So, this past weekend was not the greatest ever.

I lost my keys Friday night and didn’t find them till Monday. By the time I eventually found them, I was convinced that they fell out of my pocket in the parking lot and someone picked them up and was going to rob us any day now. I’m not going to tell you where I found them…

Also, Pip did something to his knee and started limping Friday night. We couldn’t get him into the vet until Monday morning. He had no energy and didn’t even eat anything all weekend, so I was kind of freaked out by that. But the vet said he probably just hyper extended it or something and gave us some anti-inflammatory meds to give him. He’s doing so much better!

And then on Sunday, I had a horrible migraine for most of the day. Ugh.

BUT…

I taught 9th and 10th grade girls at a youth rally on Saturday and it was fantastic! Our church hosts a Girls Youth Rally every other year in October. Two years ago, I co-taught the high school girls. This year, we split the classes up a little more and I co-taught Freshmen and Sophomores.

Jacket: Plato’s Closet || Pants: Plato’s Closet || Boots: Plato’s Closet || Tank: Target || Undershirt: OLD (Have I mentioned that Plato’s Closet is probably my favorite clothing store? Except for in the summer)

The whole rally had a “Boot Camp” sort of theme with 1 Timothy 6:12 as the key verse. Lynne and I decided to focus on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) for our class with her session focusing on the beatitudes (Matt 5:1-11) and mine focusing on the Lord’s prayer (Matt 6:5-15). We also had a few little activities that we called calisthenics for them to do in groups that touched on the rest of the concepts throughout the Sermon on the Mount. They carried around a “training manual” that Lynne created for instructions on what to do for each calisthenic.

Our Bulletin Board

Some of the little decorations I found in the party aisle at Hobby Lobby.

The calisthenic stations around the room

Just like last time, the decorating committee went way over and above. That church building was phenomenal! Even though I should have known what to expect from last time, I was still blown away! These pictures don’t do it justice!

Going into the lunch area || the breakfast room || the auditorium || looking down the hallway

Some details. The “God’s Army” tank is made out of egg cartons!

My role in this rally was that of a teacher, but I sure did learn a bunch too! So here are some concepts I learned.

Teenagers today are faced with challenges no generation has ever faced before.

These kids, for the most part, have the internet at their fingertips all the time. In fact, people born today will spend 4 YEARS of their life looking down at their phone! In the broadest sense, kids today have to decide whether to use their phones and their internet presence to uplift and encourage or for some not-so-wholesome activities. It’s hard for me to make those decisions sometimes at 25 without all the peer pressure and school stress.

Many hands make light work.

You can’t help but forgive someone you’re praying for.

The beatitudes start and end with “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

There is a war going on in front of us all the time. The Holy Spirit wants us to think of others while the world wants us to think only of ourselves.

It really was a great weekend after all. I learned so much from these women and the girls who came. God’s Army is such a fantastic family and I’m so proud to be a part of it!

All the ladies who helped with the rally in any way.

Thanks for reading!