Lock-In

I am not familiar with Eastern Michigan University. I have friends that work there. It is pretty close to where I live. The problem is I only go there about once a year and the roads are a twisting maze that in the dark are hard to distinguish. I had step by step directions on how to get to the Rec center, but reading in the dark while driving and looking for streets is not as enjoyable as you might think.

I did make it to Rush Hour without an real incident. I looked up the concrete stairs to the main doors of the large five floor building. From the outside it didn't look that different from lock-ins in the past. Lock-ins where there was too much free time, or there were areas a little too secluded, or it was no managed by just a few of us. Thinking about the past made me tired. The last two years, before Rush Hour, I've gone to the lock-ins thinking it might be my last one.

After crossing the threshold, I knew is was different. The EMU staff looked at my hands, I was holding a rice crispy treats and Cookie bars made by Shelly, and told me the food was all going up on two. I looked at the kids playing in the courts, there was a staff member by each court, and turned back to get to the stairs.

On two I found three long tables of food. There was a table just covered with two liters of various flavors, beside it a variety of chips in giant bowls, with melted cheese in a crock pot and a couple containers of salsa. Across the way was a third table covered in cookies, candy and sweets. Kristie and another staff person were working the cafe. Apparent I had missed the Pizza, which had been delivered across the way, the more than 100 kids and 40 staff had emptied boxes as fast as they could get them out of the way.

This was clearly different than any lock-in I had been a partof before. In addition to the cafe, there was an air soft arena and field hockey rink on the second floor. On three there was a Velcro wall, obsticle course, moon bounce, pool tables, basket ball courts and volleyball. Four was a little more quiet, but there were kids up there walking the track or using the exercise equipment. Five, which I had never seen before, was opened for a few hours while four of our staff, including Brintany, who was one of my youth not that long ago, had a hair a nail Salon.

This was an impressive and well organized event. It seemed every wall had a poster telling you what you could do on that floor and a schedule letting you know when events, such as open swim and the wallybaLl tournament would take place. For the staff there were assignments for all of us, so that all events were staffed and it would all run smoothly. Staffing was not limited to just rooms and events, at anytime every floor also had security personel.

This was easily the most well run event of it's size I have ever been a part of. It really changed my idea of what a lock-in could be. For many of these kids I expect this will be the best party they go to all year. For the adult workers, like me, I expect many of them went from a mind set that said, "next year someone else can do this," to "I'd like to be a part of this next year."

When I consider what this means for my kids, a couple of them who are in youth now, for Praise Baptist Church, people I consider family, and the community, I can't help but thank God. Pastor Jim, Jackie Chan to the kids, Praise's Youth Pastor and my friend, has done an amazing thing here. We have been blessed.