We seek all You are; We lift our eyes to the stars

I really wish that I would've spoken in church today, but I didn't stand up fast enough.
I wanted to tell the girls how much I love them. How I barely knew them when we went to camp and then by the last day I felt like... I was responsible for their hearts.
After numerous campfires, worship services and 1am cabin talks, I felt like it was my duty to protect them... to shield them from the pain of the world.
But I know it's too late for that. They've felt pain, they've been beaten and bruised emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Josh Reno's talk made me so proud. I felt so honoured to be such close friends with such an amazing man. Some may argue with me, but despite his immature demeanor, he is more of a man than most of the people I come in contact with.
To sit beside his mother and hold her while she cried with happiness over the transformation of her son was breathtaking.
Or after church, being approached by another kid's mom and having her tell me that she prays and will continue to pray especially for me every single day, and thanking me for being friends with her son at camp when no one else would.
Josh mentioned in his talk that Shawn always gets us to find accountability partners to help us keep our promises we've made to Jesus, and how he wants his accountability partner to be our congregation, because we are a family. Afterwards, Major Martin urged everyone to create relationships with each of us teens, and to pray for us continuously.
All of them promised that they would, and the pouring out of love touched me so deeply.
I don't know what I would do without my church, and I hope they know how much their sentiment truly does mean to each of us teenagers;
That it will never be forgotten.