Hume Lake Recap

Our High School Group just got back from a great week up at Hume Lake Christian Camps! We took 21 campers and 3 counselors up for a fun filled week of recreation, swimming, volleyball, zip lining, paint balling, ropes coursing and having a blast together. And in the midst of all of that, we also somehow fit in uplifting times of worship, great seminars. inspiring chapel messages and some awesome cabin talks as well. It was a great week, and I think we all learned a lot. In case you missed it at church on Sunday, or want to see it again, you can view our recap video by clicking HERE.

The theme for the week was The Phantastical Journey of the Wandering Lights and it told the story of the Israelites wandering through the dessert and into the promised land. The story revolved around the theme of God's sufficiency. That idea is easy to say you believe, but can be a constant challenge to put into action. Even when God's sufficiency has been magnificently displayed, we still tend to reject or forget it. At Hume we saw this struggle in the story of the Israelites as they literally followed the visible presence of God out of Egypt, yet still rejected, replaced, and simply forgot His provision and guidance. I think we were all challenged by this story and the teachings to constantly trust that in Christ we truly can find everything we need.

If you want to check out the official Hume Lake recap video, the Phantastical Journey of the Wandering Lights production, or listen to our speaker's nightly messages, you can access all of these by clicking HERE! I highly encourage you to check it out if you haven't already, the videos are great and the speaker's messages are wonderful as well. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Jessica

Mexico Recap!

As some of you may know, we just got back a few weeks ago from a life-changing mission trip to Mexico! We spend a week in El Porvenir, which is a small town outside of Ensenada where we played a lot of soccer, served warm meals to families, led a VBS for children and saw God work in amazing ways both in and through our team.

One of our mantras during out week in Mexico was "I am 3rd!" This meant that we were intentionally putting God first, others second and then our own needs after that. It is amazing how often we think about our own needs and wants before things God might have for us to do or what needs others may have around us. This mantra also became a fun way to recognize others on our team when we saw them intentionally put the needs of others before their own. When a student would give up the front seat in the car for an adult leader or let a team member go in front of them in the food line, we would say something like, "Way to go, Micah, you are 3rd!"

This little mantra has stuck with me even after we have returned from our trip. I have caught myself many times wanting to put myself and my needs first and then I suddenly remember, "I am 3rd!" The best part about this little saying is that it isn't only applicable on a mission trip, it is something that I can always be better about remembering in every day life.

I can let someone go ahead of me in the grocery store line or offer my coveted window seat to someone at the local Starbucks. These may seem like small ways to bless others, but the important part is not what is being done but my attitude in remembering that I am 3rd, that the needs of others should always be on my radar and not just when I'm in a foreign country.

Some of the coolest memories I have from this trip come from our nightly meetings when we would conclude our devotional time by nominating people for the "3rd Place Award." We'd spend sometime nominating those on our team who we had seen put themselves in 3rd place throughout the day and share how we saw them do this. It was such a cool time to build each other up and encourage the selflessness we saw in each other. It made me think how often I see someone do something selfless but never stop to say thank you. Wouldn't it be a cool tradition for a family at the end of the day or at the dinner table to take a few minutes to nominate family members for the 3rd place award? Not only are we encouraging selflessness but also building each other up at the same time!

Happy Summer!

School is out, the warm weather is here, pools are open; I'd say it's starting to look a lot like summer time. Which is awesome because I love summer! I love the sunshine, the BBQ, the warm summer nights, and most of all, I love that we get to hang out with teenagers all summer without silly school getting in the way. For me, summer is all about taking advantage of this extra time in our schedules, to make new friendships and build stronger relationships! We have so many fun things planned for our youth group this summer: our Mexico trip, Hume Lake, pool parties, ice cream socials, games nights and some quality time over coffee or frozen yogurt. It is so important for our students to build friendships with other Christian friends and adults who can be there for them and encourage them in their faith throughout their lives. This is what our fun events are all about. Yes, we may be eating hot dogs or throwing water balloons at each other and on the surface those things might not seem very important. But solid Christian friendships and relationships are built by spending time together and we are so excited about doing that this summer. We hope your students can join us!

Confirmation 2012

Congratulations to our eleven 8th graders who were confirmed last Sunday, April 22nd! These students have been working towards this momentous occasion for two years and they all did a wonderful job sharing their statements of faith with the congregation. I'm sure I am not the only one who was touched and inspired by these students sharing how God has been working in their lives.

I also want to say a special "Thank You" to Peter and Robin Aranda for helping prepare these students for this momentous occasion. Peter and Robin have been diligently serving this particular group of students for four years now. They began with this class back in Project 315 and have continued on with them until they were all confirmed last Sunday. They have been such an amazing model of commitment and dedication to the youth of our church.

                                 
These students absolutely love Peter and Robin and have come to look up to them as spiritual mentors in their lives. I have had the pleasure of watching them interact with the students as they teach them, encourage them and just simply have fun with them. They have been such a blessing to these students and God has certainly used them to encourage and develop these students over the past few years. Thanks Peter and Robin!

New High School Series Begins: Tough Questions

Through the end of April and into May we are going through a series entitled "Tough Questions." Throughout the duration of this series we will be discussing what to do with our doubts, how to look for answers to some of our more difficult questions about Christianity and how faith plays into all of this. We will be emphasizing that asking questions and expressing our doubts doesn't make us "bad Christians," but instead shows that we are taking our faith seriously and want to grow more and more confident in the hope we profess. As a part of this series student will get a chance to ask some of their tougher questions and at the end we will host a panel to discuss some of these questions further.

Holy Week

It's officially Holy Week and we are nearing the end of the Lenten season, a time of preparing our hearts for the celebration of Easter. I love that Easter falls during the spring, the time of year we can't help but think about new life as the trees are beginning to blossom, flowers are blooming and everyone's allergies are in full swing. Am I right?

But besides the allergy part, spring is such a great reminder of the new life we as Christians have because of what we celebrate this week. Christ's death and resurrection changes everything. It changed history and it changes our lives today. This week I am challenging myself to be grateful for the gift of new life in Christ and to do my best to exhibit the joy this new life brings.

Sticky Faith Video

Parents! Check out this great video all about helping our kids nurture a lifelong faith! It's a little long, but worth it, I promise. I saw Kara Powell at the National Youth Worker's Convention in October talking about a lot of this information and she does a great job of helping explain to and encourage youth workers and especially parents in ways to help our kids develop a faith that lasts. Check it out: