Raising the Bar...

High School Retreat - Raising the Bar - was an awesome time away with 67 students. We left Santa Cruz on Friday afternoon and spent the weekend in the mountain village of Samaipata at a place called Cabañas Traudi. The weather was set to rain for the weekend, but we enjoyed the three days without a drop.

I was privileged to share the main messages on Friday and Saturday nights and the closing challenge on Sunday morning. Friday night, the focus was Got Expectations? - challenging each of us to quit living in the chicken coop, jump the fence and soar like eagles. Saturday evening's challenge was Raising the Bar - going deeper & higher both personally and spiritually. Several commitments were made that evening for salvation and, for others, to allow Christ to not only be Savior, but Lord. Sunday's closing session was to Do Hard Things, based on many of the challenges from the book with the same title.

Arianne loves to pose for the pictures...not sure if she realizes there's a dodge ball game going on???

It was a great group of young people and leaders. In all, we were some 84 people there for retreat (not all the staff made the picture).

At the end of small group time, each group presented a skit reminding us of the dangers of the "love for something" that has gone bad.

Susan Pedraza, a senior, shared her testimony for Saturday morning's devotional. She blessed each of us as she shared what God has been doing in and through her life. An encouraging challenge!

It takes a huge amount of work to have retreat. The staff of cooks, counselors, etc. did great. I'm also SO thankful for the group of young people that are willing to not only chip in, but work HARD!

Thank you for your prayers for the last week and a half of activity. God blessed both the Spiritual Emphasis Week and the retreat that followed. Pray for our youth who made some tough, but important decisions in their spiritual lives. Also pray for those who continue to search!

Blessings!

Spiritual Emphasis Week...Going Well...

We're having a great Spiritual Emphasis week with Franco Salvatori. We got started first thing Monday morning with our first chapel. On Monday afternoon, the junior high students loaded up and headed to an ice cream shop to hang out and get to know Franco a little better. Afterward, we returned to the house and Franco shared his testimony with them and answered their questions about his life.
At 6:30, the high school students came over to enjoy fellowship and dinner together. 50 young people we in attendance as we ate and then Franco again shared his heart with them.
Chapels are going on each day and the young people are being challenged in their spiritual lives.
At the end of the week, 67 high school students are scheduled to go on a retreat. We're all excited about the time away and continued ministry to all involved.

Pray for the remaining chapels and for the upcoming retreat. I will be sharing on retreat about Raising the Bar! spiritually in our lives. Pray that I will be able to get all the preparations finished and that all of us attending will be open to the Lord's work in our lives.

Blessings!

Be Praying ... Spiritual Emphasis & High School Retreat

We're in the midst of preparations for our upcoming Spiritual Enrichment Week at the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center. I'm thankful to have Franco Salvatori return to Santa Cruz to challenge us once again. We will have special chapels each day at school.On Monday, we're also having special times with Franco after the normal school schedule. The junior high will be going out for ice cream and then Franco will share his testimony and let them get to know him better.

After we return, the high school are invited over for dinner and a special Bible study with Franco.

I'm excited about Franco's challenge to RE-Think our relationship with Christ and understand what that looks like for each of us.
On Friday, October 16, we're having a retreat with the high school students. This is not a school event, but we're excited that most of our students will be attending this voluntary time away from Santa Cruz. I will be sharing messages loosely based on the book, Do Hard Things. Franco will attend the retreat to continue ministry with the youth one-on-one and lead our worship music.

Please be in prayer for both of these events. I've been in prayer for a real revival in the lives of our youth and within our staff and leadership! I'm also praying that God's message will be clearly conveyed by both me and Franco.

Portraits and Mission Meetings

This was the week for yearbook pictures. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday I took the portrait pictures for our school yearbook. In all, I took some 600 pictures of the students, Pre-Kinder through twelfth grade, and staff. It was tiring, but fun. Right after the pictures on Friday, I headed to the mission office to participate in a mission board meeting.
Then today we had a mini-staff meeting with all the WGM missionaries in Bolivia. We had a good time of worship and discussion and went over some important information and further training.

Throughout the week, I continued the regular ministries of Bible study, accountability times, chapel music coordination and leading chapel on Wednesday.

I'm preparing for a junior high Bible study next week and I am getting ready for our upcoming Spiritual Enrichment week and high school retreat which will take place in Mid-October...always something to keep me busy!

Bible Studies and Chapels...

We're off to a great start for our weekly high school Bible studies and secondary chapels at school.Each Monday evening, about 35 to 40 young people have been gathering to study a series I've drawn from the book, Jesus Did It Anyway. It's a great challenge to live right no matter what the world throws at us!We've had a variety of chapels and I've been able to share twice from our theme verse, I Timothy 4:12. First I shared the challenge for ALL Christians to give a clear testimony and live a godly example, no matter our age. This last week, the message focused on giving a clear example of Christ through our words.This week's activities include: accountability time with a few of the guys; Bible study on Monday evening; set-up and shooting of yearbook pictures; direct the chapel music team and Wednesday's chapel; attend a mission board meeting; participate in an all-mission meeting; and continue preparations for upcoming Bible studies as well as our spiritual enrichment week and high school retreat in October.

Thank you so much for all your prayers! Blessings!

Senior Retreat...

Senior retreat went on last week from Thursday through Sunday. The school had a scheduled day off on Friday, so we took advantage of the extra time and left from my place on Thursday at 4. All, but 2, of this year's senior class were able to attend. Emily Barlow, far left in the middle row, went along to help as the female chaperon.
The class was able to goof-off, as well as get serious when it was appropriate. The focus of the weekend is to prepare them for transition that the senior year will bring continuing on after graduation. Another purpose of the weekend away is to build unity and acceptance.

We were involved in several group activities and team builders during the day. You would be amazed at how difficult it is to raise a 1-pound pole TOGETHER with only your fingertips!Although some of the activities were challenging, the class took the challenges and worked together...having fun doing it!

Building trust in each other and applying that to our trust in God was another focal point.

Yes, I trust them as well!

Of course, a good game of volleyball is always in order...well, a dozen games is even better.

We had a session each evening. My part in the session was not terribly lengthy, but each session seemed to get longer as they shared. God really blessed these times together and I believe He used them to draw the young people together!

Contrary to the photo at the beginning, they can be normal! They can also be leaders and set the spiritual atmosphere at the school, which they've already been doing...see below!

On Tuesday, the seniors instigated a student led prayer group.
17 young people met at 7:30 to have prayer for each other, the school, their teachers, etc.! PTL!!!

Please remember the class of 2010 as they take their "position" in school very seriously. They know how to have fun, but most of them also know the importance of their relationship with God. Pray that they will develop that relationship first and the overflow will be seen in their leadership and testimonies!

SCCLC is Up and Running...

Classes started at the Learning Center on Monday, August 10. After the half-day at school, the seniors came over to have lunch together and spend some time catching up. They're a great class and I'm excited to be their sponsor. Remember them in prayer as the begin this adventure of their last year in school! They're pictured to the right...

I spoke from our theme verse, I Timothy 4:12, for our opening chapel on Wednesday. I will present 6 more chapels from that verse, interspersed throughout this semester, to challenge the students and staff to be Godly examples in all areas of life.

Friday the 14th, I opened up my house on Friday to all the high school to get together, fellowship and I was also able to share a challenge regarding chasing after temporal things...
Monday's Bible study this week with the high school went very well. Over 40 students attended as we began our study from the book Jesus Did It Anyway.

Tuesday, I hosted the junior high for their first outting. We had a Banana Split Bubble Bash. It was a fun time together with 21 7th and 8th graders...ah, to have 1/4 of their energy!
The semester is in full swing and I'm excited for what lies ahead. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek to minister to these young people and encourage them to minister to each other.

Blessings!