Post D-Now Update

I love this weekend with the student ministry at our church home.  I love it...I cannot say that enough.  My husband and I were raised in A/G churches, so this D-Now thing is new to us.  Graham was first invited to one with a friend back in sixth grade, and every year since, our kids have gone.  This is a baptist church thing.  We have been attending CFBC for seven years now.  We joined after a couple years and have no plans to change any time soon, or EVER.  We love our church family, and it was events like this one that drew our kids there, and eventually, all of us.  The children's pastor at the time had a motto: reach the kids, reach the whole family.  It worked.

D-Now weekend is a discipleship program.  It's a weekend long retreat that is in our town, and all the students and leaders stay in host homes.  There were over 170 students in attendance there this year!

You can't even see all the students, because it was so wide.  Several decisions were made to become followers of Jesus for the first time ever, and I know of several who prayed about renewing or deepening their relationship with the Lord.  We always begin on Friday night at seven with worship, then session one by our speaker.  The last two years it has been a student pastor and speaker from Mississippi, Jason Curry.  The students (AND adults) love him.  After session one, we go back to our host homes, pig out on junk food, then have small group time, where we talk about the message from that night.

I love small group time the most.

We go to bed, then wake up and have quiet time, breakfast, then meet back at the church at 10 or so.  Session two happens then, followed by lunch, then games, and service projects or break out sessions they can choose from, then we break to go back to the host homes to eat more and rest.  Dinner is always around six, then session three, then small group time again (this night is always the best), then we go to bed and meet back at the church the next morning at nine.  It officially ends after morning service, but our last session is always Sunday night.

The point of these weekends are for students to know the Lord.  Or to know MORE of Him.  We are always provided with things to say to challenge them in this.  Relationships are made new again, or start for the first time, fellowship happens, and we always go from the weekend refreshed and exhausted.  Ha!  Maybe that's just the adults.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

This was Drew's host home and fellow seniors.  Insert crying face emoji here.  I can't believe it's his last D-Now as a student.  He can come back next year and help lead, though, if he wants to do that.

This stage is what made me be a tech team widow all last week.  None of this stuff stays put.  It is all set up and torn down the week before and the last night of D-Now.

Co-leaders!  Left to right: me, Laurie, Kittie, and Missy.  Kittie was our host home friend and she and her sweet hubby were the most gracious of hosts.

All our ninth grade girls!  This group of girls is phenomenal.  They're new to us this year: Missy and I lead them in community group on Sunday nights, which also takes place at our friend Kittie's house.

Saturday, in our team colors (maroon) with our friend Teresa.

The ninth grade won second place in the games part of the weekend and got an ice cream sundae bar as a reward.  We all enjoyed every single bite.

Sunday morning and tired eyes.

This was a small group of the ninth grade guys.  There are so many of them, they have to split into three homes.  My Noah is the fourth from the left.  Chandler is on the far right, and he's one of their mentors and student staffers.  I do not have one picture with Jonah.  I have one with Graham, but it's blurry.

I love seeing our students on stage with us as we worship on Sunday morning in church.  The students always sit right in the front on this day, and I love seeing them worship.

It was an amazing weekend.  I now know a lot of the ninth grade girls a lot better, and I feel like it was a productive weekend, meaning that we all left challenged and changed.  I pray that what they took away stays with them forever and that they continue to grow closer to God in their relationships with Him.

Thanks to all of you who prayed for us!  Love to all.