LEAH'S BAPTISMMMMM!!!!!!! :D

GAAAHHH!! Last night Leah Frantz made the decision to make Jesus her Lord!!!! SOOOO proud of you LEAHHHH!!!!! <3

Unfortunately all the pictures Nikki took of the actual baptism didn't come out....SO! If anyone has pictures, please post!!!

Marcel's Elimination

(the title pretty much says it all :P )

Winter Bash 2011

Whoop Whoop! This past Saturday the Teens had a blast at our WINTER BASH!

nom.nom.nom.

the girls munchin' on their food!

our intense game of musical chairs

Marcel making sure no one steals his gift.

Daniel and his lovely new journal

and to end the night we watched Home Alone!

December Youth and Parent Devo

So this past we had our monthly Youth and Parent Devo. The teens had a great lesson (given by EJ) about the various "traps" that we can be tempted to fall into during winter break. He discussed how we can either have a "Grinch mentality" or a Godly one. He challenged us to make sure we are keeping up with our daily times with God and staying connected with one another during the break so that we can make sure our Christmas vacation is focused on God. So, in honor of our lesson...

Prayer Request

Let's all pray for the Villagomez family as they learned that Al's mother passed away earlier today (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Parent Encouragement Night

Last Friday the Teen Ministry held the first ever Parent Encouragement Night at the Boys and Girls Club. All the teens surprised their parents with cards and flowers. They even danced and sang to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" as entertainment for the night. And to conclude the night we had a friendly competition of Guestures. The parents won by one point with a score of 41-40 (that is of course with the parents' 3 point bonus since it was a parent encouragement night ;) haha) The night was a success and the parents seemed to be very encouraged :)

**Also a reminder tomorrow's Devo is a community service devo at Skid Row. We will be handing out brown paper bag lunches to the homeless for the Thanksgiving weekend. We ask that everyone bring 5 sack lunches per person. So that's it, and see y'all bright and early at 7AM!

BOOWWWLLLLIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGG!

So this past Friday the Central Region Teens went BOWLING! We were able to partake in some healthy competition and see everyone's competitive side ;). It was a great way to have fun and fellowship with one another, I hope we can do it again soon!

Devo with Campus/Reminder

So last week we had a devo with the Campus Ministry at USC! We had a lot of fun expressing our creative side through a game called "Newscaster." We divided up into various teams and were each assigned a story in the Bible in which we were required to act our a comical skit "reporting" what was going on in that particular scripture. The "news reports" were fun to do and entertaining to watch. We had a lot of fun being able to hang out with the campus students and bond with one anther. To conclude the devo we played a really fun game in which the group divided into two teams. We were then given a word (i.e. "love") and each team took turns singing songs with that word in it until one team couldn't come up with a song. The game was really fun and we were even able to go see a baptism after! We had a great time!

------------------------------------------

**REMINDER**

Tomorrow we have a BOWLING DEVOOOO!!! (WHOOOO HOOOOO...I'm super excited if you can't tell haha) We'll be at the Alhambra Bowling Center (1400 East Valley) at 7:30, so be there or be square! [and invite friends!]

Prayer Request

Hi guys, please pray for me I have a CT Scan tomorrow because I have had a Head ache for more than a month. Please pray that its nothing serious. Thanks

Better Late Than Never

It took four years but on Sunday, Oct 23rd, former teen, Rodney J., was baptized into Christ. This is so encouraging and faith building because Rodney was reached out to by Kevin Tan when they were both freshmen at Alhambra High school four years ago. This miracle proves that God's word does not return empty (Isaiah 55:10-11). May we be faithful that our friends will respond to God's calling and love.

October Parent Teen Devo

So it's been awhile since I've posted, but last night we had a great Youth and Parent Devo at the Boys and Girls Club! We started off the night with some great fellowship and refreshments, as well as a fun and interactive ice breaker to get to know one another. At the devo, we were able to grow in our relationships with one another by having quality family prayer time. It was very encouraging being able to pray together as families and to have that opportunity to really bond with on another. We were encouraged to continue to have family prayer time for the next week or so. So let's see if we can get into the habit of praying together as a family every night!

Congrats!!!!

Congrats to Fernie on getting baptised!

FERNIE- FERN!!!!

WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM TO OUR NEW BABY BRO IN CHRIST FERNIE! WE LOVE U MAN! THANKS FOR GIVING UR HEART TO THE LORD AND THE MINISTRY! You are an amazing soldier in this battle! Here's to many years in the LORD Brotha!

WELCOME PHAWNTA!

Just wanted to give a shout out to our newest teen leader...PHAWNTA!!!! We are excited about you giving your heart by serving in this amazing ministry! : ) Welcome to the Teen Ministry Family! : )

The Lion and the Bear

David had battled Lions and Bears, he had persevered and was now ready to take down Goliath (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Fern too, has persevered and as a young man he is ready to face Goliath. While all around us older men are retreating, Fern is heading towards the battle. Fernando Pizano has now joined our ranks as he made his decision to make Jesus Lord, on Tuesday night the 11th of October at Hall Manor he was baptized and became our brother in Christ. Congrats Fern

TEEN LEADER RETREAT!!!!!!

The teen Leaders had an AWWWWWSOOOOME time this past weekend in Oxnard on our teen leader retreat! We had a great time bonding and spending time with one another! : ) Ready for a great year!!!!! : D

Bring Your Friend This Friday

A reminder to bring your friends this Friday to devo!!!

Prayer Request

Please continue to pray for Tiffany and her family.

Teen Camp Aftermath(:

I know it's been almost a month since Teen Camp but I still can't forget how amazing it was.I personally got to meet with many other disciples. I was able to build friendships outside Central, which was my goal for the week. The senior classes were amazing!! It was exciting to go to UC Riverside and have a bible talk there. It made me think about choosing a college that had a strong campus ministry not only a strong medical school. I'm so grateful for being able to attend this year. It was impacting, fun, and an unforgettable experience.

My brother and I did not want to come back. But reality kicked in when we were coming back, down the mountain. It was such a great experience. Even though my brother and I miss it so much, he choose to make a difference in his life after Teen Camp.

I'm so proud of my brother and the changes he has done after Teen Camp. Kevin is studying the bible and is growing in his conviction daily. I ask that you guys may pray for him to continue in his studies as he goes into school. He's going to join the Bible Club there and hopefully turn it into a TBT(; I'm so grateful that camp made such a great impact on him.

Memory Scripture 2

1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it, if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Heidi 19
Brian 6
Drew 0
Susana 19
Shirley 19
Nicole 19
Rosario 0
Pedro E. 0
Gissela 0
Kevin R 0
Kevin P. 0
Olivia 19
Grace 0
Cristina 0
Essence 0
Michael V. 0
Leah 0
Estela 0
Daniel F. 0
Jonathan 0
Fernando G. 0
Fernando P. 0
Carlos R. 0
Francisco M. 0


Valeria 19
Ejay 19
Tiffany 0
Veronica 9
Janett 0
Elder 0
Luis 19
Juan 13
Karina 19
Mike 0
Balbina 0
Daniel 0


Possible points: 19

Memory Scripture

Mathew 12:49-50 Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Heidi 30
Leah 20
Estela G 29
Daniel F. 30
Pedro E. 28
Jonathan 29
Rosario 29
Drew 28
Nicole 30
Olivia 29
Susana 30
Fernando G. 0
Gissela E. 0
Shirley 0
Michael V. 0
Essence 0
Cristina 0
Grace 0
Fernando P. 0
Brian G. 0
Kevin R. 0
Carlos R. 0


Valeria 30
Mike 29
Elder 28
Luis 26
Veronica 28
Karina 28
Balbina 25
Janett 28
Juan 30
Tiffany 30
Daniel 29
Ejay 30


possible points: 30

DATING!

HEY FAM! WELLLL....I WANTED TO SHARE WITH ALL OF YOU WHO MAY NOT KNOW...BUT THIS SUNDAY I STARTED DATING! HER NAME IS CLAUDIA, A BEAUTIFUL AND AWESOME WOMAN OF GOD FROM THE IE REGION : ) I HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MEET HER SOON!!!

DATING IN THE KINGDOM IS SUCH AN AMAZING GIFT AND EXPERIENCE IN THE LORD. I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARE THE MANY MEMORIES I WILL BE GOING THROUGH AND THINGS I WILL CONTINUE TO LEARN AS I LEAD ONE OF GODS PRECIOUS DAUGHTERS : )

Teen Camp Love?

Where are the posts about Teen Camp?

look what i foundddd!!!!

Haha so I found out that the staff member from Youth Camp that always takes pictures and makes the slideshows has been posting all the pictures online on layouthcamp.com for the past 5 years or so. SO, I have been looking through some of the pictures and look what I founddddd!!!




haha there are MANY more where that came from :P

piktures!

We were the IncrediGophers! We each had superhero names from the Incredibles. I was Vectressssss!! haha


The gophers + the mole + the nannies + Jake May = complete CRAZINESSSSS!


Pre-Water War


Gopher initiation....yeah, that's whip cream.....


:(


Gary and Marcel. Joined at the hip.


JUSTINEEEE!!

YOUTH CAMP 2011-DREAM!!!!

So as some as you may know I spent this past week at Youth Camp (formerly known as Pre-Teen Camp) as a gopher and had THE BEST week of my life. I had such an amazing time meeting everyone. All of the gophers bonded so quickly and built so many memories together. My experience as a whole was fantastic and words can barely begin to describe how amazing it was. It was so encouraging to see all the kids so fired up for God. I learned so much this past week and grew a lot spiritually. i had a wonderful time and will never forget this past week and I thank God for giving me such an amazing opportunity to serve and bond with others.

(I am going to try and post pictures soon)

Check Out Mr. Big Time

Check out Luis in the Feature Story. My people make the papers!
http://www.statetechmag.com/issues/july-august-2011/keep-out.-private-property.html

July Community Service

This past Saturday we had our monthly Community Service Devo! We split up in two groups and volunteered at different senior centers. My group volunteered at the Emeritus in Alhambra. We were able to spend time with elderly by making bird houses out of popsicle sticks with them. Although they all gave up pretty quickly on the project, we were able to talk with them and keep them company. It was a great way to give back to the community and was especially rewarding when they asked if we were going to return.

Alaskan Adventures

Click here to check out photos from my cruise to Alaska!

(I used Picasa, but I've never done it before so hopefully it works!)

Senior Honoring Night!

Home Sweet Home

I'm HOME!

Wow. Well, this trip was an adventure. It was fabulous until today. And EVERYTHING went terrible. To fill you in here is the entry I posted in my personal blog-a-ma-jig (warning: its LONG):

Well. That was an interesting way to end a wonderful vacation. I spent this past week on a the beautiful Diamond Princess cruise ship. I had a fantastic time on my Alaskan adventure and created many memories. On our first day in port in Skagway I was able to go on a beautiful scenic train ride. I took many pictures, and the sight was amazing. The following day in Juneau I went dog sledding on Mendenhall Glacier. That was a once in a life time experience that I will never forget. And to finish off our days in Alaska I went zip lining in Ketchikan with my dad. Yesterday our boat docked in Vancouver, Canada where we stayed the night and planned on leaving today on a direct flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles at 6:30PM. That was until my dad’s backpack was stolen.

Today was crazy. So I guess I’ll start at the very beginning. This morning my family and I were in Vancouver, Canada just exploring the beautiful city before our 6:30 flight back to LA. Little did we know that we were in the crime capital of North America. So, at about 9:30 my mom, my sister, and I meet up with my dad and my brother at the Starbucks near our hotel. We just arrived, I had ordered my usual tall mocha frappuccino when my dad realizes his bag is gone. Panic sets in once my dad yells, “My bag is gone! It had EVERYTHING in there! My brand new camera! A weeks worth of pictures! OUR PASSPORTS!!!” Crap. The workers at Starbucks immediately look shocked. Apparently some guy with a beard walked in and picked up a bag by the counter and said, “Oh this is my bag, I forgot it.” LIAR. We call the police and they attempt to help us. They filed a report and tried looking at the security tape. Too bad it won’t be ready until tomorrow. We were scheduled to leave tonight. Meanwhile my dad is circling the block in hope that maybe, just maybe the scumbag decided to ditch our passports somewhere. No luck. But wait! Some lady who was in the Starbucks at the time went to her family who was eating breakfast outside next door and they said the saw some man run into a van with a backpack. My dad’s backpack.

The police did what they could at the time, and we began to walk back to the hotel in disbelief. We talked to the people at the hotel to figure out what to do. We were advised to go to the embassy, so we did. Too bad it was closed. Then we call my aunt to try and email us scanned copies of our passports. Well, we didn’t have a copy of my little sister’s passport, AND my brother and I had copies of expired passports. Just our luck.

However, about an hour after the incident, my dad get’s a call from an unknown number. (Keep in mind we are US citizens and on US phone network so now our phone bills are going to be outrageously high after all of our international usage) Turns out some lady found our passports. Four of them. There are five of us. My passport was still missing.

Luckily, this new policeman went through a lot of work to get a hold of my dad. Apparently my Uncle is an emergency contact in my dad’s passport. But they moved a couple months ago so the number provided was no longer in service. However the policeman looked up my uncle online and found him and somehow figured out he was married to my dad’s sister so he knew there was some relation. He then found my uncle’s work office number and decided to call it even though it was a Sunday morning. Fortunately, my uncle was in his office because he had a brief due tomorrow (he’s a lawyer). So he was able to give the Canadian police officer my dad’s number and we eventually got our passports delivered back to us. But we were still missing one passport. My passport.

My passport was nowhere to be found. We called the emergency embassy, Alaska airlines, EVERYTHING to try and find a way to get me back into the states. But it looked like there was no way I could fly without my passport. So we had two options. One, stay in Canada an extra two or three days and wait for any “emergency” passport (which isn’t really an emergency passport considering it takes days). OR we could attempt to get sneak across the border by land. We chose the second option.

So it turns out there was a flight from Bellingham, Washington to Seattle that would then transfer to LA. We were determined to get on that flight. There also happened to be a Quick Shuttle that could take us across the border. We had about 15 minutes to catch it.

As soon as my dad hangs up with Alaska Airlines (they gave us the info regarding the new flight and shuttle), we pick up our bags, explain what will happen to the rest of our family and jump in a cab to get to the shuttle. We get there, and the shuttle was gone. It left 5-10 minutes before we got there.

My dad and I soon begin to panic. We don’t know what to do. So we decide to jump in another taxi and go to the airport, rent a car, and attempt to drive across the border. Our taxi driver is extremely nice, and offers to drive us across the border. Another decision we must make.

He told us it would be extremely expensive to rent a Canadian car and leave it in the US. According to him it would only cost about $120 to take the taxi all the way to the Bellingham airport. We decide to trust him and take a taxi across the border. But wait! He still needs to pick up his passport from home which happens to be somewhat near the border. Really?!?!

Instead he calls his wife and asks her to meet him on the way so we can pick up his passport without going out of our way. Too bad she does not have a car. Their son has one of them on vacation far away, and their daughter is out with their other car. Luckily his daughter was able to get it and bring it to us.

So we get to the border, and we are stopped since I only have a printed copy of any expired passport that we printed out by email at the hotel. Thankfully we had enough paperwork and whatnot to “sneak” if you will across the border. And then we finally made it in Bellingham, Washington where are final bill for the taxi was just about $183. The guy originally said $120. Great.

Everything else worked out fine. We got home safely with the rest of our family. Actually, we were traveling with extended family so they were able to take care of my mom, my twelve year old brother, and my four year old sister. So everything worked out. Except for the fact that we lost a brand new camera, 3 lenses, a flash, a week worth of memories in the form of hundreds and hundreds of photos, my dead grandfather’s old binoculars, and many more valuables. But right now all I can say is I’m glad everyone is safe. And while my dad and I snuck across the boarder in a taxi, the rest of our family took two limos to the airports. It’s funny how things work isn’t it?

Well after everything, I guess all we can say is that we learned our lessons. Always carry copies of passports. And NEVER EVER leave anything where you cannot see it. I guess what had happened was my dad had his backpack at his feet, and he was distracted dealing with my whining brother and attempting to get directions to the nearest church. When some dirtbag moved his bag a little to see if he was paying attention, and picked it up and ran off with it in a van. But now all we can do is look back at this whole experience and laugh at what we did and hope that maybe, just maybe we could recover those pictures. That’s all we want now is those darn pictures. But it’s late, I’m exhausted, and I’m off to bed. Peace. Love. And Lessons Learned.

But all I can say now is that God worked everything out, and we're all safe and sound. Luckily I still have my pictures and I'll be sure to somehow figure out a way to show you all. I can't wait to see you all!

Teen Camp Topics

I'm interested in receiving your feedback and suggestions about possible discussion topics to have at Teen Camp. Share your idea here! Thanks!

Car Wash 2011

This past Saturday the Central Region Teen ministry held its annual car wash to raise money for Special Missions Contribution. Check out the pics!

Ministry Shirts Are Here

It is official, the Central Region Teen Ministry Shirts are here. You can buy them this weekend for only $10. Make sure to get them soon because there is a limited amount. Plus, they look better than Polo, Sean John, Abercrombie & Fitch put together.

Hoops for Hope!

This past Saturday, May 28, we had our Hoops for Hope fundraiser. 24 players from all over the LA Church of Christ gathered this past Saturday to play in a 12 hour basketball tournament. So far approximately $38,000 have been raised to support the Sihanouk Hospital in Cambodia, exceeding the $24,000 goal. There is still more money to come in and hopefully we will reach $50,000! The youth ministry was represented by our very own Marcel Hall! Special thanks to all of the players who participated in the event and all the teens that helped on Saturday. The event was a huge success!

(eh...the pictures are poor quality and kind of blurry...but! It's not my fault...my dad took these pictures -__-)

Womens' Day (Saturday, May 21, 2011)

It's a little late, but here is a group picture of our table at the annual Central Region Women's Day Event: "Untangled"

Youth & Parent Devo (Friday, May 20, 2011)

This past Friday we had our monthly Youth & Parent Devo at the Boys and Girls Club. We all started off the night together with an icebreaker to get to know new people. After the parents and the teen split into different rooms, we played a game in which we had to "make" a human taco. Later in the night Luis lead the first lesson in a series on relationships.

New Website!

Check out the new Central Region website as well as the Teen Ministry page! :D

http://thecentralregion.org/

Devo with Turning Point! (May 13th)

Last night we had a great devo with the Turning Point teen ministry! We had an amazing night of worship, fellowship and fun. We were able to enjoy the Turning Point's teen band (the F.O.G.) and play a great game of Ships and Sailors. Marcel also preached a great and challenging message titled "Make Your Next Move Your Best Move." It was great being able to meet new people as well as see others that we do not get to see as often. We all had a wonderful time and hope to do it again soon!

PROM 2011!!!

TEEN PROMMMMM!!!! 2011

This past Saturday the teen disciples of the LA Church of Christ gathered at the Fanta Sea Yacht Club in Marina del Rey for the annual Teen Prom! With over 220 in attendence, the night was a huge success. There was lots of food, dancing and fellowship. Everyone had such a great time and it was a night we will never forget.

(PS does anyone have pictures..?)

Memory Scripture

1 Peter 2:9
But you are are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Andrew 0
Daniel F. 0
Drew 0
Frankie 35
Jesse 34
Heidi 0
Kevin T. 34
Michael D. 0
Michael V. 0
Mikey E. 32
Grace 0
Sandy 34
Nicole 33
Marlene 0
Olivia 34
Ray 0
Rosario 0
Shirley 32
Essence 0
Fernando 0
Jonathan 35
Gissela 30


Elder 2
Mike W. 34
Luis 27
Valeria 35
Juan 16
Tiffany 28
Ejay 33
Balbina 23
Vero 0
Janett 0
Karina 0
Danny R. 0

Possible points: 35

Memory Scripture

Proverbs 28:13
He Who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounses them finds mercy.

Andrew 0
Daniel F. 16
Drew 15
Frankie 16
Jesse 0
Heidi 0
Kevin T. 0
Michael D. 0
Michael V. 0
Mikey E. 14
Nicloe 16
Marlene 14
Olivia 16
Ray 13
Rosario 14
Shirley 13
Eccence 0
Fernando 12
Grace 16
Jonathan 15
Gissela 0


Daniel R. 14
Juan 4
Tiffany 13
Balbina16
Ejay 0
Elder 0
Luis 0
Valeria 0
Vero R. 0
Karina 0
Janett 0
Mike 0

Possible points: 16

Teen Camp Registration

Registration for Teen Camp is now OPEN!!!

When: Monday, August 1-Friday, August 5, 2011
Cost:
$325/camper (by June 12th)
$350/camper (by July 10th)
Who: incoming 9th-12th graders

Friday Devo: April 29

This past Friday we had our weekly devo at the Pasadena Boys and Girls Club. The teens were joined by the 8th graders who will soon transition into the Teen Ministry in the upcoming months. Our devo was a little different then normal. Rather then having someone like Marcel preach a lesson to us, we taught each other! We had a preach off where we were able to participate by preaching briefly on several topics. It was a great way to get many people involved in the lesson (or lessons).

Friday Devo: April 22

This past Friday, we had a devo at the Boys and Girls Club. The Junior High All Stars were also joined us when the night began. We started out with a great ice breaker that allowed us to get to know one another a little better. Then Marcel preached a lesson titled "It's All Good in the Royal Priesthood." We learned about how it is such an honor to be part of God's kingdom and how we need to strive to either get in or stay in.

Cruising!

I finally got my license on Weds!!! :D soon we can be cruising around LA and hitting up the beach every day in the summerr! Whoot whoot!
Also, I'm tossing around the idea of making sweaters/shirts for our bible talks, TBT, I'll try to draft a design and print out a sample soon, but please comment and let me know if this is something you guys would want and add any ideas you guys might have about how it should look or what colors you would want. Thanks a bunch!

Day of Fasting

This Wednesday, April 20, the Central Region is participating a a day of fasting for the disciples in danger.

Griffith Park Observatory Devo

Last night we were able to do something different then our regular Friday night devo's at the Boys and Girls Club. The teens went to the Griffith Park Observatory where we coincidentally saw the campus ministry there as well. There, we saw the show "Centered in the Universe." We learned a lot about how tremendous the universe really is. It really put things into perspective and allowed us to see how great God truly is and how amazing his creations are. We all had a great time of learning and fellowship.

Drew is 2 YRS OLD today 4/12!!!

Happy Spiritual BDAY Brotha! : )

Reminder!

Just a reminder that this week we will not be meeting at the Boys and Girls Club for our Friday devo. Instead, we will be meeting at the Griffith Observatory (address below) in the parking lot. The devo will last from 7:30-9:30PM and will cost $7. Thanks and see you there!


2800 East Observatory Road
Los Angeles, CA 90027

WANGSTER GETS A SISTER ; P

HEY ALL.... in case you didn't know or randomly saw MICHAEL WANG holding a beautiful Sister's hand over the past week...I am here to confirm that NO..he isn't in SIN...he is DATING!!!!!! ; P On Tuesday night, Mike asked LAUREN, a sis from the central singles to be his GF...and what do u know??!!?? She said yess!!! : ) (Of course she would, Mike is AWESOME) But here are some snap shots of the new dating couple in Christ! Definitely a victory and it has been encouraging to see a pure friendship turn into a pure dating relationship in the Lord...CONGRATS WANG-O-TANG! ; )