Courage

I’m sure everyone can agree with me that it takes courage to approach a group of strangers with the hope of making new friends. In September of 2013, I made the difficult decision to lay down my dream of biking to the ocean, and instead, decided to listen to God and go find my friends. So I went looking for a new church. I had my eyes set on one particular place called Church of the Rock. It was a pretty large church, much larger than the one I had grown up in. In fact, it was one of the largest in the city. Surely there must be someone my own age there, I thought to myself.

I remember my first church service as if it were yesterday. I walked in and there was a flurry of movement. There were many people walking around and chatting with friends and family. There was a cafe near the entrance where people sat in comfy chairs talking to their friends. To the right were the doors leading into the sanctuary. I walked into the sanctuary and looked up. On the ceiling was what looked like the flags of every country in the world hanging down from the rafters. There were people of all ages and cultures trying to find their seats. Surrounding the walls were a bunch of booths. Some said Adopt-a-Block, another said The Compassion Team. There was also Rock Art, The Bike Ministry, and World Missions. I quickly learned that every booth was a volunteer group you could join to serve in the city. It was amazing. I had never seen a church that was so active in their faith and willing to serve and help others. I loaded my backpack full of flyers, interested in all the opportunities this church had to offer. Suddenly a young man cut in front of my vision, demanding my attention.

“ARE YOU OVER 18 YEARS OLD?”, he asked me in a booming voice.

He looked to be around my age and he was tall with big blue eyes. On his forehead he wore a white bandanna with the word Courage written on it in bright red. It pushed his blond hair back so that it stuck up in all directions. His cargo pants and brown button-up shirt made him look like Indiana Jones. I could feel the energy and enthusiasm coming from him as he bounced on the balls of his feet. He seemed incapable of standing still.

“IF YOU’RE A YOUNG ADULT THEN YOU’RE GONNA WANNA GET IN ON THIS!”

He handed me a flyer titled Engage.

“IT’S A LIST OF ALL THE EVENTS COMING UP AND OUR HOMEGROUPS.”

Young adult events? This was exactly what I was looking for.

“What are homegroups?” I asked.

“OH! WE MEET TOGETHER ONCE A WEEK FOR BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER.” he answered.

“Really? Which one do you go to?”

“SEE THIS ONE HERE?” he pointed to a group called Julie-Anne’s Homegroup.

“IT SAYS JULIE-ANNE’S HOMEGROUP BUT IT’S ACTUALLY MINE. IT’S BY FAR THE BEST ONE, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY COME.”

I liked this guy. He was full of energy, joy, and life. I wanted what he had. Maybe if I went to his homegroup I’d get to know him better. Before I could say anything more his head turned, as if someone had called his name, and he ran off.  I wandered if I’d ever see him again.

Yes, yes I definitely would.

Julie-Anne’s homegroup was every Saturday evening at 7:00 pm. It sounded like the worst time to have a bible study. Saturday night was supposed to be a time to let loose, have fun, and go party with friends. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to go, but I had committed to making some new friends. So I got myself ready and headed to the church. I remember finding the room and seeing about 10 people my age sitting in a circle, relaxing on couches and comfy chairs. Where’s the pastor? I thought, looking around the room. I crossed the room and took a seat on the couch between two boys. The one on my left had short blond hair and wore a fedora. His blue eyes peeked under his hat to look at me. Then he peaked again. What was wrong with this guy? After about a minute I slid onto the floor, unable to sit another minute beside him.

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE LET’S GET STARTED”, the booming voice sliced through the air, cutting conversations short. It was the same energetic boy who had given me the flyer.

“Let’s all say our names as some people here are new today, (which obviously meant me). My name is Stephen and this is my homegroup. Welcome here!” he shouted.

“Would you stop that?! A young woman piped up. “This isn’t your homegroup!”

Everyone laughed. 

I must have looked confused because the girl looked directly at me as if she knew how I was feeling. “I am Julie-Anne and this is my homegroup.” Well, that made so much more sense as it was called Julie-Anne’s Homegroup on the flyer. I laughed with everyone else now, enjoying the joke.

The homegroup was fun. This group loved to talk about one topic, Jesus. Julie-Anne always made a teaching plan, but the group did not seem to have any trouble finding topics to discuss when it concerned Jesus and the bible. Julie-Anne was actually one of the youngest in the group, about 22 years old, but she was like a mamma bird, watching over her chicks. She was always watchful to make sure that everyone felt welcome and no feelings were hurt. She was easy to talk to and trustworthy. Cheri was a girl who often sat beside Julie-Anne. She kept her knees balled up to her chest as she sat quietly on the couch, her long blond hair falling across her shoulders. She was quiet, but at the same time she was very smart and opinionated. If given the opportunity she would challenge the group to think on a deeper level. She was certainly gifted in teaching, and taught us daily, even if she didn’t realize it. Beside her was Ross. He was a strong and silent type. I often thought of him as a big brother, like if I was ever being bullied or needed help, he would rush to my aid.  Andrew was the opposite of Ross. He loved to talk and was always there to carry a conversation. He was a bit of a farm boy and often wore blue jeans with a button up shirt. Then there was Stephen, he had a strong presence and made everyone laugh. He was full of energy and was gifted in making friends and building relationships. He kept the group together and in unity. Lastly there was Matt, the kid in the fedora. He was Stephen’s best friend. He was kind, laughed easily, and seemed to have a very free spirit. So these were going to be my new friends? I thought to myself.

The homegroup finished at around 9:30 pm, and everyone ran out to their cars to go out and have fun. I didn’t even know where we were going, but I followed everyone in their cars to a place called Lasertopia. We ended up playing an hour of lasertag, running around in the dark, trying to shoot each other with lasers and scaring each other at every corner. I laughed, screamed, and shouted at the top of my lungs. It was amazing. These people definitely knew how to have a good time on a Saturday night! We left the game smiling and laughing together. Stephen and Matt had won for most kills in the game, and they debated different techniques with each other. Cheri and I tied for last place. Which was actually fun, because it gave me something to joke about with her. We were becoming friends. Everyone was hungry and thirsty after the game so we all headed to Wendy’s to celebrate. We took up most of the restaurant, pulling all the tables together so we could sit as a group. Then everyone got up to order milkshakes and fries. I got up and followed them, but I was suddenly anxious and stressed. I was on a diet and I didn’t want to eat, but at the same time I wanted to fit in. I stood at the back, letting everyone pass me and tried to make myself invisible.

“Aren’t you going to order anything?” Matt asked me.

Darn. I hoped no one would notice.

“That’s okay, I’m not hungry,” I insisted.

Matt pulled me aside and whispered in my ear. “Get whatever you want okay? I’ll pay for it. I know how difficult it can be to not have any money”.

He definitely had the wrong idea, but at the same time he was so caring and genuine that I didn’t want to dismiss his kindness towards me.

“I’ll have whatever he’s having” I told the server, pointing to Matt beside me.

So I walked back to the table with a milkshake in hand. I was very hungry and grateful for the cold snack. It was well past midnight before we all left to go home. I walked to my car, reaching my hand into my pocket as I went. My pocket was empty. My heart dropped as I looked through the window of my parent’s car. The keys were resting on the driver’s seat.

Shoot.

Everyone was getting into their cars and saying their goodbyes. If I didn’t say anything I was going to be stuck in this parking lot. But I kept my head down, in my pride I kept my mouth shut.

“Are you okay?” someone asked. I turned my head to see Matt standing outside his car, watching me.

“Uh, no.. I left my keys in my car. I can’t get in.” I replied in embarrassment.

To my surprise Matt called out to Stephen, and Stephen came running. Ross got out of his truck and followed. Then Andrew, Cheri, and Julie-Anne.

Then they all started to work together to strategically break into my car. We must have spent almost two hours in the cold trying to get my car open. Stephen had taken a coat hanger from this car and twisted it into a hook. Ross stood at the passenger side, shining the light of his phone into the car so Stephen could see his work. Matt took it upon himself to be the DJ, and everyone worked to the song of Pink Panther and Mission Impossible. I couldn’t believe how willing everyone was to help me out. I was a stranger to their group but they treated me as if we had been friends for years. At about 2 am everyone finally abandoned the BnE attempt and Stephen offered to drive me home. It was the end of a very eventful night. Believe it or not, this became a typical weekend for me for the next year. And it was only the beginning of the crazy adventure God had planned for me. The journey to find my friends.

“Hey, no sleeping in guys!” Stephen called out to the group.

“We still have church tomorrow. I’ll see you all in the morning!” He shouted as we walked back to our cars.

Oh man, I had forgotten about church..