Wednesday Night's Post that should have been posted Wednesday night

*This post was written while traveling on the bus Wednesday afternoon, but wasn't posted until today...sorry!*

We’ve snaked our way up through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee (briefly) and have made it to our hotel in southern Illinois for the evening. Tomorrow, we once again get the pleasure of driving across the state of Illinois, which means we get to see (more) corn!

This National Youth Gathering experience has been a powerful one for our students. To see them engaged during Bible studies, talking openly with each other about how they processed keynote speakers and their presentations, seeing them flat out WORSHIP – the joy, exuberance, honesty and sincerity as they sung, clapped, danced and cheered during the mass events and concerts was incredible.

For these eight students to have the opportunity to experience such a remarkably different worship style, that was truthfully more akin to a concert in a major city was fascinating to me. Our worship services at Redeemer (and so many other LCMS churches) are so reserved and quiet, that I was uncertain as to how these guys would respond to the style of music the Gathering presents.

Give these kids credit. Instead of shrinking back and feeling overwhelmed or uncomfortable, from the very first night they pushed past any feelings of discomfort and went for it. Every song, they were all on their feet. Every song, they were all singing. Every song, they were participating and worshiping in the purest sense of the word. The songs and music weren’t just words to clap along to, but you could tell that these guys were connected with something more than a guitar hook or bass line. To have the chance to glance down the aisle and see them singing and encouraging each other was so memorable.

For every time that our high school students show up at worship, early, on what is often their only day to sleep in (Sunday), much earlier beyond their preferred wake-up time (let’s see how attentive you are Sunday morning If you haven’t gone to sleep until 2:30am on Friday and Saturday nights), then get criticized because they might have a dull glaze while they sit in the sanctuary, I wish the same people that sometimes criticize those students could have had the opportunity to see them worshiping in a style, at a time (8pm – not 8am church anyone?) and in a language that spoke to them. It was incredible.

I think the challenge, as is true for any conference that people attend, is how to successfully make the transition of taking the energy, excitement and spiritual growth that occurred on this trip and figuring out how I can encourage them to take the difficult step of making changes in their lives. Anyone can go to a conference, listen to a few speakers, have a few good meals, have some laughs and then return home. However, the people that are able to take what they’ve learned and figure out a way to make a change in their lives or attitudes are the people that end up making a difference in the lives of others.

These kids have been challenged to stop thinking that their story is only about them. This was a difficult for me when I was a student, and I didn’t even have the added reinforcement of my social media world getting constantly updated, liked and commented on six inches from my face on my phone.

When these kids never look up from their phones or never get off the computer, it’s because they feel their life can only be accessed through those media avenues. To get them to realize that their story, their life, is not about what they’re thinking or Tweeting, but rather is about how they can live in a manner that reflects Jesus’ love for them, and others, is our challenge.

Our challenge, as church leaders, parents and adult role models, is to encourage them to build relationships with each other so they feel comfortable attending church events, can pray for each other, are excited to serve others and to be the kid at school that refuses to participate in gossip, befriends the person that isn’t necessarily popular and are generally more concerned with other students’ well being than their own.

Now we just have to figure out how to do this.

Don't Stop Believin'

What an exciting past three days at the NYG! Phil and I apologize that we didn't update the blog, but honestly, sleep came first, and that was still limited!
The past 3 days have been a whirlwind of events, concerts, mass gatherings, and general exploring of the city.

SATURDAY
Saturday was our first Mass Gathering, and for the kids who were first timers at a NYG, finally got a glimpse at just how many green backpacks there are wondering the streets of New Orleans. I think when some of them first heard that we're here with 25,000 youth and chaperons, they didn't comprehend what that number meant, after the first mass event they began to realize just how big this gathering is!

SUNDAY-LISTEN
Our first full day at the gathering started off with Bible study, then consisted of exploring the convention hall, and checking out a couple speakers. Tops ranged from 'No Strings Attached: Is God a Puppet Master or a Master of Poetry' (Rev. Bill Younker) to 'Questions You Can't Ask Your Mama' (Craig Gross) As a group, we ended the day at the convention center by going to a concert of a gathering favorite...Lost and Found!

MONDAY-LIVE
Monday started with a bright and early 9am Bible study. After that we went to the past of the have.ll that talked about ways to show your faith through the way you live. They also had arts and crafts, like pine cone buddies(they probably got the pine cones from the UP, I haven't seen many Pine trees down here...), watch for pictures, as the creations included Bert from Sesame Street, a penguin, a skier, and Pastor Hulke.

TUESDAY-LOOK
Today started off with another early Bible study, then a break for breakfast, the back to the convention center where the fun and craziness began, in the LOOK portion there was a couple halls just filled with different fun activities to do. Among the favorites were laser tag, huge trampoline, inflatable obstacle course, and Rock Band!

Tonight was in my opinion the climax of the gathering, the mass worship event. What an amazing experience to worship and take communion with 25,000 other Lutherans, how often do you get to do that? The worship service included a dance troupe, band, and choir all made up of high school students, and some of the were absolutely incredible!
It's hard to believe that the gathering is pretty much over and tomorrow morning it's time to pack and load up the bus again. After one final mass event we'll be on the road again!

Speaking of packing...I'd better get going!
~Jacki

Boom Chicka Boom

There were undoubtedly some moments, such as the days leading up to our Silent Auction, or trying to figure out how to bag 135 dozen orders of Christmas cookies, that I have to admit, I was relatively uncertain if all this work was “worth it”. This trip to New Orleans seemed to be ridiculously expensive, we weren’t stopping at a theme park on the way down and the uncertainty of what the return on this investment of time, money, resources, money and time might be.

However, if you were as lucky as I was last night, to see our 8 kids, walking off the Natchez Steamboat, completely drenched in sweat after dancing like fools on the ships’ 2nd deck, then chanting, laughing, smiling and goofing around on our walk back to the hotel, after a day in which they experienced a real Louisiana swamp and got to pet a 12 foot wild alligator, you would have unequivocally agreed with me that yes, it was all worth it.

Friday started with the Swamp Boat tour company calling and informing us that our 10am tour simply wasn’t going to happen. A fast moving thunderstorm was rolling off the Gulf (Pastor Weber would have been fascinated…SOUTH WINDS! 40-50MPH! Haha!) with high winds, lightening and rain. So, we decided to bump our tour back until 1pm, then told all our kids that instead of meeting at 8:45, we were meeting at 10:45am. In a way, I think it was the best thing that could have happened. Our kids all got to go back to sleep for an extra couple hours, and instead of rushing through a McDonalds or simply grabbing a muffin from Starbucks, our group was able to go to IHOP (I apologize…I really hope this is the one and only time we eat at a chain restaurant in Nawlins), get some real breakfast food and load up the bus rested, content and with full stomachs.

Arriving at the Arthur Matherne Airboat Tours was hilarious. Arthur himself, clad in shin-high white rubber boots with camouflage pants tucked into them, with an old t-shirt tucked in to those, with a camo hat on (I was beginning to think we were supposed to sneak up on the gators), was outside his gravel driveway smiling and waving. Of the first 5 sentences he spoke to us, I think we only were able to decipher about 10 words due to the speed and accent he spoke with.

The tour was phenomenal. Sitting across 3 rows of a large airboat, our hour long tour took us through at least 4 distinct swamp habitats, where we saw cypress trees, Spanish moss, great white egrets and Big Al. Big Al is a 12 foot gator who weighs close to 600 lbs. Our tour guides have, through the use of chicken, trained him to come up next to the boat and eat. All of our girls had the chance to pet him! The entire tour was great. A completely unique experience, and out guide was the perfect mix of funny and informative.

We got back from the tour too late to register, so we simply gave everyone an hour to chill and get ready. The girls got all dolled up (they really did look great) and the boys, well, Russell put on a polo and Jack and Ryan put on their NICEST t-shirts, so I guess that’s pretty good, and we headed off for our North Wisconsin District Event; a dinner cruise on the Natchez steamboat.

The dinner was ok, the boat was packed (we shared the event with the Oklahoma, South Dakota and Eastern Districts) and the cruise down the Mississippi past the Port of New Orleans was semi-interesting. However, when our girls discovered the dance floor on the 2nd deck, with a DJ getting ready to spin, that was when the night got fun.

I wasn’t there to witness it, but our 5 girls were the first and last ones on the dance floor. The boys joined in as well…and eventually after 12 attempts, they sent a crew of boys from WI to forcibly remove me from watching by side tables into the middle of the action. It was hilarious. Everyone was completely drenched in sweat, but we were also having a fantastic time.

On the way home from the hotel, we continued the party, chanting Boom-Chicka-Boom, getting other groups to join in on “I am a C, I am a C-H…) and were generally as loud as possible. Great night. Got back to the hotel around 9:30, went to the pool, the kids threw me in with my clothes on, and generally had a fantastic time doing group cannonballs and splashing each other.

Had a nice devotion to wrap up the evening and sent them to bed around 11:30. Today, we’re off to the Aquarium for a tour and to see an IMAX movie, then we’ll register, walk around the French Quarter and Bourbon St, grab some eats, then it’s time for the Opening Event at the Superdome! Let’s get this trip rolling! It’s been a phenomenal start and the kids are doing great…stay tuned for updates via Twitter!

New Orleans smells like...

After unloading our bus at 7:20, we promptly got into the lobby and waited. And waited. And waited. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the front of the desk, as the Marriott had only a manager and one other worker manning the desk (helpful, right?). Then the fun began.

Mainly the registration system used by the LCMS took forever for the worker (Robin) at the Marriott to figure out. It wasn’t really her fault at all…she was exceedingly pleasant, professional and compassionate, it was just a dumb way to register our kids into their rooms.

Finally, all three of our U.P. churches were able to get their room keys at 9:30pm. We all dropped off our stuff, met back in the lobby and split up. Ishpeming and Kingsford went off to a pizza place, while our crew, working off a tip from a hysterically funny security guard (Dennis…he’ll be here all week…ask Whitney about the story of him falling off a horse) went to find a place called Café Maspero. It was a fun walk of about 6 blocks down Decatur St in the French Quarter…just enough nightlife to give the kids a taste of New Orleans, but far enough away from Bourbon St that we weren’t exposed to anything too crazy. We found the place, and it does look fantastic (good cheap Creole sandwiches, Po-Boys and seafood), but it was closed.

A security guard on the corner outside of the restaurant directed us to a different place, three blocks away, however that too was no longer serving by the time we got there. THAT waiter then directed us to a different restaurant, however we simply couldn’t find that last night (I did figure out what he was talking about later after getting back to the hotel and looking at a map). So, at 10:30, we looped back towards our hotel, because we remembered seeing a pizza place with live music that looked open. On our way, the girls came to the conclusion that at night the streets of New Orleans smell like an intoxicating combination of seafood, spices, B.O., cigarettes, vomit and humidity. Pretty accurate.

Pizza was good. Music was good. Kids were pooped, but it was a fun night. Checked in with everyone at the end of the night for devotions…kids are doing good.

That’s all for now! Tomorrow we’ve got an airboat tour through a swamp at 10, registration, time to check out the French Quarter and Bourbon St (a little more appropriate in the daylight I think…) then we head off on our Riverboat dinner cruise with the rest of the Northern Wisconsin District.

Are We There Yet?

*I apologize, but it looks like you’ll be reading this post at some point on Friday, due to the fact that it’s been a very, very long night.*

Official diagnosis is that the bus is low on Freon, and we would have had to wait to leave Effingham until around 9:30am if we wanted it fixed. Kept the shades pulled and got everyone off the bus at our rest stops to let it cool down. The A/C isn’t broken, it just isn’t COLD. The temp was hovering around 72-74 most of the day, although it did get pretty sticky between 3-5pm, during the hottest part of the day.

Truthfully though, things went as quickly as 12 hours on a bus with limited A/C could go. These kids are troopers. No complaints, aside from the looks of pure boredom, mixed in with cramping and a dash of sweat from the warm temps.

I’m beginning to realize that this crew is a punctual group. Our 8 kids from Redeemer have been right on time for every check in, even our one at 5:40am today so we could meet to load the bus. We were on the road at 6am and almost everyone slept/dozed until our first rest stop at 9. It was a pretty quiet second leg as well, except for me and Jack singing along and laughing to The Jungle Book.

Stopped for lunch at McDonalds/Taco Bell. Jacki and Russell attempted to teach me and Aurora how to play Euchre, although I’m not sure if either one of us was paying attention.

Things picked up a little after lunch however, as our crew from Redeemer tried to figure out how to do balloon races down the aisle of the bus by attaching a balloon to a straw with dental floss strung through it. We think we figured it out, despite Jack and Russell attempting at one point to build a two stage rocket that might have received funding from NASA.

For our afternoon rest stop, the roadside state sponsored stop was under construction, so we ended up a little further off the highway at the “Country Junction” which was a stereotypical Southern trucker rest stop. What type of items are sold at a southern trucker rest stop? Well, we saw your standard array of snacks and drinks, pop (not sure why I think the plain white styrofoam cups at a pop fountain are so funny…), but also such necessities as Confederate flag du-rags, Confederate flag license plates, Confederate flag teddy bears, Confederate flag…well, you get the idea. Also, there was an impressive collection of glass and ceramic eagles, bears, deer and other awful looking trinkets. The highlight was, without a doubt the Krispy Kreme donuts that they were selling by the box. Mmmmmm.

Played a get to know-you-game with the entire bus, which helped to get everyone talking and laughing (more at me than with me I think). Chelsea had the guts to come up and engage me in a conversation over the mic using only her Forrest Gump impersonation. Good stuff.

Watched Ryan’s favorite movie, School of Rock this afternoon. He’s not lying about it either. I think I watched him watch the movie more than I watched the TV’s. The kid knows every word!

Whitney and Ang were pretty quiet most of the bus trip, although they did get quite a bit of enjoyment out of watching the two kids from WI directly in front of them take flirting to a new level. Chelsea once again allowed Aurora to use her as a gigantic body pillow (this is a slight exaggeration…it’s just funny to see how differently girls sleep all cuddled up on top of each other during bus rides).

Finally pulled into New Orleans around 7. Dropped off WI, got to the Marriott New Orleans at 7:20.

Day 2!

On the road at 6am...Nawlins, here we come!

Effingham....

Is a lovely place. Actually, we haven't really seen much of it. We arrived in town around 7:30pm and checked in to our hotel (Comfort Inn). Our bus drivers took us over into the restaurant area and everyone split up to grab some eats.

After returning to the hotel and getting our luggage off the bus, almost our entire group went down to enjoy the pool. We got a couple wicked whirpools going and simply relaxed.

The Kingsford crew has devotions tonight, then it's off to bed and up early. Too early. Meet at the bus at 5:45 early, for a full 12 hour day's worth of driving.

Big shout out to the staff at the Comfort Inn, who not only agreed to keep the pool open for us until 11pm, but are also setting out their continental breakfast at 5:15am to accommodate our early departure. GREAT STUFF!

The bus trip was a mix of fun, heat and boredom. Things were very fun, loud and exciting early on in the trip. However, as the bus filled up, the day warmed up, our A/C started to struggle. The bus company is sending over a repair man tonight...they think they know what the problem is (low freon). Say a little prayer (or a big one, actually) for that to get worked out!

The kids are all doing well. Everyone hung out with each other today - lots of laughs! Tomorrow, we're excited for Westward Ho! (The Dollar Store DVD we purchased), Disney movies, Transformers and getting to New Orleans!

-Phil

We're Off!

Long day today...departing Marquette at 7am, stopping in Ishpeming, Kingsford and Tomahawk, WI to pick up the other churches. Scheduled to arrive in Effingham, IL around 7pm CST!

Here's to meeting new people and making some new friends!!!

Who's Going

Believe it or not, by this time tomorrow, our group from Redeemer will have already been on the road for 2 hours!

Since you'll be seeing their names on this blog for the next 10 days, it's time for some introductions! Here's our terrific ten heading to the Big Easy.

Jack Albert - 12th grade, Marquette. This is Jack's 2nd NYG. It would be easy to simply describe Jack by his height (6'4"), but he's got a lot more to offer. Worked as a Junior Counselor at Camp Luther earlier this summer, is wicked smart, loves Conan the Barbarian and will be attending Valparaiso University in the fall.

Aurora Bostwick - 10th grade, Marquette. Aurora was legally contracted to come on this trip, since she makes Phil laugh. When she's not playing soccer, giving little kids skiing lessons, hanging out with friends or riding around town on the back of cars, she's trying to figure out how to beat one-legged tennis players.

Ryan Brown - 12th grade, Marquette. The elder Brown sibling attending the Gathering might appear to be simply a tall, laid back kind of guy. But give him a mic and watch him transform into a rock legend as the lead singer of The Brink. Ryan will be attending Northern Michigan in the fall.

Angela Brown - 9th grade, Marquette. The younger Brown sibling is not only one of the sweetest girls you'll meet, but is a three sport superstar, playing volleyball, skiing (I suppose you don't really play skiing...Ang ski's competitively for Marquette high) and softball. True story about Angela, I once talked to her after catching both games of a double-header in softball, and she was still nice to me.

Russell Kuczwara - 12th grade, Marquette. Russell completes the "Jack/Ryan/Russell" trifecta, but he's no third leg. Athletic, active and smart, Russell often would walk to church for Sunday School, uphill both ways, for 7 miles in the snow. Due to this tremendous dedication, he serves as the Senior Weather Correspondent for Redeemer Youth Ministry. Russell will be attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in the fall. Go Blue!

Rashael Salbert - 12th grade, Negaunee. Heading to the Gathering for the 2nd time, Rashael is truthfully one of busiest kids I know. Not only is she busy with band, figure skating and softball, she also somehow found the time to work at a veterinary clinic and a department store this year. I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep Rashael busy enough at the Gathering. Attending Northern Michigan in the fall!

Chelsea Salbert - 10th grade, Negaunee. Rashael's younger sister, Chelsea keeps busy hanging out with her closest friends, taking ridiculous facebook pictures, going to the beach as much as possible and cheerleading in the fall. Chels also is supremely talented at designing grad party invitations and climbing Sugarloaf. Chelsea also thinks that Negaunee high school is the best high school in America. Oh wait...

Whitney Stilwell - 9th grade, Marquette. Ms. Stilwell is another one of our athletically inclined young ladies attending the Gathering. One of the best skiers in Marquette (seriously), she also stars at volleyball and soccer. Is there anything this girl can't do?

CHAPERONS -
Jacki Thomas, er, Jacki Parmer - The recently wed Miss Thomas is now Mrs. Parmer, officially. Jacki has recently completed the LPN program at Northern Michigan and is living in Marquette with her husband Drew. Contrary to Drew's belief, Jacki is not simply Phil's +1, but rather the other chaperon attending the youth gathering. As a nurse, Jacki is also legally contracted to deal with any blood, bug bites, vomit or any other gross stuff that will cause Phil to faint. Jacki will also be helping to update this blog during the course of our week. Jacki is also our Senior Photography Correspondent.

Phil Morris - Funny, intelligent, tall, handsome, able to bench press close to 300lbs and speak 6 languages, Phil is the fearless leader of this group. Actually, that's not correct. Phil is afraid of many things, including: wild animals, bugs, spiders, black dogs, heights, drowning, swimming long distances, thunderstorms, scary movies and the dark. Also, Phil is not a fan of when people on blogs refer to themselves in the third person.

Well...that's our group! Looking forward to a great time!

Packing List

Did you misplace your packing list? Here's a reminder of what to bring and what to leave behind!

Haven't started packing yet?
Get MOVING!

Sending Ceremony, Part Deux

A big thank you to all the students, parents and prayer partners that were able to make it to the 10:45 service today to participate in our Sending Ceremony!

If you weren't there that's ok...but you can still be a part of our New Orleans experience! Stop by church this week and grab yourself a strip of our sending cloth, which will be left on the altar until we return! The idea behind cutting off pieces of the sending cloth is for the families and prayer partners that are participating in the Gathering from Marquette can place the strip of cloth in a place that will serve as a small reminder throughout the week to pray for our group!

Stop by the office at church for a Sending Cloth strip!

Sending Ceremony

We're down to the last few details! Looking forward to covering our itinerary, packing details and answering any last minute questions at our Parents Meeting at 9:30am.

Also, we got our Sending Cloth and Sending service set and ready to go! We're commissioning our 8 students and 2 chaperons at the 10:45 service on Sunday!