What I’ve Learned From Sleeping On An Air Mattress

By Sylvia Barrett. Sylvia has served as YouthWorks Summer Staff for three summers and in 2016, she spent the summer as an Area Director over three sites in South Dakota.

It seems like just yesterday the summer ended. Like I was just driving through the Badlands. Like I was just working on paperwork. Long car rides and deep conversations.
I’ve spent the past 3 summers working for YouthWorks. This summer I was an Area Director, which meant I got to oversee three staff teams and sites in South Dakota.

My 3 summers with YouthWorks have taught me some incredible lessons. I can honestly say that they changed my life and have played a huge part in who I am today and in my faith. This winter I will begin the World Race and much of my heart for deciding to do it has been formed from my experiences in communities and with God through YouthWorks. 

Through my my summers with YouthWorks, I’ve spent time in Thunder Bay, ON, Rapid City, SD, Rutland, VT, Mission, SD, Manderson, SD, and Martin, SD. I’ve learned a lot of things that make me laugh when I recount stories to family and friends:

• When driving, how to avoid cows and horses in the road.
• How to take quick 10 minute naps.
• Fundamental moves in Taiji.
• How to live out of a suitcase.
• How to sleep restfully on an air mattress, and really, just about anywhere.
• How to get creative with meals when you eat the same thing every week.
• How to always have a plan B. . . and C.

In addition to these seemingly silly, but surprisingly practical lessons, YouthWorks has also taught me some serious lessons that impact my life and faith:

• Be Still. Sometimes you just need to slow down and look at what and who are around you. Take in the sunset. Have a conversation with the people around you. Sit in the quiet with the people around you. Sit in the quiet with God and hear what he has to say. Stop planning, stop rushing, stop talking. Just be.
• Invest in people. Even when it’s hard. Even when don’t know what to say. Relationships matter. So even when you’re exhausted, play tag with the kids. When you have a million things to do, but a community member starts to tell you their story, put down the work and listen. Invest in relationships. Be present.
• Growth can hurt, but it is necessary. It is essential to go outside of your comfort zone. It is essential to learn and to grow. This process can hurt. It can be uncomfortable. God will use situations that break your heart. But if you let him, he will use those situations to build you back up. To make you better. To create new opportunities and relationships. Be willing to do the work. Be willing to ask the hard questions and to sit in the tension. Be willing to experience the growing pains. It will be worth it.
• Everyone has a story. Everyone has something they’ve been through. Everyone has a story worth sharing. Some will tell it easily, some will hold back. Get to know people and their stories. Listen and ask them to share. Know that you too have a story worth telling. Don’t minimize the power of one person’s story.
• Every community has something to offer. Every community has beauty. In the summer, the communities we live in often have specific needs. But communities are more than those needs. The stories of the community members that live there. The history and resilience that make up their people. The beautiful scenery that surrounds the community. The community members working tirelessly to serve their fellow community members and take pride in their community.
• God can use you. No matter your story. No matter your past. If you have willing hands and a willing heart, God can use you. You may underestimate your skills. Your story. Don’t. God has a purpose for you and he wants to use you and your story. Trust in that and allow him to.

My summers with YouthWorks have changed me, challenged me, and have brought me to where I am today. I’m not sure when my next YouthWorks summer will be, but I do know this – these lessons will continue to be challenged and deepened within me.

These are the moments that make it all worth it. Interested in applying to be 2017 YouthWorks Summer Staff? Click HERE!