Leaving a Legacy

Garner Trojans

What a gift it has been to love and serve Garner High School for the past three years.  Clint is a trail blazer (if you didn't already know this about him), he has a great gift of beginning new projects, meeting adults, raising money, blazing the way, Clint Rouse is unstoppable! 

Clint was giving the fun project of beginning Young Life at Garner High School, and he has certainly done that with the assistance of The Lord (the credit and victory is given to Jesus, obviously!) and an incredible Young Life Team: Nolan, Taylor, Maggie, Sarah, Cameron, and Becca!  When we think of "missing Raleigh" next year the thing we will miss the most is our Young Life team at Garner.  They are really like our children.  We have gotten to watch them grow as men and women of Christ, we have seen them fall down and scrape their knees, and we have seen them learn to walk.  We love our team!  I may have two tears rolling down my face writing this, because we love these people.

Last night was Clint's last Young Life Club, but CERTAINLY not the last Garner Young Life club ever!  We really feel like we are leaving a legacy in Raleigh Young Life with Garner Young Life.  I have never seen people love one another the way this team does.  They have included and embraced all their roommates, boyfriends/girlfriends, friends, class mates to make up "Garner Team Extended."  Through this extended part of our them they get to include the people they love into a ministry they love.  To the High School Kid's its like they have more then one college friend!

So, seniors spoke to share with the club what they learned from Young Life.  A lot shared how great their leader was and a few shared how great God was!  What an honor to hear!  The last person to share was Clint and his final nugget to share with Garner High School was, "Will you take the trade?"  Will we trade this life of brokenness for full life that Jesus offers to us by dieing on the cross for our brokenness?  He spoke specifically about Jesus on the cross and the two criminals being crucified on either side of him.  One of the criminals rebuked him and threw insults at him, while the other criminal saw who Jesus was, he was the Son of God, this criminal accepted the trade!  So, Clint's main point was which response will we have? To reject Jesus' offer on the cross or to accept Jesus for who he is, the Son of God!

Luke 23: 39-43

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus is so gracious, he is so forgiving, there is nothing that we have done that he will not forgive!  He forgave a criminal in the final hours of his life, why not allow him to come in to our lives?  

Here are a few shots of Garner Club last night: 

After Clint was introduced by David "Moo Moo"

Clint, David "Moo Moo", and I. This sweet young man will always have a special place in the Rouse House.  We love David!

A few of our sweet friends who make up Garner Team Extended!  There are probably 20 people not in this picture!

 Outdoor club is the best!

It has always been Garner's tradition to give the seniors a small blue mason jar to represent all the memories shared at Garner Young Life.  All the students, the team, and extended team gave Clint and I the biggest blue mason jar we have ever seen full of notes and memories about Garner Young Life.  This will be a cherished center piece in our life ALWAYS!  We love y'all so much!