YM Update

2/24/2010

On The Road Again

It’s update time again! I’ve put in a lot of miles since I last wrote an installment in my Spring travels series, so here’s a bit of a recap. Since returning from the flu-and-snow-tainted trip to Tennessee in early January, we’ve done our first Family Production of the year, had several good youth group meetings (including JAM, Ant Hill, Surge, and even the Carpenter’s Inn), seen a couple snow days, and the hint of the Spring to come. My vacation cruise to the Caribbean nations of Haiti and Jamaica was quite nice, despite unseasonable cool and rainy days while I was there. The four of us in our group (Laura & I plus Rod & Denise) took in as much sun as we were allowed and had a good time on the boat. So after several hundred miles over sea and through the air, I came home, did a little laundry, only to repack a bag and head to Chicagoland for Jr. High Believe…the day after we got home! This year’s theme dealt solely with Jesus’ role as the Messiah. It led to some good conversation and discussion about who he is and who we are and need to be as a result. Tom, the five middle school boys, and I enjoyed one another’s company and the weekend as a whole. After a good Sunday and a quick Monday morning, I’m hitting the road again for my second trip to Tennessee in as many months. This week, since I don’t have schooling conflicts, I’ll be attending Johnson Bible College’s Homecoming and Preaching Rally in Knoxville. I’m pretty excited about this conference time since it’s at my alma mater and I’ve not attended the Homecoming services in seven years! While I’m not really looking forward to the drives, I am looking forward to the refreshment of seeing friends, classmates, & professors, as well as taking in some solid preaching and workshops. I’ll recap next week.

After I get back, we’ll be gearing up for the next big event on the Spring calendar: SuperStart! It’s almost March already (can you believe it?) and that means our 4-6^th graders going to Blooming for this CIY preteen event don’t have much longer to wait. This really is a high-quality event that our kids and youth leaders really get excited about. Be in prayer for the 16 kids and 6 adults attending this year’s event. Other future events coming up shortly are the CIY Info Meeting and the JBC Spring Retreat. The CIY meeting for this summer’s Move conference will be March 7 at 2:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. It’ll include info about location, dates, transportation, cost, and theme for this year’s event. Parents and students in 8^th grade through 12^th grade should attend this meeting. JBC Spring Retreat is March 18-21. The sign up deadline is March 7 so tell your friends and start making arrangements now (you’ll need to get an excused absence or take a college day on the 19^th). The retreat is a cool $45, so get it in soon!

That’s all for this week. I hope you’re all well and enjoying life. There’s only a few more weeks of Winter, so take heart! See you next week!

Joe