Believe Conference

This weekend we took 6 middle schoolers to the Believe conference. It was a focus group of our students to see if we want to take our whole middle school group their in 2010. The answer was YES, YES and YES!!
Sara and I. The weird, fun crazy thing about youth is that you get to work with students you've known since they were little. Sara's family is family to us. I use to babysit her in the summers and it's been incredible watching her grow into a young women.

Always cool to travel with your own kids on these events. In this pic I had just missed Kev and Justin doing some crazy clapping together during worship.

They had large sheets of paper hung where students could paint their name, prayer requests or whatever middle schoolers have on their mind to paint.

Hacky-sack. We were terrible. We went from feet to hands. Other groups turned to chucking their hacky-sacks across the arena and then in a few seconds it came flying back at them. With middle schoolers it gets crazy!!!

Eating lunch with our Superheros.

They had huge inflatables- Justin D. and Delaney went nuts of these, I busted out laughing just watching them!

During worship Eric Timm welded, painted and carved some really cool pieces of artwork. It was amazing. Check out his website and some youtube stuff of his at the bottom of his website. All I gotta say is: we gotta get him in our youth wing.

Got to!!

Some of his artwork. The weekend was on the life of Jeremiah and how we're all formed and set apart for God. To speak, to be reminded that He is with us and then to encourage, defend and share with those around us.

Here's the gang!

Leaving there my heart goes out to middle schoolers. Working with high school this year has been great but there is something about 11-14 year-olds that gets in your bones, in our soul and just sits there. Life is such a rollercoaster with them but if you know me, I love a good rollercoaster. I find it's best to strap in, hold on, smile, laugh and scream with everything you've got!

-Michelle