when you get full-on sick on a youth event and would rather die than lift a finger

This summer, I became terribly ill while on a youth servant event. The whole nine yards: Fever. Cough. Nose running at a sprinting pace. It was a glorious reenactment of every NyQuil commercial ever made.

My first instinct at the sight of the 100.2 degree fever (low, but still alarming in the HOLY GUACA I'M SICK kind of way) was HOLY GUACA I'M SICK. PANIC. This was absurd, you can't really panic appropriately when you feel like opening up your sinus system with a wrecking ball without anesthetics just so that you can feel something again.

I texted my trusty coworker a PANIC I'M SIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK message. He reminded me that PANIC was stupid and idiotic in kinder, gentler words and that I'd already prepared for this.

I have? Oh yeah, I have.

About three years ago, my grandma had a stroke in the middle of a youth retreat and I was a wreck. I couldn't function because I was so distracted by wanting to be with my family. I left the retreat to be with my family. It was the right thing to do and I was able to do it because I had leaders there, equipped and ready to rumble at a moment's notice. Since that awful experience of leaving a retreat to be with my family, I have always prepared my leaders to be ready to lead should I fall ill--mentally, physically, or otherwise.

Here's how I prepare them:

1. Appoint a leader. In conversations with my leaders, I seek out someone to be the team leader if I become unable. This person has no special responsibilities in normal circumstances. They are the Vice President of the trip. I meet with them beforehand to go over all of the special contract, medical, transportation, blahdibbityblah information. The team knows that this person will make all final calls in my absence.
2. Organize your stuff. I have a box that has copies of everything: Med forms, contracts, bible study guides, pizzeria phone numbers. Everything is filed and marked. Bozo the Clown could find out how much pizza to order, what kind and at what time.
   
3. Teach your team. I meet with my leaders and tell them everything about the bible studies and campfire worships. They know what I am going to say and when. They hear it from me, they have my notes, my guide, my sidenotes. They know the heart of what we are studying and are equipped to lead it.
   
4. Be okay. Be okay with not being in charge. Be okay with the kids laughing about the bad guitar-playing at campfire. Be okay with not getting to canoe and clean up the lake. Be okay with knowing where you need to be (in bed or with your family). Be okay with letting your youth bring you tylenol and bottles of water. Be okay with yelling at them to wash their hands at a pipsqueak tone. Be okay with it. You can't change it and there's a lesson in giving up control in there somewhere.
   

Here endeth our youth ministry lesson of the day.

Tomorrow: back to nonsensical rambling!