new website

Hey guys,

I have decided that we are going to not use the blog page for announcements anymore since we keep having problems with it sending out emails a day late with the updates and people keep missing them. So instead of using the blog page, we are going to post updates on our new website. If you need to know info on what is happening in the HSM all you have to do is go to www.highlandbc.org/youth. We have all kinds of great info up there as well as a page dedicated to the events in the near future (latest buzz). So go check it out and this will be used as a last resort. Thanks for understanding and we'll see you soon.

HSM

Website is up and running...

Hey guys,

I just wanted to pass along a little tidbit of information...our new church website is up and running. To check out the main church site click here and if you want to go directly to the youth page click here. Go check it out cuz it's really cool. See you soon.

HSM

MOTION

This is a message from Angela and Adrielle for all of you who are interested in being a part of MOTION. Remeber that they will be making a trip to Boston next summer as a part of their schedule so get involved from the start. Here are some ways you can be involved and who will be leading each part:
Group Singing: Angela Beeler and Adrielle Selke
Drama: Candi Stryker
Stomp: Mark Rhodes
Vocals: Gary Rhodes
Dance: Grace Riehl
Band: Tim Cates

MOTION KICK-OFF PARTY!!! Pizza...Door Prizes (including the new Chris Tomlin CD!!)
When: TONIGHT at 5:30 pm
Where: THE CAVE
See you there!!
Angela and Adrielle

Six Flags Info

Hey guys,

I just want to make sure everyone is clear about our Six Flags trip...the cost is $25 to buy a ticket from us. If you have a season pass or already have a ticket, then you need to pay $5. We have a limited number of tickets so you need to get your money in to reserve your spot ASAP. We also have a limited number of seats on the vans and bus, so that means only 11 season pass/ticket holders will get to go. We will leave HBC on August 14th at 9am and return around 10pm. You will be responsible for your own lunch and dinner in the park so you will need some extra cash. It's gonna be a fun time so hope you get signed up soon. See ya Sunday.

HSM

411 in the HSM

1) Tonight's PIE location—Chic-Fil-A

2) Sign ups for Six Flags start TONIGHT...tickets are limited so sign up asap. Cost for the trip will be $25. We will leave HBC on August 14th at 9am and return around 9pm. That means you are responsible for lunch and dinner so bring money.

3) Junior High Ranger Game sign up begins Sunday!! Rangers vs Tigers on August 19th...$22 reserves your spot.

4) Summer H2O Sunday Aug 10th!! We will be eating hot dogs and swimming at the Byrd's house. Directions are available in the youth room.

5) Junior High Zoo Day is August 11th from 10am-noon. Come and hang out with the animals...and you might see some in the cages too. $10 should cover admission and snacks.

6) Our next Mid-Month Lunch Munch will be at Rosa’s Tortilla Factory Tuesday Aug 12th at 11:30.

and we're back

Sorry for the lack of posts after Tuesday but the internet was cutting in and out so much that we never could get another post up, but rest assured that we had an amazing experience in the last days in Guatemala. Here's the run down of all (ok not all but at least some of the things) that happened in the second half of our trip.

On Wednesday and Friday we continued our work projects of installing toilets and sinks, electrical outlets, sealing the outside of the new boys housing, building picnic tables, painting the kitchen in the eating room, and cleaning/moving bunk beds into the new boys' home. If nothing else, during this week we put some major sweat into finishing out as much of that boys house (pictured here) as we could.

In the end, I think we counted over 200 electrical outlets and light switches were installed, at least 12 or 13 toilets and sinks were installed, we sealed all of the 6000 sq ft boys home as well as the front of the apartment housing and some of the girls house, built 4 picnic tables, painted the kitchen of the eating room, and cleaned and moved 13 bunk beds from one side of the property to the other to the second story of the boys' housing. In other words, we worked and I was extremely proud of everyone of our students and adults. Each of them did their part to accomplish everything that was asked of us and more. As we were getting ready to leave, we were told that because of the amount of work we had gotten done in our time there, they would most likely be able to move up the move in date by a month! Praise God for giving us the strength and energy to be able to serve and accomplish all of this for His glory.

On Wednesday night, we had a praise and worship service with the children and it was really great. We sang some more songs in Spanish (some we knew, some we learned) and then Maggie Blair shared her testimony about some of the struggles she has endured over the past few years and how they affected her ability to find her identity in Christ...it was very powerful and the children seemed to be very engaged in her story. When she finished telling her story we sang some more and one of the interns who had been ministering there all summer shared with the kids. After worship, we went out and played...that's right we had ourselves another night of games. This time around we played a pretty mean game of Knockout before giving in to playing another riveting round of futbol.

Now you may be wondering what happened to Thursday??? We made a little side trip to Antigua (not the island, but the Guatemalan city). We had an incredible breakfast at this nice 5-star resort before heading off to tour a coffee plantation. We learned how the Guatemalans made such incredible coffee and then had the distinct pleasure of sampling what they had grown. After the coffee tour, we made our way to visit the church where the only Catholic saint from Guatemala was entombed. His name is Hermanos San Pedros and was known for healing broken bones. As you walk through the museum and church, you see many different pictures and artifacts to commemorate his ministry in Guatemala. One of the most incredible things that we got to see was Saint Peter's ropera interiora (sp?) which means we got to see his draws. That's right, in a display case in the museum his underwear is displayed for all the world to come and gawk at. Can we say awkward?? Anyway we all enjoyed climbing in the ruins of the old cathedral next to the present church. It was a great morning and so we headed over to eat lunch at a place that originated in Guatemala but has now spread to many other countries...Pollo Campero (which means Chicken Farm). It's a restaurant that serves, well...chicken. And it was pretty good...most of the kids enjoyed it anyway and they got their first soft drink all week so that created some smiles. After lunch, we headed out to the market to spend some of our precious Quetzales. It seemed like machetes and hand woven purses won the day...of course, the majority of the group came back with some pretty kickin' soccer jerseys...don't worry, you'll know 'em when you see 'em. After our time at the market, we headed back to the home for another helping of black beans and whatever the complimentary addition was that night (not a complaint by the way, but we had black beans almost every night).

Back at the home, we had dinner and Amanda Pate shared her testimony with the older girls how God had helped her through a scary time dealing with her mom's back surgery. Basically she just really encouraged the girls by showing them that God hears our prayers and acts on them. After dinner, Kendon and Wendy met with our group and shared with us some stories about how they got to where they are and what God has been doing in and through them as they have been faithful to follow Him.

While part of the group was finishing up the work projects on Friday morning, the majority went to hang out with the younger children from the home at what can only be described as the biggest indoor playground you can even imagine. It was like 4 stories of McDonald's playlands in one. This was a great experience for our students as they got to play with the children who were being rewarded for their good behavior with a trip outside the walls of the home. Everyone came back exhausted from playing so hard...they also came back happy because on the way home, they got to stop at McDonalds and have themselves a nice little meal.

Friday night was our last night at NLCH so the Wheelers and their staff and the children treated us to a little party to celebrate our time spent with them. They made a slide show of our team, had one of the kids sing a song for us, had a couple of the older girls perform a dance for us that was really awesome, and then gave each team member a picture from the week in a frame with a card from one of the children. It was a really great time to be there with them and enjoy the fellowship which was capped off with some homemade ice cream that was simply amazing!! After all of the ceremony, we went back outside to the gym and played what else, but soccer!! I'm telling you these kids love this game and I think some of our students really started to get the hang of it too.

Saturday morning was the day of sadness as our time at the home had come to an end. We were sent off with a line of children waiting to hug our necks just before getting into the vans to head to the airport. I can honestly say that this was one of the best mission trips we've taken just because of how smoothly everything went. The work projects were set up perfectly so that we always had something to do. The children were warm and friendly which made the language barrier seem to almost disappear. And our hosts (Kendon and Wendy and Lee and Staci) did such an amazing job of leading us that we felt right at home. I know that mission trips are supposed to be about blessing those that you go to serve, but we were tremendously blessed by having the opportunity to work alongside these amazing people. We ask that you continue to pray with us for NLCH and all that God is doing there.

Thanks for taking this journey with us and we'll talk to you again soon.

HSM Guatemala Team '08

Tuesday in Guatemala

Well today has been kind of interesting...we worked in the morning and then had the break for the rain. Tonight we got to have a little taste of home...Dominos pizza!! Never would have guessed that we would be kicking back in Guatemala with a bunch of slices of Dominos, but it was really fun and the kids here love to eat their pizza. During the meal was our group's first opportunity to share some of our stories to the whole group here at NLCH. Nathanael Barker went first and did a great job of sharing about how God has helped him in working through his anger issues as well as just drawing him closer to Him. Then Murphy Blair shared about how she has battled with trusting God through her struggle with lupus. And how God has just been showing her that He is the One who will be her strength. They both did a great job and then Matt put together a little video presentation that had pictures from when he brought a group here in 2004 then updated it with some pictures from this trip. The kids loved seeing themselves 4 years ago. We have been told multiple times how great it is for the volunteers and workers here to see the older youth that live in the home actually interacting with the team. Apparently they usually just keep to themselves and stay away from teams. We have totally enjoyed spending time with them and playing soccer in the evenings...we actually had a Guatemala vs Gringos game tonight. It was great fun and everyone had a blast. I promised some pictures of us with the kids so here they are:

Sorry for the delay...

We had some issues with the iternet last night thus we did not post anything obviously. Here are some of the pictures from yesterday that will help you get an idea of all that we have been doing while we've been here. We started working yesterday on the boys' facilities...part of the group worked on plumbing, part on electrical sockets, part on sealing the bricks on the outside and then some on computer issues. We definitely have our work cut out for us while we are here.

We'll post again later tonight with more of a recap of our adventures. We'll also post some pictures of the children we're playing with here. Until next time...

Hasta Luego,

Guatemala Team

Sunday at NLCH

I do have to start off by saying that I read that Waco reached 102 degrees today...our group was sitting under a nice shade tree hanging out in the breeze with temperatures reaching up into the upper 70's...we could get used to this.
Anyway on to our day: this morning we went to church with the children at the orphanage. We were pretty amazed when we arrived to the church where we were going to be worshipping...I think I mentioned that it seats 12,000. The entire service was in Spanish so they handed us headphones and receivers in order for us to be able to have the service translated. It gave us a new perspective for those who visit our services that may not speak English. Some of the responses from our students were realizations that though we were speaking different languages, we were praising the same Jesus; the first song that we sang was Hillsong's Take It All which many of our students recognized and got really excited about; it just so happened that the sermon was a video tape of a guy who came and visited last week who was from Gateway Church in Dallas, TX--so the sermon was in English with a translater interpreting the message into Spanish (we thought that was kind of cool); we were also very excited about how spirit-filled the worship was in the service.

After church, we returned to NLCH for lunch which was excellent again...we have not been disappointed with the food one bit. Then the rest of the afternoon was spent playing with the kids here. More soccer, volleyball, frisbee, and the girls painted fingernails with some of the girls here and one reluctant Youth Pastor. Thus far things have been going very smoothly. Our students are building relationships with these children and really showing them the love of Christ. Some of our expectations have been completely turned upside down in a great way and God is truly moving in the ministry here.

One quick story about where we are...NLCH is located in Villa Nueva, Guatemala. It is tucked away in a spot where you are able to see two different volcanos...one dormant and the other active. On a hill that looks down into the valley where we are staying, you can see a squater's camp that blankets the landscape. It is believed that 500,000 people live on this hill in tin shacks and other shelters that are not very sturdy, especially during the rainy season. The location of NLCH is in what they call a red zone which basically means that it is so bad that even McDonalds won't deliver here (yes apparently Mickey D's delivers in Guatemala). In the midst of darkness that is so encompassing of an entire society, NLCH has become a light. It is a place where orphans come and feel valued, loved, and above all else accepted. When Jesus speaks of placing a light on a hill, I truly believe that this place is living that image out. There is no way that you can hide the Light that explodes all around this place. We truly are in the presence of the King.

We made it...

Hello all,

I just wanted to let everyone know that we made it safely to Guatemala. After a little bit of a delay in leaving from Houston, our travel was very smooth. We landed and made it through customs with no problems at all and then headed straight to the ice cream shop for triple dip cones...yummmm!!! Once we finished our ice cream, we jumped back into the vans and headed to New Life Children's Home. We had a brief orientation and then a tour of the facilities that will be our home for the next 7 days and nights. This place is really beautiful and the children's home is a great little place where 52 children reside. We got to meet them at dinner and they are incredible. Speaking of dinner, we had the first of our many differing styles of beans...according to some who have been here before, we are going to eat a lot of beans this week...yikes!! The meal was great and the coffee that accompanied was a perfect compliment. After dinner we headed out to go play with the kids. Soccer, volleyball, basketball...you name it and we played it. It was great to watch our students and adults jump right in and mix it up with the children here. I really think that this is going to be such a life changing week for so many of our group. Tomorrow we go to church in the city...it's a 12,000 seat auditorium and the service will be completely in Spanish so it will be an interesting experience for our little band of troopers. Please continue to pray for our interaction with the orphans here and that God will speak His love and grace through us despite the language barrier. Thank you for your continued prayer and support. We love and miss you all.

Guatemala Team '08
PS-this was the most comfortable place on the plane...I'm not sure that David Woodard could even breathe here.

Movie Night in the LifeCenter

Tonight at 7:30 we will be the first to use the LifeCenter (aka the new building). We're setting up the projector and rolling film for a night of fun for the whole family. Come around 7pm to secure your spot to watch the show. You will need to bring your own chair. See you guys tonight!!

Lake Day

Lake Day at Airport Beach
Thursday, July 24, 2008
10 am - 2 pm

We have boats and hot dogs and drinks which makes for a great combination for a day at the lake. Here is how you get to the fun...

Directions from Waco:
On Lake Shore Drive, turn west onto Airport Rd. Turn left on Skeet Eason Drive. Skeet Eason Drive will curve around the southern end of the airport. Take the first left into Airport Beach Park. Follow the road until it deadends into the parking lot at the beach.

Directions from China Spring:
On China Spring Hwy, turn right on Flat Rock Rd. Turn left on Skeet Eason Drive. Take the second right into Airport Beach Park. Follow the road until it deadends into the parking lot at the beach.

There are restrooms at the beach.

Cost to get into Airport Park Beach is $4 per vehicle.

No pets or glass bottled drinks are allowed.

Don't forget your SUNSCREEN!!!!

Paintball Monday

Below are the directions to Gizmo Guru for paintball on Monday. We will arrive there around 10am and leave at 1pm. The cost will be $15 per person (even if you have your own gun and you have to have a release form signed by a parent. We have the vans reserved if you want to ride with us (or follow the vans), but we will be leaving at 9:30am. If you want to check out their webpage the addy is http://gurupaintball.com/.

EASY ACCESS FROM I-35, EXIT UNIVERSITY PARKS DR. GO SOUTH THROUGH BAYLOR PASSING LA-SALLE, AFTER YOU CROSS LOOP 340 HWY 6 IT WILL BE YOUR FIRST CROSSROADS @ E. TINSLEY TURN LEFT AND THE FIELDS ARE ON THE RIGHT.

P.I.E. will be at Jason's Deli tonite!

H2O

Hey guys,

Just letting you know that H20 will be Sunday night July 13th at Maggie and Murphy Blair's house. They live at 1905 S. Old Temple Rd in Lorena. We will have maps in the youth room Sunday morning or you can google map it. See you there. BTW, those of you who went to camp wear your FC shirts to church.

HSM

This Sunday

Hey guys,

This coming Sunday we have a special guest leading worship in the services at 9 and 10:30am. The Steve Fee Band (who is a part of the Passion Movement) will be leading out and I think it would be really cool for us to go ahead and have the youth go to the 9 o’clock service for the music. After they are done with the music, we will go back down to the youth room and continue our lessons in the Psalms. So make sure to go straight to the sanctuary at 9am this Sunday. See you there.

HSM

HSM Buzz Log 6/25

1) PIE at Fazolis TONIGHT!! Come hang out with us after a great night of worship. We'll meet up at Fazoli's on Waco Dr by Home Depot. Parents need to pick up around 9:30pm.

2) Random Hang Out Alert: We will be bowling at Westview Lanes on Waco Dr from 10am-11:30am TOMORROW!! It will cost you $5.50 for shoes and 2 games. Come and strike out with us.
3) All who are signed up for South Texas Mission Trip need to have their applications and money in NOW!! The sign ups are closed for this trip and we will create a waiting list for those who are still interested in going.
4) YOUR FINAL PAYMENT FOR CAMP IS DUE TODAY!!! We need the full amount for camp so make sure you have it turned in. You also need to have your medical form and copy of your insurance card turned in ASAP!!

5) Stillwater Fishin’ Rodeo is this coming Monday!! We will leave the church around 4pm on Sunday June 29th to go set up camp and then let the fishing begin on Monday morning at 6am. We will fish all day long with the tournament ending at 9pm. We will have a fish fry with the fish you catch!! So come show off you angler skills and help Jesse empty out some of his bass!! The cost is $30 per team and you are responsible for meals and camping and fishing gear. Hope to see you all there. We'll head back to HBC Tuesday morning and arrive home some time before noon.

buzz alert!!

Hey guys,

I wanted to give you a head's up on all that is happening in the coming days for the HSM!!

1) PIE this Wednesday will be at Jason's Deli following Intersection. Make sure your parents know to pick you up from the restaurant around 9:30pm.

2) We will be going to see Kung Fu Panda on Thursday at 12:30pm at Hollywood Theaters for anyone who would like to join us.

3) CAMP SIGN UP ENDS ON SUNDAY!! We need to get your final payment for camp by June 25th which is next Wednesday. If you haven't turned in your medical forms or a copy of your insurance card we need those ASAP!!

4) Summer H2O is this coming Sunday. We will be hanging at Hope and Michael Painter's Aunt and Uncle's house which is located in Hidden Valley. The address is 2020 Bear Creek Crossing. Come ready to swim and chow on some hot dogs!! Starts at 6 and ends at 8pm.

See you guys at Intersection!!

HSM

Double Dave's

Just wanted to send a quick note to let you guys know that we will be doing lunch tomorrow (Tuesday) at Double Dave's Pizza at 11:30am. It is located on New Rd between Waco Dr and Franklin Ave. Come out and stuff your face with some pizza with us.

Prince Caspian

Hey guys,

Remember that we are meeting at Hollywood Theaters at 12:15pm Thursday June 5th to go see Prince Caspian. See you there.

HSM

PIE

Just a reminder that PIE starts toinght...now you may be asking what is PIE??? Well that would be an acrostic that stands for Post Intersection Eats and we will be convening at Rosa's Tortilla Factory on Franklin for those who want to join us. Make sure you have transportation there and that your parents know to pick you up from the restaurant. See you tonight!

Schlitterbahn Info

Hey guys,
Just a reminder that if you are going to Schlitterbahn with us (we are no longer signing people up) then you need to be at the church before 8am. We will be pulling out of the parking lot as close to 8 as possible and if you are not here, then we will leave you. Also you need to have money to eat at the park...that means lunch and dinner. Hopefully you have figured out that you need to eat breakfast before you get here. Looking forward to a great trip with you guys and if you're not going we'll see you on Wednesday.
Ronny

What's buzzin??

Here is the latest from the HSM:

1) Summer H2O June 1st
We will be having a swim party at the Pritchards house from 6-8pm. We will be cooking hot dogs and splashing it up some come ready to party!!

2) Schlitterbahn June 3rd $32
We are taking a group down to New Braunfels to take a slide on the wild side. We have about 40 spots that will go fast so make sure to get your $32 in to reserve your ticket. You will need money for meals at the park. We'll leave at 8am from HBC and return around 10:30pm. So grab some sunscreen and lets have some fun playing at the waterpark.

3) We are still signing up for Freedom Camp (July 6-11) in the youth room. The cost is $225 until June 11th. To reserve your spot for camp, fill out the medical release form, give us a copy of your insurance card and pay the $50 deposit. You don't want to miss out on this great week of youth camp.

4) South Texas Youth Family Mission Trip, July 14-19
If you are interested in going on this trip, sign up in the youth room with a $50 deposit. The total cost of the trip is $185. We are going to be doing a VBS and basketball clinics. It was a great trip last year and we believe it will be even better this time around.

Remember that you can still buy Guatemala shirts for $15 from any of our students going on the trip. Also we are renting out the students to raise money for the trip...if you are interested let Ronny know by email ronny-higgins@highlandbc.org.

Peace out,

HSM

Couple of Schedule Changes

1) We are having to change some things up for June 3rd. We originally planned on going to Hurricane Harbor which is on your summer calendars, but then when we went to order tickets, we realized that they aren't open then. So we are changing directions and heading south to Schlitterbahn on June 3rd. We are working on a cost and will hopefully have some more info for you by Wednesday May 28th.

2) We also are trying to decide on this New Orleans trip. As of right now, we have 5 people signed up. For the kind of work that they need for us to do we will need at least 10 or more. If you want to go and haven't let us know yet, please let Matt or Ronny know on Sunday or Wednesday. If we don't have more sign up by next Wednesday May 28th then we may have to pull the plug on the trip. We don't want to do that, but it may be our only option.

See you guys on Sunday and have a great Memorial Day weekend...be safe.

HSM

HSM buzz 5/7

1) Tacky Prom 2008:

Lumberjacks and Prospectors

Friday night, May 9th marks the Second Annual, HSM, Jr. High ONLY, Tacky Prom!!! Youth Room doors will open at 6:30 pm. Tacky snacks will be served, so bring your appetite or work one up during the “Tacky Dance Competition” (no couple dancing will be permitted). A prize will be awarded for the “tackiest” outfit (all outfits should offer full coverage, be appropriate and be tacky at the same time). Other random door prizes will be awarded through out the evening (you must be present to win). Also, we will play a special edition of Male vs. Female. Tacky Prom is going to be a blast, so come and bring your friends!
We are asking everyone to bring a “tacky snack” (enough for a few students to share). Drinks will be provided by HSM. Tacky Prom is over at 8:30 pm.
Please call if you have questions: 754-0335


Tacky: adj– Lacking style; shabby
Andy Gauer will be defending his Tacky Dance Champion Title! Who can dethrone him? Start working on your moves now, cause this guy is TACKY!!!!!
Lumberjack and Prospector Theme:
-How would someone who mines for gold or chops down trees dress for the Prom? Flannel tie? Moldy dress? Give it your best shot...make it tacky...come and let’s have fun! The best costume wins a prize!

2) New Orleans Mission Trip Details
We will be going down to New Orleans again June 8-12 and its gonna be another great trip down to the Big Easy. We will be working with Pastor Rustin to do some more work on some homes in the St Bernard Parrish area. The cost of the trip will be $125 which will cover food and lodging while we are there. You will be responsible for your own meals on the road. Space is limited so sign up quick!

3) Guatemala Shirts are HERE!!! If you want to help support our trip down to Guatemala then you can buy a shirt from one of the students going or get one from Matt or Ronny. They are $15 and uber cool so get one today!!

4) CAMP SIGN UP RALLY IS NEXT WEEK!!!! Don’t forget that your first chance to sign up for this year’s super awesome camp will be next Wednesday May 14th at Intersection. All you need is your medical release form that you should have gotten in the mail and a $50 deposit to secure your spot and the camp rally price of $200. If you wait then the price will go up to $225 until June 11th and then up to $250 after that. Plus you will get your summer shirt when you sign up for camp and they are pretty stinkin’ cool!!

5) Monday May 19th we will be doing a fundraiser for the Guatemala trip at Chic-Fil-A. We will have info on that over the next couple of weeks, but make sure to tell your family that you gotta have Chic-Fil-A that night!!

6) This summer we will be doing an inductive study in the book of Joshua on Sunday nights. If you are interested in participating in this study, we need to know by May 18th so we can order books. Julie Zakhary will be leading the group and it will meet in B24 from 6:30-8pm starting on June 8th.

7) Graduating Seniors…it’s that time of year again!! We are going to recognize you in the 10:30 service on May 18th and we need to get some info from you. You should have received some info in the mail, but if you didn’t please email Theresa at Theresa-Riley@Highlandbc.org and tell her where you are graduating from, what your future plans are, and if you will be attending the lunch after the service. Looking forward to celebrating this great accomplishment with you.

Church Under the Bridge

Hey guys,

Don't forget this Sunday, May 4th, we will be going to Church Under the Bridge. If you need a ride we will have the vans and the bus that will leave from HBC at 9:30am. MOTION is performing and Jordan Johnson is leading worship out there so it is going to be a great time. We are asking that parents pick your students up out there because the service won't end until around 12:15pm which obviously is later than our Highland service lets out. We will have the vans and bus to bring students back if that is a problem. CUTB is located at the 4th and 5th Street bridge under I-35. We are looking forward to a great morning of worship. Hope to see you there!

HSM

PS-Matt will have something in the Youth Room for those students who choose to not participate in the CUTB service.

HSM Girls Conference 08
Friday, April 25th 6-9pm & Saturday 9am-12
Sign-up in Youth Room
$20 (T-shirt, meals & gift included)

So it may not be in March this year, but we will be having our annual JH Madness on April 18th from 9:30-12 midnight at TCA gym. The cost is $5 at the door for all the basketball, pizza, and rad fun you can handle. Remember this is JH only so no high school allowed.




Freedom Camp Sign Up is coming so watch your mail box for information. The dates of camp are July 7-11 so make sure to mark those dates on your calendars.

Looking ahead...

Hey guys,

Here are some things that are coming your way from the HSM:

1) Guatemala Meeting-we will meet after Intersection March 26th to talk about some details of the trip, fundraising, passports, and other things you will need to know. If you are signed up for the trip then you need to be there.
2) We will be having a High School Girls' Conference coming up April 25-26th so be watching for information on that one.
3) We will also be having a High School Guys' Work Project out at Jesse's the same weekend (April 25-26th) where we will be helping Jesse with various projects around the land. We'll be camping so make sure you have your stuff for that.
4) Be watching for information on Freedom Camp in the mail...we will be mailing information out concerning price, dates (which are July 7-11), and who will be leading us during the week. It's gonna be a great camp so make sure to mark those dates on your calendar.
5) We will start raising money for Guatemala soon so if your family needs some things done around the house, let us help you out. If you are interested then just let Ronny know.
6) We are still selling t-shirts in the youth room for $8 each...the money goes into our general mission trip fund for trips we will take in the coming years.
7) Our scehdule is back to school year normal for Wednesdays and Sundays until the end of the semester which means...High School will have Breakout in the basement Sunday mornings starting at 9am and Intersection on Wednesdays in the Youth Room starting at 6:30pm. Junior High will have Breakout in the basement on Wednesday nights starting at 6:30pm and Intersection on Sunday mornings at 9am in the Youth Room.
8) Don't forget that H2O starts back up this week. We will meet in our host homes for small group discipleship from 6:30-8pm on Sunday nights. You will be responsible for lessons 5-6.

Looking forward to finishing the semester strong.

Blessings,
HSM

Things you need to know...

1) Schedule for Spring Break:

-no H2O for March 9, 16, or 23^rd…we will start back on March 30^th
-no Wednesday night activities March 12^th
-Wednesday March 19^th all youth meet together for Easter Intersection in Youth Room at 6:30
-Sunday March 23^rd (Easter Sunday) all youth meet together in Youth Room at 9am
-Back to NORMAL SCHEDULE Wednesday March 26^th

2) DON'T FORGET THIS IS TIME CHANGE WEEKEND...SET YOUR CLOCKS AN HOUR AHEAD ON SATURDAY NIGHT!!!

3) Guatemala Meeting in the Youth Room on Wednesday March 26^th after Intersection for all who are signed up. We will talk about fundraisers and some other details of the trip. You need to make sure that you are at this meeting.

4) SPRING BREAK Camping Trips:
Cost--$25
Location—Stillwater Refuge (Grapeland, TX)
You need to be here at 1pm on Mar 10 or Mar 17 ready to go and we will return on Mar 12 or Mar 19 by noon. We will be sending out a postcard this week that will have information about the trip and what to bring. Hope you guys are ready for some fun out in the wilderness. See you there!!

5) H2O—even though we are not meeting during the next couple of weeks, you need to be sure to have lessons 5 and 6 finished by the time we meet again on March 30^th.

HSM BUZZ for Feb 27th

1) The HSM is going camping!!!! If you are interested in going with us to Enchanted Rock March 10-12 (for those with the first Spring Break) or March 17-19 (for those with the second Spring Break), come get more info in the youth room. We’d love to have you roast hot dogs and fix s’mores down at the Rock. Talk to Matt or Ronny for more details.
2) H2O will meet this weekend March 2nd and then we will take a break until after Easter…meaning that we won’t have H2O on March 9th, 16th, and 23rd. We will start meeting again on March 30th and you will be responsible for keeping up with your material in Growing in Christ. Your leaders will let you know what you will be expected to cover on the off weeks.
3) At Intersection, we will be doing a series on Spiritual Discipline through the rest of the semester so come ready to dig into God’s word concerning things such as meditation, fasting, corporate worship, guidance, prayer, and much more!! It’s going to be a great series and we hope that all of you will be on board to be here at Intersection…Junior High Sunday mornings at 9am and High School Wednesday nights at 6:30pm in the Youth Room.
4) Spring Break Schedule—we will not meet on Wednesday March 12th!! We will combine JH and HS to have our annual Easter Wednesday night on March 19th and we will stay together on Easter Sunday March 23rd for Sunday morning as well. We will resume our regular school year schedule the following Wednesday March 26th.
5) Guatemala Sign Ups will close on March 9th. We are close to having a full trip already so if you are interested in going then you need to get your application and $100 deposit to Ronny ASAP!!! We will start meeting about the trip after Easter, but Ronny will contact everyone so we are all on the same page about the trip.
6) T-Shirts for Missions!! We are selling all of our old ministry t-shirts for $8 each in order to raise money to support our mission trips this summer. We have limited sizes available…come get them while they last!!

Announcements for Feb 6

Just FYI-I do know that the update email doesn't go out until the day after I post this message, but the announcements aren't given out until Wednesday night so if you are getting these on a Thursday, it's just to remind you what the announcements were. Hope you are all having a great week and here is the latest buzz from the HSM:

1) H2O resumes Sunday February 10th in our host homes (JH-Abens in China Spring area and Butlers in Woodway/Hewitt area; HS-Pritchards in China Spring area and Loughlins in Woodway/Hewitt area). It will go from 6-8pm and there are directions available in the youth room. We are studying Growing in Christ and will cover the first 2 lessons. If you need a book, we are selling them in the youth room for $5.
2) Discipleship Experiment is still going on. If you haven't picked up a book to participate in this 30-day discipleship experiment, then get one today in the youth room. They are free.
3) We are taking applications and deposits for the Guatemala trip from all juniors and seniors who are interested starting Feb 6th. Depending on the response, we will open it to sophomores on Feb 17th. If you want more details about the trip email or call Ronny.
4) We are selling all left over t-shirts from previous events in the youth room for $8 each. The money from these sales will go towards future mission trips. We have a limited amount of sizes so come get the ones you want quick.

Blessings,

HSM Staff

Buzz for 1/23

Here's what's happening in the HSM:
1) Mission Emphasis Weekend is coming...this Sunday we will have a couple speaking in our SS time that are preparing to move to China to serve as missionaries there. Jeremy and Hillary Smith will be sharing about how God called them to this ministry, what it will look like, and how we can be praying for them as they go. Come support these two as we hear how God is moving in China.
2) Sunday night H2O starts up. We will meet in the youth room at 6pm to kick off our discipleship for the semester. We will give an overview of what this semester will look like and what to expect. We are going through the curriculum Growing in Christ so you will need to buy the book...but don't worry we have plenty of them for you. Bring $5 Sunday night and buy your copy of the book so you can follow along with the material.
3) Also on Sunday night, David Hamilton, a YWAM missionary, will be speaking at a college/youth event at the church. It will start at 6pm with pizza and then David will speak about what God is doing in their ministry. You need to RSVP for this so make sure to let us know if you are planning on coming.
4) January 30th we will be having an interest meeting for our upcoming mission trip to Guatemala this summer. The dates for the trip are July 26th-Aug 2nd. The meeting will start immediately following Intersection that night around 8pm. This trip is open to all juniors and seniors at this point...depending on interest we may open it to the sophomores too, but I will let you know if/when that will be.

That's all for now, but keep a look out for more info coming your way.

Blessings,

HSM

Host Home List

Here is the highly anticipated list of Host Homes for each grade for Disciple Now Weekend:

7th Grade Boys: Stu and Temi Abens

7th Grade Girls: Clay and Susan Butler

8th Grade Boys: Clark and Misty Gauer

8th Grade Girls: Yost and Julie Zakhary

9th Grade Boys: Steve and Joanie Swingler

9th Grade Girls: Paul and Amy Carr

10th Grade Boys: Mark and Amy Rhodes

10th Grade Girls: Duncan and Kelly Brooks

11-12th Grade Boys: Kenny and Kim Stevens

11-12th Grade Girls: Larry and Katherine Pritchard

Remember to be at the church at 7:15 Friday night to kick off our weekend.

Disciple Now Weekend

I hope everyone is looking forward to Disciple Now on January 18-20!! It is going to be a great weekend of discipleship with Brent Lightsey coming to bring fresh revelation from God's Word and Steve Morrow leading out in musical worship. You should have received a sign up form with information concerning the weekend in the mail, but if you need another one, you can find them down in the youth room.

I also wanted to remind you that your form and money are due by January 16th in order to be a part of the weekend. It is $45 per person and we have a special rate for Highland families with more than one student so don't forget to ask about that. We hope that you are all doing well and that your 2008 has started with a bang. Remember we do have Intersection this Wednesday night Jan 9th. See you there!!