So, it is definitely summer. I know this because A) It's HOT and B) Ben and I are never home. Since my last post about our court date we've been to South Carolina for a mission trip and New Mexico for youth camp. We leave again Sunday for our first trip to Ethiopia! We'll be home for about 2-3 weeks and then it's back to New Mexico for Collegiate Week (one of my favorite weeks of the year). We could very well turn right around to head to Ethiopia again after that trip...It's a crazy summer!
I just wanted to catch you up on a few things. First of all, let me just say that I L-O-O-O-O-V-V-V-E youth ministry. It's my passion, and I am so thankful to be able to minister to and hang out with our students. It's super fun to be part of this with my incredible husband too. Summer is crazy, but it's so fun and so special. Here's a little taste of what we've been up to so far:
Ben and I and one of our youth leaders took 10 girls to Victory Ranch in South Carolina last month for about a week. Victory Ranch is a retreat center for the military serving at Fort Jackson. Each weekend groups of either male or female soldiers get to come to the ranch for 25 hours of rest, Bible study, fellowship, fun, and home cooked meals! We went up earlyto help prepare the ranch for the incoming female soldiers and to spend time with them during their stay. We also had the opportunity to hang out with male & female soldiers at the Fortress Coffee House on the base at Fort Jackson. Many of us were able to build relationships and share the Gospel during the weekend. I think each of us came away with a new perspective of the military, and a great respect and appreciation for those who serve and sacrifice for us. It was an incredible week of relationship building within our own group as well. We all hope to go back again!
Last week we took about 60 students to FUGE Camp at Glorieta, NM. This year our junior high students participated in Centrifuge, and many of our high school students and leaders had the opportunity to do hands-on mission work in M-Fuge (Mission Fuge). That was a GREAT experience, and one we'll continue to offer to high schoolers. We had the opportunity to choose from different mission tracks: Childrens Ministry, Social Ministry, Creative Arts, Games & Rec, or PCY (painting/construction/yardwork). We had students and/or adults in just about every category. Everyone was stretched, encouraged, worn out and blessed. The band for the week was Downhere (one of our group's favorites), and they were really great and very personable again this year. I have a lot of respect for them, and of course I LOVE their music. :) Our speaker was Landon Dowden - check him out if you've never heard of him. He brought the Word of God each night and exemplified what it means to really live a life centered around the Gospel. Our students really related to him, and he showed us that you do not need to add anything to the Gospel. That's one thing I really love about our students. They are mature in their faith, and even those that are not quite there yet have a desire to be there. Our group always stands out when we are at camp. One of our seniors even said on the way back, "I would be really disappointed if we had things like Wii's or gaming systems in our youth room. We don't need that distraction." We know we're so blessed with these students who want to walk alongside us and pursue Christ. If you are a parent of one of our youth - THANK YOU. There were so many things that stood out to me in the morning and evening sessions. I'm going to list just a few things that really grabbed me.
1. RELATING TO THE LOST: "Lost people do lost things. If we are going to be in their lives, it's going to be messy. But praise the Lord someone related to us when we were lost." - Landon Dowden preaching from Colossians 1:21-23
2. RELATING TO THOSE IN AUTHORITY: "When you create everything, sustain everything, but need nothing, then you can be King." - Landon Dowden preaching from Psalm 95
"We are a country obsessed with our rights, but we should be obsessed with our Gospel responsibilities." - Landon Dowden
"Disobedience is never worth what it costs us....we should fear disobedience more than death." - Landon Dowden
3. RELATING TO FAMILY & FRIENDS: "Do our family and friends think of us as people who refresh their hearts or burden their hearts?" - Landon Dowden
"Some Christians sow to the flesh every day and wonder why they don't reap holiness...God is not mocked" - Landon Dowden in response to Galatians 5
4. RELATING TO THOSE THAT HURT US: "The Gospel of Christ transforms the way we treat those who have hurt us the most." - Landon Dowden
It was really an incredible week. The Lord allowed me to have some great conversations with a few of the girls, and He began accountability between a few of the students. Many called their parents in response to the session on Relating to Authority. It was just a week filled with service and obedience. I pray that continues in all of our hearts and lives. I hope each of you have had a great summer thus far! I'm sure I'll be blogging more as we approach our trip and when we return. Thank you so much for your prayers!
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