We arrived in the Quad Cities on time last night, but not without a little drama.  As we arrived in Atlanta, we went directly to the Moline departure gate.  Then we settled in for the three hour layover.  As the time drew to 20 minutes before takeoff, no one at our gate was moving.  We got up to investigate and found that our gate had been changed with no announcement!

We gathered our gear and hustled the two gate stretch to find that we were the last ones to board, as evidenced by the irritated looks from everyone on the plane.  It was close.

As we picked up our luggage, we said a closing goodbye and we confided that Kristen and I will miss them but that we would gather for lunch next week.  I must admit this morning that I miss seeing the youth, especially because of how quickly we saw them mature in Christ during the week.  It was an awesome sight to see.  Parents, you may see this change as your young adults.  We pray that you do.

Garrick

We’ve arrived safely and on-time here at Orlando International.  We don’t think that we’ve actually left the convention center because over half of the flyers in the terminal are from the NYG.

The weather is fine and we’re scheduled to leave directly at 4:17.  The weather is so good that we didn’t have the obligatory 2:30 daily thunderstorm.  Maybe we brought the storms?  Everyone is tired and all laid out on the floor at the gate.  We’re boarding very soon.

Thanks for your prayers for our safe travel and arrival home.

It’s 7:00 AM here and we’re a bit groggy from a late night (’til 2:00 AM) conversation about the day’s classes, church service, and the entire experience. We talked about what a Bible study will look like for us going forward. There is a lot of great momentum going into the upcoming fall for the Immanuel kids.

We’ll be leaving Orlando at 4:30, arriving in the Quad Cities at 10:10, and making it to Macomb just before midnight. We can’t wait to see you!

Thanks so much for your prayers. We’ve definitely felt them! Thanks, too, for your messages during the last six days. It was great to hear from home.

Garrick

Tonight was a phenomenal and uplifting night. It was the closest that we’ve been to the mountain top for this event. We pray that we reach the top tomorrow on our last day.

We enjoyed a church service with over 35,000 people in attendance. The evening started with contemporary songs. Then the drama of Good Friday was played out … there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, including all of us. The portrayal of Jesus being beaten, then nailed to the cross was painful to watch. Three witnesses in the portrayal spread blood on his body to signify their sins that contributed to Jesus’ death. It was really dramatic and emotional.

After this, we saw the portrayal of the burial, then of the resurrection. The celebration included a huge choir from Concordia University in Nebraska, a symphony from Orlando, and interpretive ballet dancers. The only thing missing was fireworks.

The service continued in its normal way, just like Immanuel’s. When the time arrived for communion, over 150 ministers distributed the bread and wine. It was a very efficient operation. We sang the traditional hymns, though it was far from normal. The choir and symphony were so uplifting.

As the service concluded, we all felt refreshed, exhilarated, and ready to take on the world … or at least take on the pool, followed by our nightly group study. As we hit the bed tonight, I assure you that all of us have grown up more in Christ and in our faith.

We can’t wait to see our family and friends. You will receive us in exhausted and tired states, but you can be sure that we are revived in Jesus.

We’re on the downside for our trip. A few observations about the Orlando area …

The updates for tropical storms come as often as the daily corn report in Illinois. It’s an odd topic of common conversation to hear but we can definitely understand.

We get rain at exactly 2:30 every afternoon. The thunderstorms and lightning are spectacular but the show is also dangerous. We’ve been delayed in many of our shuttle trips between the hotel and convention center because of the white streaky stuff. There are more lightning deaths in Florida than anywhere else in the world.

We had alligator for lunch today. Tastes like chicken!

The kids are still on the up and up after Monday’s breakthrough day. It’s an absolutely wonderful thing to see. We pray that you’ll see the impact on your young adults.

We’ve updated the moments and quotes page. Ben doesn’t own all of the page now.

We’re looking forward to a great night together before our last mass event tomorrow and all of our travel. Please pray that our journey home is safe.

See ya very soon!

We just finished with or second mass event and it was awesome, people jumping up and down clapping and praying. This experience has really opened my eyes about new ways to worship it’s not like the traditional services. It is such a good experience and a fun time.   

The youth gathering has been really fun. I like that it’s really upbeat during almost everything that we do. They have this one band called Fuse Box that plays at bible study in the morning which is really cool because almost all of the the church services I’ve been to they don’t really have band that play. While we’ve been here I haven’t eaten as much as i did last sumer in Biloxi because here everything is so pricy that it’s not really even worth it.

We had a GREAT day on Monday! All of us had a breakthrough with the NYG where the messages, the celebrations, and the cohesion amongst the youth members really sank in. Among the highlights was seeing the Jesus Painter, fully enjoying the night’s mass event, and the group Bible study last night. The theme from the event last night was “What’s on your card?” You’ll learn about this theme from the kids’ diaries. Now, on to the photos …

The morning’s music warmup from Fusebox and the morning Bible study speaker.

The Jesus Painter

Meeting with Pastor Bill Wrede

On our way back for the evening’s mass event

The Jesus Painter at the mass event

Click to view some of Monday’s concert

Scenes from last night’s mass concert and gathering, including the Chosen Celebration, the Jesus Painter, and the Real Life Ministries Choir from Orlando. The kids loved every minute of Sunday. Parents and church members … you would be very proud of the youth group here.

Today was a great day.  As you can see, I’m trying to get more people recapping the day, but my computer doesn’t always cooperate.  Travis doens’t know it yet, but he’ll have to write his entry all over again since it didn’t save.  Oops.

As you’ll read, it was a long day full of bible study, sessions, & worship.  The Mass Event’s continue to be the highlight of the day.  Tonight we were a little closer to the stage & that seemed to help a few more kids shed their stoicism.  We’ve still got a few holdouts, but now they’re out numbered ;p

Garrick & I went to a session on how to shepherd our group through the gathering.  The DCE who gave the presentation was wonderful.  It was a very engaging hour & we came away with lots of good ideas.  We also explored the Have Merci Cafe, an adult leader’s rest area.  They have massages available, but we have yet to partake.  Maybe tomorrow.  A few of the kids attended some great sessions.  The others struck out.  Tomorrow we’ll try to see the Jesus Painter.  It’ll require some major seat-saving skills on Garrick & my parts, but we’re up for it. 

Kristen