Wow! Did God ever move!

I its amazing what a difference one weekend can make!

Since October I have had an on going mentoring role with the youth ministry at Westside Kings Church. My role has been to help build a healthy, well balanced, sustainable youth ministry and recruit and equip a team of people to make that happen. We have been working on the basics over the past six months. We have a group of people who are praying. We have a growing group of volunteers who are working with and loving students. We have developed a solid strategy and we have slowly seen some students open up to us and begin to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

This past weekend I spoke at a retreat we planned with 49 students present. That is answer to prayer #1. We were praying that God would motivate 40 students to come. 49 is significantly more students than we have ever had out to anything before. 49was also apparently beyond our own faith.

We were praying that God would use the retreat to draw our group together. That is answer to pray #2. We had grade 6 -11 students at the retreat and not only did they all get along but they really enjoyed being together. If you work with students you know this boarders on the miraculous!

We were also praying that God would really work in students hearts. That is answer to prayer #3! Wow! Did God ever move!

Three students made first time decisions to follow Jesus! It was glorious to see. Two are not from believing homes, in fact one is from a home with a Muslim parent. The grade 11 student from the Christian home told me Sunday "I always thought I was a Christian but I realized Saturday night that I really wasn't so I surrendered my life to Jesus."

One girl radically re-dedicated her life to Jesus.

There is a growing group of students who want to get baptized May 2. At last count there were 7 but there seem to be more popping up every day!

One grade 9 student wrote this on his Facebook page. "WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND!!!! i learned a lot about myself and what i might want to do when i grow up" When asked what that might be he replied "youth pastor and worship leader."

A grade 8 student took to heart the message that we need to talk to our friends about Jesus. When he got home he talked to his friend about Jesus and prayed with him to accept Christ.

A group of Jr. High girls announced to me that they want to start a small group on the Friday nights that they don't have an event- and even invite their friends!

The chatter on Facebook from the students is that it was a great weekend but they are not talking about the games and all the fun but the great stuff that God did in their hearts and how much they love and miss each other!

My prayer is that what God started at this retreat will be fanned into full flame and that this small group of students will be so radically sold out to Jesus that God will use them to change their corner of the City!