What This Becomes: Grace, Hope, Love, Jesus

Alex, a high school student from Amazing Grace Lutheran, Inver Grove Heights, attended the Youth Gathering in Houston in July. The theme, "This Changes Everything", focused on the gift of God's grace and what it opens us up to. Below, Alex shares some thoughts from the Gathering.

Going into this trip I was unsure what I should expect. I had never been on a trip similar to the Gathering and I had not paid enough attention to understand the plans to full detail. Although at times not knowing the plan at all times negatively impacted the group, I found it to make the trip more memorable for myself because I did not set expectations and instead went into everything with an open mind.

The theme for the Gathering was “This Changes Everything”. Listening to many speakers and the worship, “this” was broadly phrased and took on many different translations. In ways, it served as a blank line to then insert a word that the speakers then worked into their message. “This” became God’s love, Grace, Hope, and Jesus. The many speakers shared their amazing stories which made each of these topics seem more real and a tangible reflection of God’s impact. I thought every message was well done and I was able to think deeper into their message and its connection to the theme for the day. The speakers not only told a story to demonstrate that days theme; each speaker also explained what it meant. I find this to be influential because some just think everyone already knows what they are speaking about but often that is wrong.

The trip made an impact on me because it was amazing to see the 30,000 other youth and adults there believing the same things as me. In addition, while listening to the speakers I began to think about how my life lines up with what their messages were about. Although I mostly felt I was on the right track to be doing the best thing for myself and those around me, I found areas I would be able to improve on to better myself too. I will remember this trip because of the way it combined worship with fun and service in a smooth combination turning it into a memorable experience.

Alex

11th Grade

Amazing Grace Lutheran, Inver Grove Heights