Expect the Unexpected

For a while I didn’t really know how to put in writing all the emotions and thoughts I had concerning the World Council meeting. As the newest edition to the YMCA family naturally I thought I would be apprehensive about the meeting since I am not that well acquainted with the some of the YMCA policies and procedures. However the more I think about it the more I have found out that that’s not the case. It is now a day before I step onto the Colorado soil and I can barely contain my excitement. 

Frankly I have been excited since the moment I discovered that I was going to be part of the delegation going to Colorado at the start of the year. Though I expected my excitement to wane surprisingly enough it didn’t. I suppose as I have gotten more involved at my local YMCA the importance of the work that we are going to do or be a part of at the Council has become  clearer. The work that England YMCA has been doing  to prepare has magnified the consequence of being involved as a participant at the Council.  

I’m excited to be acting as a sponge at the Council- soaking up important information which will later be used to drench others so to speak. The most exciting thing will be to see the YMCA mission statement in action at the World Council as different groups of people come together for the same purpose and to make a real difference according to the principle laid in the Bible. 

As a young adult meetings like these fill me up with hope because there is nothing quite like knowing that someone out there cares about your future and those around you and is willing to invest in it for unselfish reasons –this is the YMCA way.

So what of my expectations I hear you ask. The benefits of being part of something like this are very obvious and although all of us are aware of what is to take place it is easy to forget and take for granted what we have been blessed with- opportunity and a platform to be heard. 

Those we seek to serve often don’t have the kind of opportunities that are often presented to us and as delegates we have a responsibility to use everything we are/have been given to better society and one another. I expect the World Council meeting to remind us again why we do what we do. Being part of the World Council will open our eyes and sharpen the things that need to be sharpened to equip us all for the work that is ahead. Therefore I expect to grow; to be changed;  to be challenged ; to learn;  to be inspired to do more; to go further;  to think bigger and deeper while inspiring others to do the same. As they say ‘I can feel it in my bones’, this is going to be the experience of a lifetime! Expect the unexpected!