It has been a great week. Yesterday we had the final mass event. We got back to our hotel and changed and got on yet another bus, but this one was to schlitterbahn water park(don't forget the 'L' sound in that). lt was a full afternoon of running around, playing in water, getting some sun and just having fun. They had some good water slides, a not so lazy river (depending on who you were with) and we had dinner there. We got back to our hotel at 9pm, which was the earliest of any night. We had the opportunity to have some devotion time with just our group and some family group time also. And even though many are sad to be leaving this great week we've had we are looking forward to being home tonight.
l will be trying get the last of the pictures that were given to me to post tonight and another video or two. You can also go through this site http://live.lcmsgathering.com/ and find some cool stuff from the last week and also the youth gathering facebook page has tons of photos on it as well and we have some kids in some of those photos.
l would like to finish with a big thank you to all those that gave their support for this trip in any form. And a big thank you for letting us adults spend the week with your kids and get to know them a little better. We hope and pray to see them more throughout the year and even some of their friends as well.
l guess l better make these good since they are the last ones of the trip........
QOTD
"those two extra hrs of sleep felt like 6"
"we just got these swords cause we thought they'd be fun for the adults to have, who would have thought we would have used them everyday for a practical purpose"
POTD
All of us are one
Jesus is in charge
Really great fun
Only lost a couple people(not really, just needed to use the 'O')
Countless high fives were given and received
Kicking it at Schlitterbahn
San Antonio, we will never forget
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
The end is here
Well in a matter of hrs it will be done. lt will be done here in San Antonio. The mass events will be done. The breakout sessions are done. Walking through and eating at the river walk is done. But the one thing that is not done is the fact that we NEED to use every experience we have had and everything we have learned wherever we go from here. WE are not done sharing God's awesomeness when we are done in San Antonio. Some things to remember are BGTF.....we are saved By Grace Through Faith!!!! NOT by works but by the grace of God. What a wonderful thing to know.
We really ask for prayers for ALL of the kids that have been here with us as the gathering to be able use their gifts wherever they go. Pray for them to remember God's grace and his mercy. Pray that they share it with all whom they encounter on their journeys. Also a quick prayer for safety as we go to the waterpark today after the final mass event.
TODAY we have the final mass event. There are no breakout sessions. After the mass event we head right back to the hotel for a quick lunch and then onto another bus taking us to Schlitterbahn. We have dinner at the park and are planning to close the place down. Today we might have the earliest bedtime of the whole week, but l guess we'll see.
QOTD
"l am sweating ALL over"
POTD
Jesus was here all work
United as one in Him
San Antonio
Twas a great week
What awesome kids we have with us
Another trip done, BUT
Not just a trip
Twas an adventure
San Antonio
Let's take it to everyone
Everyone should know
Everyone needs to
Put Christ first all the time
We really ask for prayers for ALL of the kids that have been here with us as the gathering to be able use their gifts wherever they go. Pray for them to remember God's grace and his mercy. Pray that they share it with all whom they encounter on their journeys. Also a quick prayer for safety as we go to the waterpark today after the final mass event.
TODAY we have the final mass event. There are no breakout sessions. After the mass event we head right back to the hotel for a quick lunch and then onto another bus taking us to Schlitterbahn. We have dinner at the park and are planning to close the place down. Today we might have the earliest bedtime of the whole week, but l guess we'll see.
QOTD
"l am sweating ALL over"
POTD
Jesus was here all work
United as one in Him
San Antonio
Twas a great week
What awesome kids we have with us
Another trip done, BUT
Not just a trip
Twas an adventure
San Antonio
Let's take it to everyone
Everyone should know
Everyone needs to
Put Christ first all the time
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Happy Fourth of July from NYG!!!!
Good morning to all!!!!
lt was a great morning for a 5k that's for sure!!! We had a few people brave enough to get up and be ready to go by 530am to make it for the 630am start time.....which ended up being 650am. But the cool part is we meet Rev. Dan Weber(the lead speaker for mass events)!!!! We had a busy morning at the hotel as we tried to get the kids out earlier than the last few days. The real reason for this is because mass event doors open at 9am and we want to get good seats again. This mornings mass even is the worship service for the week in which 25,000 will be communing together. This is such an awesome sight to see as it takes place. Also, believe it or not, they have found a way to give communion to that many people in less than 30min. After the morning event we'll have time a couple more break out sessions and then smaller mass event this evening before we head outside to watch the fireworks!!
l hope you were able to see the video that was posted with the singing and craziness that happens as people file into the Alamo dome. No matter how tired the kids are for the whole day there is a new energy that fills the whole place. And it doesn't matter if you're the cool kid, the athlete, the nerd the scary person of your High School because everyone is singing the same thing to the same Lord.
Well, that is about it for today. l wish l had some amazing stories to tell you, but l guess l am hoping that your kids will fill you in on all the other details l am missing here. We are all still healthy and safe and appreciate the prayers to keep it that way. Time to travel to the dome.
QOTD
"Is Dallas in Texas?"
POTD
Let's be honest, the
AM came way to soon today
X-citement is in the air though
All of us coming together
To worship Jesus
Into the dome we go
Voices lifted high
Everyone singing loud
San Antonio will never be the same
lt was a great morning for a 5k that's for sure!!! We had a few people brave enough to get up and be ready to go by 530am to make it for the 630am start time.....which ended up being 650am. But the cool part is we meet Rev. Dan Weber(the lead speaker for mass events)!!!! We had a busy morning at the hotel as we tried to get the kids out earlier than the last few days. The real reason for this is because mass event doors open at 9am and we want to get good seats again. This mornings mass even is the worship service for the week in which 25,000 will be communing together. This is such an awesome sight to see as it takes place. Also, believe it or not, they have found a way to give communion to that many people in less than 30min. After the morning event we'll have time a couple more break out sessions and then smaller mass event this evening before we head outside to watch the fireworks!!
l hope you were able to see the video that was posted with the singing and craziness that happens as people file into the Alamo dome. No matter how tired the kids are for the whole day there is a new energy that fills the whole place. And it doesn't matter if you're the cool kid, the athlete, the nerd the scary person of your High School because everyone is singing the same thing to the same Lord.
Well, that is about it for today. l wish l had some amazing stories to tell you, but l guess l am hoping that your kids will fill you in on all the other details l am missing here. We are all still healthy and safe and appreciate the prayers to keep it that way. Time to travel to the dome.
QOTD
"Is Dallas in Texas?"
POTD
Let's be honest, the
AM came way to soon today
X-citement is in the air though
All of us coming together
To worship Jesus
Into the dome we go
Voices lifted high
Everyone singing loud
San Antonio will never be the same
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
what day is it?????? HUMP daaaaaay!!!!
That's right folks we have powered through the first half of the week and gearing up to power all the way through to the end. Yesterday we had the first full day experience at the gathering. The kids were hitting up all the booths in expo halls and getting as much free stuff as they could, like 10 pairs of cheap sunglasses. l didn't know you could use 10 pairs at one time. But more importantly the kids split up and were on their own while inside the convention center to explore and attend the breakout sessions and hear the speakers or go listen to some bands. l would love to cover all the topics that the speakers did but this way you will get to ask your kids some questions as to which ones they went to and what they were about. Also it will save me time so l can talk about more important things like another good dinner we had last night!! We ate more American style food with cheeseburgers, chicken strips, veggie burgers and steak strips and then brownies and ice cream for dessert.
After our dinner the kids were anxious to start heading to the dome so we could get in line and get to our seats as soon as they opened the doors. Again it was like a stampede as 20,000+ people are trying to get through about 20 doors(probably more but that's just what it seems like). lt was another high energy night and l hope we had some watching live because l got word from a former youth member that they saw us dancing around on the live stream!!! lf you missed it l guess you better watch tonight and hope that it happens again.
As mass event ended people shifted around in the dome and some left for nightlife activities, but several thousand stayed to be able to watch the Jesus painter and the guy that does sand art. lf you think those things sound pretty neat then look them up on youtube and you will be amazed at their talents.
Today will be pretty much the same as yesterday schedule wise(super jam packed).
Thank you for all the prayers you have been giving up this week and we ask that you continue to do so as we are hitting the downhill. We want to make sure that it's not a race to the end of the week and that we should be here enjoying every minute we have. Don't get me wrong, l know several people that can't wait to sleep in their own beds and l'm sure all of the kids miss their parents and siblings too. We as adult leaders and really enjoying getting to know the kids more as the week goes on and also enjoying the funny stuff they say/do as they get tired throughout the day.
Well everyone will be waking probably be waking up in the next 30min or so to get ready for our quick breakfast and then off to the convention center.
QOTD
"why didn't we get goodnight gifts?"......."because you get good morning gifts, what what"
POTD
For we are here to praise
Remember the Alamo
Everywhere we go
Enough fun can not be had
So much to see
What a great time it is
Awake awake
Good golly let's go!!
After our dinner the kids were anxious to start heading to the dome so we could get in line and get to our seats as soon as they opened the doors. Again it was like a stampede as 20,000+ people are trying to get through about 20 doors(probably more but that's just what it seems like). lt was another high energy night and l hope we had some watching live because l got word from a former youth member that they saw us dancing around on the live stream!!! lf you missed it l guess you better watch tonight and hope that it happens again.
As mass event ended people shifted around in the dome and some left for nightlife activities, but several thousand stayed to be able to watch the Jesus painter and the guy that does sand art. lf you think those things sound pretty neat then look them up on youtube and you will be amazed at their talents.
Today will be pretty much the same as yesterday schedule wise(super jam packed).
Thank you for all the prayers you have been giving up this week and we ask that you continue to do so as we are hitting the downhill. We want to make sure that it's not a race to the end of the week and that we should be here enjoying every minute we have. Don't get me wrong, l know several people that can't wait to sleep in their own beds and l'm sure all of the kids miss their parents and siblings too. We as adult leaders and really enjoying getting to know the kids more as the week goes on and also enjoying the funny stuff they say/do as they get tired throughout the day.
Well everyone will be waking probably be waking up in the next 30min or so to get ready for our quick breakfast and then off to the convention center.
QOTD
"why didn't we get goodnight gifts?"......."because you get good morning gifts, what what"
POTD
For we are here to praise
Remember the Alamo
Everywhere we go
Enough fun can not be had
So much to see
What a great time it is
Awake awake
Good golly let's go!!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
It's tye-dye tuesday
Good morning San Antonio!!!!!
And good morning to every other city that people are watching us from.
Well, it was a late night. lt was a quite the learning experience for some. lt may have been overwhelming for others. From what l heard though....it was awesome, incredible, so exciting. . .and tiring. Yes, people are already a little tired and the gathering just started last night!!!! But don't worry cause we slept last night and l'm sure everyone is waking up nice and refreshed and a few have gotten our morning workouts in.
Just a few more notes about last night(just enough to make you want to ask your kids what some of this is all about). We had another delicious dinner of fajita's, chips and salsa and cinnamon churros for dessert! Since the mass event doors don't open until 730pm and we finished eating at 6pm we had to head over so we could get good seats. By the time we got to the Alamo Dome doors there were already a couple thousand people there waiting! For some this was no surprise, but for others it was an eye opener. Groups play games and talk and take pictures to pass the time outside as well as say prayers of thankfulness that it didn't start raining. When the doors open for mass event the YAVs (Young Adult Volunteers) stay in front of the herd of youth to make sure they don't run down the halls, aisles or rows of chairs so as to keep some sense of control. We made our way around to the side and everyone made it without having to look for a single person!!! We even had a surprise visit to our area by the one and only Leah Abel!!! Mass event was filled with dancing, clapping, singing, shouting and cheering. And we found out that since our group is so big that if we all start doing the same actions we can get the whole crowd to start doing our actions in a matter of a minute or two.
Today we are having a more "to-go" style breakfast and headed to the convention center at 9am and break-out sessions, speakers and bands start at 10am. Today will be spent in the convention center until we head out for our group dinner and then to tonights mass event. lt is great to hear all the things that the kids are looking forward to and with so many that have not been to a gathering us adults are excited to see how they react and what they get out of this whole experience.
l would like to make a quick side note about the YAVs. Some may not realize this but St. Lukes has about 9 college kids who paid to be here to volunteer for up to 15hrs on some days so that the high school kids could have all of this. Some may remember the car washes that were hosted by college students at St. Lukes and those funds that were raised helped those students get to San Antonio this week. We are so thankful for the thousands of YAVs that are here doing so much work so we can have a good time. Please keep them in your prayers as they were here a day before us and working harder than we are.
Quote of The Day
"Every high five is one step closer to pink eye"
(don't worry, no one has pink eye)
POTD
We came to this city
Here we LiveLoved
Everywhere there is Christ
Really long days
Eating good food
San Antonio is great
Tasting local eats
Headed to the dome in hoards
Everyone has
Blue backpacks everywhere
Under the sky
San Antonio is alive with Christ
And good morning to every other city that people are watching us from.
Well, it was a late night. lt was a quite the learning experience for some. lt may have been overwhelming for others. From what l heard though....it was awesome, incredible, so exciting. . .and tiring. Yes, people are already a little tired and the gathering just started last night!!!! But don't worry cause we slept last night and l'm sure everyone is waking up nice and refreshed and a few have gotten our morning workouts in.
Just a few more notes about last night(just enough to make you want to ask your kids what some of this is all about). We had another delicious dinner of fajita's, chips and salsa and cinnamon churros for dessert! Since the mass event doors don't open until 730pm and we finished eating at 6pm we had to head over so we could get good seats. By the time we got to the Alamo Dome doors there were already a couple thousand people there waiting! For some this was no surprise, but for others it was an eye opener. Groups play games and talk and take pictures to pass the time outside as well as say prayers of thankfulness that it didn't start raining. When the doors open for mass event the YAVs (Young Adult Volunteers) stay in front of the herd of youth to make sure they don't run down the halls, aisles or rows of chairs so as to keep some sense of control. We made our way around to the side and everyone made it without having to look for a single person!!! We even had a surprise visit to our area by the one and only Leah Abel!!! Mass event was filled with dancing, clapping, singing, shouting and cheering. And we found out that since our group is so big that if we all start doing the same actions we can get the whole crowd to start doing our actions in a matter of a minute or two.
Today we are having a more "to-go" style breakfast and headed to the convention center at 9am and break-out sessions, speakers and bands start at 10am. Today will be spent in the convention center until we head out for our group dinner and then to tonights mass event. lt is great to hear all the things that the kids are looking forward to and with so many that have not been to a gathering us adults are excited to see how they react and what they get out of this whole experience.
l would like to make a quick side note about the YAVs. Some may not realize this but St. Lukes has about 9 college kids who paid to be here to volunteer for up to 15hrs on some days so that the high school kids could have all of this. Some may remember the car washes that were hosted by college students at St. Lukes and those funds that were raised helped those students get to San Antonio this week. We are so thankful for the thousands of YAVs that are here doing so much work so we can have a good time. Please keep them in your prayers as they were here a day before us and working harder than we are.
Quote of The Day
"Every high five is one step closer to pink eye"
(don't worry, no one has pink eye)
POTD
We came to this city
Here we LiveLoved
Everywhere there is Christ
Really long days
Eating good food
San Antonio is great
Tasting local eats
Headed to the dome in hoards
Everyone has
Blue backpacks everywhere
Under the sky
San Antonio is alive with Christ
Real quick opening night update
So it is a little late and l will apologize for no photos yet but hoping to have them up in the morning. We had some good exploring today around the riverwalk area, hemifair park and then had some fun in the alamo dome for our opening mass event. The kids were filled with energy and ready for the dancing and singing for mass event. It is always such an incredible sight to see the thousands of people singing and dancing and clapping together. We did try out a little bit of the 'night life' scene at another hotel which included what they called "texas style dancing"......well there was some of that going on. Then it was back to the hotel with tired kids looking to get some much needed shut eye.
Well this is goodnight from San Antonio and thank you for keeping us in your prayers for the day and hopefully everyone gets some good sleep tonight and is ready for more fun tomorrow!!!!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Good morning San Antonio
Well we are officially starting our first full day in San Antonio. There were a few that started the day at 5:30 a.m. in the fitness center and others will be starting their day at about 8 am (30min before we leave for breakfast). Just to clarify; the gatherings first event is tonight at 8:30 pm (central time) and will be live streamed!!! Just go to the gathering website and look for the link. You can also check out the guide book that we received in our backpacks and those have all the information we need for the week from speakers to see to maps of the convention center and city area.
We finished last night with a little devo time and then passing out the official NYG backpacks. For those that don't know about the backpacks they are something that is looked forward to every time. The color is kept in secret until just weeks before the gathering starts and can almost be called a type of NYG social media. The kids started decorating/signing backpacks last night and usually continue to do so all week as they meet new people. It is also an incredible sight to see the thousands of backpacks walking up and down the streets and knowing that every person wearing one is there for the same reason....to learn more about God and to share more about God.
Quick look at our day here:
We are lucky enough to be eating breakfast at 8:30 am (very late in the morning for most mission trips) at Denny's today!!! Then we have a pretty relaxing day where we will get to know the area by doing a little exploring. Tonight we'll have another dinner on the riverwalk.
We'll do our best to share what is going on throughout the week but our schedules are quite full.
Some prayer requests for the day are for positive attitudes, controlled excitement and for the kids to have FUN. Thank you.
Poem of the day to come later...........
Let us begin things right
Every had a good night
The Alamo was quite a sight
San Antonio is quite
God filled
Outta this world fun
We finished last night with a little devo time and then passing out the official NYG backpacks. For those that don't know about the backpacks they are something that is looked forward to every time. The color is kept in secret until just weeks before the gathering starts and can almost be called a type of NYG social media. The kids started decorating/signing backpacks last night and usually continue to do so all week as they meet new people. It is also an incredible sight to see the thousands of backpacks walking up and down the streets and knowing that every person wearing one is there for the same reason....to learn more about God and to share more about God.
Quick look at our day here:
We are lucky enough to be eating breakfast at 8:30 am (very late in the morning for most mission trips) at Denny's today!!! Then we have a pretty relaxing day where we will get to know the area by doing a little exploring. Tonight we'll have another dinner on the riverwalk.
We'll do our best to share what is going on throughout the week but our schedules are quite full.
Some prayer requests for the day are for positive attitudes, controlled excitement and for the kids to have FUN. Thank you.
Poem of the day to come later...........
Let us begin things right
Every had a good night
The Alamo was quite a sight
San Antonio is quite
God filled
Outta this world fun
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