the third one about montreat (part 1): free day and dance party

Hello folks…Montreat is continuing to go well. we had a rain-free free afternoon yesterday…last year it poured and poured…we had lots of fun yesterday in the dry weather! the theme has been getting better and better as the week goes on. the GOOTH are really connecting to the message, largely because a lot of it overlaps and connects to the experiences they had at NYC two weeks ago. it has really been special and transformative for them to hear the message in another context…thus reinforcing the message of love. Two more days!!!!

Bethany Ringer (10^th grader)

Dear mommy and church congregation,
Montreat has been wicked cool. We sing and laugh and cuddle! Tonight we went to a rave. (OK, it wasn’t a rave…but it was a glow-in-the-dark dance party with blacklights!) I got glow sticks and face paint. I have new friends Sarah and Jeremy. Sarah has pink hair and Jeremy wears girl jeans and is a cutiepie. Our church family is crazy like always. We sing the songs, and cuddle, and love each other up. It’s fun here. I love you mommy.
Peace out,
Bethany

Katie Morris (11^th grader)

Today was another wonderful day at Montreat! The sub-theme for today was “Open the Doors to Our Hearts.” In keynote the speakers and keynote team explored the story of when Jesus heals a paralyzed man. They focused on what the personalities of the man’s friends would have been – were they organizing & setting up things to help their friend, or were they the friends who are always there for one another? We continued that discussion in our small groups, and then it was our free afternoon! We had lunch and then a group of us went rock hopping in the creek. It was quite exciting. The other half of our group opted to stay at the house and nap or go around to the shops here at Montreat. After the strenuous rock hopping and restful naps we all went into Black Mountain. Colleen, Niki, Reva, Beth, Julia, Maggie and I went to a thrift store and then to a cute coffee shop called the Dripolator (aka the Drip). We all got our various coffee or smoothie drinks and then met up with some of the guys. At the end of our time in Black Mountain we picked up pizza for dinner. Back again at Montreat, we went to worship where the theme was love. Part of the back-home devotions talked about this further. Relationships are extremely important as well as loving one another. Our “re-creation” activity for tonight was a dance party with black lights, glow in the dark face paint, glow sticks, and strobe lights. I think we will all definitely sleep well tonight. : )
Love,
A Tired But Happy Montreat-er

Ronda Cooper (Adult)

Montreat is such a place of rejuvenation to begin with….add about 1000 youth and it is even more electric! Starting the morning activities with “energizers” is new…but, I actually like it. Ian told me that there are middle schoolers that are more uncoordinated that me. (Is that good?) Keynote, which for me is a cross between Sunday School, contemporary worship, and Bible study follows energizers and mixed into both of those is music. The music is by far one of my favorite things here. The music itself is both beautiful and fun praise music, but hearing such a large number of young people lifting voices in praise is very moving.

Small groups have smaller groups. How’s that for information? There are about 25 youth and back-home leaders in small groups, but none of the members of small group know each other from home. Our Youth know some of the small groups members they are with because they have met them in years past at Montreat. Every day has a sub-theme from the Keynote and Small Group time helps concentrate on that message and dissect it up a bit. Games and activities are very helpful and FUN! Small Group meets before and after lunch. After the evening meal, we walk to Anderson Auditorium for worship. Then back to our house for more “dissecting”.

I have witnessed pancakes being made, dishes being washed, and schedules being carried out by teenagers!! Believe it! There is, however, not much sleep to go around here…..no problem, we’ll sleep when we aren’t at Montreat…………
Looking forward to tomorrow
Ronda

the second one about montreat: peach cobbler

Good Morning! we’ve had a great second day at montreat, including good fun, good food, and good devo discussion. the morning keynote is about to start, but i wanted to post what the GOOTH blogged about yesterday. thanks for tuning in!

Erica Chatham (10th grader)

This year’s Montreat was probably better than last year. Sure I ended up in the emergency room on my first day because of rock hopping but I was still able to laugh. Today’s keynote was the best I have seen so far. There was a skit about Abel and Cain where they even danced to the music that was played. One of the songs they danced to was the song “Apologize” by Timberland. The small groups this year are amazing, too. I enjoy talking and laughing with new people. Monday night was so much fun. We played games and Julia drew all the Gooth that went to Montreat as stick figures on a blank door that was being used like a painting canvas. I am really having fun in Montreat and I am always waiting for the next day to come.

Reva Catherine Manikas (12th grader)

“Montreat… the best place in the world.” That is the truth! This is my fourth year at Montreat, and I look forward to it every single summer. This is the second day of Montreat and I have enjoyed every minute of it so far. My small groups haven’t been that great in the past year or two but I still enjoy the Montreat experience. This year has been different in that my small group is interactive with each other and we are just very involved with the lessons. Keynote, Worship and free time are wonderful too. Despite the HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT weather, I still think Montreat is the best place for meeting new friends and getting the chance to have new experiences. It is extremely disappointing to think that I only have one more year left, but I have had a blast the past three years and I am looking forward to this week.

Colleen (12th), Joey (12th), and Julia (11th)

Dear Congregation,
The disciples were teenagers…YAYUH. Davey L told us himself (David Lamotte); we’re personal friends, so it’s okay for us to call him that. He had a concert here tonight and he was phenomenal as always, as some of you might remember from when he came to our church not long ago. The theme for the day was all about “broken doors” in our lives and problems present in the world, also God’s presence in those situations. We make pancakes EVERY MORNING as a family, you know, the special kinds like booberry and choco-choco chip… even BANANARAMA! OOOOooOOooooHHhhh and some kickin’ peach cobbler. Everything is part of God’s plan, that’s what we learned today, especially cobbler. The worship messages each night so far are eye-opening and thought provoking, providing interesting conversations for our devo time as a family. Oh, and some of our group went hiking up Lookout Mountain, which is always a good idea. Others made us tasty dinner or caught up on some needed sleep. So now we’re all gathered at about 1 in the morning to bring you this update, as a family.
Love,
Colleen, Joey, and Julia

the second one about nyc: first exposure

i don’t have much time to make any opening comments, because curfew is coming up…so, here is what a few of the youth had to say today…

Reva Manikas (12th grade)

Today was day two of our trip. The Staten Island group was assigned to Project Hospitality (PH). When we arrived; we were then split into three sub groups. My group and I stayed at the food pantry. Mondays at the food pantry/soup kitchen aren’t as busy as the rest of the week. Today we helped get the area ready for the chaotic day to come tomorrow. I enjoyed the volunteers at PH; they had a sense of humor and you could clearly tell they were truly New Yorkers. The only thing that was really frustrating was the big walk up the hill back to the church. After the PH group were reunited with the rest of the Staten Island group and were able to get some rest in before meeting the YSOP group in Manhattan. We took the ferry to Manhattan then walked around the LONG way to see Battery Park and on through NYC to go to the Stage Door Deli. The Sandwiches were extremely big, so I had to share. They were fabulous. After dinner, we visited the Financial Center and took pictures looking down at Ground Zero. That was the best part for me. 8 years after, there is still construction going on. It looked as if it had happened just a week or so before. After visiting the World Trade Center, we toured down Wall Street and downtown Manhattan. Lastly, we got onto the Ferry and headed to the Church. Although everyone was exhausted and tired from walking around, catching subways, and working hard, I know that we all are extremely excited to be in the Big Apple, NYC!

Kelly Norris (9th grade)

Today, after going learning about Project Hospitality, the agency The Staten Island group divided into three groups. My group went to help out at their summer reading program. When we got there we met some awesome kids who were there to learn more about reading. I helped some younger kids with their reading packets that they had to complete. It was really cool because they were all so nice and great to work with. I don’t think I’ll ever forget trying to explain fact and opinion using a piece of blue yarn I found on the table. It worked pretty well though. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the smiling and laughing kids there. Afterwards we had our free time in the city. We walked through Battery Park, ate dinner and saw Ground Zero. On the Ferry ride back to the island we stood out on the back deck. The view of the skyline was amazing! The work is hard and we walk, a lot, but all in all, it’s a great experience.

Ian McElwee (11th grade)

After waking up at 6 in the morning, boarding a ferry and the subway with the morning work rush, we finally arrived at YSOP and started our service adventure into New York City. We started with a breakfast orientation and talked about what it meant to be homeless and to serve. After the orientation and discussion, our three groups split up and went to different agencies all around the city. My group (Ian, Patrick, Tyler, Sara Morris, Niki, and Bill & Cathy Teller) went to St. Johns Bread and Life in Brooklyn, after getting lost in the subway. St. Johns is a soup kitchen along with other services (group help, library and homework help, Medical Aid, and Legal Aid just to name a few). We arrived just in time to serve lunch, and from 10:30 to 12:30 we served about 300 people. I helped cleaning the dishes while others in the group helped serve food, distribute drinks, clean tables, and clean up outside. The whole experience gave us an opportunity to really see that when the YSOP people said that 1 in 6 people in New York City go hungry every day, they weren’t exaggerating. Every day the agency serves 600-1000 people for breakfast and lunch. After talking about our day at YSOP, the whole group met at Ground Zero and walked around. We walked down Broadway and marveled at the buildings and how tall they are. The ferry ride back gave us a perfect view of the Manhattan skyline. The first day of service was a new experience even for those who have been on a mission trip before.