Three nations, a lot of new faces, and moments this summer I know I'll carry with me for a long time. Here's where I saw God at work.
Launching in Romania
Being part of a launch team in Romania was a highlight in itself, watching young people from different areas and churches connect over a shared love of Jesus. One moment that stood out was an exercise Gemma led called "your journey to this point." Each team held a ball of yarn and passed it every time someone shared a key memory from their last five months together. In just ten minutes you could see all the connections, the highs and lows, and the moments where team members had stepped towards God. It was a powerful picture of how far each team and young person had come.
Cantemir, Moldova
Heading to Cantemir with my Extend team was an eye opening time away. We stayed with a host family who modelled the kind of sacrificial heart it takes to serve a community well. They've partnered with Exodus for nine years, and their trust in our teams and young people was obvious in how many opportunities they gave us to get involved. That meant leading two kids clubs, one in Romanian and one in Russian, doing family visits, and putting together food parcels for 70 families in Cantemir. An Exodus team creates a unique bond with hosts, team leaders and team members, and I saw firsthand how our whole team was knit together for life through those shared experiences.
Post Team Debriefs
One of my favourite parts of being an area leader has been sitting in on debriefs with leaders from other teams. One moment that really marked me was being invited for coffee with a few long standing Exodus supporters and a couple of team leaders. Between them, these supporters must have heard hundreds of Exodus team stories, yet the excitement, the questions and the genuine curiosity they had for every single team showed just how much they value each leader, team member and host country. It was a joy afterwards to bring that same heart into the debriefs I ran with leaders from the five other teams who went out from Exodus North East, delighting in the highs and listening to every story shared.
Celebrating together in Coleraine
Lastly, our summer celebration event at our Exodus Coleraine centre was pure joy. Over 20 young people shared firsthand how their team had impacted them this summer, and having more than 70 people in the room, supporters, parents and young people, was such an encouragement. It was a reminder of how far and wide the impact of Exodus teams reaches, and how invested the wider Exodus family is in every step of that journey.
It's changed how I lead, and I can't wait to see how this summer's experiences will spill into the lives of North East young people over these coming months.
David McGluggage
North East Area Leader
