Letters from Participants
View from the Table of the Lord's Ladies
I am a junior undergraduate student attending Texas A&M University. I had recently received my Associate’s Degree in Biology when I attended Chrysalis Journey #84. Ever since I had moved away for college, I had been having trouble really feeling God’s presence. I wondered how I could have any significance out of the 6.5 billion people on Earth. Upon being asked if I would like to attend a Journey, I was told that it was a Christian retreat that I would be experiencing with other girls that were in high school and a few from college. I was also told that this would be like no other retreat I’d ever been on, not to mention one that I would never forget. I didn’t really think anything of it, but agreed to go.
After going on my Journey, I realized how true those words had been. I initially thought I was going to have a hard time relating to the other girls, considering I wasn’t living with my parents and was attending a major university. I soon realized that none of this mattered. We had come from all over Texas. We weren’t there to make friends, to talk about boys, or to complain about parents, although we did make lasting friendships.
It soon became apparent that we were all gathered for one reason, to meet Jesus. I don’t mean the kind of meet Jesus that happens when you worship on Sunday morning, when you attend a Christian concert, or when you participate in a youth retreat. I mean the kind that sneaks up on you, that you don’t expect until it happens, the kind that you can’t explain or even put a specific time and place to. I’m not trying to say that worshipping on Sunday morning, attending Christian concerts and participating in youth retreats aren’t great ways to meet and experience Jesus, or that a Chrysalis Journey is better than these things. Chrysalis is different though. It catches you off guard. Because you are so isolated from the rest of the world, with a lot of strangers, it’s a unique experience that just can’t compare to anything else.
I can say though, that I experienced a first while attending my Journey. Never before had I felt like I was completely surrounded by God. It’s like the feeling I have when I wake up on a cold morning and I’m all wrapped up in blankets, so warm, and don’t want to get out of bed. The warmth was rushing through my body, not to mention my heart. I truly felt God’s amazing love and grace on my Chrysalis Journey. I can only hope and pray that this feeling will last and that I can in some way help to spread the love of God. My fourth day experience has been full of volunteering and helping with my home town youth group, all the while trying to raise the hype about Chrysalis. I plan to work future Chrysalis Journeys to help others meet Jesus in such an intimate manner.
Erin Spence
Journey #84
Table of the Lord’s Ladies
Chrysalis in Action
It was the last team meeting on October 13, the weekend before flight #21. A couple of the girls had slept over at my house and we were running about 30 minutes late. As we were just about to leave the house, another team member called to tell us that there had been a huge and terrible accident on the southbound I-5. 9 lives were lost and traffic was horrific, also the exit to the church was closed. We immediately got on map quest to find if there was a back way that we could take, luckily there was. We ended up getting there at about 10:30 realizing we weren’t the only ones late for the meeting due to the traffic.
The back road to the church paralleled the freeway, and many people were backed up thinking it would be a quicker route. Many travelers noticed cars at the church and stopped to use the restroom facilities. After lunch we noticed that the traffic had not eased up. Someone reminded us that we had quite a few leftovers, since attendance was down due to the accident, and had the great idea to go out and show our love for the people stuck in traffic by giving them ice cream, chips, and water. They rounded up about 5 or so girls and adults, myself included, to go out by the road and offer them something to eat during the obviously long journey they had ahead. It was so cool to see our team of girls working together to show God’s love with a smile and kind encouragement. The people we gave it to were so grateful. You could just tell that the hours or so they had been stuck in traffic were all somehow made a little brighter by us taking the time to think of them. Eventually the food ran out, and man did it go quickly! We all came back inside happy knowing we were able to put a smile on peoples face.
A few adults were telling us that this was a true example of Christian action. That was ironic to me because I was to give the Christian Action talk that flight and had been struggling with what to say. Seeing us out there showing God’s love with food and smiles made me realize that this was exactly what Christian Action was about. Yes, its about telling others about God, but more importantly its about showing God’s love in every thing we do. And that’s what we were doing when we made the smallest gesture of handing out food to those stuck in traffic; we were letting God’s light shine through us. I know that God used us in some way that day to plant a seed in someone’s heart. Being a part of this act made me see how much true agape love we have in our community, and how much we care for those around us.
Fly With Christ,
Lauren Swink
CIC #19
(Channel Islands Chrysalis)
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17
My Chrysalis flight was the foundation that gave me the means to comprehend God's great love for me. Right after my flight I was at church and a man I had never met before came up to me and took both my hands in his. He looked me in the eye, called me by my name and said, "Nicole, I prayed for you." This was something that had never happened to me before. A concept I hadn't thought of: people I don't even know were thinking about and praying for ME!
Chrysalis has a way of bringing people together through Christ like this. Two people who know nothing about each other can help one another through prayer and Christian love.
The summer after my flight I went on the adventure of a lifetime. Backpacking through the mountainous terrain of British Columbia with some of the girls from my flight, I was able to reflect on my experiences on my Chrysalis weekend. When my pack seemed unbearable or the terrain too treacherous I was able to meditate on the love and support of those at home. The prayers of my friends, family and church were a constant reminder and a mirror of God's unconditional love. Chrysalis showed me tangible evidence of God's love for me though other Christians.
Nicole Gleadle
Chrysalis flight March 23-26, 2006
(Nicole is a young woman from the Bear Creek United Methodist Church, Woodinville, Washington. After graduating from Woodinville High School in 2007 she attends Pacific Lutheran University, Parkland, WA as a freshman and has been named to the President's list for academic excellence.)
