MQ: From a student's pen- Reflections on the MQ experience
Written by Christie from Fresno, California
My heart and understanding of God has definitely changed during and since the retreat. My personal highlight during the retreat was when I felt like God was telling me to love who he shaped me to be. This changed my perspective of God and myself. It [also] helped me form a new image of God and to know that He loves me and I should love myself just as much.
Christie’s Mission Statement
God created me to love the hurting, to care for those around me, and to LOVE the person God shaped me to be. This statement has already helped me in the few weeks I have been home, to think about ways I can love others and also to think about ways I can love myself, while loving others. This statement will help me as I think about what I’m called to do in life, and also how I should act right now in my daily life.
Reflecting on Summoned to Lead by Leonard Sweet
A key thing that stood out to me from Summoned to Lead was that a leader must listen to the people they are leading and not think they are any better than them. I want to remember that as I take leadership roles among my friends or at church. To [also] remember, that their opinions really matter and… to listen to those ideas.
During [spring retreat] SYS sessions, something that really stood out to me was how much of a listener I am. Through Career Direct and the Spiritual Gifts inventory I realized that I am much more of a caring listening person than a loud and “out there” person. Through all of the sessions, it was re-enforced to me that I like helping others by listening and comforting them… there is also a side of me that likes to take charge and be in the front… but only to an extent.
On Ministry
One big insight that I gained from CYC (Fall retreat in Fresno) [that] was re-enforced at SYS (Spring retreat in BC), was that ministry can come in many forms, and that we can do “ministry” in whatever we do… [and] that to different people ministry is seen differently. I really appreciate this [concept, especially] as I think of what I want to do with my life and… ways I can put ministry into it.
One surprise was [the] many different qualities there are in good leaders. For example, all of us were sent to MQ, because our church felt we were leaders and in our Career Direct we all got very different results… Also, throughout the 6 days I was very conscience of affirmation. I realized how much of an impact it made to me, when someone went out of their way to give me affirmation. It helped me to start thinking of doing the same whenever I felt like someone did something that was really helpful… it was subtle, but made an impact in my life.
