Ashley Turner, a new staff member in Lake Norman, N.C., often can't believe how blessed she is to be a part of Young Life's ministry where she gets to watch God move in His perfect and sometimes unexpected ways.
After weeks of planning, the leaders at Hopewell High School were ready to pull off a huge outdoor event called Hopewell Idol — a talent night where students would showcase their singing, dancing and comedy skills. Hopewell Idol was much anticipated and lots of kids were expected to show up. But much to everyone's surprise, threatening rain clouds drifted in on the very afternoon of this outdoor event. Stumped by the thought of rain in the middle of what had been a drought in Charlotte, the leaders became desperate for a new plan.
Ashley's team quickly put the word out to as many Young Life folks as they could think of across the country with the hope that they could come up with the "plan B" they needed. They received some terrific advice on how to pull together a last minute scavenger hunt at the local mall. Unfortunately, while dozens of kids were excited to show up for the original outdoor talent show, leaders were only able to get the word out to 15 of their high school friends about the new plan.
This tired and faithful group of leaders pulled up to the mall that night with the hope that at least a handful of kids would show up for a fun night together. After a few minutes of hanging out, the Charlotte Young Life team watched in disbelief as more than 40 Hopewell students made their way through the mall to the food court. The leaders quickly gathered the energetic group and sent them on their mission. Kids were laughing and running through the mall fully enjoying the competition and time together.
Ashley had prepared a message to share with the students at the previously planned event. Not sure if they could pull off talking about Jesus to a big group of excited kids in the middle of a mall, they prayed for God's guidance.
Confirmation came to Ashley at the end of the event when one of the boys spoke up and said, "Hey, you guys should give a talk tonight!" It was the green light she needed. Ashley stood up in front of her high school friends and talked about how Jesus reached out to Zacchaeus, a guy who was unliked and considered the worst of the worst.
That rainy night inside the mall in Charlotte, while a big group of kids heard about God's love without conditions, Ashley and her Young Life team felt thankful to be part of the mission.