This month our teams have been planning a youth rally that focused on morals and values and today was the big day! 🙂
While in Guatemala, we’ve worked closely with a man named Louis and his organization Nueva Generacion. His heart is to reach the youth of Guatemala with the life changing news of the Kingdom of Heaven. His program teaching morals and values found favor with the government and he is now teaching biblical truths in schools across Guatemala, free to straight up share the gospel of Jesus during class!
It’s amazing!
Right now there is so much need for Spirit filled teachers to teach these classes because Louis and a few other people alone are mentoring over 2,000 students a week!
To help out, our teams have been translating the curriculum into English so more people can help teach as well as going to schools and teaching classes! The youth rally was one of these opportunities and everyone on our teams got involved.
During the rally we had skits and activities to get the kids thinking about morals and values in their own lives. In one of the activities the kids had to use whatever they could find to “build something” in 3 minutes. The purpose was punctuality and respect and we asked them to time themselves… it was utter chaos.
Almost 10 minutes in, we were scrambling to get the kids attention again in the midst of skyscrapers made out of their plastic chairs… I knew that I should have been trying to reestablish order in the room, but watching 250 kids running around with chairs over their heads was absolutely hilarious and I just laughed and laughed. It looked more like a riot than a youth rally. But once we got their attention again the chairs were returned to the floor and all eyes were forward and attentive again hahaha. It was great.
Then we performed the “Everything Skit,” which was beautiful and gave me chills, like it always does (below is the original skit, not ours) 🙂
To finish off the rally I spoke for about 15 minutes to tie everything together, which was something totally new for me! But it was amazing!
As I walked up on the stage I suddenly felt fear constrict my stomach for the first time since I had signed up to be the speaker weeks before. Irritated, I whispered, “fear, I bind you in Jesus name!” and I felt the peace and confidence of God’s Spirit thick around me once again. In my head I told the Lord that I had no idea what I was going to say, but that I trusted Him, then I began to speak. And it was exhilarating.
I spoke about the love of God and how knowing Him has radically changed my life.
I talked about my struggle to be good, and how I always fall short in my own strength.
How I want to do the right thing and have honorable morals and values, but how selfishness so easily corrupts and consumes even my best intentions.
I shared the AMAZING news that because God knew I couldn’t meet His perfect standard, He sent His own Son to fulfill the law condemned me and separated me from Him!
How because I trust in the finished work of the cross of Christ, I am perfect in God’s sight! Totally forgiven! Made brand new!!
I talked about how Jesus is alive today! That He didn’t come to create another religion, but He came to fulfill the very law that religion tries to uphold. I told them how He talks with me. And how He wants to talk with them too!
I told them how Jesus introduced me to Father God.
And how God adopted me into His family!
That I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and delights in me! Whose love expects nothing in return and is not dependant on my performance!
And I told them about the AWESOME gift of the Holy Spirit. That when I was adopted into God’s family, God chose to give me His own Spirit to help me become just like Jesus~ who is the manifestation of LOVE!
I told them how God gave me joy in exchange for mourning, peace in exchange for anxiety, faith in exchange for fear…
And I told them about the great grace of God that is a free gift for anyone who would receive it! The kingdom of heaven is available for you too if you haven’t experienced what I’m talking about here. Just invite Him to come breath life into you and He will. He expects commitment for sure, and it will change your life, but a relationship with God is the best commitment you could ever make because He is life and in Him there is peace, joy and righteousness that surpasses anything else in all of creation!
So that was my talk. It was amazing. I was free from fear. Free from worrying about the judgements of others, and free to talk about my love story with the God of the universe. It was so beautiful! 🙂
