A group of nine from Christ Lutheran left June 25th for Houston to attend the ELCA National Youth Gathering.
Kally Brower, Student: The trip was an awesome experience to get to meet over 30,000 other kids who are there to learn more about faith and everyone was there for the same reason. The service day was an awesome experience as we met an elderly lady who was thankful for everything we did and was full of smiles and love. The environment is so uplifting and upbeat. Everyone screams the music and it is so much fun.
Erin Eaton-Jones, Student: Some of my favorite parts of this trip was meeting so many new people and getting to know more about them. Another part was getting to connect with Ms. Green. She really touched my heart with how kind and caring she was. Some more favorites was having many good laughs with our group and also the mass gatherings at the nights.
Evan Gregoire, Student: The trip was really fun. My favorite part was the interactive part. It was fun seeing so many people and how many people from Minnesota were there. The weather was great. They had really good bands. The bus ride was crazy fun. Service Day was fun and learned a lot and had fun painting. Jumping into a bush was my biggest highlight of the whole trip.
Zane Laleman, Student: The ELCA Gathering was amazing. I’m sure the other 31,000 people who went would agree. Every day we would wake up, eat breakfast in PJ’s room, and talk about that day’s bible story and whatever that day had in store. We spent the days learning about God’s love, hope, and grace. On the first day we helped clean up and prime this elderly woman’s house, who was affected by the hurricane. The second day we spent playing interactive games, learning about games, and the other people who came to Houston. We spent the third day learning about the passage we learned in the morning. Every night, all 31,000 people would go to the dome and we would sing songs and hear stories of people and how they grew in their faith. I was an amazing trip.
Jonathan Olson, Chaperone: The National Youth Gathering is an amazing experience I love the WOW factor worshiping together with 31,000 kids in the stadium. It is great to see so many kids singing, dancing, and sharing about Jesus.
I enjoyed hearing the stories. Michaela Shelly, the girl who was diagnosed with a terminally ill disease without a cure, decided to start a blog to help other kids. Her God story was powerful. I liked the YAGM girl’s story, Savanna Sullivan, who shared about her diagnosis and her dad asking her if she wanted to die doing this and she came up with I want to live! And sharing doing the work. She challenged us to go out and live doing good.
The times I enjoyed the most were in PJ’s room as a group. We got to hear the God moments people saw during the day: Lucee sharing her water with a man in need; Erin sharing with Mrs. Green and visiting with her; Tyson talking with kids from all over and connecting; Kally with her big smile and willingness to help all the time. Jada with her big heart and concern for others. Zane and Evan with their great attitudes and willingness to work.
All of the kids impressed me on our Service Day. They jumped into action never having to be asked twice, and I know our kids worked twice as hard as the others on site.
I love spending time with them all! PJ was a very organized but yet laid back, great chaperone.
It was a great week!
Lucee Olson, Student: This trip was so fun and lots of experience. Some of my highlights were getting to meet so many new people and connecting so easily. You didn’t have to explain yourself to anyone because it’s such a welcoming environment. There were a lot of speakers who talked about treating gays and lesbians rightfully. There were so many moving speeches. The music and entertainment was really good. It got everyone on their feet and in sync. I also loved the marching band show.
Jada Peterson, Student: For me, this trip was amazing. There were some downs but my favorite part would have to be our service day. I loved getting to help Ms. Mattie and her great grandson Patrick. I loved getting to know both of them. I also loved meeting new people and seeing old friends. I would love to go back. I loved the people and their enthusiasm walking out of the stadium. You would see people running to give high fives and everyone either singing a song or doing a cheer. So all in all, it was an amazing week.
Pastor Janel, Chaperone: If I said my highlights that stand out the most were the encounters with people, you probably would not be surprised. From the youth and leaders we spent hours on the bus traveling with, each of us made special connections to someone and many someones.
Our Service Day took us to Ms. Mattie Green’s home where she kept telling us over and over how blessed she was, and how these young people came to work on her house — all the way from Minnesota. We also met her great grandson, PJ, who often cares for Ms. Mattie. We learned how she had been on the “Rebuilding Homes” waiting list for a very long time and how her home would also quality for the “Home After Harvey” program. Both programs, of course, are dependent on funding.
We also had many chances riding on the Light Rail to encounter people from Houston -- the woman who came from Africa alone, the man who asked for a bottle of water, the Vietnam War Veteran, the Metro worker, Dan who came from the Philippines when he was nine. And many more attendees from the Gathering.
Yet, my most favorite of all was the time spent with our own youth — hearing their “3 Things” every day, where we went from the first night, having a hard time to come up with a list, to on the last night having a hard time stopping. These moments each evening showed me that indeed . . .
¨ God’s Call Changes Everything”
¨ “God’s Love Changes Everything”
¨ God’s Grace Changes Everything” and
¨ God’s Hope Changes Everything”
Thank you to everyone who supported this trip in many ways. This kind of opportunity changes their lives . . . and mine. Thank you to Jonathan for his continued care and mentorship to our youth and thank you for the opportunity to go with them all.
PJ
Erin Eaton-Jones, Student: Some of my favorite parts of this trip was meeting so many new people and getting to know more about them. Another part was getting to connect with Ms. Green. She really touched my heart with how kind and caring she was. Some more favorites was having many good laughs with our group and also the mass gatherings at the nights.
Evan Gregoire, Student: The trip was really fun. My favorite part was the interactive part. It was fun seeing so many people and how many people from Minnesota were there. The weather was great. They had really good bands. The bus ride was crazy fun. Service Day was fun and learned a lot and had fun painting. Jumping into a bush was my biggest highlight of the whole trip.
Zane Laleman, Student: The ELCA Gathering was amazing. I’m sure the other 31,000 people who went would agree. Every day we would wake up, eat breakfast in PJ’s room, and talk about that day’s bible story and whatever that day had in store. We spent the days learning about God’s love, hope, and grace. On the first day we helped clean up and prime this elderly woman’s house, who was affected by the hurricane. The second day we spent playing interactive games, learning about games, and the other people who came to Houston. We spent the third day learning about the passage we learned in the morning. Every night, all 31,000 people would go to the dome and we would sing songs and hear stories of people and how they grew in their faith. I was an amazing trip.
Jonathan Olson, Chaperone: The National Youth Gathering is an amazing experience I love the WOW factor worshiping together with 31,000 kids in the stadium. It is great to see so many kids singing, dancing, and sharing about Jesus.
I enjoyed hearing the stories. Michaela Shelly, the girl who was diagnosed with a terminally ill disease without a cure, decided to start a blog to help other kids. Her God story was powerful. I liked the YAGM girl’s story, Savanna Sullivan, who shared about her diagnosis and her dad asking her if she wanted to die doing this and she came up with I want to live! And sharing doing the work. She challenged us to go out and live doing good.
The times I enjoyed the most were in PJ’s room as a group. We got to hear the God moments people saw during the day: Lucee sharing her water with a man in need; Erin sharing with Mrs. Green and visiting with her; Tyson talking with kids from all over and connecting; Kally with her big smile and willingness to help all the time. Jada with her big heart and concern for others. Zane and Evan with their great attitudes and willingness to work.
All of the kids impressed me on our Service Day. They jumped into action never having to be asked twice, and I know our kids worked twice as hard as the others on site.
I love spending time with them all! PJ was a very organized but yet laid back, great chaperone.
It was a great week!
Lucee Olson, Student: This trip was so fun and lots of experience. Some of my highlights were getting to meet so many new people and connecting so easily. You didn’t have to explain yourself to anyone because it’s such a welcoming environment. There were a lot of speakers who talked about treating gays and lesbians rightfully. There were so many moving speeches. The music and entertainment was really good. It got everyone on their feet and in sync. I also loved the marching band show.
Jada Peterson, Student: For me, this trip was amazing. There were some downs but my favorite part would have to be our service day. I loved getting to help Ms. Mattie and her great grandson Patrick. I loved getting to know both of them. I also loved meeting new people and seeing old friends. I would love to go back. I loved the people and their enthusiasm walking out of the stadium. You would see people running to give high fives and everyone either singing a song or doing a cheer. So all in all, it was an amazing week.
Pastor Janel, Chaperone: If I said my highlights that stand out the most were the encounters with people, you probably would not be surprised. From the youth and leaders we spent hours on the bus traveling with, each of us made special connections to someone and many someones.
Our Service Day took us to Ms. Mattie Green’s home where she kept telling us over and over how blessed she was, and how these young people came to work on her house — all the way from Minnesota. We also met her great grandson, PJ, who often cares for Ms. Mattie. We learned how she had been on the “Rebuilding Homes” waiting list for a very long time and how her home would also quality for the “Home After Harvey” program. Both programs, of course, are dependent on funding.
We also had many chances riding on the Light Rail to encounter people from Houston -- the woman who came from Africa alone, the man who asked for a bottle of water, the Vietnam War Veteran, the Metro worker, Dan who came from the Philippines when he was nine. And many more attendees from the Gathering.
Yet, my most favorite of all was the time spent with our own youth — hearing their “3 Things” every day, where we went from the first night, having a hard time to come up with a list, to on the last night having a hard time stopping. These moments each evening showed me that indeed . . .
¨ God’s Call Changes Everything”
¨ “God’s Love Changes Everything”
¨ God’s Grace Changes Everything” and
¨ God’s Hope Changes Everything”
Thank you to everyone who supported this trip in many ways. This kind of opportunity changes their lives . . . and mine. Thank you to Jonathan for his continued care and mentorship to our youth and thank you for the opportunity to go with them all.
PJ