by Anna TenPas As we turn from 2020 to 2021, I see so many posts on social media that can be summed up into one sentence: “2020 was a horrible year, I’m so glad it’s over.” Although 2020 was undoubtedly hard for lots of reasons, God was not surprised by any of it. Covid brought on a lot of challenges, but also a lot of blessings in disguise.
One huge blessing of 2020 was our attendance numbers for Adventure Club, our program for elementary-aged students on Thursday nights. Before Covid, we averaged about 15 kids per week with a record of 24 students one week. This year, our average weekly is 24 students per night. This means that our record attendance from last year is the same as our average attendance this year. Although Covid has cancelled lots of events and brought down attendance for some clubs, other clubs are thriving.
Another huge blessing of 2020 is the group of volunteers we have helping at Adventure Club. Obviously with almost twice as many students as last year, we need more volunteers. But this was no surprise to God. He has been working in the hearts of both teenagers and adults and calling them to take the next step in their faith and begin pouring out what they’ve learned in their walks with God.
Last year, we had four volunteers helping every week at Adventure Club. This year, we have seven people volunteering their time and pouring out into the students who come each week. Five out of those seven people are new volunteers who have never worked with this group of kids, and it’s been a joy to work alongside such amazing people.
I think we as humans find it so easy to focus on everything going wrong in our lives that we forget to even notice the blessings. Without Covid, I don’t think we would have the turnout of students or volunteers that we have now. With limited sports and extra-curricular activities, more kids and families are looking for things to do, and they come to Campus Life. What are the blessings that you’ve experienced through 2020? What things have you gained as a result of Covid? Maybe you’re spending more time with your family? Maybe you’re spending more time with God or at church? God was not surprised by Covid. He knew exactly what would happen and how it would affect us, both for good and for bad. We complained about the bad. Did we thank Him for the good? In 2021, no matter what obstacles the new year will inevitably bring, let’s look out for the blessings.
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