It's not how many hours on the bus....it's the number of movies we can watch! Or for us right now ? Watching Motown 25th Anniversary! We're having Motown withdrawal!

Closing Worship

Worshipping together with 30,000 others at Ford Field is hard to put into words. The sound of the words and songs echoing throughout the crowd puts tears in my eyes every time. Watching our youth go through communion was so moving. Everyone listening to Bishop Eaton's inspirational words really hits home.  

We don't have to save the world...Jesus already did it!  Resting in Jesus is where we find joy. Following Jesus isn't always easy but we find strength in Him.  Finally.... We are called to bear burdens, build bridges, break chains, and bring hope because Christ did it for US!!

Thank you again to everyone who helped make this trip possible for our young people. Thank you for your support, prayers, and continual belief in them. 

Thank you to the adult leaders!  You love these kids like your own! You gave up sleep to help them have an amazing experience and celebrate their faith. You sang, danced, and got goofy with them. Thank you!

I love to watch throughout the week....to watch in all unfold. Comfort levels being challenged, getting to know others more..... They soaked it all in as they celebrated their faith in Christ!  They were inspired, challenged, and called to be strong in their faith. Again, it's a blessing to walk with them on their faith journey. 

So..... The journey home begins........challenging us to bear burdens, build bridges, break chains, and build hope at home!

Tigers vs Baltimore ......one hot day!!

Communion with 30,000... Indescribable!

Closing worship

Closing Worship

Where did the week go??!

Today was our Proclaim Community Day..... Which meant that we had the day to enjoy the Cobo  Interactive Center and also adventure out into the city in small groups. A few of our kids gave blood at the center, others explores the many booths and activities, some went to Greektown, and a few continued with their oh so competitive game of hacky sac!  

Tonight brought us back to Ford Field for the last evening. The evening theme was Breaking Chains.  We all have different "chains" in our lives that hold us back.  Fears. Struggles. Anxiety. Depression.  Pressures......the list can go on and on.  Jesus came into the world and into our lives to break those chains.  The world will continually try to hold us down but......we are to remember that we are loved and worthy, crafted in  the image of God.  We are never alone.  There will always be moments where we wonder what God is up to...moments when we wonder if we are enough.  We need to embrace who we are and who God created us to be.  We need to embrace our shadows and all of who we are.  God is always there...every part of it.

It's easy to coast but that's not what God calls us to do.  Chains do not define us.  We can make it.  We can break chains.  We are loved, worthy, and enough.

And then the final excitement was our Skillet concert!!   I wish I could have captured their excitement in photos! 

I honestly don't know where the week has gone.  I am so blessed to be able to be on these youth's faith journeys.  I am humbled and so proud of them every day.  From the first day of the gathering to tonight, we could see the growing more each day and embracing all that the gathering offered....every day becoming more comfortable. The youth opened their hearts and minds and really encoroporated the theme in our evening prayers.God is so good!

So tomorrow brings worship and communion with 30,000!  And then...... Go Detroit Tigers!

Thank you to everyone who have continued to follow us on this journey and pray for us daily.  You are so appreciated by us all.  Continue to pray for our safe travels!  We'll be home soon!!

RISE UP!......TOGETHER!!!

In Christ,

Tonya 

Traveling back to the bus! Stay together! Head count!! 👍🏻😉

Our youth ROCKED worship today! Soooo proud of you all!!!

Proclaiming Story.......Building Bridges!

Today was an amazing God filled day where we talked and listened and were challenged.  

Our SWMN synod of 900 participants came together to Proclaim our Story.  We took time to think about "our personal stories"....our life lines.  We enjoyed hearing people share their stories.....we took time to learn how God's Story intertwined with our story.  Always there ....never leaving.  We learned God gives us all gifts and He will also give us the way to use it in our "stories". Coming together for communion was special with our SWMN family...... And especially special when our youth led as the Proclaim Story Praise Band!!  Thank you Isaac, Maddie, Gabby, and Amber! And thank you Brannon for your leadership and calming spirit to give them the confidence.....they rocked it!

This evening brought us back to Ford Field to the theme "building bridges".  So many great speakers!  Uplifting music.....and even a little Motown!  The crowd went wild!!!  It seems so simple when we hear it! Building bridges can't be done alone....you can't just go from one side to the other.  You must come together.  We hear it.....do we really see it.....can we really make it happen....  The stories were very real and very heartfelt.  God calls us to be the people to bring people together...to help meet in the middle.  We all have examples of where we can do this.  We claim Jesus and he walks with us through this...helping us to see that love can build the bridge.  The last song that they sang and the special effects that went with it brought tears to many eyes.  

We are getting toward the end already.  The time has gone so quickly. My prayer for each and everyone in our group is that throughout this week the Holy Spirit guides us to open our hearts....make that difference....and to apply what we are hearing.  When speakers and songs touch us and move us, it's proof that Jesus is up to something in our lives.  My prayer is for that to happen.  I am seeing this!  I hope to see much more!

I can't believe tomorrow is our last full day of the gathering!!

Definite God Moment!

Love can build a bridge!

Serving Detroit

We had a brutal awaking at 6 a.m. then the day continued with a hour bus ride through Detroit. We then arrived at Cobo Park and played games while we anxiously waited to go to out service projects. When the time came, we went to our bus which was one out of one-hundred and then we finally arrived in Southwest Detroit where we helped clean a local park and an abandoned lot which would later become a park. But while helping clean the abandoned lot, Ryne, one of the group leaders, fell cutting down branches and a large stick pertruded into his arm. After being sent to the ER he was brought into surgery to remove the branch. God was watching over him and the surgery went well and he is now recovering at the hotel. After our service project, we went to Cobo Center to eat and waited until the youth gathering. Then we went and rode on the people movers and arrived at Ford Field. With our service project and supper at Cobo Center, we weren't able to wait in line to get front row seats for the gathering, but it was okay since we were all pretty pooped from the long day. Even with our seats in the lower deck, the gathering was still a blast with all the new speakers and and singers and although we had two less leaders with Ryne in the hospital and Sue watching over him and the long, hot day, everyone had a great time helping the people of Detroit! "A burden shared is a burden lightened" Alexia Salvatierra, speaker at the youth gathering.

-Beth's small group (Crista, Amber, Brittney, Alexa, Madi, and Gabby)

❤️❤️FLY

2nd night at Ford Filed---Bearing Burdens

Proclaim Justice Day

Day 1 of Youth Gathering:

    It all started out with a wrong turn that took us to Canada. Which lasted about 12 seconds, and those 12 seconds were the best 12 seconds of our morning. Next, 54+ people packed onto the Detroit People Mover and took a tour of downtown Detroit. We got off near Ford Field and then played games while we waited at the gates to get front row seats for the gathering. We entered the gathering and were astounded by the 30,000 Christians rushing into the stadium. 

    The gathering started out with the band "Lost and Found" and continued with"The House Band". After this we had speakers speak about how ending world poverty and hunger is possible and that we all need to rise up "clap" together. We ended the night with AGAPE and another woman singing. Rise Up and praising our great Father in Heaven. AMEN.                         

Amira, Lexis, Michaella, Maddie, Maia, Danielle, Whitney, and Muriel

The end of an awesome first night at Ford Field!

Conga Line!!

Row 7!

Minnesota Motown= no rhythm!

Day 3

Finally made it Detroit! On our first stop today we cruised on over to the Ford Motor Company. We observed on how they built the F-150 and we learned about the history behind Henry Ford's dream. After that we travelled to the Hard Rock Cafe for a very delicious meal followed by many T-shirts and souvineers. (Sue particularly loved the chocolate chip cookies for dessert.) Following lunch we moseyed on over to Motown and learned about the history of their music that influenced the world. We ended the day by heading to our hotel, ordered some pizza for dinner, and received some much needed time for relaxation. We are excited to start the fatih journey that we started nearly a year ago! 

Dylan Dulas

Christopher Allen

Mitchell Sueker

Motown.......where the music world changed🎶

Lunch at the Hard Rock!..... It's a tradition!

Ford Rouge Factory Tour...... Learning about the Motor City

On the road again.....

Cedar Point. Day 2

Today we continued our journey over to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. Sandusky itself wasn't the most exciting thing ever, but the amusement park was spectacular. We arrived around noon, decided on a meeting spot, and broke off into separate groups. Cedar Point was like Valleyfair x100. The rides were a ton of fun and there was so many to choose from. It was a very hot day but there was 50-60% chance of rain, so if lightening would have occurred, we were to meet at our designated spot. Fortunately, there wasn't any lightening, but it did start to rain for a short period of time. Some of our group got in line for probably the fastest (and shortest) roller coaster in the park. The rain had started when we were waiting in line for this specific ride. Eventually it closed and people started to leave the line, so we did the same. As we were leaving, Brittney had suggested to not be irritated that we had waited all that time but didn't get to ride the roller coaster. She said that it could've been fate or a sign from God - if something were to have gone wrong with the ride, at least we weren't on it! As much as we wanted to get to every roller coaster, we had a blast going on the endless amount of other rides that we got to choose from. After a long day, we got back on the bus and headed back to our hotel. Everyone was pretty exhausted after a fun and exciting day. 

Rollercoasters are somewhat similar to our lives. The first hill is always the scariest, but after that it usually gets easier. As we continue on our trip, we are anxious for what's ahead and to recieve the experience of a lifetime at the ELCA youth gathering. 

Much love to our friends and family - we miss you :)

Sue

Addy

Avery

Brittney

Ella

Emily

Miranda 

Rollercoaster capital of the world....Cedar Point!

Practicing for the rollercoaster.....

Day One.....Chicago!

Today was already filled with adventure!  Shedd's Aquarium and amazing Chicago Style Pizza and then an incredible evening view of the city from the Sky Deck.  We already seem to be getting into the groove of how to be a big group moving and working together.  Tonight's devotion is based on I Corinthians 12:12....... and how the body has many parts.  Our group is fillled with creative and amazing youth who each have special gifts to share with their small group as well as the large group.  Hopefully our youth are taking time to think about hopes and expectations they have for the gathering.  Like a team has many players, we all have something to give to the group.  Staying positive is important to a team.  Finding ways to be kind and compassionate to each other is vital.  Attitudes are contagious.  

And we can already tell that we love our bus driver, Mike!!  You should have seen the look of awe on the youth's and adult's faces as he manuevered the coach bus in the city....... many times, I reminded him of how much I appreciated his driving..... he was a true gift from God! haha!

Tommorrow will be filled with the thrills of rollercoasters!  Until tomorrow.....sweet dreams!

That's a long way down there! (Sky deck)

Chicago style pizza is amazing!!!!

In front of Shedd's Aquarium

The crew!!

FLY!!

Please keep the following youth and adults in your prayers as we travel to Detroit for our National Youth Gathering July 12-20.  They are:

Sue Strautz, Chris Versaeval, Beth Roelfsema, Erik Sueker,  Brittney Andreas, Isaac Marks,
Madi Schumacher, Mitchell Sueker, Miranda Fischer, Tristan Fales , Alexa Amundson, Michael
DeVaan, Addy Schaefer , Noah Meister, Gabby Reese, Dylan Dulas, Avery Hasch, Jackson
 Luther, Amber Downing, Kyle Kruse, Ella Kovash, Logan Tomasek, Crista Schultze, Orion Morrow, Emily Harmening, Brandon Groenewold, Brittney Ormberg, Skylar Gilbertson, Alec
Jahn, Eric Luther, J Jurgens, Ryne Myhrberg, Owen Banks, Michaella McKenzie, Max Roelfsema
Alex Verkinderen, Danielle Alberg, Colin Pfeiffer, Noah Versaeval,  Maia Brooks, Walker
DeAustin, Carson Douglas, Lexis Arnold, Jon Hey, Chris Allen, Amira Hasch, Noah Henle, Zach Fischer, Whitney Schwartz, Coby Hilton, Maddie Marks, Muriel McLaughlin, and Tonya Tomasek.

Rise Up Together....

Here's what the Gathering has to say about our time together:

"The context of our time together in Detroit is the Gospel of Mark.  By entering into the world of Mark’s Gospel we will learn that Jesus is the good news the world is waiting for. Mark told the story of God’s good news in a particular time and place and for a specific community in the first century. We hope that Mark’s first-century effort will inspire us to consider how God is calling us individually and collectively to share the good news of God in this time and place. More importantly, our hope is that we will return home to our own context — family, school, congregation, community — with a renewed sense of what good news we have to share about who Jesus is, who God is, and how we can live according to the way of Jesus."

Detroit Here We Come!

Detroit, a diverse, distinct city with a rich history. The birthplace of the car industry and Motown music, Detroit also played a critical role in the underground railroad and in the industrialization of America. Although the media would have you believe Detroit is on the verge of collapse — its residents know a different story. 

The city they know, our host city, has faced and continues to face its share of challenges. Yet there is a growing revitalization effort underway, and we believe God is calling us to Detroit for the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering to learn from and serve among our brothers and sisters there. 

Downtown Detroit, where the two main venues for the Gathering are located, is a hub of vibrancy and activity. With new companies headquartered downtown and more than 11,000 new employees working and living in the city, Detroit is home to many young adults at the beginning of their professional careers. With great architecture, cultural opportunities and winning sports teams, Detroit has much to offer visitors. 

The Detroit metro area is also the home to several faithful ELCA congregations who are living out their faith in new and exciting ways. Take Grace in Action, for instance. Grace in Action is an ELCA faith community dedicated to reclaiming the mission of the church, being transformed by God and each other and building a more just society for all of God’s people. The ministries at Grace in Action are inspired by the visions and dreams of people in the community: open mic night, citizenship class, prayer group and more. That is just one story from Detroit. 

Detroit has much to teach us about being a part of what God is up to at this time in our history. The story youth and their adult leaders will hear there, and will proclaim there, is that Jesus endured death for us, and Jesus rose from the grave in fulfillment of God’s plan, to make us worthy in Christ, to write us into a new story in which we are free from our fears of the powers of sin, death and the devil. 

There are many people in Detroit who know experiences of death, and there are many Lutherans, and brothers and sisters from partner communions who stand alongside the citizens of Detroit with the cross, proclaiming healing and wholeness in the midst of the death and despair. God is calling us to bear witness to their story, and to his creative and redeeming story of death and resurrection.