Wow Today was amazing!! Let me just give you a synopsis of the day as you may have already read the blogs that the kids wrote. I’d love to get everyone to blog but we’re running around so much I’m not sure it’ll happen, but know that we tried!
First off, let me tell you about the offering that took place. Yesterday Jason Ostrander, one of the conference pastors, Shared about how in the CMA offerings used to be taken in burlap sacks when it first started and how people would put in items such as watches, and prized possession. At the end of yesterdays session each group go their own burlap sack to think and pray over how God would have them give to Project 132 (C&MA missions work in West Africa). The kids were challenged to give sacrificially and this morning each group turned in their bag...
This morning as the bags were brought on stage it was such a visual to see the heaps of sacks that we all contributed to.
Then there was the missionary entrance (photo shown above). There were over 100 missionaries and 100 MK’s (missionary kids) at the conference this week, they all entered with their flags and banners. This was not even 1/4 of the missionaries sent out by the Alliance. I personally couldn’t keep the tears in as God reminded me of his work all over the world. The kids were impacted greatly by this eye opening experience. There was a challenging speaker, a missionary, who challenged the kids to examine Christ’s call on their life, and the sacrifice that it would entail, but if there ever was to be sacrifice wouldn’t we want it to be for our Savior? Several of the students with us really felt God strongly calling them to serve him, possibly even vocationally. It was awesome.
Tonight’s final session was equally as powerful, especially hearing about the offering. The offering sacks contained items including several necklaces, rings, watches, bracelets, digital cameras and video cameras, iPods, shoes, and the list goes on. These are items that are HARD for teenagers to sacrifice!! And not only that, on top of the material possessions sacrificed the offering totaled over $114,500. Yes you read that number correctly!! Amazing! and All of that is going to work in West Africa.
The speaker tonight challenged us on our “mission” and the purpose that God has already planted within us. And how what we go through now, and whatever pains we’ve had are preparations for what God has for us. Betsy’s blog sums it up perfectly.
It has been awesome so see the students challenged and stretched here. And for them to see how God can use them to further his kingdom. It has been great!
LIFE 2007 is over. Tomorrow we head to disney world. It was unanimous that we would go to the MGM Studios portion of Disney World. I can’t promise a blog tomorrow as it will be a long day and we must catch our shuttle to the airport the next morning at 3 am florida time.
Thank you parents and church family for keeping us in your prayers! Please don’t stop. Pray for the continual work in the hearts that were formed here, and parents take your kid out (maybe a day or so later so they can recoup) and ask them to prepare what they’ve learned and what they feel God has called them to do as a result of their heart change, and share that with you! We will always need continual prayer and support!
If i don’t get to blogging tomorrow we’ll post pictures of disney world and such when we get back. So you can check back for some new changes on the page!
