Leviticus 16-18
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Leviticus 16-18
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| The Carpenters 4 Christ at Steubenville East High School Youth Conference |
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The Carpenters 4 Christ Youth Group recently traveled to the University of Rhode Island, in Kingston, RI on July 24-26, 2009 to attend the Steubenville East High School Youth Conference. Nearly 3,000 teens united in Spirit to celebrate the theme of the weekend, ABOVE ALL (1 Chronicles 29: 11). The following are the testimonies of the 9 youths and 3 chaperones who attended: + I entered Steubenville East closed and empty, but I left with my heart opened and my soul filled with hope and joy. This retreat is a great way to become closer to God and go deeper into your faith. I loved the talks that were preached to us, the testimonies were very inspiring, and Adoration was simply amazing! I definitely would recommend trying this retreat. + For my first time, I walked in not knowing what to expect. The environment and the atmosphere was filled with love and people caring for each other and God. I felt free from embarrassment and I truly felt God’s presence during Adoration. There were thousands of kids, but I felt like I was one on one with God. + Words can’t begin to explain how much I enjoyed this retreat. It was an amazing spiritual experience I will never forget. The speakers were very powerful and shared their experiences which were inspiring. Without a doubt, Adoration was the highlight of my weekend; never before had I felt so close to my Lord and I know I will only grow closer to Him in the future. + Steubenville East was an immensely spiritual experience for me. During Adoration, I realized my amazing opportunity to share in a deep personal relationship with Christ. I now feel whole after accepting the love of Our Savior and I have left the emptiness of the world behind. I recognize that everything won’t be suddenly easy after this retreat, but I will always have this experience to look back on to give me courage in the future. + Steubenville East had a great impact on me; most especially during the night of Adoration. Being able to touch the Cloak of Christ suddenly made me come to the realization that I lacked trust in Christ. I thought that what I did would make no difference - I would still remain a sinner. But when the hand that I sinned with touched the Cloak, it hit me. Christ loves me like all others. At that moment, Jesus spoke to me and gave me my penance. It took a lot off my mind and was altogether an amazing experience. + Adoration gave me the “stage high” I get from playing drums on stage. I also felt like I was floating. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. was painful, but I had lots of Mountain Dew to get me through. + This retreat gave me the opportunity to spend intimate time in the awesome presence of God. He came, and was with us, enveloping everyone in His unbelievable love. It was so wonderful to worship with thousands of fellow youth. The retreat helped me to be rejuvenated, and gave me the strength to refocus in my spiritual life. Praise be to God! + The Steubenville East Retreat was an amazing experience. To me Adoration was especially overwhelming. I mean, that is JESUS in our presence! He is taking us as we are, where ever we are in our life or in our faith experience. + Being at this Steubenville Retreat was so much more than I expected. It brought me closer, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, to my brothers and sisters in Christ. It revealed aspects of myself that need attention and I hope to be receptive to the grace God gives me to make some serious changes. Most importantly, my love for Jesus in the Eucharist has really had a new birth in my heart. I am so grateful to have gone - it was truly a pilgrimage in Faith. + The retreat helped me to orient and prioritize my life. As we go day to day, what is important can become confused and clouded – convoluted. This time to experience and worship the living and merciful God allowed me to realize God’s daily presence and how He manifests himself in my life, and how I need to respond to it. + In a world of challenge, temptation and much confusion which many teens must face on a daily basis, it was inspiring to witness their love for Christ and their desire to know Him more fully in order that they can grow in their faith and carry His message to others. We all are God’s children, no matter what our physical age might be, and this weekend helped me to realize how little I really am in God’s eyes and how much I need Him. I was able to experience Christ through these young people, which gives me hope for the future and is a reminder that He can work through anyone and, after all…He is Lord and is head ABOVE ALL! Click here to see more pictures...
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