When I was an upper elementary student, there was a move of God among our youth group at my home church, the Marquette Manor Baptist Church in Downers Grove, IL. Many in that youth group had a fervent heart for souls and love for the Lord’s work. Watching this revival challenged me that this is the way a youth group should be. Several of those in that youth group are serving the Lord these many years later. One of the leaders was Bill Egerdahl, who is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church in West Columbia, SC. It was a great blessing to be a part of his ministry for a week since his example was a blessing to me when I was younger.
As the week progressed, many of the students were “all in.” The excitement was contagious! The Recon pulled out in the lead early in the week and it looked like it was all theirs, but on the last night the Seals pulled out an upset and won the week.
During the week, there was a good response to many of the invitations. On Friday, I usually give an invitation for those who have made a decision during the week, and want the decision to be lasting. About a half of the students responded. We had a wonderful prayer meeting and time together. That night the testimonies went for over an hour. Several testimonies were about dealing with bitterness. There was a young man visiting on the last night who was impacted by those testimonies and rose to tell his story. He had lost a sibling to cancer and had struggled with bitterness about that loss and the aftermath. He referenced that the testimonies particularly spoke to his heart. It was a blessing to hear how God used the young people’s honesty to help another. There were others who rose to give a testimony who had not responded all week long, but the candid and powerful testimonies had spoken to their hearts.
On Wednesday night, some twins came who had been invited by a youth group member out recruiting on one of the previous days. Both of those twins responded to the Gospel that night. On Thursday, another youth group member brought someone from a team he was on. That young man got saved that night. It is always an encouragement to see saved teens reach out to lost teens.
The week was a blessing to the team and we are grateful for all the Lord is doing this tour. Please pray for us!
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