RIOT part 1

So where do I start? Everything about my trip was incredible! It wasn't any ONE part of my trip (even though there were many highpoints), but rather it was all those highpoints that made one incredible trip. I cannot believe all that God did for me that trip. God talked to me in a special way. Yet, it seems I have come away a little empty. It wasn't a long trip getting me down; it was church without a move of God. No, rather it was almost like I couldn't let me really allow myself to sit back and just savor His presence.

RIOT was incredible. I haven't been to many youth camps in my life, but that is one of the most incredible ones that I have been to. It isn't just the people or the spirit of God. It isn't just my UN-biased view!! :D But there is something so real, so true. There are not boy-girl conflicts (and everybody knows what I am talking about). Those moments when one boy decides that he likes this one girl and so she finds out. She decides she likes him back and WHAMO…LOTS of problems!! Through the non-existence of the problem the young people are opened up to look more for God.

What an incredible thing to watch young people who WANT to serve God.  But that is not even the best part. The best part is when you get them together and have a service. It is definitely God that makes the difference in any service, but I wholeheartedly believe that it also depends on how we seek him. It depends on what kind of heart we seek him with. To watch all these young people reach on to God and to each other in the services was…I am without words to describe it, but it was so real.

There were several young people that were struggling with different problems there in those services, and I watched how God touched them. I saw how time and time and again, different people reached out to pray for them. Sometimes it was just a laying the hand on their shoulder for a second, other times they would gather around and dance with them. If someone from the world would have walked in at any moment through the service they might have thought they were all crazy, but not so. There was just a special presence of God that moved in that place. Other times the same young people that had their different needs, would reach out and begin to pray for someone else. It seemed that within minutes God had blessed them just as much or more then the person they were praying for. Was God playing favorites? No. He was blessing them for reaching out to others in their time of need. Or better yet, he was just blessing them.

Oh, there is no way to put it words all that happened in the services. It was more than just youth camp. You can tell me I'm biased. You can try to convince me that I don't know what I am talking about. Forgive me, but you cannot tell me that you can find that just any place. Can it happen everywhere? Yes.  Does it happen everywhere? No. You can tell me what it's because of this or that, but I will tell YOU one thing. It is because they have a pastor and wife who are connected with God. It is because they have dedicated people who are trying to serve God. It's because they have a strong foundation. It's because their primary focus is Jesus Christ. That is what is missing in a lot of Pentecost today. In some places it is obvious that their focus is anywhere BUT Jesus Christ. It is sad, but you go to places like FWC and you realize that there is still a church. God still does have a people, and they are STILL moving forward!!

As you may have guessed from what you have read so far, church was definitely the highest point of all the high points. But I can't tell all of RIOT in one post so…this is the first part. Keep your hat on for the second part.  Until then…

~Honduran Chikka