Today, one of my favorite co-workers of all time is saying goodbye to our student ministry team. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so sad to see a teammate go. Christina Thelen has been on staff with us for the last four years. She’s brought an incredible amount of life, passion and professionalism to our team. We’re going to miss her terribly.
Today’s post is for you Christina. There are so many things that I appreciate about you and here’s my attempt to highlight a few of them:
DEVOTION
You’ll never find a more devoted friend than Christina. If she’s in your corner you have a serious ally. If we were in the old west, she would be at your side at the OK Corral. She will always defend you and fight for you—even when you’re wrong, which has been great for me because I’m often wrong.
I’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a good friend from Christina. She is always there, always on your team and will always willing to give when you are in need. You’re not going to find a more devoted friend than Christina
FUN
Our team is ridiculously fun. We’ve been told by others that whenever they visit the LifeLine office that they just want to sit and hang out all day. We pride ourselves on being fun. Christina has been a huge part of this. She has a fantastic sense of humor. Truthfully, many of the ideas for our funny videos have come from her. We just like to steal the credit because it makes her mad. And honesty, one of our favorite activities is making Christina mad. It’s just too entertaining.
PASSION
I’ve always been a little timid when it comes to conflict. I’m prone to roll over and surrender when the conversation gets heated. That’s not how Christina rolls. At first I thought she was just “likes to fight girl” but now I understand that she lives with conviction and passion and she deeply believes in student ministry. When it comes to fighting for an idea that will increase ministry effectiveness or help students, she’ll go to the mattresses.
One of the things I’ve learned from Christina is that some things are worth fighting for. When it comes to the things you believe in—your passions and convictions, don’t roll over when you hit resistance. “You gotta fight for your right…”
STRENGTH
Christina has made me a stronger person—literally…by hurting me…a lot.
Christina Tribute from LifeLine Student Ministries on Vimeo.
EMPATHY
Christina is simultaneously one of the toughest people I know and the most sensitive. She truly loves students and empathizes with their pain. She can do “empathy face”—you know, when you’re listening to a painful story and your face displays the same emotion that the story teller is feeling? She cries with those who cry and celebrates with those who are celebrating. I don’t really know how to do this because I’m a “F-“ at empathy.
One of the things I’ve noticed about Christina is that students and volunteers constantly go to her when they are in pain. She is great at listening and truly caring about what you’re going through. I learned this during my failed adoption. She was a very good and empathetic friend during one of the most painful episodes of my life.
Christina loves people exceptionally well—especially when they are hurting. She’s taught me so much about student ministry. She’s been a star player on our team and we’re going to miss her. We love you Christina and wish you the very best in your transition.