Recap Video

Fried Chicken & Watermelon

We had the delight of returning to our beloved "Pastor Darrel's Church" [Disciples of Christ Christian Fellowship Ministry] this past week and facilitating an evening Vacation Bible School.   Two years ago, after the privilege of assisting in restoring the building, we quickly learned that this church does VBS differently than all of our previous experiences. The whole church, - babies to grandparents - participate. Our theme was "Love 1 Another."

This year was more of the same and we all immensely enjoyed our time with them. On Friday night they treated us to a "real New Orleans dinner" with homemade gumbo, jambalaya, fried chicken, meatballs, and cake.  The food was every bit as delicious as the sweet koinonia! It was not easy to say our goodbyes but Pastor Darrel made sure to emphasize "we'll see you in two years" over and over.

We shall see!

If interested, please take a look at what the church looked like 2 years ago - here

Experiencing Apex (Sean)

The APEX Experience

One of the ministries we were able to help with at Challenge 2018 was called the APEX Experience. This experience is generally designed to help raise awareness of things that are happening around the world and potentially plant seeds to serve as missionaries in this areas. This year, the focus was on the Middle East and the refugee crisis that has been growing in recent years. Our team was able to work with teams from Lebanon, Pennsylvania and Crisis Response to transform a ballroom in the convention center into a walkthrough of the Middle East where students were given a taste of the culture, introduced to the refugee crisis and went through a simulation to get a small taste of what refugees experience. The walkthrough ended with a series of reflection spaces to help students let go of some earthly "security blankets" and to rely on Jesus Christ as their firm foundation. We were in awe of the work that others had put in to make this experience possible and to physically transform the ballroom into the Middle East, including some walls that were 16 feet tall!

Tyler and I were able to stay with the APEX team all week and help lead groups through this Middle East experience. My position changed from time to time, but I was usually towards the end of the walkthrough in the reflection spaces. It was honestly a rough start for me since I was given my role and a rough outline about 30 minutes before the first group started. I also didn't fully understand how my section fit into the entire walkthrough and didn't really know what to say. Others were sharing stories about the great responses they were seeing from the youth that were coming through, and I didn't really see much happening in my station. As groups continued to come, however, we continued to make adjustments and I began to see the big picture. I was reminded of the body of Christ having different uparts that play their specific role in the body. Even though some parts may seem more important than others at first glance, every part is vital to the body. I didn't always get to talk with many students or see their responses to their experience, but each station was important for the whole overall experience.

By the end of the week, I was able to see the impact the APEX Experience had on students and even youth leaders. I saw students in deep reflection over what it means to rely on Jesus Christ as their firm foundation and got to read some of the earthly things they had been called to surrender to God, and even saw students in tears as they prayed and reflected. It was amazing to see God take a simulation of being a refugee in the Middle East to not only educuate the youth of the trials people around the world face, but also challenge students on a personal level to think about their faith and their reliance on earthly things. - Sean

Urban Impact Day Camp (Anna & Thea)

Expectations. Day one of morning devotions Mark Lewis encouraged us to define our expectations for the week, to ponder what we thought would happen in the week to come.  He challenged us to identify these expectations and leave them at the door.  Great advice!

As we started our first VBS camps we soon realized our expectations for VBS definitely needed to be thrown out the window! With over 65 kids ages ranging from 6-11 all hyped up doing chants and rallying together, we soon realized we were in a different culture! The young adult leaders. some from out of state and some from the neighborhood, were enthusiastically getting the kids excited about day camp and God through chants, stand offs, and what seemed to me to be shouting matches!?! My expectations of somewhat quiet and shy kids similar to my precious VBS experiences was quickly getting shattered by these kids.  They wanted hugs, piggyback rides, to be held, carried around, and just all around loved on.  (In 100 degree weather) It was apparent their background and what they've probably seen in their short life far exceeded any of my experiences as a child or even as an adult.  Three kids God implanted on my heart for the first three days, Kevin and twin sisters Xaraji and Xayla.  Their desire not only attention but affection was in some ways heartbreaking for me, imagining they might not get a lot from home.  Yet in some ways it reminded me of our desire for our Father's love. How we should be constantly desiring God in our lives, longing for His arms of comfort and affection, seeking Him daily.  Needless to say this group of kids has been impactful on us all.

Just some background information: Urban Impact is an outreach center ran by Castle Rock Community Church in Central City New Orleans was started in 1989.  Their vision is to create a neighborhood where kids can ride their bikes safely.  Summer day camp is only one of several ministries they have. Please be in prayer for them as they continue summer camp and their outreach ministries during the school year. - Anna

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It’s been quite an interesting journey the last week and a half. We have a very unique group of different ages, personalities and we’ve had very unique situations and circumstances. In the very beginning it was definitely a struggle to be unified. 

This week we’re in New Orleans. Since some of us were here two years ago, a lot of us had certain expectations based on before. God had other plans and we quickly learned we needed to be flexible. For myself, I am being constantly reminded that we are here to do the Lord’s work and that can be whatever He wants it to be! He knows the needs and we are here to be used by Him to fill some of those needs. My relationship with God has been deepened and strengthened, my dependence on Him has for sure increased! :) 

Through it all, God has shown Himself more and more. He has shown that it is better to give the reins to Him, He is in control! He has provided for us in many ways, even before we even knew we needed certain things. He’s been our strength during our weakness. 

I’m very thankful to God for Gary and his godly leadership. God has used him in wonderful ways, as well as the rest of the group. If you ask any of us about our experiences I’m sure everyone will have a story to tell, we have all grown from the trip. Our God is good!!! We’ve met some really sweet people and humorous, lovable kids. Please pray that the growth will continue and that the people of New Orleans will be reached for Christ!!

For His Glory!

- Thea Grace 

Matt 6:33

Weekend Road Trip

NOLA

Last night, the conference attendees met up with the 2nd weekers here in NOLA! Anna, Dan, Nancy, Kealoha, and Joshua arrived on Saturday and were able to help unload the Penske trucks from Kansas City - the ones we loaded! We annoyed Gary on the 7th as it was his 33rd birthday.
Gary and Tyler selflessly (and maybe a bit stubbornly) drove the whole time while SeanT and Justin were their navigators for 13-14 hours (over two days) through Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi.  We rolled in to Louisiana just in time for orientation with Crisis Response Sunday night. It's been great finally being all together.

- We are tired. God is providing strength.

- We are being stretched. God is showering us with grace.

- We are out of our comfort zone. God is revealing His servant heart.

- We are unfiltered. God is constantly providing a timely word.

Colossians 3:2-3 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

I apologize for the inconsistency of these updates. I am however,  so grateful to the youth for willingly and thoughtfully sharing their perspectives in the previous posts.  This is my third year coming to NOLA but I don't think I've found myself this tired before.  I would appreciate prayers for endurance and energy but most importantly to be a humble vessel for the Lord.  I can easily get caught up in focusing on what isn't going right, by my estimations, I need reminders to dig deep in prayer and obey to the Spirit's prompting.

We are assisting in a Day Camp in the heart of New Orleans in the early afternoons. Then we go straight to the Lower 9th Ward and host a VBS during the evenings. We met over 75 children and volunteers today at the two churches and are getting a better idea of how we can serve this week.

I am working on a video of our Road Trip but I really must get more sleep.  I enjoy sharing these moments with you all and I pray that God is using them to guide your prayers and encourage those who read it.

In Him,
 HK

 the moon, our last night in KC

BOLD MOVES

Week One Done, Moving On (Emma)

Yesterday was our last day at the challenge conference and I’m so thankful to have had this amazing experience with amazing people. God has become more real to me through the worship, messages, and even just spending time with our group. My favorite message was during our first gathering on Monday when the speaker for that night, Ben Stuart, talked about God’s love. My favorite point he made was “Jesus descended to the lowest place so he could scoop up everyone who was willing and give them life” this really stuck out to me because no matter what I do or what problems I may have, God sees them and still lovingly dives in with me to pull me out. His love is unconditional and never changing and even though the world may seem like it has a lot to offer, God is the only one that can satisfy us.  Overall this conference definitely strengthened my relationship with everyone on our team but most importantly my relationship with God.
Sending Huddle

 The last gathering we had was about evaluating our youth group and setting goals, like where we wanted to be in a year and how we were going to accomplish it. Our ideas included: more prayer, service projects and outreach, being more accepting to anyone and everyone and fellowshipping more outside of church. We then each chose one area we wanted to take initiate in and be in charge of. This week was all about making bold moves and taking charge of areas in our youth group was definitely a bold move for all of us. Thank you for all your prayers and support and please continue to be praying for us this upcoming week because even though the conference is over, our work is just beginning. -Emma

Pictures

Prayer Moves

 Our Kiddos

We told the kids to rest up before the long night of work

Emily Lewis - Mark Lewis' daughter. We've known her for 10 years

Jenna & Minami with Danny & Millei from Lebanon

Packing everything up into two Penskes 

Group Shot in the early morning just some of the people who helped make APEX come to life

Day 7 - Walk (Stephen)

7/5/18

Today was another great day at the Kansas City Convention Center. Today our group started out the day with a bottle flip competition at the morning gathering. I was asked to compete against other people to see who was the bottle flip champion. I didn't win but it was still a fun start to the morning.  After the band Seventh Hour sang a few songs with us, we received a sermon about how we all have different personalities and how we fit in to the body of Christ.

After our morning gathering and huddle, we all went to walk  around the city. Although there wasn't anything really interesting to see, we did get some fruit juice blends and I got a new pair of sunglasses. It was really hot out as per usual hitting around 90 degrees which forced us into the air conditioned confines of random shops and stores.

Towards the end if the day, we ate a great meal of roasted chicken, mashed-potatoes, biscuits, and gravy. Later, we were back in the stadium for the evening gathering. This time, the band Urban Rescue got everybody hyped up with their songs before the message. This time, the message was about listening to God and letting him use you in his plan. This message was presented in an especially entertaining story from the speaker about his experience on an airplane ( ask one of the people in the first group about it).

Until next time,

Stephen Chezik

Day 6 - APEX (Minami)

Today we got to go through the APEX experience as a group. We went through a set up to experience a little sneak peak of life in the Middle East, a nice peaceful life. Then we were exposed to the horror of life as a Syrian refugee. We were put into groups and they were our family until the end of the experience and we had to do our best to stay together as a group. We were all just sitting in a room until we were kicked out, rushed to leave, and rushed to the immigration center. In their language, they told us to hustle and it caused all of us to panic although this wasn’t even real. After we got in, we had to give them three bottles of water to exchange it into money, and later into food coupons. We had to beg for money for the bottles and if we gave four bottles instead of three, they rejected us. The guy that was collecting the bottles asked a girl if she would help him for extra money. She accepted and started to work. She got extra cash and a food coupon but later she was told, “also I forgot to mention, you will be working for the rest of your life and you will never be with your family again.” So when her “family” came to give the three bottles, she gave her coupon to one of them to use. At the end of the experience, we gave all our money and we only got two good coupons because we didn’t count the money ahead of time. We were completely out of money to even buy food with the food coupon. So with our “family” of five, we had nothing but two food coupons. Throughout this chaos of an experience, we felt fear, anxiety, panic, and even sadness. When I sat down and thought about those that have to experience this for real, my heart broke for them. But then the people at the APEX experience brought to light that if we keep our foundation firm on Jesus, no matter what we face in life we can be bold and confident that we have everything we need in Christ. It was eye opening to see the things that I replace with Christ as my foundation. Whether it be my relationships and accomplishments. And realizing the need to give that up to Christ to free ourselves. - Minami

Day 5 - Kneel (Jenna)

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

The second gathering today included worship from Urban Rescue and a message from Reid Kapple. The passage was taken from Matthew 4:1-11 and talked about Satan's three attempts at tempting Jesus. The first try was with bread and Kapple mentioned that murder is not any better than cards if cards can do the trick. At first the temptation seemed innocent and a small attempt, but it can become very dangerous. However, Jesus responded in v.4 with, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out from the mouth of God". Satan included Scripture in the second attempt to  bring him down and basically told him to use God for his own sake, "'He will command his angels concerning you'", but once again Jesus was unfazed. The last time, Satan tried to get Jesus off-target on the mission he was sent for (dying on the cross for our sins), saying, "'all these I will give to you, if you will fall down and worship me"'. Jesus finally casts out the devil in v.10 and the angels came and ministered to him. I really enjoyed this message because it showed me how easy temptation can be and the only way to avoid temptation is to kneel to the Father and him alone, and kneel to the Will of the Father, not your own.  - Jenna

Day 4 - The Conference Begins (Sara & Meisei)

The first session was almost the exact opposite of what I was expecting. I thought I was walking into  a lecture hall, with the lovely addition of music to make it a 'conference'. We got something similar to a rock concert with a very interesting and energetic sermon. The first hint that this would be something different was all the smoke in the building. The main questions I had was what room was on fire and why everyone was so calm about it. Nothing was on fire, which is probably why everyone wasn't acting like the building was full of smoke, but there was a fog machine, which isn't something you see in lecture halls. Outside of possibly chemistry labs, anyway. To sum up, the first session was bold, entertaining, and a truly unique experience. - Sara

My first ever Challenge Conference was very challenging. Okay not really, but it was really crazy. Everyone was screaming and jumping during worship time and I thought that everyone was crazy or like hyper.  There was smoke everywhere, just so crazy that I can't explain it.  But then when worshiping was done it was message time. It was funny because everyone went quiet and I thought they were all grown men. The message ended and the closing song was also crazy. I really wasn't sure about wanting to come actually, I was nervous but I'm really happy that I went. I got closer to the leaders that went and the youth also.  It was worth it though - MEISEI
                                               



Our passage of study was 1 John 4:7-19 about God's love and Jesus' condescension. The 3 points of the message were
- Love Sends
- Love Sacrifices
- Love Stays

Ben Stuart was our dynamic speaker that used several personal stories and movie reference all throughout his message.  Leader and youth adult each found many things to think and pray about.

Day 3 - It's All Coming Together

Sunday - Today we got to have a time of worshipping together with our new friends from Lebanon and all over the US.  This year our EFCA Youth Challenge Conference will be focusing on praying for, supporting, and learning about Lebanon.  Eight young Lebanese people have come all the way to share their stories and teach us more about their way of life, spiritual climate, and culture. Yesterday and today we have been creating a life size set that will show the streets, art, architecture, and feel of Lebanon. It's still a work in progress but the work included painting, drilling, transporting and lifting  large wooded pieces to create a Lebanese neighborhood.  We have prepared some before and after pictures to show you hopefully by tomorrow once everything is completed.

We are all adjusting to the time zone and are slowly getting a better idea of where we are as we commute from Kansas to Missouri everyday. After we were dismissed for the day we found a Steak
'n Shake and got to have steakburgers and milkshakes!

Please pray for our youth specifically as they are entering this new environment - the conference is for them - but many of them don't know what to expect and still aren't sure what the big picture will look like. Nearly 5,000 youth will be driving and flying in tomorrow and we will begin the actual conference with speakers, music, seminars, games, etc.  I am praying specifically for the youth to be sensitive to the Spirit, attentive to the lessons taught, and active in how they obey.  I thank the Lord the our 6 youth that have come and are putting up with us 6 adults.

Please enjoy this video

- a silly tour of our Airbnb
- singing in Arabic - guess the song!
- behind the scenes of building a neighborhood

Muchos Mahalo
 - Hannah

Day 2 Recap

KC.NOLA 2018

  After our first flight was delayed, we had to rebook our connecting flights, a little talking to the front desk, a little shuffling the groups around - and now the 12 of us are settled just outside of Kansas City at an AirBnB (on the Kansas side).  Thank the Lord for His provision of flights and safety. We even got to have dinner at Chic-fil-A, a first for three of our youth. Speaking of firsts, 2 of our girls have never been to the mainland before - and one never on a plane.  Jenna described her first flight as "cold and uncomfortable" at our layover she also experienced a moving sidewalk, an amusing little scene.  Both girls enjoyed looking at the window over the Rockies, desert, and farmland.

It's warm outside, even at 11pm at night, the sun went down a little past 9. Tomorrow we will head over to the Convention Center to set-up. Thank you for those who came to see us off at the airport on Thursday and thank you all for your prayers and continued support.

Colossians 3:1 Since then, you have been raised up with Christ set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.