Still Here

Hey everyone, we have been trying to keep up to date with the changing culture. As a result this blog has dropped by the way side. That is not an excuse, so we will keep this going. If you do read this please let me know, so we know who is reading it.

We have been using Facebook more often, and if you would like to get invited to our youth facebook page, let us know.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=feed&id=618425163#/group.php?gid=4878033324

Upcoming things:

Baptism is coming up March 28,29. Want to get baptized please let me know.

Route 56 (5-6 grade):
New series coming up this week: "He's the Man!" taking a look at Jesus, his actions and his life.

24 hours is our retreat in which students will go away for 24 hours to hear about God, be challenged, and have a great time bonding and supporting one another. The date is April 3-4 from 5:00pm at the church to 5:00pm returning to the church.

Revolution (7-8 grade):
New series coming up this week - "Hot Topics!" allowing the students to pick real life topics they want to hear about and what the Bible says about them.

Lake Champion - April 19-21 - make sure you get your information in and get ready to have a weekend of fun and excitement.

High School (9-12 grade):
Just finished a powerful series with the High School, in which students and adults talked about real life issues with real life stories. The four topics were: Abuse, Lust, Parents, and Self Destructive Behaviors. We will be wrapping this series up with a synopsis this coming week. March 10.

Project Serve is March 16 - where our small groups will be reaching out into the community to serve.

Mexico - Ensenada 09
Applications due March 17
First training day is April 5, Sunday night - from 6-8pm here at the church.

Let us know your thoughts and comments.
Nathan

New School year

Wow, a new school year has begun. Our children headed back to school and reconnected with friends they haven’t seen all summer.

I was challenged over this summer to take a hard look at the past 40 years of my life, and noticed that there are stopping points along the way that challenged me on my “Journey.”

7 When my mom and I prayed to ask Jesus into my life.

13 When I found out my hip was broken, and spent a year on crutches

22 The summer internship that changed my future from missions to teens

23 Met my future wife and knew she was the one for me

28 The birth of my first child, my daughter

34 Birth of my son

38 My mom passed away

40 Recommitment to youth ministry

My journey has been full of positives and negatives, happy times and sad, but I can look back and see how God has helped me through those times and helped my faith grow.

My prayer and goal this year are to help students on their “journey.” I want to provide opportunities for them to grow from one point to the next.. To assist this goal Crossroads Student Ministries has made some changes.

Middle School:

This year we divided up our middle school and added the fifth graders into a new program called Route 56.

Route 56 (5^th – 6^th graders)

r Every Thursday night during the school year from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Great Room students have the opportunity to meet with creative teachers talking about life issues, creating opportunities for them to grow in their faith and relationships, and reaching their community. There are small groups, worship time, and a whole lot of fun.

r Every Sunday at our 9:00 and 10:30 am hours in room 203/204 – they will be taught by a group of gifted teachers about God’s word and how it relates to them. They are challenged to learn scripture and apply what they have learned to their everyday life.

Revolution (7^th – 8^th graders)

r Every Thursday night during the school year from 7:00-8:30 pm in the Chapel students have the opportunity to meet with creative teachers talking about life issues, creating opportunities for them to grow in their faith and relationships, and reaching their community. There are small groups, worship time, and a whole lot of fun.

r Saturday night from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Chapel there is a small group discussing scripture and taking an in-depth look at how it relates to their lives.

r Sunday at our 9:00 and 10:30 am hours in the Chapel students are taught by a group of gifted teachers about God’s word and how it relates to them. They are challenged to learn scripture and apply what they have learned to their everyday life.

High School (9^th – 12^th graders):

r Every Tuesday night during the school year from 7:00-9:00 pm students gather in the Chapel. This year we are dividing the groups by grades to be able to teach to them at their different levels of learning. 9^th and 10th grades will learn more of the basics of Christianity and their faith. 11th and 12th grades will be challenged to apply what they have learned and to make a difference in their community. All of this is done through small groups, teaching, and a time of worship. My goal is to help these students be prepared for when they graduate, so that they will have the tools they need to make it and be successful with a solid faith in what they know and fall in love with God.

Ultimately – On their journey, we want to prepare them with a sustainable faith that will last a lifetime and especially whey they hit the years where they are out of the house and on their own.

Pray with me and our volunteers this year that our students can look back on this year as a growth point in their faith and person, see lives changed, people connected, and teenagers making a difference in their community and the world

Summary of Mexico Missions Trip

Things have settled down a little, now we are preparing for Middle School Camp.  But before we leave Mexico behind us.  I wanted to give you some pictures and some explanations to help you get a better picture of what we did.

Students helping young mexican girl color a picture

Some working, some getting sun, some getting others motivated.

Student painting the church wall

Working with the children during Vacation Bible School and making a necklace.

Building and lifting up a piece of the wall of the church.

The college team that built one house, enjoying an afternoon at the beach.

Signing their names on the ridge beam of the Church.  They also left notes, prayers, and blessings for those who worshiped under the roof of this building.

Spending time with the children of the community

College team working hard

Family we built one of the houses for. 

Finished house and team that built it.

Church team that built a church.

Second finished house and the team that built it.

We finished, thank you for all your support, prayers, and guidance.

Tuesday Night and Wednesday

Tuesday night was a God night.

Wow, I can't even describe what happened to our students and leaders. The student and college worship team did an amazing job of drawing us into worship. This was followed by a Spirit led talk by Steve Mayer. God moved in a mighty way. Students were crying, adults were giving things to God, and getting right with themselves. The Holy Spirit descended on the place and changed hearts.

Wednesday at noon
We heard the testimony of the Pastor we are building the house for "Romano. " He talked about how God pulled him away from drugs, transporting illegal immigrants and changing his life. Now he is passionate about God and what He will do in this community.

Please continue to pray for students and adults as we wind down. Also pray hard Thursday night (9:00 pm - 12:00 pm your time) as we ask the students to take a huge step of faith.

Thank you for your prayers. God is moving in a mighty way.

College team working on the dry walls

Lifting the center beam of the Church building

Rachel working along side two girls putting sheeting together

More updates to follow

Monday and Tuesday in Ensenada

As I watched the teens interacting with the children and families on the sight, I was awed at the interaction and love shown from our students and the children. God has been doing exciting things with the families, and the people in this area. I hope that the momentum will continue and grow even more.

First day:

Time to put up the walls and get out the hammers. All the students had opportunities to swing hammers, use power tools and much more.

Second day:

More walls, painting the sides, and cutting out the windows happened today. The college team was excited as they laid the roof and had a opportunity to get shade in the house.

Sunday - Day of rest

Today is a bright and beautiful day down here in Ensenada, Mexico. It is also the day of rest "Sabbath" so we are giving the students a day to relax and get spiritually prepared for the week ahead.

In the morning our team split into two groups and headed to two different worship services. Pastor Matt had an opportunity to preach and the team enjoyed the service in the location of the church we will be building. The other team visited a church that was just finished the final floor this past spring, and had an opportunity to worship with excitement and energy.

Afternoon at around 4:00 we split the teams up into two groups again and visited two other churches, both beautiful in their own way.

In the evening many students commented on they were able to worship in different languages and had an opportunity to see another culture worship in their own setting.

Please pray for:
1. Everyone is healthy, keep praying for the students and leaders as the days go on.
2. Students spirits are high, excited, and full of energy, waiting for the work and ministry to begin.
3. Pray for safety on the work site.

Please pass this on to all who are would like to know what is happening, that are supporting, and are excited about allowing God to make a difference in the next generation.

Prep for Mexico

Well we are almost ready for our trip to Ensenada Mexico.  Please be praying for us as we take 55 students, college students, and adults down into Ensenada Mexico.

We will be building two homes for families who are currently living under tents, and also a Church which will hold about 100 people.  They are currently having meetings in a neighbor's back yard.  

Also we will have a chance to hold two vacation bible school days with the children of this community, and do a community wide outreach event for this valley.

Another exciting opportunity is to go into the city of Ensenada and clean up the parks, pass out food, witness, teach english, and help the "city" church.  

Please keep this blog for your reference as we will be sending daily updates with pictures, information, and prayer requests.

Specific prayers:

Saturday - June 28 - Travel, safety as we cross the border, settling in, and culture shock

Sunday - June 29 - Visiting local churches, and sharing our testimony with them

Monday - June 30 - Begin construction - safety, rest, motivation, and focus

Tuesday - July 1 - Construction, Vacation Bible School - teaching children about God.

Wednesday - July 2 - Construction safety as we put up the roof, Community outreach - as we play games, interact with families, and share our faith.

Thursday - July 3 - Construction, Vacation Bible School - teaching children about God

Friday - July 4 - Construction rap up, Packing up, safety as we head back across the border.

Saturday - July 5 - pray as students start to come back into the US culture, and start the debriefing process.

Sunday - July 6 - Safety as we travel back to New Jersey.