JRHI Bigstuf Day 4

Again day 4 comes around with mixed emotions.  Another day of camp is in front of us but we know it is the last day.  The morning session was beyond belief.  The Daraja Childrens Choir sang and led in worshp.  These children just arrived in the states and will be at Bigstuf each week.  Durnig the other times they will travel to churches spreading the Gospel with their voices.  They will be at CFUMC on June 26th and you don't want to miss it.  These children have such joy and the smiles on their faces are without compare.

The afternoon found us all on the beach for the 4th annual Solid Rock sandcastle building contest.  We had about 10 groups put a lot of time in each of their sculptures but only one came out victorious.  These are the winners in 08: Ginna Blair, Kate Marshall, Kaitlin Redford, Brooke Worsham and Lauren Venters.  We all had a great time hanging out together not to mention them trying to drown me on multiple occasions.  Anyone want to remind me why I do this?  No, just kidding.  We all then spread out and ate at local restaurants in the evening.

The evening session was eye opening for all of us I believe.  Jarod simply told the great story of God's love for us by animating the Bible from Genesis to the Cross.  We were all touched by the greatest story ever told.  There were 8 students from our group that laid their live at the cross for the first time.  Many others expressed later in our church group time that they feel their faith is at a place that it never has been before.  I challenge you as parents, leaders and peers to pray for everyone who was touched by Bigstuf this year to continue with what the Lord has started.

Ok, well I am on the charter bus on the way home as I write this and the wifi wont let me upload pics.  So, I will add some to this post later....

PG

JRHI Bigstuf Day 3

I just now uploaded our day 2 post and it is the morning of day 4.   Man, we have been so busy that I have literally had no time to tune you guys in.  So, I am frantically typing before the morning session so you will know what is happening.   I am very tired this morning as your little angels were tossing shaving cream at each other around 1 am last night.  It looked like we were having a white Christmas in June in PC......

I have to say that last nights session has been the most impactful yet.  The entire night was centered on the idea of pain.  Yea, I know that sounds a little off the beaten path for youth camp, but was right on for what our students needed.  Since our theme is Broadcast it ended up on whether the pain we go through is broadcast through a mirror or a window.  Do we look only at ourselves when we go through pain.  Are we center stage?  Do we want everyone to pity us and soak up all the attention.  Or, do we broadcast through a window?  Do we allow our pain to be transparent so that God will get the glory?

During our church group time after the big session so many shared pain that they

 have been kept bottled up for a long time.  It was such a touching moment as students who had not been friends loved on each other and we cared for those among us who were hurting.  Bigstuf is turning out again to touch lives and change the course of our lives.  Please encourage your son/daughter to share with you what God did in their lives this week.

McKinley Shunn was on stage tonight sharing her story of struggle and how God has worked through her pain to be glorified.

God bless and will let you know what happens on this eventful 4th day.

Thanks to Katie Brewer for being the most awesomest intern ever!   And that she turned Chris down for a date!!!!!!!!!!

PG

SRHI Bigstuf Day 5

Well, Senior High Bigstuf is over and everyone is home safe and sound. It was a great week and everyone have a wonderful time. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts as we were away.........Time to start another week, Junior High this time.....

WHAT WAS I THINKIN????!!!!!!!!

Please pray for this upcoming week and I will keep you posted.

p.s. Will add group photo after lunch....lol

PG

SRHI Bigstuf Day 4

Day 4 is always filled with mixed emotions. First of all everyone is totally cranked up especially when worship time comes. The night worship went until almost 11 pm. The cool thing is that no one seemed to mind. Hearts were drawn close to the Father and many lives were revived and renewed. Secondly, the day is kind of sad as everyone knows that we will be going home soon. Through it all this has been a great week where many memories were made and friendships started.

Here is another quick note from one of our students:

When I came to Big Stuf this year, I was not prepared to have such an impactful time. I thought it would be fun, but I would ultimately just witness other people finding God. But the last night really spoke to me. The worship was amazing and I felt like my faith was quenched with the awesomeness of God smiling on me, and touching my heart. The feeling of Jesus all around me, holding me, making me safe, is basically indescribable, and worshipping Him is just as great. I hope you feel Christ in your heart like I did tonight. God is great, and a quote that stands out in my mind now is “God doesn’t blink”. Just some thoughts.
-Carter Owens

Day four comes to an end and many lives have been changed. Have you allowed God to do a new work in you this week. We should never go a day without experiencing God in a few and fresh way. So, seek him and know him as you never have before.

PG

SRHI Bigstuf Day 3

Thanks guys for tuning in and checking out what’s happening down here in PC. Everyone is having a blast and having a great time. Thought I would let some students shout out to you....

SUP everybody?? Everybody knows that we hear how awesome Bigstuf is. This is an actual person telling you that it is AWESOME. In all honesty, This is one of the best years that we have had. We started off today by the normal “breakfast shifts”, but i thought that this morning would be a slightly deeper session (with Jared) and he would recap on what Stuart had taught us and brought to our attention. I was WRONG! Jared as you know has one of the best ‘down-to-earth’ ways to put it his message in the lingo that is easy for for us to gather the concept. We have had a rough time coming to terms with our errors in which we go through our day to day life. Don’t get me wrong, when i say that, it actually a good thing. Many people think that when they lie, it might be okay, or ‘alright if i tell them the truth later’ attitude. Without trying to ruin it for you because this is an experience that you have to have first hand, Bigstuf is so AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!:) You will honestly have

 a motivation to be a better person within forty-eight hours of being here. For those that are just coming only to chill at tha beach, I strongly encourage you to reconsider why you are coming. God is Amazing. He gave you life. He lets you live from day to day. So Live Loud, Live Clear, and Live True.

-Michael Venters

Tonight's session was so amazing. There was no speaker, no great visual effects only stories. Stories of students from Bigstuf who have encountered unspeakable painful experiences and have seen God’s glory through it all. Through these stories many of our own students and leaders found themselves confronted with the fact that pain is a regular part of our lives. I do believe that much healing began in many lives tonight.

So, there you go.....day 3

PG

SRHI Bigstuf Day 2

So Day 2 ended up being an eventful day

Of course Solid Rock is taking over Bigstuf 08.  During the morning session Lindsey Horton ended up on stage playing simon says in front of 1500 people.  She came in third place which came without a prize......huh......  Anyway, the session was great.  Stuart Hall challenged us to do some heart editing.  That it doesn't matter what you change on the outside until you clean out the inside of your heart......right on!   Check out Matthew 23:26-28.  So, what beats in your heart?

The afternoon was spent on the beach, soaking up the rays.  Ok, so I was out on the sandbar with some guys and we saw a stingray.  That was pretty cool, but when five more showed up I took off.  They say that when you see a bear it's not important that you are the fastest runner in the crowd, just don't be v the slowest.   So, I sacrificed one of our own for my benefit.  Well, not really, but I definately wasn't the last out of the water.  And we won our first round in the volleyball tourney.  It was the easiest game ever as the other team didn't show.

At the beginning of the night session a star was born.  They have been playing an inhouse version of "Don't forget the lyrics."  So our very own Caroline Batch was picked bc some of her roomies dressed up and made a scene in order to be noticed.  Like I said, Solid Rock is owning Bigstuf 08.  Ok, so she makes it to the third round and draws out Michael Jacksons-Thriller.  Are you kidding me!  Yea it's like Caroline sits around and listens to MJ all day long.  Well she won some prizes and that was cool.  This session we talked about truth and how important it is to speak truth.  Decide to speak the truth-anything else keeps you from broadcasting your intended message!

Ok, well that was day 2.....see you in the morn!

PG