De Colores Community,
A few years ago, I was asked to lead a Young Men’s Journey for Chrysalis in our community. I had served on several Chrysalis teams and I knew the power of the Holy Spirit working in this ministry across generations bringing young people to a better relationship with Christ. Little did I understand the impact that Journey #23 would have on my family.
Team selection for both the Journey and Walk that I led taught me huge lessons in obedience. I quickly learned that the Holy Spirit takes over when we are obedient and that God is pleased with the result.
The team selection process is quite simple. The team selection chairperson sets a date for the meeting and contacts the Lay Director to share information with them in preparation for selecting the team. A blank form is provided to the Lay Director and team selection committee with spaces for three names for each position on the Walk or Journey. The Lay Director is asked to identify their first preference for the Spiritual Director, one of the Assistant Lay Directors, the Music Team leader, a past Lay Director who will serve on a table, and the Outside Team Coordinator. At the team selection meeting these names are placed in the first space for their respective roles. Following this first step each person attending the team selection meeting has an opportunity to name someone to fill the next blank on the page one at a time until three names are identified for each role. The Spiritual Director has responsibility for securing the Assistant Spiritual Directors for the walk or Journey.
As Lay Director, I chose to strictly follow the process calling the first name for each role as identified by the team selection committee, and then calling the second or third if necessary. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I was in the process. The new friendships that were formed will be cherished for a lifetime. And the spiritual gifts that I witnessed from people I did not even know were a tremendous blessing to both the pilgrims/caterpillars and the team. Truly God blessed me through my obedience in Emmaus team formation.
During team selection for Journey #23, I asked if anyone knew of a possible music team for the Journey. A young lady spoke up and said, ‘you should get Terrell McReynolds.’ I knew Terrell as a leader from his service as youth lay representative on the first Journey that I participated in, but I had never heard him play music. At the first team meeting I was blown away with his ability to bring men of all ages together in worshiping the Lord. I found out later that Terrell had become a police officer along with another member of the praise team. In addition, one of the table leaders and one of the assistant table leaders were also police officers. For those of you who know my family, you probably understand that it was no strange coincidence that several leaders on the journey were public servants.
Our son Derick chose to attend Journey #23. Throughout the weekend, he formed many friendships as he came closer in his relationship with the Lord. We knew from an early age that Derick was cut out for public service. Prior to the Journey, he completed the Fire Academy and was working toward securing a full-time role with a fire department, even if it meant moving to another town. Shortly after the Journey, Derick announced that he had decided to apply for the Lubbock Police Academy. I immediately reached out to one 
of my closest Emmaus friends who was on the team and was also a policeman for a bit of advice. It was no surprise to me that Derick had already spoken with him about the decision. Derick not only found a friend, but also a mentor who would guide him through his decision. It is awesome to see first-hand the Holy Spirit at work through people we chose to surround ourselves with.
As you can see, here is a picture of Derick proudly carrying our nation’s flag with the LPD Honor Guard at the 4th on Broadway parade. God bless the men and women who serve, and God bless America!
In Christ love,
Rod Smith
