STMI SALT LAKE CITY 2021

WEDNESDAY Wednesday was another full and fulfilling day. We began with another session in the morning from Hebrews 12 where we were challenged to consider Jesus, to "Consider him" as we seek to run our race with endurance. We were reminded of the endurance Jesus showed in the face of such hostility, and reminded that by looking to Christ and abiding in Christ we are given the strength to endure our race as well. It was a timely reminder of how central faith is to the Christian life and how important it is that we don't run on our own strength. After that mornings message, we broke up into teams and served in the Backyard Bible Clubs we had spent time inviting the community to the day before. Over 80 kids, at least half of which were not affiliated with Gospel Grace Church, came out to the events. We assisted in crowd control, running games, and quizzing the kids on their memory verses. The best part, however, was seeing all these young children hear the gospel so clearly!...

Monday was a full day of preparation for the week ahead. We all woke up Tuesday eager and excited to get to work and see what God had in store. But first things first—happy birthday to Joseph Wolin! As is the tradition in youth group, we sang him a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" in the parking lot of our hotel, after which we set off for Gospel Grace Church We began our morning with our first teaching session from Hebrews 12, a series the pastors at Gospel Grace will be preaching on throughout the week. This session set the context for Hebrews 12 by helping us see that running the race with endurance, throwing aside sin and hindrances that might slow us down, is only possibly because of the faithfulness of God and the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our race is a race of faith ran by faith. It was an encouraging time as we were challenged to run the race hard and live by faith. After this session we spent time in POWER groups (discussion groups) and reflected on the mes...

It's been a full few days since we left Grace Bible Church in a fleet of vans early Saturday morning and began the twelve hour trek to Salt Lake City, Utah. Here is a recap of what we've done so far! SATURDAY Saturday was a travel day—and that's about it. The drive from Fair Oaks to Salt Lake City is about 9.5 to 10 hours long. Ten hours in a car is one thing, but ten hours in a giant van with 9 other teens is another! The travel day was a great opportunity for the teens to hang out together, build some team camaraderie, and have some fun before the busy week began. We made several stops, including one at the Bonneville Salt Flats which was quite the experience! After a long 12 hours of travel, we arrived in Salt Lake City. It's a beautiful place, a green valley nestled up against the Wasatch Mountains. We arrived at our hotel and settled in for some rest after a long day and in anticipation of a busy week! SUNDAY Sunday was a rest day, an opportunity for us to recover ...