Momentum Student Ministry

Quebec Mission Trip Pictures

2009-07-29T11:23:00.000-04:00

OK. I have been able to at least finalize the pictures from our Quebec trip on my flickr account. I plan to do this with all of our trip pictures from the summer, and will announce the completion of those on here. So, keep an eye out. Hopefully they will be done by the end of the week.

Anyway, you can see the completed Quebec trip album by following the link below. I have successfully been able to narrow them down to 300! haha! So, enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/sets/72157621758374851/

Quebec Trip Update 7.25.09

2009-07-25T05:01:00.000-04:00

Well, it is 5am, we have just completed check-in in the Burlington airport, and we are ready to come home!

We had an INCREDIBLE last day in Rawdon. The weather held out for one more day, and God really blessed as it threatened to rain throughout the morning. I had the opportunity to share the Gospel very clearly to not only the kids, but also several parents who were hanging around. Ron was pretty blown away with the response. I had two adults approach me to talk further after camp, as did Ron. As far as we know now, no one actually placed their faith in Jesus yesterday, but Ron is expecting a few new faces in his congregation on this Sunday. The Holy Spirit's activity was so evident, as several adults shared with Ron and me that the Gospel was presented more clearly than they had ever heard. So, please continue to pray for all those that heard the message on Friday. It really was an amazing day.

Thank you so much for all of the prayers on our behalf this past week. We were all blown away by the weather, the turnout, and the response to devotions each day. We have all made wonderful new friends who we will miss so badly! But, we are also ready to be home. It was an exhausting week, but a great one.

I will post A LOT of pictures later, but here is a link to about 10 more new ones, in addition to all that have already been posted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/?saved=1

Quebec Trip Update 7.23.09

2009-07-23T21:04:00.000-04:00

Hello from Quebec!

We have had a very full day, but an awesome one!! We began with camp where we again had almost 40 kids. God has been so faithful in keeping away the rain, and again our day was filled with great weather! As I shared today during the devotion time, about 6 parents gathered around to hear, as well, which was a huge blessing. Please pray for tomorrow, as I will share the Gospel with the kids, and then Ron will have the same opportunity after camp with the kids and their parents at a cookout. Big day, to say the least.

After camp, we enjoyed an afternoon at Arbraska, which is the high ropes course here in Rawdon. It was incredible, and the ones who participated really had a great time! We did the Tarzan jump, the long zipline, and then the extreme course.

We are really tired after a long week, and really appreciate your prayers tomorrow as we close out the week. I only added a couple new pictures, as not many were taken today. But, you will see some from the day, if you want to follow the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/

I will try to have another update tomorrow night before our departure, as I have finally found a couple of places in the village where I can get internet access.

Quebec Trip Update 7.22.09

2009-07-22T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hello from Canada! We are having an awesome week here. God has really blessed us with the weather so far this week. It was suppose to really rain today, which even almost caused Ron and I to move camp indoors to a gym this morning. But, we decided to just see what happens, and the result was sunshine before the end of camp…and NO rain! So, we have had a great day.

We were able to do some ministry the past couple of days during the afternoon, as well. One Monday and Tuesday, we spent the afternoon painting for the city of Rawdon, touching up some fencing around some of their places in town. This is a big deal, because after the jobs are complete, the mayor will give credit to Ron’s church for the job in the paper, bringing some more notoriety to his congregation.

Today we went to a couple of intersections in town and gave away free bottled water. It really is amazing to watch people respond to grace! The bottles each had a label on them with the church information, Ron’s number and Scripture. In just under 2 hours, we gave away 2,008 bottles of water!! Needless to say, we are tired! It has been a long week already, but an amazing week.
Ron also took us around Rawdon today to tell our team a little more about the big 3 churches here in Rawdon. Some of you will remember me telling about them last year. For those who didn’t get to hear that, I will write a blog a little later just on that topic. Just pray for the people in Rawdon. So many have been in bondage for so long by empty, dark religion.

So, that is a quick update, but hopefully it will tell you about our last couple of days. If you will follow the link, I have posted a little over couple of days. If you will follow the link, I have posted a little over 30 more pictures for you to see. Thanks for the continued prayers!! Pray for the weather tomorrow, as we are expecting rain again.

Link for pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/

Quebec Trip Update

2009-07-19T15:38:00.000-04:00

Here is a quick update from Quebec:

I will only have internet access at Ron's house, so I will try to put up as many updates this week as possible. We had the opportunity to spend our first full day here in Quebec City yesterday. It was a 3 hour drive, but well worth it!! It is a BEAUTIFUL place, and I can't wait till I have more time to upload all of the pictures we have from the day.

We worshiped with Ron and his church, Renaissance this morning, which was a great eperience for us. It is always an incredible experience to worship with people with whom we are partnering.

Well, here are some pictures for you to look at from our first little bit here. Thanks for your continued prayers, especially for the rain to stay away, as we begin baseball camp tomorrow morning. So far we have 30 kids signed up, but there were 55 at basketball camp last week, and Ron expects us to have some show up above the 30 already signed up.

You can see pictures by following this link...http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/?saved=1.

Pray for the Canada Team

2009-07-15T15:32:00.001-04:00

Well, one more mission trip for the summer and we will be finished. This time the destination is to our Samaria, which we have labelled North America. It is so hard to even think about that. This year has simply flown by! It has been a hard, tiring summer, but an incredible one as I have had the opportunity to watch our students serve and grow.

Our last stop is to Rawdon, Quebec, Canada. We will be once again partnering with Ron Young, who is a church-planter from Georgia. We will be working with his church, Renaissance, in facilitating a baseball camp for the children in the area. He tells me that 30+ kids are already signed up, with the hopes that the numbers will be well into the 40's by the time camp starts on Monday.

The members of our team are:

Jason Engle

Michelle Dodson

Annie Hoxie

Rachel Creel

Bethany Rauscher

Noelle Hayward

Scott Brooks

Caleb Sharpe

At the end of the week, Annie and Noelle will stay behind and be joined by Sonya Hoxie, Barbara Anderson and Kimmi Anderson in order to help with the soccer camp that takes place the following week. So, please especially pray for Noelle and Annie as they will be in Rawdon for 2 whole weeks!

As for our team, please pray for a couple of specific requests:

1. Of course, travel. On-time planes and safety for our team.

2. Weather! Ron tells me it has been really rainy the past several days, and the forecast calls for rain for 3 of the 5 days we will have camp. Pray that God would send the rain to North Carolina next week, instead!

3. For the children who come and hear the Gospel. Pray that God would continue to work in their hearts as they hear His story. Some of these students will have participated in a basketball camp already. Pray for some new children to show up for our camp.

4. Pray for the parents of the children, as Ron will share the Gospel with them on Friday.

5. Pray for our families as we leave them for 8 days. Selfishly, I ask prayer for my wife. This will be the 4th week that I will be away from her this summer...and the 5th that I will have been away from Emma.

Once again, I will be providing updates as much as possible as we are there, so keep checking back here for those. Thanks in advance for the prayers, as we anticipate a big God doing big things through us as we follow His call!

Momentum Update (Beach Trip)

2009-07-14T15:02:00.000-04:00

I hope you are having a good week. I know it has been good for me to have a full week at home before shoving off once again to Canada this Friday. The team and I appreciate your prayers as we travel and serve from Friday to next Saturday.

Once again, the time will be short between returning from that trip and departing once again for the beach trip. So, before I leave, I want to make sure that we have already set the time for our parent's and student's meeting for that trip. That meeting will take place on Monday night, July 27th, at 6pm in the old sanctuary. I will have general information to give you that night about the trip, but will also be available to answer any questions you might have at that time.

Please be prepared to pay the balance for your student(s) by that night. The total cost for the week is $115. Just about everyone who is signed up so far has paid the down payment of $50, so your remaining balance due would be $65. If you will not be able to make the meeting, please email me ASAP so we can make other arrangements for that. I need to be able to turn in that remaining money to our financial secretary that next morning in preparation for paying the balance owed to the retreat center.

Also, there are STILL SPOTS AVAILABLE for anyone who has not signed up, but would like to go. Remember, though, the stipulation is that everyone who attends the beach trip has been involved in missions over the summer. Please do not let financial issues keep you from going. If you would like to go and cannot make the payment, see me and we will try to work something out. I would love for EVERYONE who participated in missions this summer to be able to go. A BIG part of the week will be each mission team sharing each night about their trip and what they witnessed God do through them in their area of service. So, I want each student to have the opportunity to share.

Well, I will be in Canada, of course, all of next week. But, I will have access to internet, so please shoot me an email with any questions you may have. If not, I will plan on seeing you on that Monday night after we return. Again, if you cannot make the meeting, but your student plans on attending the beach trip, please email me ASAP so I will know.

High School Raleigh Update 7/8/09

2009-07-08T17:08:00.000-04:00

Well, we had an interesting morning in Raleigh today, to say the least. You may have heard about the young man who police in Raleigh are presently searching for after he shot 3 people earlier this morning. Well, that guy's car is where we intersect with that story...see, his car was found parked just in front of the community center where we were to have Kids Club this afternoon at Raleigh North. Needless to say, Kids Club was cancelled. The police who were there informed us of the situation and we quickly returned to the church.

Please join us in praying for that entire situation as the day comes to an end. Please pray that the guy would be caught so that we can return to Raleigh North tomorrow and have one more opportunity to share the Gospel with the children there.

Cedar Point Kids Club tonight is uneffected, and we will have club as planned. There will probably not be another update until tomorrow night's final update from Raleigh. Thanks for the prayers!

High School Raleigh Trip 7/7/09

2009-07-07T21:39:00.000-04:00

We had a great day today here in Raleigh! But, it started off with some sad news. Scott informed us that some kids had broken into the community center at Raleigh North (which is where we have our afternoon kids club) and had messed up the area. Some trash had been strewn around and the sidewalk chalk had been stolen and used to write some obscene messages on walls / doors / sidewalks. So, we started our time there helping the crew clean up the mess. It was a great opportunity to show the community our love as we cleaned up the mess. Then, it was finally time for Kids Club!

We had about the same number today, which was good, but the kids were a little more rowdy, which made it more of a challenge. Our students really showed off their creativity today, which was a great thing to see! Ben led the kids in learning hand motions that helped them learn 1 Peter 5:7..."Cast your burdens onto Jesus; He cares for you." Kimmi and Annie then led the students in presenting a skit illustrating the story of Jesus calming the storm. Our central truth was that Jesus is in control of all things and we can trust Him with everything.

Tonight, instead of a Kids Club at Cedar Point, we had a community-wide block party. We really had a blast!! The turn out was pretty good, and a lot of people heard the message of the Gospel. Again, our students responded well and really did a good job interacting with all of the people there.

Tomorrow we have our two kids clubs again, and the schedule will return to normal. Thanks for the prayers, and you can see our pictures from today here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/?saved=1.

High School Raleigh Trip - 7/6/09

2009-07-06T22:44:00.000-04:00

Well, today was a great first day here in Raleigh. The students did such an incredible job today, especially for the first day! Working to confirm the key term of flexibility that is a mission trip to Raleigh, our plans changed for the week slightly in the way of the sites that we will be serving while here. As planned, we will continue to have a Kids Club in the community of Raleigh North from 12:30 to 2:30 each afternoon. However, instead of having a club in Walnut Terrace from 6:30 to 8:30 each evening, we will be serving in Cedar Pointe, instead.

Ben and Caleb did an exceptional job leading songs by playing guitar today. Scott told me that it had been some time since the children experienced instrument-led songs, so they really seemed to enjoy it. Jackie and Maggie helped out on the vocals, and did a great job as well. Jeremy led the Bible verse, and did a really good job of explaining what it means to love others as we would want to be loved. Sarah-Marie then taught the kids the story of the Good Samaritan, which helped them to understand that Jesus has commanded us to love everyone, even our enemies.

Everyone else helped out with games and sitting / participating with the kids during the club. All-in-all a great first day of club! We had around 35 kids at Raleigh North, with 45 showing up for the Cedar Pointe club.

Tomorrow we will have a slight change of plans, too, as we will have a block party at Cedar Pointe, instead of Kids Club. Please be in prayer for that, as we will have the opportunity to meet and talk to parents and other adults who show up for food at the party. Thanks for the prayers, and I will continue to try to add updates each night at about this time.

Pictures from the day can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/?saved=1.

Raleigh High School Trip

2009-07-06T06:58:00.000-04:00

Well, we are off again!! We have already made stops in our Judea and to the ends of the earth this summer; now it's time for a return to Judea...our state, and more specifically, Raleigh. This time the high schoolers will be going with an agenda that includes running 2 Kids Clubs each day, and a block party on Thursday night. During the week, our students will have the opportunity to share Jesus with over 100 children. So, please pray for us as we head out this morning. The names of those who will be going are:

Jason Engle

Craig Hoxie

Sonya Hoxie

Annie Hoxie

Barbara Anderson

Sarah-Marie Rosin

Ben Abele

Jackie Anderson

Maggie Russell

Mikhayla Dunn

Brooke Garrett

Matt Bowen

Jeremy Bowen

Elisa Abele

Kimmi Anderson

Bethany Rauscher

Caleb Sharpe

Charity Sharpe

Noelle Hayward

Nicholas Frisbee

Bianca Scott

Your prayers are very much appreciated...especially for the students as they lead in all aspects of the Kids Clubs during the week. As with the other trips, I will provide blog updates with pictures throughout the week. Just keep checking back! We will return home on Friday during mid-morning.

Hungary Update 6/2/09

2009-07-02T03:38:00.000-04:00

By the time you read this, we will be on a plane heading home!! It has been a great trip, but I think that all of us are ready to be with our families and back in good 'ole Roxboro! We appreciate your prayers as we travel.

Yesterday was a good day wherein we had the opportunity to see more of the city of Budapest. The two primary stops were the Parliament and the Basillica. Both are amazing buildings, and we got to go inside each of them. Our Parliament tour was shortened due to the fact that they were preparing for the arrival of the Prime Minister from Slovenia.

After a lunch at McDonalds, we were ready for some rest, so we walked back to the dorm for a nap! We at dinner at an incredible place called Hemingway, and then it was back to the top of the Citadella to end the night.

I have just finished breakfast and must go back and finish packing. Again, thanks for the prayers throughout our trip, and we look forward to seeing the familiar sites of home tonight!

Pictures from yesterday can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/?saved=1.

Hungary Update 6/30/09

2009-06-30T18:03:00.000-04:00

Just a very quick note about the day and then a link to new pictures, as it is just past midnight here in Budapest!

After an afternoon at the market, our team had the opportunity to go to one of my favorite places

on earth tonight...the Citadella. The Citadella is located at the top of Gellert Hill, but if you have ever climbed it, you would swear that it should be called Gellert Mountain! At least Mount Gellert...oh well. The view of all of Budapest from atop the hill is one that literally takes your breath away. Once again, pictures can simply not do it any justice, although I have added some for you to see.

Tomorrow is an early day...as well as a long day. One of Jerry's friends has set up a private tour of the Parliament here in Budapest, which has us all quite excited! So, hopefully I will have another update tomorrow with more pictures.

New pictures can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/lzs2kt.

Hungary Update 6/29/09

2009-06-29T17:32:00.000-04:00

It's late and I have to get in the bed...big day tomorrow as we travel to Budapest and begin to explore the city! We have officially spent our last day in Szarvas. We have had a wonderful time getting to know the students and hate to have to say goodbye. Please continue to pray that the Gospel message that they have heard will take root and hearts will be changed. Pray that the students, as well as the parents, will be drawn to the Szarvas church where they can continue to hear the Scriptures revealed and taught.

After English class and lunch today, we all went to the riverside for the entire afternoon. While there, the local TV network showed up and interviewed some of the kids, Zsolti and me. Pray that many would watch that, as well as our church service from Sunday as they will all be aired in the coming days.

We did have a great last day here. The time at the river was a lot of fun. We had a traditional Hungarian stew for supper, which was delicious. The students had worked on a small production of David and Goliath, which they performed for us and the parents. They did a great job!! I took a video of it and plan on posting it in the near future.

After all that excitement, it was off for one last visit to our beloved ice cream shop. Catherine had 5 scoops of her favorite rasberry, which she declares "has her taken!" Charity cracked us all up as she asked the woman for a scoop of all 12 flavors!! Not sure how a bowl with flavors such as banana, peach, rasberry, chocolate, lemon, etc...could taste very good, but she seemed to enjoy it till the very end! Actually, her bowl is the picture at the top of this post, along with a picture of the ice cream shop. For those of you who have visited Szarvas on previous visits, you will understand!

Anyway, our time here in Szarvas is done. We meet Zsolti at 8am in the morning to head to Budapest. Thank you for your prayers as we ministered to the students over the past days. We appreciate your continued prayers as we head home on Thursday!

New pictures are posted here: http://tinyurl.com/lzs2kt.

Hungary Update 6/27/09

2009-06-27T16:46:00.000-04:00

We had a very busy day today here in Szarvas! After English camp and some lunch, our team had the opportunity to go and visit a historical site about an hour away. It really reminded some of us of some of the historical sites in Williamsburg, VA, complete with trails that led to different buildings and replicas of old Hungary.

First, we went inside a museum that housed a 360 degree panoramic picture that kind of told the history of Hungary's beginnings. It was pretty amazing. The picture was painted in 1894. After being really damaged during World War II, it was restored and placed back on display in 1994, commemorating its 100 year anniversary. What made the picture even more amazing was the setting that had been built underneath it that came all the way to the platform we stood on in viewing it. The landscaping was done so well that it was really hard to figure out where the painting ended and the landscape began. It was really an incredible site. The only down side was that we were forbidden to take any pictures of it! So, sorry about that. I wish we could have!

Also in that building were several show rooms that displayed different aspects of Hungary's early culture...from tools to jewelry, clothing to buildings. Also, on the top floor, we were able to visit a wax museum that housed statues of mostly Hungarian kings throughout history, as well as some other notable characters.

I only wish we didn't run out of time as we explored the outside of the museum. We saw old replicas of Hungarian huts, windmills and other buildings. It was a really neat experience. Thanks to Jerry and Marjorie, who suggested that we go there today after they had been some years back.

Tonight, the main judge in Szarvas, who attends Zsolti's church, allowed us to have near-exclusive use of the indoor community pool and spa. I think we all feel really relaxed tonight! It really did make us feel good after so much walking in the past several days!

Tomorrow I will preach at Condros church at 9:30am. Then, our whole team will attend Szarvas church at 3pm, where I will preach again. I appreciate your prayers as we share in both services!

You can follow the following link to see our pictures from today's trip to see historic Hungary: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/?saved=1.

I will have another update for you tomorrow or Monday!

Hungary Update 6/26/09

2009-06-26T16:11:00.000-04:00

It has been a very full couple of days for our team!!

Yesterday, after English camp, the students went swimming while our team took the opportunity to explore a little bit of the city...and some ice cream! What a beautiful place Szarvas is. While walking past the ice cream shop, we stumbled upon an incredible old brick church. We returned to the dorm for Hungarian Goulash and bed.

Today, instead of English camp, we broke up into teams with the students for a scavenger hunt throughout the city. I think it's pretty safe to say that there is not much of Szarvas that we have not seen!! It was a long walk. It took most teams a little over 3 hours to complete. It was a lot of fun. Most of the clues for the students were in English, and we were only able to help them in certain situations. This evening our team went to a local restaurant for supper. Of course the biggest challenge was ordering...but, the menu happened to be in Hungarian, French, and English! We all ahd great meals. After supper we returned to the ice cream shop for dessert. That was my dessert tonight...the picture at the top. It was incredible!

Funny story from the day: Just after leaving the ice cream shop, we were walking in front of the movie theatre. I was taking some pictures of the movie posters in Hungarian when I heard this very loud thud. When I looked up, all I saw was a big pigeon falling toward me...and he wasn't flapping his wings! He ended up landing on my shoulder and falling down my arm!! It scared the junk out of me!!! The girls filled with compassion for the bird as it gasped for air. In the end the contact with the window was too much, as we watched him take his last breaths. Unbelievable.

New pictures can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/?saved=1

Thanks for your continued prayers! I look forward to giving another update soon!

Hungary Update 6/24/09

2009-06-24T11:19:00.000-04:00

We have made it safe and sound here in Szarvas...now complete with Hannah...but sadly without her luggage. We are hoping that it will turn up any time now.

We have had 2 great days of English camp now, having 30+ each day! We have also enjoyed getting to know the children and visiting with our Hungarian friends.

We will be meeting with Zsolti's home group here at our dorm tonight at 7pm. We will sing songs, fellowship, and Zsolti has asked me to give a devotion. Tomorrow, after camp, we will go horseback riding with the children.

Thanks for your prayers, and I look forward to updating this blog each day to let you know what is going on here in Hungary! After realizing how difficult it is to format pictures in this blog, I have decided to just provide a link to pictures each time I update. So, please follow the link below to see some initial pictures from the past 2 days. Thanks so much for the prayers!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28007240@N08/?saved=1

Hungary Mission Trip

2009-06-20T18:52:00.000-04:00

Please be in prayer for our student ministry Hungary mission team as we travel and minister over the next 12 days. The members of the team are...

Jason Engle
Jerry Clayton
Marjorie Clayton
Catherine Wilson
Caitlin Rauscher
Hannah Reynolds
Sarah-Marie Rosin
Charity Sharpe

Please pray especially for Hannah tonight and tomorrow as there is a chance she will not be able to join us on the trip. We will be asking for special favor from the airline tomorrow at the airport because of the circumstance.

We will be leading English language camps for 5 days in Szarvas, which is the town in which Zsolti leaves and ministers. I (Jason) will hve the opportunity to preach both at Zsolti's house church in Szarvas, as well as in the church he pastors in Condros on Sunday, the 28th. Like last time, there is a good chance that the Szarvas service will be televised and broadcasted to the whole city. Please pray that people will watch and that the gospel would be presented clearly.

As with the Raleigh trip last week, I will be providing updates about our trip, complete with pictures, as much as possible. So, please keep checking back. I will be adding this entry to my personal blog, as well, so if you want to see the updates keep checking back at http://www.westwoodmomentum.blogspot.com/.

Thanks in advance for the prayers!!

Middle School Raleigh Trip Update #4

2009-06-17T20:34:00.000-04:00

We have had a great last full day here in Raleigh. Spent some time with some more kids, passed out some more flyers, and then had a good time eating and fellowshipping together. Thanks so much for your prayers as we have been working this week. We have had no serious injuries and have completed so many tasks. Our students have been a joy to work with this week. It has been so much fun watching them relate and minister to the children all week long. God has already answered a prayer in that many of the students have voiced great joy in loving on the children this week. Please pray that this would result in lasting change in their lives.

Tomorrow we will canvas one last community, then we will be heading back home. Here are some pictures from the day...

Middle School Raleigh Trip Update #3

2009-06-17T09:44:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know what our day has in store for us today. First, this morning, we will do some canvassing at a community called Bradford North. After lunch, we will have a Kids Club out at a community called Walnut Terrace. Because of the busy schedule here at the church tonight, we will then have a good time together by going out to eat and then some putt-putt!

More updates with pictures coming later today!

Middle School Raleigh Trip Update #2

2009-06-16T21:38:00.000-04:00

We have had a great evening here in Raleigh! We were able to go canvassing at a community called Cedar pointe. After that, we had the opportunity to play with some children at a community called Raleigh North. Please pray for this community especially. Scotty B. informed me tonight that it has become one of the most ravaged community in Raleigh because of its gang presense and violence.

After that, we went and helped at a Kids Club at a community called The Oaks. It is a relatively new community. Scotty B. had told us to expect only a few kids, but we ended up having well over 30!!

After all of our hard work today, we then got to go and relax at a local favorite, Goodberrys. All in all, it was a great day. We really feel like we accomplished a lot. Thanks for the prayers, and here are some pictures from the afternoon and evening...

Middle School Raleigh Trip Update #1

2009-06-16T12:19:00.000-04:00

Our students have been hard at work both yesterday and today here in Raleigh! Yesterday, after some lunch, we helped out with a Kids Club out at a community called Cedar Pointe. This morning, the girls helped clean out and scrub down the food pantry, while the guys scrubbed the coolers for summer use. Here are some pictures of the students hard at work!

Later in the morning, we were able to help clean out and re-pack the block-party bus. The rain hasn't been able to stop us from serving so far!

I have been very proud of our students so far. Please be praying that God will do incredible things within their hearts during the rest of the trip! Keep checking back for more updates!

Pray for our Mission Team this week!

2009-06-14T22:26:00.000-04:00

Just want to ask you to please remember to pray for our team as we work and minister in Raleigh this week. Our team consists of middle schoolers, and our primary objective is to help the staff of Mission Raleigh as they prepare to welcome other mission teams this summer that will conduct Kids Clubs. Our team members are:

Forrest Hayward
Glen Hutchins
Josh Sharpe
Kimmi Anderson
Mackenzie Boston
Hannah Creel
Kelsey Gentry
Kelsie Holt
Savannah Hourigan
Jason Engle
Erin Engle
Rhonda Holt
Barbara Anderson

We depart on Monday (6/15) morning at 9am and will be returning on Thursday (6/18) afternoon.

YS Parents Newsletter (6/11/09)

2009-06-11T09:53:00.000-04:00

Parent Newsletter

Tools for Parenting Teens

Learn Their Lingo

Movie Reviews

Links to Learn From

A Little Encouragement...And Humor

1. Tools for Parenting Teens

From http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/

Becoming Who They Are

Identity formation has always been a big deal for kids—figuring out on an unconscious, unspoken level the idea of themselves they will hold on to. But now kids are being asked to describe their identity very specifically every time they…

Read More:

http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/article/becoming_who_they_are/

Featured Resource: Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television

This book won’t tell your kid what they should not listen to or watch. Instead, this book is filled with principles to help them gain the wisdom needed to help make wise choices about what they choose to be entertained by.

*Save 20% off the retail price of “Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television” when you use Coupon Code RWPN105 and order by 6/30/09.

http://www.realworldparents.com/store/item/wisdom_on_music_movies_and_television/

2. Learn Their Lingo

DWT = Driving While Texting. Operating a motor vehicle while texting friends on your cell.

Beat Feet = To leave a selected area.

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

Land of the Lost

A remake of the classic kids show starring Will Ferrell sounded like comedy gold, but even most secular critics have panned the film, now a…

Read Review:

http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/land_of_the_lost/

Drag Me to Hell

Obviously, we’re not recommending that kids and teens see the graphically disturbring andoddly PG-13 rated “Drag Me to Hell.” However, many kids will do…

Read Review:

http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/drag_me_to_hell/

4. Links to Learn From

Inside the School Nurses Office [The Drug & Alcohol Scene]
http://news.drugfree.org/2009/05/20/inside-the-school-nurse%E2%80%99s-office-a-month-in-the-life/

TV can impair speech development of young children [USA Today]
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-06-01-TVandkids_N.htm

Can Better Parenting Reduce Risk of Unsafe Teen Sex? [Modern Medicine]
http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Obstetrics%2FGynecology+&+Women%27s+Health/Can-better-parenting-reduce-risk-of-unsafe-teen-se/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/602125?contextCategoryId=40157

5. A Little Encouragement...And Humor

When you see me now, I'm nothing but a big overgrown tough mama's boy. And I speak that with glee because the problem with society is we don't have enough mama's boys.

- Mr. T.

6/4/09 Student Worship Talk

2009-06-09T16:49:00.001-04:00

Thoughts on the Great Commission...

YS Parents Newsletter (6/3/09)

2009-06-04T11:40:00.000-04:00

Tools for Parenting Teens
Learn Their Lingo

Movie Reviews

Links to Learn From

A Little Encouragement...And Humor

1. Tools for Parenting Teens
From http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/

Clean Hands Empty Hearts

More than in any other season of life, kids and teenagers are dominated by rules and rewarded for good behavior. Is it surprising that some of them get the idea that what God cares most about it our performance instead…

Read More:

http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/article/clean_hands_empty_hearts/

Featured Resource: Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television

*Save 20% off the retail price of “Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television” when you use Coupon Code RWPN105 and order by 6/30/09.

http://www.realworldparents.com/store/item/wisdom_on_music_movies_and_television/

2. Learn Their Lingo

Number “9” = Text or IM lingo for "Parent is watching"

Number “99” = Parent is no longer watching

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

Up

“Up” is a fantastic movie and a natural addition to Pixar’s library. The story is also laugh-out-loud funny, but it’s built on a foundation of…

Read Review:

http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/up/

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

The first “Night at the Museum” movie was a big hit with families back in 2006, and we’d expect this madcap, silly misadventure to do…

Read Review:

http://www.realworldparents.com/movies/review/night_at_the_museum_battle_of_the_smithsonian/

4. Links to Learn From

Are Sexy Sims Hurting Girls?
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2009/05/27/the-consult-are-sexy-sims-hurting-girls-and-other-news-from-around-the-web.aspx

Prepping Kids for College Stress
http://www.realworldparents.com/blog/article/prepping_kids_for_college_stress/

Study: TV can impair speech development of young children - USATODAY.com
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-06-01-TVandkids_N.htm

5. A Little Encouragement...And Humor

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.”

- Anne Frank

Momentum Update - 6/3/09

2009-06-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

We will continue to have Student Worship throughout the month of June. Instead of traditional Student Worship, however, we will dedicate much of our time on Wednesday nights to mission trip preparation. After singing a few songs together and having a short talk, we will divide into mission teams in order to prepare both physically and spiritually for each trip. The times will be the same, beginning at 6:30, and wrapping up each week around 8pm.

Because of our church-wide Summer Connection schedule during the months of July and August, we will plan some worship times at the lake on a couple of Sunday evenings during that time. Be checking back and looking out for those details, which will be coming soon.

YS Parents Newsletter

2009-06-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

Tools for Parenting Teens

Learn Their Lingo

Movie Reviews

Links to Learn From

A Little Encouragement...And Humor

1. Tools for Parenting Teens

From http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/

Clean Hands Empty Hearts

Featured Resource: Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television

*Save 20% off the retail price of “Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television” when you use Coupon Code RWPN105 and order by 6/30/09.

http://www.realworldparents.com/store/item/wisdom_on_music_movies_and_television/

2. Learn Their Lingo

NMP = Text message for "Not My Problem"

Cobra Yawn = The involuntary spraying of saliva while yawning. Much like the venom spray from a cobra. In most cases the yawner doesn't realized it has happened only finding the aftermath once the yawn is over.

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

Up

Importance of empathy [Examiner.com]
http://www.examiner.com/x-5452-Portland-Parenting-Teenagers-Examiner~y2009m5d20-Importance-of-empathy

One Third of Americans Don’t Use Sunscreen [ABC News]
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SkinCare/story?id=7637104&page=1

Are Sexy Sims Hurting Girls? [Newsweek]
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2009/05/27/the-consult-are-sexy-sims-hurting-girls-and-other-news-from-around-the-web.aspx

5. A Little Encouragement...And Humor

Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.
- Martin Mull

Momentum Update #2 - 3/10/09

2009-03-10T15:01:00.000-04:00

Hello!

Here is email number 2 for the day! I have two items for you in the way of an update…first one has to do with one more item dealing with Student Life Conference, the second has to do with a deadline…

First, the total cost for Student Life Conference is $65. Most students have paid the down payment, which was $35, so the balance for a majority of folks is just the $30. However, there are a couple, per my record, who have yet to pay the full amount. So, hopefully that gives you some idea. If you need to know what is left in your specific case, just shoot me an email or give me a call. Please try to pay all balances by Wednesday night. Also, we have just had one space open up, which I would like very much to fill! So, if you would like to go, now’s your chance!!

Second, I had pointed you to our new student ministry blog a few days ago, found here: http://www.westwoodmomentum.blogspot.com in order to give you information on an upcoming Disciple Now that will be on April 17-18. We need to at least get a good preliminary number of students who are interested by this Wednesday night. So, please be thinking about that, and go ahead and sign up this Wednesday night if you are interested. Remember, if you pay by March 16th, the cost will be $14, after that it will be $16.50. I know that’s not a huge difference, but just wanted you to know. So, please come prepared to make a decision on that event this Wednesday.

Thanks and I’ll see you on Wednesday night!

Momentum Update - 3/10/09 (SL Conference Info)

2009-03-10T14:59:00.000-04:00

Hello!

I hope everyone is doing well this week. I had gathered all the information you will need for this weekend and had planned to give that to the students who will be attending SL Conference; however, I have received several emails from you asking for that information so I decided to just send an email with the info instead. So, here is all you need to know…

· We will be meeting here at the church on Friday at 1:30pm. Please be here by that time as we want to leave as shortly after that time as possible. You will need to eat lunch before you come. We will be stopping to eat (fast food) on the way for supper.

· As far as extra money is concerned, students will NEED to bring around $15 - $20. This will be for supper on the way down on Friday, as well as lunch on Saturday. Now, there will be other opportunities to spend money, with snacks at the hotel (breakfast will be provided on Saturday morning), and Student Life always has a great store with clothes, cd’s, books, journals, devotionals, stickers, etc…So, each student will only need $15 - $20, but more might want to be brought, so just plan accordingly.

· The itinerary for the week is…

Friday

5:30
Registration Begins
6:30
Doors Open
7:30
Conference Begins
9:30
Dismiss

Saturday

8:30
Doors Open
9:00
Conference Begins
1:00
Dismiss

· As you can see, we will be dismissing at 1pm on Saturday, so we should return to church around 4:30 or 5pm. We will not stop for supper on the way back. We will only make a short stop for gas/snacks and bathroom breaks, so please take note of that.

· If you do not already have it, my number is 336.583.5375. I will have my phone on me at all times during the weekend, although I may not answer if we are in session. I will check for missed calls and voicemails frequently, though. So, if you need to get a hold of me or your student during session times, that will be the best way to go about that.

· We will be staying at:

Comfort Inn
9701 E. Independence Blvd.
Matthews, NC, US 28105
Phone: (704) 845-5911

· One of the things I have always loved about this conference is the fact that they stream their messages live on the internet. This gives you the opportunity to listen live to the same messages that your student is listening to. They are doing that again this year, and you can listen live by following this link: http://www.studentlife.com/sllive/ Just follow the schedule given above to listen live to what we will be experiencing. This is a great way to prepare for conversations you can have with your student when they return home! So, I hope you will take advantage of that opportunity. You can also read more about the entire event by following this link… http://www.studentlife.com/events/home-spring.php

Hopefully I have covered all of the bases there. If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email or call me in the next couple of days. I am looking forward to a great weekend that will hopefully be a transformational one in the life of our students! As always, please be praying to that end!!

Momentum Update 3/3/09

2009-03-04T01:06:00.000-05:00

1. I need for those who are attending Student Life Conference to pay your balance either this Wednesday or next. Most of you paid the $35 down payment, which means that you still owe $30. So, please pay that when you can. I will send out all the details about this event tomorrow afternoon & discuss them at Student Worship as well.

2. I have decided that we will join in with the rest of the congregation for the next 12 weeks for Sunday School. We will be having a church-wide study on apologetics, which is something that I would really like for you to be a part of and exposed to. So, this will mean that you will have to make an extra effort to get here a little earlier on Sunday mornings. We are asking that everyone be in the sanctuary and ready to go by 9am, so plan accordingly. We will have 30-40 minutes of large group teaching, and then we will break you up into small groups in order to discuss each week. So, come early and I really think you are going to enjoy this study. The study of apologetics is really awesome!

3. I would love for all of our students to at least consider purchasing one of the books that we will be using for the study spoken of above. It will be a great benefit for you, not only during this study, but also in the rest of your walk with Christ, as you seek to give a defense for the faith you have in Him. 4. I hope to see everyone at Student Worship tomorrow night!! We will continue in our study on personal worship, as we discuss what it means to be in conversation with God. Hope to see you there!!

Disciple Now 2009 Dates Announced

2009-02-25T23:03:00.000-05:00

I received the information from Youth For Christ this week on their upcoming Disciple Now weekend. The dates for the event are April 17-18 (Friday & Saturday). The guest speaker will be Dr. David Allen Black, who is a distinguished member of Southeastern Baptist Seminary's faculty. The music will be led by the East Rock praise band.

All-in-all, it will be a great weekend for our students to grow deeper in their faith, especially for the cost! The whole weekend will only cost $14!!

The sign up deadline is quickly approaching, as YFC needs to begin to finalize their plans with final numbers. Students will need to sign up by Wednesday, March 11th. The cost of the event will be due at that time. Students may sign up after, but for a cost of $16.50. I would like to have everyone signed up by March 11th, though, so that I can begin to finalize our housing situation.

More details will be given shortly after that deadline has passed. Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions you may have as you and your students make a decision about attending.

Momentum Student Ministry

Quebec Mission Trip Pictures

Quebec Trip Update 7.25.09

Quebec Trip Update 7.23.09

Quebec Trip Update 7.22.09

Quebec Trip Update

Pray for the Canada Team

Momentum Update (Beach Trip)

High School Raleigh Update 7/8/09

High School Raleigh Trip 7/7/09

High School Raleigh Trip - 7/6/09

Raleigh High School Trip

Hungary Update 6/2/09

Hungary Update 6/30/09

Hungary Update 6/29/09

Hungary Update 6/27/09

Hungary Update 6/26/09

Hungary Update 6/24/09

Hungary Mission Trip

Middle School Raleigh Trip Update #4

Middle School Raleigh Trip Update #3

Middle School Raleigh Trip Update #2

Middle School Raleigh Trip Update #1

Pray for our Mission Team this week!

YS Parents Newsletter (6/11/09)

Parent Newsletter

Contents

1. Tools for Parenting Teens

Becoming Who They Are

Featured Resource: Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television

2. Learn Their Lingo

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

Land of the Lost

5. A Little Encouragement...And Humor

6/4/09 Student Worship Talk

YS Parents Newsletter (6/3/09)

Contents

1. Tools for Parenting TeensFrom http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/

Clean Hands Empty Hearts

Featured Resource: Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television

2. Learn Their Lingo

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

Up

4. Links to Learn From

5. A Little Encouragement...And Humor

Momentum Update - 6/3/09

YS Parents Newsletter

Contents

1. Tools for Parenting Teens

Clean Hands Empty Hearts

Featured Resource: Wisdom On Music, Movies and Television

2. Learn Their Lingo

3. Movie Reviews for Parents

Up

5. A Little Encouragement...And Humor

Momentum Update #2 - 3/10/09

Momentum Update - 3/10/09 (SL Conference Info)

Momentum Update 3/3/09

Disciple Now 2009 Dates Announced

1. Tools for Parenting Teens
From http://www.realworldparents.com/starters/