Lessons From Pre-EXCEL

The first week of May, my family and I attended our annual home school conference in Big Sandy, TX. My mom and younger sister, Sarah, attended the adult sessions, while Melissa and I helped out with a program, called Pre-EXCEL, for young girls. Because we both have been to Advanced EXCEL, we were able to help out as Division Assistants (DAs). I absolutely loved being a DA because we got to work behind the scenes, help out with skits and crafts, as well as encourage and support the team leaders. I loved it! Being a behind-the-scenes cheerleader and encourager fulfilled my desires to help and support others.

After the first day, I found out that one of the team leaders in my division would need to leave home early on the last day of Pre-EXCEL. Because there was no team leader assistants this year, the Division Assistant over that team would be required to step in – and that would be me. When I first heard the news that I would have to stop my Division Assistant work and become a team leader for the day, I was disappointed. I loved what I was already doing, and I did not want to be in charge of twelve girls. Working with large groups just did not excite me.

Obviously, my attitude did not please God. During one of our evening sessions (we would all join our families for evening sessions), God used the speaker to relay a message to me. The speaker declared, “God wants to work through you to reach others.” This man’s words really convicted me! God wanted to work through me in order to touch the lives of the girls who were on the team that I would be taking over. I was His tool. My duty was not to reject Him using me, but I needed to be ready and willing to be used to however God called me.

I felt overwhelmed at the idea of God wanting to use me so that He could reach the girls! That thought changed my perspective on my day as I filled in as a team leader. Instead of thinking about how I did not want to be a team leader, I decided to just love the girls and to cherish the few moments that we had together. When I did that, I had an awesome time. It was so rewarding to be used by God and to influence and disciple other younger girls.