We just got back from the 2017 Mid-American Steubenville Conference in Springfield, MO on Sunday night, and I am still feeling the effects of such a great weekend... The theme for this year for all the Steubenville Conferences was ELEVATE. and used the verse Revelation 21:5 which reads, " He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” We came to encounter Christ, to grow in our relationship with him and with others, and to find peace. And every. single. one of us found what we were looking for. You see, these conferences are designed for teens! From the loud music and brightly colored light displays, to the real and moving lyrics of the praise and worship songs being belted out by everyone there (CHECK OUT THE PLAYLIST!!!), to the dynamic and hilarious speakers, to the palpable message all teenagers are aching to hear: "You belong here. You are loved. You deserve the best." Many teens probably think that this weekend is for 'those holy kids' and we just pray all weekend, or that it's like one giant Mass for three days straight. They are mostly wrong, but a little right. You see we did pray all weekend. Everything we did was to grow closer to Him. We talked about Him, how we want to know more of Him. How we are hungry and searching for more in life. In fact, one of our chaperons, Maggie had posted this observation on her Facebook page... Conversations heard as I was walking around campus last night: "ya know that Jesus song?", "I went confession three days ago, do you think I should go again?", "I smelled a scent of roses and knew it was Mary." Ah..... love it. We goofed around in his name. We experienced the playful side of Christianity! For example... there is something called 'pinning' or 'clipping' where the teens decorate clothes pins and write inspirational sayings or bible verses on the pins and then mysteriously/anonymously try and pin or clip strangers without them knowing. Here, one of our girls, Danielle was 'clipped' by her youth minister and she had no idea... muah ha ha ah! So the clipping game escalated both in frequency and in skill. Below is a clothes pin found on my pant leg... I had no idea until she told me like an hour later so I just had to snap a picture to marvel at those skills. Bravo! So our weekend was filled with fun, filled with Christ, filled with good things. I am proud of our teens who came and took a chance. They came to trade their sorrows for joy, darkness for light, anxiety for peace. They came to elevate their lives and they did. Pray for all of us that we can continue to climb the mountain of God and continue our relationship with Him! Don't believe me that this weekend was priceless? Check out this recap video below! To keep up with Steuby throughout the year or if you want to listen to the speakers again, check out their amazing blog: https://steubystl365.com/
Can't wait for next year! I am taking reservations now ;) Love in Him, Stacy
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AuthorWord up. I am Stacy, the youth minister of this amazing group of teens. I have 4 kids of my own, 2 heaven babies and like 60 teens I consider very large children of my own. Archives
March 2018
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