I feel like somebody's mother.

Dear Grabill Missionary Church graduating class of 2011,

Eleven years. That’s how long we attended First Missionary Church. In that time I met a lot of awesome people, but it wasn’t until our last few months that I made real connections. And then we left and I can count on my two hands the number of people from that church with whom I’ve had real conversations in the past three and a half years. And I can count on one hand the number of people in my age group who displayed real spiritual growth in the entire time we were there.

I was halfway through my junior year of high school when we came to Grabill. Y’all were freshmen. You didn’t know what you were going to do with your lives, you didn’t know much about yourselves or about each other. But, for some reason, I became friends with you. I was closer with people from your class than I was with my own class. I ended up with more male friends than female friends in the youth group, and that worked for us.

During that first summer, I was still trying to figure out my place in youth group. I wasn’t very outgoing or talkative; I have always been pretty content with doing my own thing. And not having my driver’s license really limited my options. But I did my best, and we laid some pretty solid foundations for friendship, including the discovery of the softness of my chin.

Over the next school year, I think we all did a lot of growing up. I was totally over being in high school, especially since I knew that I was going to Bethel. But that was the story of almost my entire class.

And then summer came again, and it was wonderful. Between the best CDYC ever and an incredible mission trip, plus extra hanging out, I got to know your class and the class of 2012. The summer of 2009 was one of the best summers I’ve ever had. Serious conversations were had, walls came down, God worked like crazy.

In August, I went off to college and you became juniors. You were as old as I was when we met. That in itself was just plain strange to me. And you guys had to learn how to be leaders, since there were only a few guys in the class of 2010 who were around regularly. It was very cool to hear about the ways that y’all were stepping up in youth group.

Summer rolled around again, and I only spent time with a few of you. But that was a lot of really good time. Laughter, advice, arguments, music, car rides, “just lunch,” Starbucks, surprise visits to the hospital, painting, movies, driving, and the list goes on.

And then, all of a sudden, “my freshmen” were seniors. I was not ready for that. But I think you were, and you have blown me away with how much you have grown in the past three and a half years. Your hearts for God and your love for His children are so cool to see. It has been a year of ups and downs for a few of you, but I have seen how that has made you stronger. God is begging you to draw near to Him. No matter how well you think you can do it on your own, complete surrender is the only hope. There is no place for fear when you are in God’s perfect love, so stop being afraid to let go. You will have to make sacrifices, but they will be rewarded in ways that you never imagined. Seriously.  I know this one.

Three months. That’s how long you have until school starts for most of you. That is not much time, but don’t feel pressure. Enjoy the fact that you made it through some of the craziest years of your life. Enjoy the fact that you don’t really need to remember the things that you just tests over, because you’ll re-learn it all in your college courses. Enjoy the fact that it’s freaking summer and you are high school graduates.

People are going to ask you a ton of questions about how you feel about being done with high school and how you feel about going to school. You will have to tell everyone about six times where you’re going and what you’re studying. They’ll ask you what you plan to do after you graduate. They’ll give advice about sleeping and relationships and how it all won’t really matter unless you (fill-in-the-blank). I sit two years beyond your experience, wishing I had actually listened to some of what they said to me. I spent much of my first two years of school hiding in my dorm room. I haven’t made a lot of solid friendships. I haven’t put much effort into it. Don’t be like me. Don’t be satisfied with the life you have right now.

For those of you who are going away, it’s going to take some effort if you want to maintain your friendships from home. But it’s possible. My best friends are still the ones I’ve had for years. Those of you who are staying in town have just as much potential to make new friends as the rest of us. It’s just going to take more effort. It’s worth it, though.  Your classmates are just like our classmates, they just don’t live down the hall. So hang out with them. Otherwise, you can very easily slip into some crazy loneliness, and that’s no fun for anyone.

And get plugged into Next Level. It’s a great group of people who are so ready to welcome you and encourage you and befriend you. That goes for everyone. I would have been pretty lost last summer if it hadn’t been for that group of people. Come join us on Thursdays at 7 in the Youth Basement. All summer.

And when school starts, remember the things that Pastor Bill said on Graduation Sunday. If you missed it, you can listen by clicking on this whole sentence. (I recommend this.)
Sometimes, grades do matter. If you’re going to grad school or to get a really competitive job, your GPA will have an effect on what happens. Learn how to balance the areas of your life. You won’t be able to do it all, but you can do a lot.

I love you guys. I can’t believe you’re so old. This year will be just like it was when I came to GMC; I’ll be a junior, you’ll be freshmen. But it will be nothing like it was then, because we are different. I’ll see some of you every day, and the rest of you almost none at all. (Please come visit us at Bethel. I’ll make food for you in my kitchen.)

I’m proud of you. I’m so excited for what God has done in your lives in the past three and a half years, and what He has planned for the next three and a half years. Let Him.

Love,

Hope