Montreat Middle School Conference, Day 2

Our full day here was not to disappoint.  "For Such a Time as This" is the theme and they played with the idea of time on a regular basis.  We met our small groups for the first time, getting to know people from other parts of the southeast.  In my group, we have one student from Pennsylvania and a couple from different places in Mississippi, and plenty of spaces in between.  We have come from all over to be in this place at this time to see what God has in store for us.

We experienced keynote and heard how our keynote leader faced an identity crisis in high school by switching from being a serious basketball player (practicing several hours each night at her house after regular practice) to being in plays and dramas.  She told us how this identity shift impacted her and her world because she only thought of herself as a basketball player but when she realized this was not what brought her joy anymore, she had to switch.

During worship, we heard the story of an Olympic swimmer on the international refugee team who was fleeing her country of Syria when the boat broke and began taking on water.  She had to swim beside the boat for three and a half hours to bring it to safety and could not stop because if she did, the boat would begin to take on water and those on board did not know how to swim.  We saw how God used her to bring her people to safety and then she was able to train and eventually participate on the world's largest stage.

We had some wonderful recreation events, too.  The afternoon one was rained out, but several small groups from the same buildings came together to present a time warp themed party, a competition for the centuries!

Later that evening, Adrian beat Trey in Monopoly and corn hole.  Eventually, Trey might learn not to challenge Adrian, but that is a lesson for another day....

We had a wonderful back home group where we processed the day and what it meant to us.

After not nearly enough sleep (at least for this old man!), we are up and ready to do it all again!

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