Armando and Kaleb's story....

One thing that's unique about Student Venture is that we are a movement! We have over 20 seniors this school year who have a desire to impact their peers for Christ. This Thursday night we had just 4 juniors, 3 sophomores, 2 freshman, and 1 8th grader. It was evidence to these seniors that they have to find underclassmen who are seeking answers to their spiritual needs and to point them to the Truth in Love.
pictured here are Alec and Kaleb...

I reminded the students that two of our guys, Kaleb and Armando, both became Christians because their friends shared Christ with them. (Armando is in the white t-shirt pictured above)Two years ago Armando became friends with Alec and Alec led him to Christ and invited him to visit Student Venture. Just this week Armando moved to California for his senior year.

Kaleb was led to Christ over a smoothie with his friend Flavius about two years ago as well. (Flavius, from Romania, is pictured in the green t-shirt above). Kaleb moved to Alabama last year but still stays connected with SV by attending our conferences twice a year. Alec and Flavius didn't know their friends would not be staying in Jacksonville, but because they shared their faith, Armando and Kaleb have a relationship with God and were discipled during the most important years of their young lives!

Pictured here is Armondo in the middle on top of Kaleb. Alec is standing left of Kaleb.

Summer SV Bible Study

This week we looked at Elijah's faith to stand firm before 850 false prophets to prove God's power! 1Kings 18:20 challenged us to get off the fence and stop waivering in our faith and commitment to God. Then we compared this Old Testament story to what John wrote in 1John chapter 4 in the New Testament. He warns us that there will be false prophets and shows us how to know the difference. We will know we are Christians by our love. We have proof of God by the evidence of His Holy Spirit. As we grow in God, Love is perfected in us. As we show love to our Christian brothers and sisters, we will reveal God's power and love to this generation! Perfect love casts out all fear. When we overcome fear of judgement, we can boldly share Christ's love with others without the fear of rejection to hold us back!

Samantha is back from her mission trip to Puerto Rico and the glow on her face shows what awesome time she had! Flavius returned from visiting his cousins in Chicago and shared how he had the honor of leading his cousin, Adela, a 16 year old girl, to Christ one night. She thought she knew God but didn't fully understand the sacrifice Jesus made for her personally. With tears of joy and a richer understanding of the cost, she is now part of the Family of God! Flavius mailed her a Bible and will continue to help her grow in her journey. Please keep Adela in your prayers!

Kloey came back from the Getaway and went to the beach with her family. Her 13 year old sister, Kameo, was visiting from VA and as they walked on the beach, Kloey started talking about spiritual things with Kameo. During their walk Kameo expressed an interest in having a relaitonship with God but wanted to know how. Kloey shared the Gospel with her and on June 20th, right there at Jax Beach, Kameo became her sister in Christ! The Getaway is not just a spiritual high for these kids, but it's truly a transforming experiencing that brings their Faith to Life and gives them the passion and desire to share their love for God with others.

Highlights at Myrtle Beach Getaway!

We Worship! Tenth Avenue North was a great blessing to lead us in Worship!

Chat Rooms! Late at night we talk about the days events and have some quality girl time!

My favorite Myrtle Beach tradition is taking girls to River City Cafe for lunch!

Evangelism! Sharing our faith is small groups on the beach! Our team took the initiative with 26 different people that week and actually saw 8 people pray to receive Christ with us! My team met 4 teenagers who were cousins and they all prayed out loud right there on the beach!

Emily, Miranda, Jennifer, Kloey, and me! Great girls! Kloey pictured to my left came back from the Getaway even more excited when she shared the Gospel with her 13 year old sister, Kameo and her sister prayed to accept Christ during their walk on the beach on June 20th.

SV Getaway Conference 2011

Once a year we take off for Myrtle Beach, SC where 400 students gather for a powerful, Christ centered conference! It's my favorite Student Venture event! This year we brought 16 students from Jacksonville from 4 different high schools. They met hundreds of other SV students from Orlando, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Indianapolis, North Carolina, NY, and Cincinnati. With the help of college interns, volunteers, and SV staff, we help these students gain the tools they need to continue their Christian walk for a lifetime. Equipping them to know what they believe in and how to share it with others is so exciting to me! I led a seminar on how to prepare and share your testimony for over 100 students.