Chaos!

Have you ever driven a fifteen passenger van - filled with children who's saftey was in your hands - all the while all of them talking at once and very loudly while you're pulling your hair out because you have no idea where you're going?

Well, I have.

Now, I've driven the van before numerous times. By this point, I've gotten pretty comfortable with it. I've even broken down in the van on the side of the road with about 15 girls, and we got through that okay.

I've never been really stressed driving this van until Paris, Madison and I started Wyld-Life on Wednesday night. Wyld-Life is a Young Life program, but for middle school kids. I was actually super pumped for it, because I thought it would be really good experience for the three of us to be Wyld-Life leaders.

Before we took off, my aunt Kara came in to talk to me, and just told me to be extra cautious. That's not abnormal; though the moment we picked up even a few kids I could start to feel the pressure. Paris was in the passenger seat, telling me to go pick up kids who's houses for all I knew were in Timbuktu. I got lost several times, turned around in circles, trying to listen to Paris' directions (though if we're being honest here, I'll put some of the blame on that GPS. It doesn't seem trustworthy.)

All the while, the kids were in the back, arguing and carrying on and basically yelling over everything Paris was trying to tell me. It was being jammed in the middle of a beehive. My ears were buzzing.

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you just want to yell 'BE QUIET!' really loud? Don't tell me you haven't because you'd be lying to yourself. Everyone has. For me, this would have definitely been one of those times.

Of course I didn't yell. I love those kids, I did however turn around and very sternly tell them that they needed to be quiet so I could hear where I needed to go. With the reaction they gave me, you would have think I yelled. They all fell quiet and just stared, murmuring their yes ma'ams' - I was pretty stunned myself, but I'm pretty sure I had never once before come off stern with the kids. The thing that really threw me for a loop was that after I'd said it, they were really quiet for  along time, even helpful. They told me better directions than the darn GPS enabled smartphone.

The rest of the night went pretty well, and I calmed down after that little bit of chaos at the beginning. There was only one part at the end of the night were we had to stop and practice being quiet for three minutes because the kids were getting way out of control.

I know perhaps this doesn't seem the most stressful situation to most people. I know half of you are probably going 'what's the big deal?' - for me it was a pretty good idea. I'm not used to being a leader for so many people, though I know God wouldn't dish out more than I could handle. Having the saftey of 12 kids plus your own cousins is a pretty big weight to bare, and I want to take it as seriously as I can.

It was our first time doing Wyld-Life, so I'm sure the next trip will go alot more smoothly. I'm confident about that, and I'm really glad I've been given this opportunity because it's a big weakness of mine, and I know I need to grow in it.

And if it doesn't go well?

I just hope Madi doesn't conveniently snap another embarrassing picture of me tearing my hair out.

Cecily Macomber is a 20 year old college student, who trips on air and daydreams too much. She recently moved to Georgia to begin an exciting new life of ministry with her aunt, uncle and cousins,  and to grow as a servant of the Lord.