November/December Schedule

Buzz

11/17 NO Buzz Sorry!
11/24 No Buzz Happy Thanksgiving!
12/1 Candles for Jesus. We are making star candles out of beeswax sheets!
12/8 No Buzz Goodie Bake
12/15
12/22 No Buzz Christmas
12/29 No Buzz Christmas

Y.F.C
11/17 No Y.F.C. There are speakers this night at St. Mary's. Please come around 7:00 to hear them if you are a youth grades 6-12 or parents of teens. There will be time for youth to have pizza and fellowship.

11/24 No Y.F.C. Happy Thanksgiving!
12/1 Goodie orders due! Challenge night! Four on a couch and the floating stick!
12/8 Goodie bake! Come at 5:30 to help! We need both parents and youth grades 6-12
12/15 Prayer/Play
12/22 No Y.F.C. Merry Christmas!
12/29 No Y.F.C. Merry Christmas!

Muddy Updates

Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to crawl back in bed and either start the day over, or skip the entire day? So far this morning has been one of those days for me. It has been busy this week here at FLC and today will be busy too with our Pizza Ranch fundraiser. I'm looking forward to some of my favorite kinds of pizza and just spending time with some of our youth and families. But for some reason it's been one of those slow start, too many things go wrong kind of days. For some reason I left my phone at home...on the day that my toilet decides to break. Looks like it's gonna be awhile until it gets fixed! I find that on days like today it is so easy to focus on all the little negative things like my phone or even the bigger negative of a broken toilet which is never fun. But what about those positive things? It's a beautiful day, I had fun making bricks with our youth last night, we had a large group of middle school youth at Y.F.C., I get to see some of our youth tonight (and they usually put a smile on my face), I'm starting to feel healthy again, I get to see some of my friends on Saturday at the Luther homecoming game, there will be very yummy pizza that I can eat tonight, and probably a ton of things that I'm not remembering or might not even notice that are good. When you look at all the good things it is easy to remember how God had blessed our lives. And yes today even with the rough morning I know I am blessed. What can you think of that God has blessed you with?

Here is the schedule for Buzz & Y.F.C. for the next few weeks:

10/13 Buzz: Prayer night! We will be looking at several different ways to pray.
Y.F.C.: Game/Worship. We will be having a devo to start with and then will be relaxing & playing games.

10/20 Buzz: Apple night. Do you like caramel apples, what about apple pie? We will be enjoying apples as we look at the story of Adam & Eve.
Y.F.C. : Smashing pumpkins...need I say more?

10/27 Buzz: Harvest time...using our fall harvest to learn about the spiritual harvest.
Y.F.C.: Small Group "Come to the quiet"

11/3 Buzz: Gifts from God. Getting ready for our Birthday Party for Jesus
Y.F.C.: Challenge night "Toxic Waste"

Little Reminders

I've been having a great morning and I want to tell you about it. Pretty much every Friday is an early morning for me. I'm at church around 6 to pick up the mini bus and heading to McDonalds to meet a bunch of area youth for breakfast and devotions at McPrayer. This week we had even more youth which was amazing! A good majority were in black and red, supporting their team for the game tonight. With it being an early morning you would think I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I do. I admit I'm not much of a morning person. But there is something about the joy of the youth who are there for McPrayer that just wakes me up, gives me energy. They are a pretty special and amazing group.

Pretty much every week I drive some of the youth to school. They have to get there somehow and we have always made a bit of an adventure about it. There is this particular group of girls who have been quite silly and entertaining. They often sing to me as I drive them. Today they were so full of life and energy they wanted to do a fire drill in the middle school parking lot and since there were no cars around that's just what they did! How fun is it to see people joyful to be alive, happy to be up early, and eager to hear a devotion? I tell you this is something I'm going to look forward to every week. Maybe some more of our youth can check out McPrayer? Want a part of the fun, a breakfast, and a pretty cool devotion? Come on over next Friday at 6:30 if you are in grades 6-12. I can't wait to see you there!

Y.F.C. & Buzz

Wow, I can't believe Turkey Day is this weekend! This month is flying by! Next week things really get rolling when we start having our regularly scheduled Wednesday evening activities. Starting with a meal at 5:30 that may or may not be pizza, hot dogs, sloppy joes, grilled cheese, or other foods for a free will donation. Following that Buzz will start for youth grades K-5 at 6:00 til 6:45. Parents please remember to come pick up your youth on time. And after that at 7:00 Y.F.C. will start up. Interested in what we are doing this year? Keep checking here for schedules and updates. We are going to be doing some CRAZY things to bond together as a group, and grow in Christ.

Buzz:
9/22 Light in the darkness
9/29 Stuck in the mud...(who likes to make/eat dirt & worms?)
10/6 The lamb and the shepherd. Yes there will be an actual lamb that night. Please bring coats as the lamb will be outside, not inside.
10/13 Prayer. Don't know how to pray? Well here is a cool way to say your prayers, come to find out!

Y.F.C.
9/22 Kick off night! Games/discussion
9/29 Small Group As Is. Ever feel like you just don't have what it takes to serve God? Well looking at some of the Biblical characters and ourselves we will find that God uses us as His, As Is.
10/6 Challenge/messy night: We will be playing in mud for part of the night. That's right, wear older clothes as we will be making bricks like the Israelites did.
10/13 Games/worship Play dough pictionary. How well do you know your Biblical stories? Plus we will have a short low key worship.

I'm always in need of adults, mainly for the elementary youth. Also anyone know where I can get some dirt? Potting soil just doesn't work for this as it is too rich.

LifeLight

Wow we just got back yesterday from LifeLight and do we have some stories for you! Some of them are about amazing bands, and some crazy bonding, others are about uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, and broken tents. So lets just start out with Friday. Getting to the Souled out Village with a mini bus/van full of youth was the easy part. Putting up tents in the wind was the oh so challenging part of the entire weekend. Needless to say we had a few tent casualties/injuries. Even at this point there are two of the 4 tents that broke that I'm not sure I will be able to fix. Yes you heard it 4 tents broke. Both metal, plastic, and fiberglass failed to withstand the rage that that wind brought. And with only one tent up and doing mighty well. (at this point I'm very thankful to the family that donated that tent just a couple of weeks before the trip!) Needless to say we bought a fairly big tent and did what we could with sleeping arrangements. Anyone have any old army tents out there?

With the tent situations as figured out as they were going to get the concerts were very good. The highlights of the weekend for most of our group were Remedy Drive, Riley, and Mercy Me. Never heard of Riley before. They are this cool band with amazing electric fiddles. A husband and wife duo play the fiddles and this band not only sounds great but has a great message with their music. When listening to their songs there is no doubt who or what they are singing about.

One of the other really fun things that happened was the army man scavenger hunt. I got a bunch o' army men at the dollar tree and had the kids hide/take photos of them. With over 100 army men scattered around the festival it was fun to see where they showed up. There were army men on tents, atms, in porta pottys, merch tables, even out in the main seating area. At one point I saw a toddler who had collected 4 and was happily dismembering them. We even had an army man on the back of the van. He made it to Sioux Falls on our drive home, but we lost him on a bump.

Want to hear more of the crazy stories/fun we had? Talk to the youth who went and next year come join us for some fun :)

Fall, fall, faaaallllll

It certainly doesn't feel like school is starting next week, but for the majority of our youth it is. With a jam packed summer, and fall starting early we are postponing the start of our Wednesday evening activities just a bit. But even before that starts we have a few things going on.

First we have our pool party with ALC on the 29th from 1-3 at the country club. Yes the pool there is a little small, but it has a deep end and this means we can make a whirl pool! It will be fun so bring some snacks like bars or chips for energy.

Second we have LifeLight over Labor Day Weekend. This is open to all youth grades 6-12 and is FREE! Just sign up next to a food item and bring that item to help cut our costs. We are in the Souled Out Village again so we get special events and are camping close to one of the stages. Sign up by the 29t so I know how many people to expect.

Finally we are having a float on Turkey Day to promote our Country Western Service. Instead of just having a few people we are trying to get a really good representation of our church. So please consider being on the float this year. It doesn't take much, just throw on some jeans and a cowboy hat. We will be singing a few songs, and I know it will be a fun time for all involved. There is a sign up outside of my office for anyone who is interested. We will be practicing the songs on the Wednesday before at 7:00.

Then the next Wednesday is our kick off night! Come prepared wearing shoes you can run in :)

Amazing servants

I hope some of you read our church newsletter the Evangel. In it for next month I wrote about our junior high youth. I believe it is tough to be a junior high youth. Not only is your life changing, but there is so much to learn about being and becoming a teen. Being in junior high means going through some awkward stages, you enter small, and you exit much taller, or most of us do. Junior high youth can be some of the most entertaining, awkward, genuine, sporadic, random, laughable, or lovable people I know. I certainly know that the group that I got to take down the mighty Mississippi this summer were.

Now our time on the river wasn't too tough. We had a great tail wind most of the time, and except for a brief shower the first night, good weather too. We all had to paddle, but there were a good amount of rests taken. And only one of us got blisters on their hands. Our time down the river was a blast from the past, living like the Voyagers did back when the fir trade was big. But it wasn't all we did. We rode horses up and down a bluff, looked at Saturn, cooked most of our meals ourselves, slept on the sand, in tents, on the ground, and even a few in our canoe. We saw wildlife, experienced the itchiness that comes from mosquitoes and possibly other things. We participated in a hunger simulation, at a meager meal, packaged the same meals for over 600 children, loved Fjords, completed challenge courses, and participated in the Chirst Hike. We worshiped, prayed, worked out while we prayed, had Bible study, and devotions. And then these youth did more. All of these things were what was expected to happen on our trip. What our youth did that was different was something that makes me so proud of them.

Our youth cleaned toilets! Not only that but our youth ASKED to do it! Ok ok so not all of them begged to clean toilets, but it started with asking them a question. Would they be willing to help a father be able to see his son on his birthday. The fact was that due to health issues the kitchen was under staffed for the summer. That meant that the camp cook had to work the jobs of not just himself but his help too. That meant he didn't have much time if any to see his son if people didn't step up and help him. When asked that question there was no hesitation, no debate, no question. Our youth jumped up and shouted that they would do it. I saw not one bit not wanting to help in these kids. They cleaned two dining halls, swept, mopped, cleaned toilets, and beat mats. And then the next day I heard this question: "can we help clean the bathrooms?" Our youth wanted to help clean some more bathrooms at camp. It was amazing!

Not only am I proud of our youth for this but there was also definite leadership in several of our youth. They worked together to accomplished their goals and are eager to fight oppression in our town, schools, and anywhere else. I know that this trip served it's purpose: to bond our youth together, to prepare them for the mission trips of senior high, and to make disciples.

Thoughts

Well we just got back from another amazing trip. You can read a bit about it in next months evangel and later on I will be sharing more. First I want to clarify some things about the mission trip due to rumors I've been hearing around church. I must let you know that while youth and adults were on ladders to clean the sides of the cabin and to get on the deck, they were never on the roof. I say this because the rumor talks about an adult falling off the roof and needing surgery because of this. The truth is that this adult had the surgery scheduled before the mission trip. The truth is that also while climbing a A frame ladder to get on the deck the ladder slipped out from underneath and this person fell. This is not why this person had surgery. I feel I must clarify this so that everyone knows that our youth are not doing dangerous or potentially hazardous activities like being on the roofs of buildings on our trips.

Hands on

Last week 14 of our senior high youth and 3 adults, myself included headed to Ferryville WI for our annual mission trip. This year was going to be a different trip and we all knew it. We left for the trip with the usual things, cool t-shirts, an excitement about what the week would bring, hopes for sunny weather, and no rain, and a sense of wonder at just exactly what this week would bring. For me the feelings were mixed. I prayed that the weather would be good, that the youth would have fun and would learn about God, and themselves. I also had a feeling of excitement. For me this wasn't just any other mission trip. It was like going home. As we arrived at camp and got to work that night washing dishes, I was amazed at how much had changed, and how much was still the same. There was a new building, new animals, and the donkeys were sadly gone. There were many new faces, and some old in the staff. As the week unfolded my fear, concerns or worries mostly faded into the background as feelings of love, pride, support, and belonging took over. The love was for my youth, and the people who support them. I gotta say that it seems like every trip is a new way for me to learn more about the youth I already feel I know. When a youth asked if we could work through lunch, or our short breaks, I felt a love for that youth, and for their service like spirit. I also felt love when the youth, along with the Sugar Creek staff threw me a surprise party. I still have the signs in my car, but don't know what to do with them :). I felt pride in our youth and what they are doing. So many times I see our youth getting judged on what they do or don't do, how they dress, and sometimes for just being who they are. I gotta say that each and every one of the youth who went on this trip is an outstanding person. They ALL worked hard! They all were the hands of Jesus this week as we scrubbed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed those log cabins. And they willingly reached out to help feed over 600 children by putting together meals for Feed My Starving Children. I'm proud of who these youth are, and what they do in the name of Christ. I felt support from the staff at SCBC and from our two other adults who went on the trip. Most people don't realize how tough these trips actually are, and how weary they can make you. These two adults pushed through it, kept up with the youth, and supported both them and myself. I also felt support by how I needed to support these adults, and the youth. And the feeling of belonging was very powerful throughout the week. As I said for me this trip was like coming home. SCBC is a part of my past, a part of who I am. I had a lot of growing, and healing that took place there and it was great to share that with these youth. I feel like I got to show them a bit more of who I am and where I came from. And hey I found over 20 four leaf clovers there, and some of the youth found some too! But not only was my sense of belonging there, but it carried onto the church van a.k.a. The BEAST, onto the road, and back here to Worthington. Because that may have been where God had taken me in the past, but this is where He wants me now. He wants me with these youth, going on these trips, helping others to be His hands and feet, and trying to help others to understand.

This week was so amazing I couldn't fit it all in here. We had fun...yes fun on our mission trip. And with this group of youth how could you not have fun? I had buckets of water poured on me, we decorated ourselves with mud, we hiked, prayed, discussed, walked, ate, and worked together. And all of that was fun, even when it was tedious and tough. I'm thankful for that week and now am looking forward to Sunday when I get to take a whole different group of youth, or middle school youth, to camp on their adventure trip. While they are going to the same place, it's gonna be a whole different experience going down the Mississippi.

Roller Skating Party

Hey just a heads up that on April 11th we will be having our first ever annual roller skating party. This will be replacing our pool party as there is no longer an outdoor pool in our area. Sad I know but you can laugh at me attempting to skate. This year we are going with American Lutheran and the cost is $2 per person and 6 and under are free. We will be meeting at American Lutheran at noon to drive down. There are 14 open spots on the church van but we will need other drivers. Sign up outside of my office and please indicate if you can drive and how many you can take.