This morning we talked as a church for chapel, following a worship time with 330 plan. Zach really challenged the students to put on the armor of God (Eph 6) as we return, in order to keep strong back in the "real world"...then we talked for a couple of minutes about practical ways to make that happen
After lunch we all spent a little time cramming Bible verses (memorizing for points)...what a difference it made! I love hearing the students getting excited to learn the Word of God! The extra effort really helped as the girls' team moved up from 13th, to 5th place (out of 20 teams!)! The guys, who had been in the top 3 or 4 all week, jumped to 2nd place! I'm so proud of our group's effort to compete all week, as an act of worsip, to give their very best because God has given them the ability to do so...What a great testimony for them that their effort in teamwork, laying it on the line for God, and caring enough to memorize Scripture paid off in such a tangible way. I love the way HumeSD does rec! You can see kind of a fun film of today's rec here.
After turning in our Bible memory sheets, I checked out the entire group for the rest of free time and dinner for a special "TN Excursion" We went down to Mission Beach and cruised the boardwalk area, did some shopping, and then went to Luigi's Pizza for dinner. If you've never been there, you have no idea what you're missing. It's some of biggest and best pizza San Diego has to offer. It's a local favorite, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed their special treat. (I put some pics on my facebook page earlier today)
After dinner was our final chapel and it was amazing to see the kids (and leaders) go crazy in worship. They held nothing back, and were jumping and clapping with so much passion for The Lord!
Then our speaker, Matt Davis, came with the final message...That Jesus couldn't be stopped by death (and that He's coming back!) If you know me, you know how much talking about the resurrection of Christ fires me up! The students were challenged again to take it back with them, to tell someone, to share the love of Christ with their family and friends.
And then finally, victory circle...a HumeSD tradition, held outside at "The Greek", an outdoor amphitheater, under the stars and moon, with the sound of the ocean in the background. We had another short time of worship, and then students shared for nearly an hour what God taught them this week. What a neat thing to hear young people stand and share God's inner-workings in their lives to a group of 500 peers!
It's been a great week, and I still can't get over the fact that after 25+ years in youth ministry, I still get to do this for a living. God is soooo good!
I also can't say enough about our awesome counselors that came this week. They were truly on the front lines with your kids, nearly every minute of every day. Sharing their stories, and listening to the students, speaking God's truth into them, and constantly pointing them to Christ. They had so much energy all week, running and playing, laughing and guiding, it truly wouldn't have been the kind of week that I believe God had planned without the help of these amazing young adults. So to Zach, Justin, Kalena and Ginger, thank you all so much for being used by God to make such a huge impact!
Praying for a safe and "event-free" trip home tomorrow!
GOD RULZ!
TN
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