Our Summer of 2017

Our Element middle schoolers had a packed summer, so let's recap it all!

FIRST, we started this summer off strong with our Element MS Summer Retreat (6/15-6/18) at Camp Alta. It was a wonderful weekend of bonding as we played fun games, ate good food,, gathered together to listen to messages, and even went on an exciting night hike!

The theme of our retreat was Revolution as our middle schoolers were encouraged to fight against society's low expectations of teenagers and spark a revolution of change. Many students made renewed commitments to God, and we had 4 people make first time decisions to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior! PTL!

Pictures below from our summer retreat:

 With fresh commitments and renewed love for the gospel, we headed straight into our Mexico mission trip (6/22-6/30). We partnered with YWAM and got to bond as we did outreach together - we did a wide variety of activities ranging from: visiting orphanages and playing with kids, visiting rehab centers, performing skits outdoors, street evangelism, and even cleaned pig stalls!

One highlight from the week was that some middle schoolers performed a skit outside Walmart depicting our heart's need for Jesus. Afterwards, 4 people that watched the skit were really moved and came forward to accept the invitation to become Christian! Wow, it was truly God at work.

Pictures below from our Mexico mission trip:

And lastly, we ended the summer with a fun trip to the Great America amusement park! This was a reward for our middle schoolers who successfully completed our summer challenge. Students had to do different things like memorize Psalms, Hymns, help out with chores around the house, read books about Christian missionaries, and other things in order to grow in their faith.

We were proud of all our students who gave it a try, and those who completed it had a fun time at Great America!

Pictures below from our Great America trip:

Looking back, it's hard to believe everything that happened this past summer. However, we're all thankful for the ways God led us and helped us grow in our faith. The middle schoolers were challenged in many ways, and are now ready to head into the new school year looking forward to what God has in store!