Kara Hawkes

Having never attended Synod, it certainly was like no other experience I've had. Naturally, some aspects seemed to progress more quickly than others. The slower moving parts simply fell short or failed to grasp one's attention. Here were people who found these aspects interesting - but to each his or her own.

Other parts of Synod were incredibly intimidating. Public speaking is nerve-racking enough, but when a bunch of adults who seem infinitely more educated and intelligent than myself speak up, it makes the idea of speaking more terrifying than ever.

Any youth who does speak up has a great deal of courage, and deserves admiration. On the other hand, watching these adults debate is often quite intriguing. There is never a shortage of interesting opinions, whether one agrees with them or not.

Overrall, attending Synod as a youth representative has been a worthwhile experience.

Kara Hawkes is a member of St. John's, Sardis.