2010 Conferences: SV Getaway & SV LIFT

2010 SV GETAWAY CONFERENCE: "UNSTOPPABLE. UNAFRAID."

It's only been about two weeks since I returned from the Student Venture (SV) Getaway conference that was held in Myrtle Beach, SC...but my mind is still reeling from it! What an amazing time of getting to know the high school teens that are being impacted by SV in many cities across the US. They came from Chattanooga, Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh, West PA, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and N. Michigan. This having been my first ever full 6 day long SV conference, I literally jumped into any and every activity I could to get the most out of the 6 day long conference from a staff member's perspective...like a mini-boot camp =)

It might be easy to forget that high school teens have this crazy energy hiding beneath their "cool" exteriors. But getting to see how pumped up the teens got over inspiring speakers with challenging messages, and how they rushed the stage to sing and dance to the heart-stoppingly loud, energetic and worshipful music led by Tenth Avenue North was a treat. I couldn't help but find myself right in the front of the crowd with them, soaking up the messages and crying out with songs of worship as one voice...Wow. The week pounded into our brains the theme two high school guys had come up with: being "Unstoppable" and "Unafraid" for the sake of the gospel for the glory of God all the days of our lives.

It was worth it to get the few hours of sleep I got each night. I was thrilled to see how the staff came together from everywhere and worked for the good of the high schoolers in attendance. I loved personally interacting with and encourage some teens as I helped lead a small group discussion time with fellow SV staffer Kelly Emerick. And, my own faith and boldness was tested as I joined a small street-evangelism group in the sweltering heat and a bus load of people heading through the beaches to gather people together for beach-based evangelism using a staged battle.

Everyone was exhausted by the time the conference finished - and it was clear amazing things had happened by the end of it all. As teens got up one by one in their city groups to share testimonies of how God had worked in their hearts that week, one story of a high school football captain started a string of other tear-jerking testimonies.

This young man had cried as he confessed to his small group that even though he looked like he was living the perfect life on the outside, he'd been struggling a lot with thoughts of suicide. His fellow football teammates rushed over to him and cried with him, holding him and comforting him...and when other teammates heard, they had rushed into the room and joined the huddle. From stories of teens finally coming to forgive parents who'd cursed them during divorces to teens with stories of overcoming heavy drug use, God worked in beautiful and miraculous ways through the conference and SV staff!

WHAT'S NEXT:

My next conference will be the 2010 SV LIFT conference for staff and other SV workers. I'm excited to get to meet and know many more fellow SV workers from all across the US, and would love for you to be praying for this. You can find the prayer requests below as listed from headquarters.

Thank you for following me in this journey! I hope and pray you are blessed...

Love,
Kar-Lai

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PRAYER REQUESTS FOR UPCOMING
Aug 2010 LIFT CONFERENCE
Psalm 121:1-2: “I LIFT my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
2 Cor. 4: 16-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs then all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Eph. 3:20: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us....”

• Pray that all who attend the conference will connect deeply with the Lord, have focus, find rest and encouragement in the battle, and believe God for things yet unseen.
• Pray that God would be calling and providing for many volunteers, community people, interns, hourly workers, and part time field workers to attend. Pray that people could get time off work or be able to come for a few days.
• Pray that God would raise up people in the Asheville community to come and cover this conference in prayer.
• Pray for the speaker Gene Mathis and the band Living Anthem as they prepare their message and music for the week. Pray for them to hear from the Lord in leading us.
• Pray for program details (Lee C.), administration details (Amy U.)
• Pray for Stephanie C., Kristie W., and Peggy B. as they meet again next week to work on childcare details. They need God’s direction for the spiritual content that will best serve our middle school and high school students attending the conference. Pray that all the children and students attending the conference would grow in their faith and be well taken care of. Pray that they would find enough workers and the right workers to lead all of the children and students.
• A financial ask has gone out for scholarships for college students to attend. Pray for those who have been asked, that God would speak to them about giving and they would be able to make a decision. Pray for God to meet the financial needs of all attending. Pray for God to put in on the hearts of personal ministry partners to give.
• Pray for God to design all the break out sessions to meet the equipping needs of everyone attending. Pray for wisdom for Mike Crandall as he puts details into place for these.

...Thank you for your prayers!