Last night we talked about prayer! We discussed the importance of prayer, how to pray and how praying effects our relationship with God. Sometimes we don't know how to pray, or we only pray when we need something, so we challenged students to think about praying to thank God, to ask for help, to pray for other people, to pray for the world, to pray at school when we see someone struggling, really just encouraging them to think about praying all the time! Not just at dinner or bedtime because the more we talk with God, the stronger our relationship will be with Him!

Questions to discuss:
When do you pray now?
How can you enhance your prayer life? What other times can you pray?
Do you know what to say when you pray or do you need help with knowing what to say?

Lesson Title: Jesus Treats the Least as Family - Jesus heals a sick woman and calls her "Daughter"
Scripture: Mark 5: 21-34

Kim lead our lesson time last night sharing the story of the bleeding woman. This lesson continued to focus on how Jesus interacted with and loved the people in society who others saw as outcasts.
"Instead, on his way to heal an important guy’s daughter, Jesus stopped to chit-chat with an outcast. It seems ridiculous! But notice what he called her: Daughter. Jesus went out of the way for this woman, not only healing her but also bringing her back in from the fringes of society. To Jesus, worldly power doesn’t matter. Faith matters. And while he honored and responded to Jairus’ faith, Jesus stopped to show that he has a special place in his heart for the least." 
You can talk with your student about who in their lives, their schools are the outcasts and how they and other treat them. Is it how Jesus would treat them?

Our guest speaker, Todd Krygsheld, shared with us about how Jesus instructs us and shows us that we are to care for the least. But not out of pity, or to look good, or to impress God, but because all people need Jesus. He challenged the way students see people and encouraged students to see people as people first, not what it is they are struggling with. Some of what Todd shared was challenging for students to grasp so I encourage you to ask them what they thought about what Todd shared. We will also continue to discuss what Todd shared at IMPACT this week.

Last night we discussed what makes us feel excluded vs. included and why we desire to be included. We also talked about why it is hard to always be inclusive to those around us. We then talked about the way Jesus interacted with people, especially people who were seen as "outsiders" and what that can teach us. Students were challenged to think about who they see as "outsiders" and what they can do to change the way the view and interact with those people. This is hard for students to think about but we will continue to challenge them to think about ways to include and be friends with people who they wouldn't normally spend time with.

Next week we will have Todd Krygsheld join us as a guest speaker. He gave sermon a few weeks ago and I think he can really help our students change the way they view and treat others. I am excited for what is to come from Todd sharing with us!

We CELEBRATED last night! It was such a fun night of gifts, dodgeball, cookie decorating, games and time together! More pictures to come!

You could feel the energy in the room last night!

It is such a joy to see the students genuinely enjoy spending time together each week. We played a new game which resulted in lots of laughs, we have our memory verse memorized (with motions)... you should ask your student to recite it for you! Philippians 4:4-7. We helped Erica, the children's director, prep some things for the family movie night on Friday and then we had the opportunity to hear from Dan Kiel and Zach Ling.

Dan and Zach were both vulnerable in sharing hard things in their lives but also of the hope they have in Jesus and how he has carried them through. Zach is a 7th grader and is very musically talented, especially with drums. He shared a song he is working on with his cajon drum. It was awesome to see how student's supported him and how many of them relate to some of the things he has been feeling. It is always powerful when we realize we aren't the only ones dealing with something hard.

Next week is our Christmas Celebration, there is lots to celebrate!!

There was a great energy in the room last night. There were lots of laughs, encouragements and joy! I am so grateful for the opportunity God has given me to walk along side your students, to learn from them, to listen to them and to love them. It truly is an honor. 

Last night we met in our focus groups for the last time of 2018!! We have just 2 weeks of IMPACT left this year, I can't believe it! Good conversations took place in our groups and I do believe growth is taking place as well. We will continue to meet in our focus groups after the new year to continue deepening relationships in those groups as well as continuing to dig deeper into the topics. 

Next week we are inviting people to join us to share their story and we will have the privilege of hearing from 2 of our middle school students as well!