An amazing weekend

Yesterday was a lazy, recovery day for me. I had a great weekend but it took a lot out of me. The end of the week included a doctor and a dentist. (the dental hygenist said I had good oral hygiene!) I also spent time with good friends who are sisters and their families - Gortons and Yoders. In fact, I met the Seilers (chief secretary) and she immediately thought I was one of them. But, to make my sister happy, as soon as she learned who I was she said "You are Chris Merritt's sister." Chris thinks that doesn't happen very often, but being out of the territory for 3 years has changed things. Anyway, back to the events of the weekend.

I was reminded of what I really love about this territory when I went out to CBLI on Friday. It was the summer mission team program and the best one I've seen, both from the program side and from the missional effectiveness side. The passion of the youth and young adults was strong - whether they had been in a far off country or visiting little corps in Wisconsin and Michigan. They get it! A lot of that is because of Chris, Kristin and the other leaders who have influenced them. I loved the fact that each team memorized scripture together during their summer. They taught us lots of songs and shared powerful testimonies. I've known a lot of these 'kids' from birth or a very young age and watched them grow up to be godly, maturing and confident disciples of Jesus. Of course, they are not perfect and I'm sure their parents and corps officers could tell some stories - but there is definitely a lot of hope for the future of the Army and the kingdom, in this territory and beyond. One funny thing happened, well I thought so anyway. The worship team had us singing "Heaven Came Down" and the whole room (about 500 people) started clapping just like we used to 20 years ago. I burst out laughing. I never thought I'd sing tht song again, and if I did I was sure it would be in a nursing home not in a youth meeting! Personally, I have to admit I felt a little disconnected and it was hard not to be in the middle of it all, but reality is that life goes on and I'm thrilled to see the great things the Lord is doing. I went home tired from seeing so many people and trying again to have those little conversations.

Saturday I had a very nice time catching up with Bill and Sue Harfoot and then met Gortons to go out to camp again. It was the final program for the children and youth programs. The kids were cute and there were a lot of proud parents. The best part of the evening came at the very end. The teens and young adults had memorized a recently popularized speech, describing the character and life of Jesus. (sorry I can't give you a better description, I tried to find it online but couldn't. Can anyone help me?) They quoted it with power, passion and at a very high volume. I got chills as they described our Lord with certainty and faith, acknowledging their belief in Him and proclaiming Him as Lord to all of us. It was an amazing ending to a good evening. Here are a few pictures.


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