Here are some (approximate) numbers for my past year.
My fulltime team:
125 stateside sets
50 Hong Kong sets
37 states visited
30 songs learned
Summer:
30 sets for worship team
for 50 summer teamers, 30 training staff members, and a few churches
16 songs learned on guitar for summer worship team
74 songs learned
from 6 countries of genres/styles
and taught on bass to 6 different bass players
16 songs taught in full band to team Taiwan
16 songs taught in full band to team Honduras
Misc:
7 team members,
6 (other) team members,
and 10 staff members that I grew close to
2 sicknesses
1 time filling in for djembe, rapping, and guitar
too many variations of sound system setups
too many ups and downs to count
and it's all over.
It's easy to look back on a short event and have definite feelings about it... but it's especially challenging to reflect on this past year considering all that's happened. I know some things for sure though. I know that I've learned a lot about myself and about the character of God. I know that now I'm supposed to figure out how to move past all that and settle down into a more consistent lifestyle. I'm excited to start the process, but I'm afraid that the transitionary period, combined with missing the ministry I've spent a year devoted to, will leave me feeling lonely and frustrated.
I'm afraid I'll want back what I had this past year, like it was mine to reclaim. But to feel that way would be to forget the original purpose of this year. It was to be "A Year Not my Own". It's purpose was to be a sacrifice, an offering. These words have lost much meaning in a society of entitlement. I hope that by devoting a year of my life to serving (serving CTI, the Hong Kong YFC, the churches, prisons, rescue missions, etc. we went to, and in doing so, serving God) that I can grow in selflessness, and therefore, Christ-likeness.
I can't express enough how appreciative I am of all who supported me this past year and helped make it a reality for me. This past year is a chapter of my life that I will never forget, and that will continue forming me for a long time. I know I can never fully explain to someone what this experience was like, but I'd love to try! So feel free to ask me about it if you're curious.
In Christ alone,
Mike
