Not Alone in Following God (A Reminder From Next Gen 10:2)

By Andrew Jordan

I was given an amazing opportunity to participate in the Next Gen 10:2 Gathering, and I would like to share my experience with you.

I was invited a couple of months prior to the event, and I remember being excited. It became something I kept looking forward to, and I counted off the days.

When the day finally arrived, I felt nervous flying alone to meet people I had never met before. The first two people I met who I clicked with the most were Samuel and Ana Ramos. We sat there and got to know each other a little before meeting up with everyone else, but by the time we did, it had felt like we had known each other for years. People did not believe us when we said it was our very first time meeting, and I am grateful to them for making that gathering so much better and easier.

The rooms were not ready when we got to the hotel, so we left to get food, and I got the chance to talk to everyone else attending. This left a good early impression on me because everyone was willing to talk to everyone. Something with which I have struggled (and on which God has been working in me) is to go out and speak to people more, and this was an amazing way to practice with others my age.

When the rooms were ready, to my surprise, I was rooming with Samuel, so we got to know each other even more. Later that day, being at the actual gathering itself, I was excited to see Coutney Roberts who I had seen the week prior; I was a part of the worship team invited to play at The Refuge Camp. We had only talked once, but it was nice to see a familiar face, and we got to really know each other at the gathering.

Samuel, Ana, Courtney, Rejoice, Fynn, Jada, and I went to a Mexican restaurant nearby, and we sat there getting to know each other while we ate. I remember sitting there thinking, “Thank you, God, for the opportunity to be here and meet new people.” That concluded day one.

Identity and Discipleship

Day two was the one that impacted me the most. It was not like the day magically got longer, but it felt like we had been there for a week. Everyone was talking to everyone else and learning more about each other. Rejoice taught Samuel and me how to say “How is your day going?” and “I love you” in Swahili, which I still remember, and it was amazing to see and experience.

We had amazing speakers. Ta’Tyana Leonard spoke to us about the story of Joshua, spiritual gifts, identity and promise, generational crossroads, and three ways God shapes our identity. First, He marks us as His own; second, removes our shame; and, lastly, invites us to live from His promise.

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 “It was not like the day magically got longer, but it felt like we had been there for a week. Everyone was talking to everyone else and learning more about each other.”

Also, Peyton Jones discussed discipleship, which is what spoke to me the most. He reminded us how Jesus makes us into something we are not, and to allow God to do the heavy lifting, and let Him make it happen. He taught us that when Jesus made His disciples, year one was about time, year two was about teaching, and year three was about tactics. The time becomes transformation. Teaching becomes information. Time plus teaching becomes discipleship, and tactics become activation. So when you take time to understand someone and teach them, you create a disciple, and, with the tactics, you activate them to go out and create more disciples. It becomes a beautiful cycle that leads to more people coming to Christ. This really inspired me to go out and try to create disciples and to utilize what I learned in our church, to get our youth more involved.

Something Samuel told me during all this that stuck with me was how everyone there participating would joke around a lot, make each other laugh, and just have a good time, but when we needed to lock in, we did. Everyone’s attention was on the speakers and the music. We worshipped, participated, and it showed just how serious everyone was about God, and it really opened my eyes.

Praise and Presence

What impacted me the most — making me sit in awe and thank God over and over again — happened outside of the gathering. A group of about 10 of us found a guitar and sat outside the hotel between a gas station and a car wash. We had a little worship night at 11 p.m. We sat there and sang for about an hour or two. Everyone suggested different songs. All of us used our voice to praise the God who gave it to us, to exalt His name without a single worry. We just enjoyed the moment and His presence.

It really left me filled with so much gratitude. I sat there thinking I really needed this reminder that there are others my age who love and adore our God, and I need to keep pushing forward because I am not alone. We were all there for a reason; God has a plan and purpose for each and every one of us.

I have been a part of other worship nights but nothing so simple or intimate. It was an experience I did not know I needed. I recorded a small part of it as a reminder because it was just so beautiful to me.

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 “I sat there thinking I really needed this reminder that there are others my age who love and adore our God, and I need to keep pushing forward because I am not alone.”

An Ignited Spirit and a Desire to Serve

The Next Gen 10:2 Gathering surpassed my expectations in every way. It allowed me to make more connections with others my age. I learned more about the plans God has for me, and it made me feel seen.

This is what I believe most youth crave. They want to be seen. They want to be heard. They want to serve but maybe do not know how sometimes.

Joel 2:28 talks about the Holy Spirit being in all people with sons and daughters prophesying, old men having dreams, and young men seeing visions. I highly recommend as a church to make sure you encourage and remind your youth that you see them, you care for them, and they are not too young to fulfill God’s plan for them.

God ignited my spirit and gave me a desire to serve. I was able to come home and have our own worship night with our youth and give a class, talk more to others about Jesus. I recently gave a friend a Bible because he started coming to me, asking questions, and becoming a part of a group in our congregation who focus on helping others and our community.

I desire to serve God and be part of what God is doing with the Free Methodist Church, the conference and the congregation. I went to the Next Gen 10:2 Gathering expecting to learn and meet new people. I came home with new friendships, a deeper understanding of discipleship, and a renewed reminder that I am not alone in wanting to follow God.

Thank you to everyone who planned, served, taught, and worshipped at this conference. And thank you to Samuel, Ana, Courtney, Joslyn, and Rejoice for being part of an experience I will not forget.
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