Youth News
Brittany Overbeck
Director of Youth Ministries
1 John 3:16-18 (NLT): “We know what real
love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought
to give
up our lives for our Christian Brothers and Sisters. But if anyone has
enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses
to help—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children,
let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by
our actions.”
There are times in life when God’s goodness is evident in everything
that you see and hear, do and say. There are times when it’s apparent
that God has control and you do not. There are times when all one can
do is sit back and marvel at the wonder and the beauty of God. And there
are times when God says “Go” and we have to listen.
The Mississippi Mission team, all 26 of us, spent 7 days on the ground
in Pearlington, Mississippi, listening and speaking, working and sitting,
marveling at God’s
handiwork and following God’s lead. We met new people, heard new stories,
worked on homes that were well on their way to being restored and homes that
were just beginning to be “mucked and gutted”. We have new stories
and we have new heartbreaks. It is impossible to walk away from Pearlington without
a new perspective in some area of our lives. We have seen God work inside us
and inside the lives of the people in Pearlington. Something good is happening,
no, something great is happening and God is in the midst of it all. Thank you
for helping us help others. Your financial gifts, prayers and kind words of support
have helped us meet our goals and make new ones. Thank you.
Today, I learned that one of the men that we worked for, Raymond Diaz,
died unexpectedly. Raymond was a beautiful man who helped many neighbors
and friends recover special
items from their homes immediately after the storm and continued to help others
rebuild as he struggled to rebuild his own home. He was extremely grateful for
our assistance and talked about all the other “church kids” who had
come through to help his family. It was an honor to work for and with Raymond.
Please hold his family in your prayers, he leaves behind a wife and three daughters,
one still in high school. Pearlington has lost a great man.
In other youth group news, Level Grounds heads for the snow January 25-28.
We’ll
be skiing, playing in the snow and learning about what it means to be “Wholly
God’s”. Thanks in advance to Peggy & Frank Winkler and Lee & Gail
Overbeck for the use of their homes for the weekend and to our fabulous chaperones,
Norm & Kerri Crandell, Jonathan Bates and Jerry Hoyt.
The Ark and Level Ground will meet weekly through the month of February
and then
take a day to “play in Monterey” on February 24th. We’ll be
checking out the fish at the Aquarium, wandering around Fisherman’s Wharf
and eating yummy food!
Again, thank you for all the support you give to the youth and the
programs that they are involved with. We are very fortunate to be
a part of such a loving and
generous congregation.