So we’re loaded and actually leave on time. 9 students. 4 leaders. Good ratio for investment. We spent lots of one on one time with students. Over the weekend we camped, went whitewater rafting and rock-climbing.

Rock-climbing was amazing. It’s one of my favorite things to do. For something that really pushes students out of their comfort zone, this is the thing to do. Most of the kids we work with are never pushed to be more. And that point was so evident on the rock. You’d see them climb half way up, get frustrated or scared and try to quit. But ‘ah ha!’ this time was different. I’ve spend enough time with all of them to know where their limits are. So I instructed them to not let the kids down if there was any doubt that the could keep going.

It happened over and over. They’d start going and want to quit. But then something happened… they weren’t allowed to. Once they realized the only way they were getting down was going up to the top, their demeanor changed. They hit adversity and kept going. Every time we saw it, they pushed past where they thought they could go. They accomplished more than they thought was possible. They began to believe in themselves.

After a morning of victory, they were a different group in the afternoon. More confident. More assured. They approached every climb differently. It is amazing what what kids can do when they actually believe in themselves.

This has been one of the great hurdles of sharing Christ with them. They balk at challenge. Accepting Christ seems easy. Following Him is a different story. Accepting and following is a HUGE challenge. It’s so big, it’s beyond them. Living for Christ is living outside ourselves. And for a moment in time, these student got to step out and feel what it is like to live beyond what they thought was possible.

It’s take me too long to give the update on this one, but here goes anyway.

A couple weeks back, we took 9 students on a rock climbing weekend that was an amazing mix of challenges and breakthrough. The weekend was based out of the amazing Stonewater Ranch in Leavenworth, WA and we did our climbing in Icicle Canyon (which is equally amazing).

Leaving Friday, we got caught up in traffic. And with an old suburban filled with middle school guys, it was an odd mix of belches, gas, and laughter. Going deeper with these guys on the ride up wasn’t part of my plan, but it’s always amazing to see God’s hand of providence upon a situation. About an hour in our conversation steered towards heavy subjects. We all shared and discussed the worst pains we’ve ever felt, but physical and emotional. The guys really opened up and shared some deep things. It really set the stage for the weekend.

Saturday was filled with a great day on the rock. We had impeccable weather and lots of students stepping forward and challenging their fears either by climbing or rappelling. It’s awesome to see them conquer something they were certain they couldn’t.

Throughout the weekend we had some really impactful discussion times led by our staff and volunteers. The Lord orchestrated the entire time. It seemed that each speaker fit the mood of the kids for each occasion. Our first speaker Jessica was calm, then came Bronco who challenged them before we went climbing. The kids were pretty wired and crazy Saturday night and that was mine to speak. But who better to kamikaze a message than me! We ended the weekend with Janet really sharing her heart. It’s amazing and odd to actually see middle schoolers engaged and listening (because I don’t see it much!).

When all was said and done we had lots of re-commitments, and 2 guys prayed to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. Even the kids that were on the fence about the whole Christianity thing have agreed to start meeting with me weekly to discuss what it really means to be a Christian.

Youth ministry is never a pretty thing, but it’s awesome to walk away from a weekend like this feeling that the Lord was there and we were all used for His purposes.

Keep praying for these kids as we continue to follow up with them.

Could I have planned this? No way. God’s spirit was there a move in those students. All the praise is to Him and Him alone.

(A student and I eat some gnarly hot sauce in Leavenworth)

Well I’m off for the weekend, taking a group of middle school students rock climbing!

Pray for safety and our [the leaders] sanity!

See you next week!