Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Encounter Weekend 2007

This weekend was incredible and yet exhausting at the same time. Our Jr. high and High School groups had Encounter Weekend 2007. It is basically an intense weekend of discipleship and worship. We met in small groups that were broken up by age and gender. You were with the same group all weekend. Each small group met for 5 bible study times and then we had 3 main sessions with a message and worship. Brandon Grant, young adults pastor at Eastview Church in Bloomington, was our main speaker. He talked about encountering God and how the entire story of the Bible is based off of God's desire to bless us so that we can bless others. "Be blessed to be a blessing."

The Fuel band, led by my brother Evan, led us in worship for the weekend. It was a great weekend of getting to know the students on a deeper level and ministering at a deeper level. On Saturday night, I asked my girls (Juniors and Seniors) what they thought of the year as a whole. One of the girls replied that this year we have really pushed them to make their faith their own and challenged them more than we ever have, and that they really liked that! That was awesome to hear!

For me personally, this weekend was a huge encouragement. I have really been struggling with having peace where I am. At times I ask myself, "What does it matter where we are? Are the students even listening? Does it matter to them that Matt puts in so many hours? Do we have any impact at all?" This weekend really showed me how much influence and impact we do have in their lives! I realized this weekend how much I love our students! If nothing else came of this weekend, it was a success because my own heart was changed!

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