Often I get what I like to think are great ideas for either my music ministry or for Uprise.  I have a clear vision and the most ambitious ideas seem so simple and attainable in those moments.  In those first moments my faith seems to be the strongest and I’m most confident about what I can achieve through Christ. But like anything else in life, nothing ever goes the way we plan it. You know how it is, someone you’re counting on doesn’t show up or follow through, funds are low, or everything starts to seem like bad timing. It’s during those “crunch times” it becomes a little harder to keep the faith. All of a sudden those barriers I so could easily dismiss in the beginning seem bigger.  My mother sometime says “you have to get up early in the morning to fool me…” and it seems like the enemy was listening and taking notes.  During those periods I find myself waking in the middle of the night feeling intense pressure. I become somewhat delusion from my lack of sleep and begin to feel anxious and seriously wonder what made me crazy enough to attempt such a wild idea.

This past Memorial Day weekend Uprise hosted a retreat in Southwestern Michigan. We had begun planning for this event months in advance and it seemed that it was going to be a fairly easy goal to obtain. But in the months between our initial planning and the retreat, Uprise went through and unexpected transitional period.  In addition, several attendees canceled due unforeseeable circumstances. And all of that would have been fine except we needed to come up with close to $2000 whether two or eighteen showed up. Since we had to pay for at least eighteen for the site no matter how many showed up we decided it was best to bring folks along whether they could afford to pay or not. Long story short we finally secured 20 reservations but needed to sponsor or co-sponsor about seven and cover the accommodations of our speaker. Fortunately, we did receive a $102 donation to help with the sponsors but that was only a small fraction of the cost.

The day of the retreat two who were paying didn’t show up unexpectedly at the last minute without explanation. I woke several times during that first night wondering how I got myself in this situation and stressing about how I would personally pick up the tab. That aside the retreat was wildly successful. The theme was “Connected” and it was a perfect opportunity to connect with God and other young adults in nature. As we had our last devotion during the beautiful sunset along the shore of Lake Michigan each attendee shared what they gained from the experience. Some highlighted how they went to church with some attendees for years but never formed meaningful connections, others talked about sins that kept them from fully connecting with Christ, one young lady discussed how all her life she had ran from God but now wanted to be more connected to Him. It was in that moment I realized how powerful God was and how much bigger this retreat was than my plans. God had used me and my crazy idea to touch the lives of others, even someone who didn’t even attend church.  When it was my turn to share I shared my struggle with faith but begin to claim again the promises of God and during my testimony the Holy Spirit impressed an attendee to donate $500 to Uprise. God is faithful!

Paige is a school social worker and an independent artist in Detroit, MI. Find her music at www.sydneyandpaige.com or facebook.com/sydneyandpaige