Our "Champions"

Today in church the speaker talked about our "champions" in life - you know, the people who always cheered for you, believed in you, and seen more in you than you could ever see in yourself. He asked us to think for a moment about who our champions in life have been - in the past, and right now. He went on to say that every teenager should have 5 champions - five people who believe in them, and push them to be better people. As a couple who are intimately involved in the lives of teenagers this summer, it really got Jon and I thinking!! The speaker asked us to turn to the person beside us and share at least one champion we have had in our lives. Jon's immediate response was "Andy Renton" (his LIT supervisor as a teenager!) and mine was "Shayna Martin". We wanted to stop and think for a bit, and really think about and give thanks for our champions in life so far!! Here are our lists:

Mel's :
Shayna Martin - She constantly sees more in me than I ever could and she never ever gives up on me!!!
April Bauman - She never accepted the bare minimum - she always knew I was capable of more and cheered with me when I succeeded with every small step.
My Mom - Talk about a cheerleader!!! She's the one who always told me I could be and do whatever I wanted
AJ Crocker -He seen potential in me when others scoffed at him! He allowed me to jump through the hoops and be involved in Youth Quake, and pushed me to be the leader he knew I eventually could be. Three amazing years of being poured into by an incredible person.
Auntie LeeAnne - As a teenager, she was always there, cheering for me, having my back, telling me that I was great - I owe a LOT to her!
Jen Rebbeck - As my older "sister" this girl was such a good role model, and as I grew up, now one of my closest friends. She always let me know when she was disappointed because she knew I was made of something better.
Jon - He never lets me settle for just adequate. He is my biggest supporter, the one who dreams with me, and for me, and who sees the very best in me every single day, even when I cannot see anything that he is pointing out.

Jon's list: (mel typing, but Jon's words!)
Andy Renton & Kari Larson - His work crew supervisors at camp as a teenager - the two people who first pushed him to be a leader and really challenged him in his faith, to make it his own, and to be the best version of himself. He never wanted to let them down.
Chris Burdge - He took Jon under his wing, and constantly dreamed with him, even years ago before we knew that this would be our home. Chris always expected lots from Jon and pushed him beyond his comfort levels which always turned out good - Chris has always had faith in Jon and his potential.
Carrie Nolan - When she came to Kaleo as a teacher, she pointed out the leadership potential in Jon that he didn't know he had, and she pushed him towards Briercrest, and towards an outdoor degree. Before she came along, Jon had no idea of how deep his love for the outdoors were - she cheered him on and pushed him to develop that and continues to walk beside him.
Mel - Jon says that I believe him in, even when he is down on himself, and I encourage him to keep going, and I am always challenging him with his words. He claims that I never let him sit back, but that I am always pushing him in a loving way to be the best person that he can be, and I never give up on him.
Luke Lampard - Jon's big brother has ironically always seen Jon as bigger than Jon sees himself. Luke always tells Jon how he admires the things that he has done, and how proud he is of him. Luke is a huge cheerleader for Jon.
Tim/Lois - They never held Jon back - whether in faith or sports or schooling, they pushed him to follow his heart and do what he needed to do. They have always had faith that Jon would succeed, and continue to always be supportive.
Jinny is someone who right now we both see as our "Champion" - she sees so much good in us, and we always want to make her proud! She cheers for us daily :)
Jason/Cheri McNabb - they are also people who we see as both of our cheerleaders - they seen that we could make it as a couple, and they encouraged us to not be scared of age, and to believe in our love - they see us doing some amazing things together, as a couple. They cheer for us so loud, we are almost deaf!!

We are both sure that there are more people who could be on our list, but even so, this is a FULL list. We are so blessed to have these people who cared (and still care!) about us, and see the very best in us, as individuals and as a couple!! It's really cool to take a step back and just reflect on these important people! It is our deepest prayer this summer that we are giving our teenagers even just a portion of what these people have given us - this list is the people who believe in us, and we want to make them proud! Here is a cheer for our champions!