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! ; )

Saturday Movie Night (Invite)

Hey everyone! So in addition to Friday's hangout, there will also be a movie night this Saturday, April 9th.

What: MOVIE NIGHT!
When: Saturday, April 9th.
Where: The Frantz' House
Time: begins at 6:30PM

Please bring $5 with you to help pay for the food. You may also invite other people from different regions if you'd like. If you have any questions contact Andrew Cervantes or Daniel Frantz. Hope to see you there!

Friday Hangout (Invite)

Hey everyone! So since there is no devotional this Friday due to the Youth and Parent Conference, some of the disciples and I have planned a hangout for this Friday night. We are going to meet outside of Islands (upstairs) at the Paseo on Colorado in Pasadena at 6:30. There are multiple places where we get grab a quick bite to eat, as well as a $3 movie theater down the street that we can walk to. You will probably need around $15 for dinner and the movie. We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions feel free to contact Drew.

Community Service Devo (April 2, 2011)

Today we went to Brand Park in Glendale to help make the park look nicer. First we began cutting back trees and bushes that prevented police from seeing the hiking trails when they drove by. After we cut and raked tons of plants, we headed up a long trail and trimmed plants to make the route look nicer. It was a lot of work, but there was definitely a noticeable difference when we were done. We were very productive, and it great to know that we were able to help out the community.

Central and East Region Group Teen Date 3/26/11

The teens from Central and the East Regions gathered for a fun group date last Saturday! May we continue to unify our ministries and build lastings memories together.

Balbina Birthday today

Happy Birthday Baby, I wish you the best. Love you

LA FOOD BANK

Its always awesome serving together for the community as a ministry!!! ; )

Friday Devo (March 25, 2011)

This past Friday night the teens were able to get together at the Boys and Girls club for our weekly devo. We were also joined by the 8th graders since they will soon be transitioning into the Teen Ministry within the next couple months. We were able to start the night with a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Fellowship" where were got to fellowship with one another as well as play a couple rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors with one another. Later in the night, we were able to hear a lesson lead by Marcel on confession. We all learned how confession is a vital part of our spiritual life. We need to be open and vulnerable with our lives so that we can help one another, and more importantly stay faithful to God. Marcel also came up with three types of confessors that we tend to be. The "fuzzy" confessors like to keep everything vague and general not willing to talk much about what has been going on. The "spinners" like to spin or sugar coat things to make it look better than it really is. Finally, there are the "waiters" those that wait to confess their sin until d-time or when their teen leader asks them the right question. So, which confessor(s) are you?

Memory Scripture

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

April 0 Andrew 26 Daniel F. Drew 26 Frankie 29 Jesse 0 Heidi 0 Kevin T 24 Michael D. Michael V. 28 Mikey 24 Grace 28 Nicole 29 Marlene 26 Olivia 29 Ray Rosario 26 Shirley 29 Eccence Fernando 25 Jonathan 27 Tiffany 29 Valeria 24 Vero Balbina 28 Janett Karina Luis Juan 20 Elder 29 Ejay 27 Mike 29 Daniel 27 Possible points 29

Group Date with the East Region! :D

So today, We had our group date with the East Region!
I thought it was a really cool experience and i felt super encouraged :)

The date started out with an ice breaker that gave us an idea about who our dates were. We had lunch at Chick-fil-A. We ate outside by the Rose Garden. It was cool to see all the disciples in both regions interact, tell stories, and just have fun. After lunch we went with our doubles and to the Rose Garden to have our prayer walks. Once we were done we all went to the African American Museum. We walked around the museum with our dates.

The whole date was just a lot of fun. It was great to meet other disciples and to build friendships with them. I hope that we can do it again soon(:

Mamory Scripture

Mathew 5:16 in the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.

April
Andrew
Daniel F.
Drew 20
Frankie 23
Jesse 11
Heidi
Kevin T 23
Michael D
Michael V. 22
Mikey E. 23
Grace 23
Nicole 23
Marlene
Olivia 23
Ray
Rosario
Shirley 21
Essence
Fernando
Jonathan 23
William


Valeria 16
Balbina 22
Tiffany 23
Janett
Vero
Karina
Luis
Juan
Elder 21
EJay 23
Mike W. 23

Possible Points: 23

Parent and Teen Devo (March 18, 2011)

This past Friday, March 18, 2011, we had our monthly Parent and Teen Devotional. As usual, we started off the night with food and great fellowship. After singing a couple songs and recognizing those born in the months of February and March, the parents and teens went to their separate lessons. The teens heard a great lesson from Central Region alumni Erick Rodriguez and Cynthia Vasquez. They were able to share about what it was like for them being a teen disciple. In his lesson, Erick addressed the five "stones" that we should apply to our lives daily to be strong men/women of God. The lesson was very impacting and relatable. It was great being able to hear from both Erick and Cynthia since they can relate to everything that we face daily.

(And don't forget the three E's! "Eagerly Examine Everyday").

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY APRILLLL!!!

Teen & Campus Devo

Last Friday night, March 11, we met with the campus ministry for a Teen & Campus devo. The devo was located at USC, and we were able to have a great time of fellowship as well as hear the word of God from Alex Quintanilla. We had a great time, and can't wait for the next Teen & Campus devo!

The Hall Tribe Has The Keys To Their Promised Land

On March 4th, we recieved the keys to the Hall Tribe's first house. We won't move in until late April. So, get ready, Teen Ministry, to help move and stuff. The house looks bad now but, Lord willing, it will look nice real soon.

The 2nd Lady of the Hall Tribe

Here is "Baby Girl" Sanaiya Naomi Hall. This is her Mother Teresa look.

Women's Day

Hey!(:

So, for those who don't know, today was the women's day confrence for the latin sector. It was very encouranging to be there and to see all the women come. But we also had two teen girls who visited us. They were both Sandy Meza's cousins. It was great to see all the girls there. It was lots of fun, very encouranging and there was also great food(: