Grace Notes

Well, we’re at the end of another activity-filled day!  Today’s theme was Chosen in Christ.  This morning we again started off with our family group Bible study before heading to the convention center for the “big” Bible study.  Today’s was led by Pastor Lehenbauer and the band Fusebox.  It was an energetic look at the difference between making choices based on ourselves versus what it means to be chosen in Christ and how that helps us discover who we are.  After Bible study we had a chance to visit the Live It area and the ChoZone again before our sessions started.  The kids also enjoyed more concerts this afternoon – “Lost and Found” is still a favorite – and most of our backpacks are now covered with autographs from their favorites.  In the afternoon we all took in another Fusebox concert, which was followed by the speaker Bob Lenz, who had a great presentation about what God’s unconditional love really means.  This evening’s mass event was a worship and communion service.  In the words of one of our youth, “God did it again – it’s the feeding of the 25,000!”  This evening the kids are packing their suitcases, cleaning up their rooms (I hope ), and visiting with new and old friends.  Following the mass event tomorrow morning, we’ll take off for Pensacola.  We should arrive around 9pm, and then on Thursday we head to New Orleans.  We’re not sure when we’ll be able to update again, but will do so when we can.  Please pray for our closing events, safe travel, our work in New Orleans, and our youth. 

Greetings from HOT and MUGGY Floriday! Today was another day filled with lots of activites.The morning began with our “Chosen Frozen” attire in an attempt to blend in with the other 1000+ participants from the Minnesota South District. With that many bright blue shirts, it wasn’t nearly as easy to identify our youth! Our morning began with our family group Bible study time followed by a large group Bible study focusing on how God continues to save sinful people through the use of his CHOSEN children. God has chosen us through baptism to proclaim his love. The sessions are motivating our youth to make a difference, so we continue to pray that the flame that has been ignited in their soul will burn strong once we return to Rochester. After the large group session our youth were once again free to explore different small group sessions, on-site servant events (i.e. donate blood), booths representing areas supported by the LCMS, and concerts. Our youth have enjoyed The Katinas and Lost and Found in the concert area. They have experienced many different small group sessions that they are excited to share upon our return. This evening was another large group session featuring Micah Parker, the founder of Trust Guys, who used sports analogies to symbolize our relationship with Christ and shared personal life stories. The Jesus Painter and liturgical dancers also performed. The variety of things shared is immense and powerful. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We know the kids are worn out, but are taking in all possible opportunities. We have one full day left before the closing on Wednesday morning. Tomorrow evening will be spent in worship where the youth are excited to experience the body and blood of Christ with 25,000 other Lutherans.  

What a day. The morning started out early for the counselors with a 7:15 meeting for updates. The morning started even earlier for several of our youth participating in the 5K run. Twelve hundred people showed up for the run, and we are proud to report that Shane took 4th place. Andrew Weckwerth and Stacie also finished in the top 50. We had “family” time with our small groups and discussed the meaning of Community! We quickly moved on to the topic of the day…Chosen with Others. It began with a large group (only 8000) Bible study focusing on how God walks with us in our daily life, and four youth shared their experiences about how they were chosen to carry out God’s plan in their lives. Then the youth had the opportunity to do small group sessions, take in concerts, visit vendor booths, and meet new friends from across the nation. The youth were very excited to take in the session provided by the Jesus Painter. We spent some time explaining our RAuschestertin t-shirts, but looked great as a group carrying our Minnesota Twins dressed Spiderman. This evening highlighted another “mass” event with awesome music, inspiring stories, and intriguing topics to dialogue in our small groups. The evening was energetic and provided never ending Hope in the lives of our youth. Currently our youth are participating in a rousing game of Ultimate Chicken. Any guesses on what Ultimate Chicken is? Continued blessings from Florida.  Please keep the youth and the chaperones in your prayers.

What a day…Have you ever wondered what 25,000 backpacks look like in 5 different piles? We are able to tell you and have pictures to show you. Have you ever wondered what a waitress carrying a necklace made up of 18 receipts looks like? We are able to tell you and have pictures to show you. Have you ever wondered what it looks like to see 25,000 people get into a mass event? We are able to tell you and have pictures to show you. We have had another wonderful day. Unfortunately our first organized gathering event (the pool party) got rained out by what some youth seemed to think was a hurricane. We had the opportunity to walk down International Drive and eat as a group at TGIF prior to the mass event. We were able to get fairly decent seats for the opening event, considering the amount of people racing for them. They have an excellent sound system and screens set up so everyone can see without difficulty. The opening event was filled with excellent music, inspiring speakers, and a LOT of ENERGY. We look forward to several more fun filled days. Thanks for your continued support and prayers. Blessings from Florida.

Photos from the first two days have been posted online. You can find links to the daily galleries from the GYM Gathering page. If the day has passed and you don’t see a gallery link yet, be patient, Internet access may not always be available or reliable.