A Conviction to Embrace Every Moment
Jocelyn Logan is the new Youth Leader at Cullman First United Methodist in Cullman, AL. Jocelyn is a mom to a 12-year-old daughter and a 20-year-old son (who is a firefighter), an elementary school archery coach, 3rd grade teacher, and still looking for the man of her dreams (there’s her fun fact!). She has attended AIM twice and is looking forward to her first summer at YSM.
I am not sure if words could ever adequately express what Mountain T.O.P. and the experience means to me. I remember the initial excitement about going to my first “mission” experience: AIM. However, in my first hour or two, I seriously doubted my decision. These people were so cheerful and there was even a song?! I didn’t even make it to the second worship song, and I was a sobbing mess. I felt such a conviction to really embrace every single moment on the Mountain, and I did. Whether I was falling (very slowly) and almost landing in sewage, or helping an injured chicken, I found joy in the experience. My lack of skill probably wasn’t a blessing to those around me, but this opportunity was the greatest blessing (outside of motherhood) to me.
Mountain T.O.P. became a passion for me. I wanted everyone to experience life “on the Mountain.” So much, in fact, that I informed my daughter that she was going to the summer program whether she wanted to or not. She had never been away from home for longer than 2 days, so we were so nervous that she would call to come home after the first day. The opposite occurred—she barely even called home! She had such a wonderful experience at YSM that she has mentioned returning every single day since June.
I think it goes without saying that if a 12-year-old chooses a week away from family, technology, and air conditioning to spend working with families in another state, the Mountain T.O.P. experience is not only contagious, but it becomes a passion. It becomes something that we cannot wait to share with friends and others from our church. Our community isn’t large, and the ways to serve others are quite limited. Mountain T.O.P. gives both our youth and our adults an opportunity to grow through working with others to create a better life.
As I have been fortunate enough to transition into my church’s youth leader position, my excitement has grown exponentially! This year, I will have the opportunity to serve with my youth members and experience it through their eyes. It won’t be just as a mom watching her daughter fall in love with the top of the Mountain again, but all of my students who are able to attend. It will be my heart connecting with the Lord in a different environment and different way alongside my students and their hearts. I cannot imagine a better place or situation to have that experience.
I thought I was going to the Mountain to be a blessing to others, but little did I know that I was the one who experienced God’s presence. Making new friends with fellow campers, eating meals around the dining room table, worshiping around the fire, and watching eyes light up at the free books given away at the Fall Festival: those are moments I will never forget, and they lead to the moments I count down until my next experience on the mountain.
