It’s 7:30 on a Thursday night!  The cheering and laughing is ringing throughout the neighborhood as all the eager teenagers await this week’s club.  Suddenly, music blares inside the small garage.  Everyone yells and piles in as the doors swing open.  “Welcome to Young Life Club!”  At first, everything is chaos.  The excited group dances and sings along to the deafening music. Suddenly, the phrase for order is exclaimed throughout the entire garage - “And a hush fell over the crowd!”  The crowd responds - “Hush Yo MAMA!”  Some laugh, while everyone else gets quiet. 
“Are you guys ready for an awesome club tonight?” 
“Yeah!”
     Eric strums a couple cords on the guitar as the lyrics to some of our favorite songs pop up on screen.   “Da-da-da! Da-da-da!... Don’t stop, Believin’!...”  In between songs, our leader Derrick has an announcement: “Time for a game!”  Some groan, while for others, the excitement is evident.  “I wonder what this game is going to be?”  “Oh no… I hope no cream pies aren’t involved…” 

     Out steps Ryan in a crazy lumberjack costume.  “Hi kids!  I’m Big John!”  “Big John” swings his fake axe down on the ground, then begins to explain the quirky Young Life game.  “Alright, so everyone should have a flashlight and a bag.  When I count to three, the lights are going to go out. You will then have to use your flashlights to find hidden toy dinosaurs throughout the room!”  Everyone whispers with excitement as they prepare for the dinosaur hunt.  “Are you ready?” Big John asks, “Three… Two… One… Go!”  The lights shut off. Flashlights flicker on.  Everyone scrambles around the garage trying to find all the hidden jurassic creatures.  A few minutes fly by until Big John’s voice projects an important announcement:  “Time is up!  Start counting how many dinosaurs you have!”  The garage lights come back on, and everyone is focused on counting how many dinosaurs they “caught”.  “And the winner is…”

    After a couple softer songs everyone is prepared for the club talk.  “Hey guys!  I hope you all have had a great time tonight!”  Heidi stands up front, Bible in hand.  “Have any of you experienced a time where you felt like you were stuck in a hole you just couldn’t get out of?  Well, I’m here to tell you…”  The group is completely silent as they listen to Heidi talk about “this guy named Jesus” and all the amazing things he did.  After the talk, Heidi ends in a prayer, and everyone piles around the provided snacks and socialize.
     Afterwards, I got the chance to ask Luke Warkall about why Young Life was such a fun thing to participate in.  “Young Life is a fun and accepting atmosphere! The leaders really care about the students, and you're always guaranteed a great laugh!” 
     Since 1941, Young Life has made a big impact in high school students’ lives across the country.  It has taught kids about the basics of christianity while effectively reaching out to them exactly where they are at in life.  The leaders work nonstop to befriend students and be there for them in times of need.   Garaway High School would not be the same without Young Life, and many of us are so thankful that we have the opportunity to participate in it!