So, Permeate has been over for 2 weeks now but I have been struggling to figure out how to tell you about it. In one word you could say that Permeate went WELL. But that word doesn't really express the whole feeling of how Permeate went. So I am going to try and talk about how it all ended up.
Permeate: means to spread throughout.
In the language of junior high and high schoolers in the Kunming Expat community it has a deeper meaning? It is the name for a Christian Youth Conference. This conference was started in 2008. The vision was started about 6 years ago when a student said "wouldn't it be so cool if we had a giant conference for MKs* all over this provence?" From that the dream was born, and about a year later we had our first ever Permeate. Our initial vision remains the same - to provide a place where students from all over the world can get together and worship the Father with their peers. Our heart is especially for students who don't often get that due to their remote living locations. We desire to help them build a solid foundation of faith so that as they go into all corners of the world they will make a lasting impact for HIM.
We desire for the love and knowledge of Jesus would spread throughout this community, these students, and this generation.
This year we have been praying that this conference would not just change the lives of the students who attend the conference but also change many generations as the students affect and change those around them.
I was part of the planning team this year for the first time and seeing the amount of work that goes into a program like this was phenomenal. And I only did a fraction of what some of the others took upon themselves.
This year’s theme for Permeate was Never Give Up and we were using Hebrews 12:1-3 to illustrate this theme. The reason we wanted to discuss this theme at Permeate is because of the great fear among this population of Christian kids that once they leave “home” they will fall away from their faith. We, the planning committee, wanted to give them the tools to hold on and to persevere in times of trouble.
This theme was really embraced by the students and the student leaders organized all the games that were played during the weekend and the theme wove its way into the games in the form of olympic type games. We had gymnastics as one game which was a network of ropes that each team had to shimmy through with out touching any rope. We had shot put as one which was trowing water balloons at leaders. All the games were very sophisticated and needed much skills to participate.
Mike Gordan was our speaker this year. We discovered him because one member of the Planning team had heard him speak previously. He is an enthusiastic and genuine speaker, bringing aspects of his own life into sharp contrast or to illustrate Father's word. Mike was the perfect speaker for this "Never Give Up" topic. Many of these kids come from families that are pursuing Father. Only a handful are from families that do not believe. But Mike comes from a family that is actively against his Faith. So his testimony of following hard after Him and carrying the cross given to him was very powerful.
I had eleven students in my small group and every night we had time to just process things they had learned. It is so beautiful to hear young hearts turn back or turn to God for the first time. In a normal week here I have a group of tenish girls at Youth Group in my small group-and many of the same girls were in my small group at Permeate. But there were three of my regular small group girls who were in a different Permeate Small group.
One of those girls is a very awkward socially inept young women. and Whether she recognizes it or not she struggles to connect with others. Most often she puts people at unease. Through out the year she has shared with us at Youth Group that she doesn't really "get" most of the messages shared at Youth Group and that on a scale of one to ten, one being that you only believe because your parents believe, and ten being you counted the cost and choose to follow Him. that she was still at a one level. She is in the place that many before her have been but Permeate was a time that I saw her really consider her choices. She didn't just blindly stand up at alter calls or rush forward with everyone else when asked to.....instead she sat quietly and often weeping in her chair while everyone around her stood, knelt, or came forward,.
I am still unsure if she was made new during Permeate but whether she was or not she heard truth and she was challenged to make a choice.
Last Thursday she wasn't at Youth Group but I hope to talk to her personally this week.
As the Weekend Nurse I must give great praise and thanksgiving to our Father for protecting the students and staff. We had several people who had sever allergies and so we were stocked with epi-pens. I got to give the staff training on how to administer them and in the end never needed to use those skills. PTL!!! We played one game during the week that would have been vetoed by me if I had known about it-because I broke my collar bone playing the same game when I was a kid. But again no disasters occurred. Everyone had a good time and the most sever injuries we had were a toothpick was stepped on (not too deep) and sunburns. PTL!!!
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| Welcome to Permeate!! |
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Hooray!! Permeate has Begun!!
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| The Registration Crew!! |
Let the games begin!!
Free time:
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| My girls!! |
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| swimming |
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| Kisses |
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| Hugs |
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| Chillin' with Mike |
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| One of my girls swinging. |
Drama team:
Girl's Session:
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| Our Girl's Session Speaker. |
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| She Challenged us to give our all to Him. |
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| One of mine!! |
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| Beading!! |
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| Salt scrubs!! |
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One of my girls getting her makeup done!!
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| Soooo Pretty!! |
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| One of my girls getting her hair done!! |
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| Food coloring does dye your hands. |
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| Salt scrub disaster |
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My girls making jewelry!!
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| Liz taking all the pictures. |
Worship:
The Planning Committee:
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| Nate and Amber |
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| Neil and Mikayla |
From our end of Permeate survey here are four of my favorite quotes from kids:"Permeate 2013 was a wonderful experiene for me. The people there were really nice to me. Always saying things like you have a great accent, or wow you look really good in blue. it made me feel loved and an accepted part of the Family of Gd." "I learned more about Gd than I have in my whole life" and "His faithfulness never ceases to amaze me. He doesn't simpy ask us to stand up for our faith but stands up right next to us day to day moment to moment without ever letting go of our hand." "The thing I like most about Mike is that he looks all scary on the outside but then when he talks you can tell he is really great!"
