“i’ve got someone”

*names have been changed in this story for the protection of students*
"What are you doing tomorrow at 11:30?" After spending a full weekend together serving at Fall Weekend, I figured she'd be tired of me! And to be honest, I wasn't looking to fill up too much of my "tomorrow" because I don't recover the same way after Young Life Camp like I once did (and yes, I'm only 28). But, I'm a Young Life leader so sometimes we just say "I don't know yet, what's up?" 

She needed a ride from her college dorm to a doctor's appointment across town. I honestly didn't know if I even could but she was going to be on my couch in a few hours for our Let's Chat small group so I promised her an answer by our dinner together. And you guessed it, I said yes.

Interruptions and inconveniences are just that - inconvenient because they require a pause or shift from your original plan. So naturally there can be a hesitancy, especially when you can easily say "no." However, Jesus welcomed interruptions without a second thought. He has been inviting me into the gift of people feeling safe enough to ask in the first place and to affirm my love for them through saying "yes" even when it's out of the way. 

Isabella's dorm is a frequently visited stop in my Google Maps because I wind up in the circle drive most Tuesdays and Sundays. So why not throw a Monday in there?

I'm grateful to have a filled passenger seat that yaps my ear off,  takes Lasso on walks with me, studies at my dining room table and when her family tells her to Uber she says "no, I've got someone." 

There have been many mornings, noons, and nights that I've prayed to be "someone" to a high school or college student in Ann Arbor. Praise God for answered prayers. Today I'm praying that 20 minutes with a Young Life Leader rather than an Uber driver isn't just cheaper but just might have an eternal impact whether or not we trace it back to that rainy, Monday drive.
 

—  Erin Prior, Co-Area Director