year old self in many of the freshman girls who looked like they were having the greatest time with their newly acquired college friends. Watching them confirmed that I really did make the most of that season of my college life. Whether I'm in a completely different season now is debatable, but I sincerely hope and pray that God will help me make the most of this time - of everyday that I have left to experience in these precious college years.
Labels: life
Monday, April 6, 2009
...victory belongs to the Lord
God completely humbled me this past weekend in terms of my leadership in Ignite. On Saturday, we held our annual Car Wash/Forty Acres Fest fundraiser. (Forty Acres Fest is a carnival type event on campus where lots of campus organizations set up booths to get their mission out to the public, sell items to raise money, and compete for cash prizes in categories such as "Most Spirited" and "Most Creative Booth") Every year half of the Ignite staff goes to Forty Acres Fest to sell hot dogs and Dublin Dr. Pepper and the other half goes to a local Chick-Fil-A restaurant to hold a car wash on the same day.
This year was a little bit different than past years because the execs decided that in order to fully utilize the quantity and maturity of the staff this year, we needed 2 locations to have car wash instead of just 1. This was also the year that the Chick-Fil-A we work at every year had to tell me "no" because of an unexpected utility expense they incurred earlier this year. That phone call from Chick-Fil-A was the first of many things that went "wrong" for me as I worked to try and make this fundraiser happen.
Even though I'm getting significantly better at planning, organizing, and delegating responsibilities for these fundraising events, I still have a long way to go. The perfectionist in me feels like such a failure when my plans don't work out or things fall through or expectations are not met, or even when I get so overwhelmed that I have to let go of a task that I feel should be under MY responsibility. I managed to find the first car wash location fairly easily from a recommendation by a fellow exec. However, my challenges started with trying to find a 2nd location for car wash. I became increasingly frustrated as I battled to even get the proper representative on the phone to request the possibility of hosting a car wash. When I finally did reach the people I needed to talk to, receiving rejection after rejection was harsh and disappointing.
Because I happened to have 3 tests to worry about the week of the fundraiser, plans got pretty disorganized and half hazard toward the end, I couldn't delegate well, mis-communication happened, and I had to scramble at the last-minute to make sure everything was in place for Saturday. All of this contributed to some resentment toward the execs and a lot of frustration and condemnation on my part as the only thing I could think about was what I could have done better.
But God...
... showed up in such a huge way on Saturday. I was at Forty Acres Fest all day and it seemed like we couldn't grill hot dogs fast enough for the amount of people who wanted them. Even though we planned for 100 (which seemed like a lot when I was at HEB), we had a constant stream of hungry customers all day long and ended up running out of hot dogs twice. The staff members with me went above and beyond my expectations by going up and down the tables at the Fest, taking hot dog orders from students who were working at other booths.
Car wash was an even more incredible story. Some of the staff members with me on campus keep getting periodic text message updates from the staff members at car wash. Those guys were ranking in the cash. Not only did they have a steady stream of cars pull in to be washed, but the average donation per car was much more than we had expected. Near the end of the day, our staff actually washed a fire truck! Total cash donations went from $100 to $350 to over $600.
In just 7 hours, Ignite raised right at $1,000 which is 5% of our total fundraising goal for the entire year!! I say that God humbled me because He did. I got a lot of feedback from the staff at car wash who said they were so swamped with cars, they needed every single person that was there. Splitting the staff up to go to 2 car wash locations would have been unnecessarily stressful.
Praise God that His will prevailed despite my best efforts and stubborn attitude. God showed me that there is a difference between a desire for God's will to be done and actually seeking to know what His will is. The exec staff has submitted the organization, through prayer, to Christ many times and even though that sounds good, I think we still have a lot to learn about what it looks like to demonstrate faith and submit to Christ with our actions. Granted, His will prevails regardless, but I think we can certainly be spared of frustration and resentment along the way.
This year was a little bit different than past years because the execs decided that in order to fully utilize the quantity and maturity of the staff this year, we needed 2 locations to have car wash instead of just 1. This was also the year that the Chick-Fil-A we work at every year had to tell me "no" because of an unexpected utility expense they incurred earlier this year. That phone call from Chick-Fil-A was the first of many things that went "wrong" for me as I worked to try and make this fundraiser happen.
Even though I'm getting significantly better at planning, organizing, and delegating responsibilities for these fundraising events, I still have a long way to go. The perfectionist in me feels like such a failure when my plans don't work out or things fall through or expectations are not met, or even when I get so overwhelmed that I have to let go of a task that I feel should be under MY responsibility. I managed to find the first car wash location fairly easily from a recommendation by a fellow exec. However, my challenges started with trying to find a 2nd location for car wash. I became increasingly frustrated as I battled to even get the proper representative on the phone to request the possibility of hosting a car wash. When I finally did reach the people I needed to talk to, receiving rejection after rejection was harsh and disappointing.
Because I happened to have 3 tests to worry about the week of the fundraiser, plans got pretty disorganized and half hazard toward the end, I couldn't delegate well, mis-communication happened, and I had to scramble at the last-minute to make sure everything was in place for Saturday. All of this contributed to some resentment toward the execs and a lot of frustration and condemnation on my part as the only thing I could think about was what I could have done better.
But God...
... showed up in such a huge way on Saturday. I was at Forty Acres Fest all day and it seemed like we couldn't grill hot dogs fast enough for the amount of people who wanted them. Even though we planned for 100 (which seemed like a lot when I was at HEB), we had a constant stream of hungry customers all day long and ended up running out of hot dogs twice. The staff members with me went above and beyond my expectations by going up and down the tables at the Fest, taking hot dog orders from students who were working at other booths.
Car wash was an even more incredible story. Some of the staff members with me on campus keep getting periodic text message updates from the staff members at car wash. Those guys were ranking in the cash. Not only did they have a steady stream of cars pull in to be washed, but the average donation per car was much more than we had expected. Near the end of the day, our staff actually washed a fire truck! Total cash donations went from $100 to $350 to over $600.
In just 7 hours, Ignite raised right at $1,000 which is 5% of our total fundraising goal for the entire year!! I say that God humbled me because He did. I got a lot of feedback from the staff at car wash who said they were so swamped with cars, they needed every single person that was there. Splitting the staff up to go to 2 car wash locations would have been unnecessarily stressful.
Praise God that His will prevailed despite my best efforts and stubborn attitude. God showed me that there is a difference between a desire for God's will to be done and actually seeking to know what His will is. The exec staff has submitted the organization, through prayer, to Christ many times and even though that sounds good, I think we still have a lot to learn about what it looks like to demonstrate faith and submit to Christ with our actions. Granted, His will prevails regardless, but I think we can certainly be spared of frustration and resentment along the way.
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