Tuesday

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 message together.

The bulk of the day was spent informing the community about Gospel Grace Church and seeking opportunities to proclaim the gospel. We spent a couple hours in the morning hanging door hangars throughout the community inviting people to several outreach events the church will be hosting. In the afternoon we tabled at nearby Liberty Park, handing out water bottles (Tuesday was the hottest recorded day in June in SLC history!) and using surveys and other questions to try and strike up gospel-centered conversations. Though the students were initially intimidated at the prospect of having to try and have a conversation about the gospel with a complete stranger, they very quickly overcame their fears and became unashamedly engaging people. It was a joy to watch!

In the evening, we closed the day by sharing stories about interaction we had with people that day and a message from one of the Gospel Grace pastors on our identity in Christ from Ephesians 5. It was a powerful reminder of the radical change that takes place in a person's heart and life when Jesus saves them.

The day was full, and full of good things. There was, however, one thing that exceeded the rest. Our very own Josh Severance, after hearing the gospel preached so clearly, gave his life to Christ! It was such amazing to see his joy and weight lifted off his shoulders as he repented of his sin and put his faith in Jesus for salvation. God is doing wonderful things!

Thank you for your continued prayer and support. We are tired but excited to see what else God will do!