Massanetta Moments Wednesday:

Yesterday’s theme was "sealed". Alan the keynoter used film clip from the Lion King, Spiderman, and a dramatized reading from Dr. Seuss’ "Sneetches" to illustrate how the ways that we label each other in culture and especially in the world of Junior Highs is silly and often hurtful.

We were challenged to find the hero inside each of us. Just as Moses when he encountered God at the burning bush was reluctant to go back to Egypt to set his people free, if we listen to God’s call on our lives God will give us the strength and direction to find that hero.

Last night we did a scavenger hunt in the dark where the items we collected as a church group will be part of a care package for a back-to-school kit for needy kids. During our back home devotional time together before we went to bed we brainstormed together on how we can be heroes back in our own communities by delivering these kits to folks who need them.

During our back home devotional time I challenged each of our Middle Schoolers to share who in their lives was THEIR "Number One Fan". The range of responses were diverse.

Massanetta Moments Thursday:

Today’s theme is "delivered". We heard from the book of Exodus God telling Moses, "I have heard their (children of Israel) cries and I will come down to deliver them."

In our theme/worship time Alan addressed the theme of "delivered from" by using a number of video clips and vignette/skits done by the counselors. We saw very moving and funny clips from High School Musical ("Stick to the Status Quo" song), Freedom Riders (the Line Game scene), and Finding Nemo.

We were reminded that God promises to come and deliver us. Each of us then went to be with our own Encounter Groups to discuss the issues raised and then we split off into our different workshops that elaborated on the subthemes of the main theme for the week.

The afternoon is recreation time when we will all gather at very tall hill (taller than the Cascades sledding hill) to do "Slip and Slide". KOWABUNGA!

…OK, I am now back from the "slip and slide". What a blast! They had a 50 yard piece of industrial strength plastic stretched out over a hill with water and soap running down it. For a while I had the longest slide that went about 10 yards beyond the end of the slide.

My roommate Woody decide to try it. He is a very BIG guy and rotund around the middle, but somehow when he dove face first he landed on his face and got a bloody nose that would not stop bleeding. After 40 minutes he was taken to the hospital for x-rays to make sure that nothing was broken. I was just a few persons behind him and I took it as a sign from God that I should stop my slip and sliding. I still held the record though for the longest slide for the over 40 crowd!