Changing Lives...

I'm back! I left for a week. I went to TeenPact National Convention, to grow in my faith, be challenged to change, and to go and change others. National Convention was at Fort Bluff Camp, in Dayton, Tennessee.  It was a long 16 hour drive, to a place of recuperation from every day life, from striving and fighting. It was a period of refreshing from the Lord, a week of iron sharpening iron. My life has been changed! I'm the same, yet different. I have had my stony heart removed, and one of flesh is in its place. I have fallen in love with God and He holds my future. He has given me a passion for purity. He has given me new friends to be encouraged by and be accountable to. He has shown me how much He loves me. And all I have in return is an extremely grateful heart. In the next few weeks, I will more than likely expound on these things, but for now, I still need some time to look at it all in retrospect and continue to learn and grow in these areas.

BUT, I can share some pics with you. =D

 This is our Iowa group. We spent more than 32 hours together in the Chevy Convertion, driving through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. From left to right is Peter, me, Laura, Emma, Jennifer and Matt.

Meet our loverly drivers, Mrs. Niemeyer, and Mama Brew. =) They deserved a breather. Thank you both for sacrificing your time to take us to Tennessee.

Like good home-schoolers, we did a little sight-seeing (and modeling) along the way. Would you believe this place is a rest stop? It's called Whitehaven, just over the border in Kentucky.

A statue of Andrew Jackson on the East side of the Tennessee state capitol building in Nashville, Tennessee. There is actually no TeenPact state class in Tennessee yet. Rather ironic that National Convention was held there.

The camp is set right on the edge of a bluff (Thus the name, Fort Bluff Camp) and we took a little trip to edge to take some pix and chillax.

The vantage point gives you a view of over 500 square miles, and you can even see the river and over the border to Kentucky, I think.

Taking advantage of the landscape. Tennessee is beautiful, and the weather wasn't bad. Just way too humid.

Converse look good anywhere. =)

Aaron Watson, one of our speakers and the Director of Staff Development. Thinker of Deep Thoughts.

The presidential candidates that made it out of the primary elections. Reggie Flowers, Nathan Tifft, and Clayton Chambers. Each state class has its own mock elections for a governor and representatives, but National Convention holds elections, campaigning, and open forums on a larger scale, for president/vice president, representatives and senators.

 

Celebrating Clayton's success on election night.

One of our speakers, 18-year-old Zach Hunter, who raises money to free and rehabilitate slaves, and to put an end to human trafficking and child prostitution. Check him out: Zach Hunter: The Teenage Abolitionist

Zachary Chambers leading worship. Some of the deepest, convicting and most profound worship I've ever had has happened at NC.

The girls session. Yes, Aaron Watson spoke during the girls session. Very impressive and enlightening, for sure.

The guys at TeenPact are the best you'll ever meet. They open doors for you, offer you their chairs, and let you pass them in the lunch line. I even saw a guy give his lunch to a girl who had lost her meal pass. So on the last night, all the girls let the guys go first through the meal line. Best night ever!

The traveling intern team. What an amazing group of people! They give and give and give.

Ultimate Frisbee is the official sport of TeenPact. This year, there were 20 teams competing all throughout the week and the top two held their game on the last evening, under the lights. We were on the top of a bluff, in the clouds naturally. Made for a wet, but very epic game.

Five years of TeenPact, and still passionate.

If you're interested in TeenPact, check out the website. This years season is already over, but I would still highly entreat you to consider attending your state's class next year. It is truly life-changing. God has used TeenPact to make an impact on me and hundreds of others.