Top 10 reasons to go on a youth gathering trip!

Hey everyone back home, it's Jessica Row. The trip is going really well so far and our heads are still held high! Our small group would like to share our top 10 reasons to go on a youth gathering trip with all of yall back home :)
10. The first reason for going on a youth gathering trip is for the bus life during our travels. Even though many people would rather sleep during this time, it is a very good opportunity to meet new people on the trip that you may not get to meet other wise. You get to talk about questions that you may not talk to people about often and get a good conversation going. It loosens up the mood a little bit and makes it much more easier to communicate with one another.
9. Another reason for going on a trip such as this is for the chance to eat many different types of food. Some people tonight ate sea food such as sea food nachos, crab cakes, loster, and crab legs. Others, such as my group, ate at a little Greek cafe. Not only was the gyro the best I have ever had, but they had beer battered fries which were amazing. Yum yum :)

Hey this is John Olmstead!
8. I will be talking about all of the new sights we saw today. Gulf Islands National Seashore was where we had our service project this morning. We picked up asphalt from a highway that was destroyed by hurricanes in 2004. Tonight was a great sight to see when there was about 300 people singing and dancing on the beach right beside the ocean.

Hi everyone..su here
7. We have enjoyed worship in many ways while on the trip, in a park, the bus, a hotel meeting room and tonight we worshiped with 300 people on the beach...outstanding! We were joined by the Pathways group traveling to New Orleans too. Worship is a great way for us to celebrate and continue to grow in our faith.

Whats up readers this is Jake Donahue.
6. It's not the same back home compared to here. The south is full of accents, hot weather, nice beaches, new and awesome places to eat, lot's of people, and big cities. It all is very nice but family and friends a stongly missed too.

5. Hey guys, Rylee here.
Today was a great day at Pensacola. We had an activities filled day! First we went to do a service project where we picked up trash and asphalt at a local beach. It was hot outside, but still fun to know we are helping and making an impact here. Then, we came back to our hotel and had free time at the beach. We did many things such as swimming, frisbee, and skim boarding. We are keeping busy and having a blast here!

4. Hey There! This is Mackenzie Houglum, and I think one of the best things about this trip is observing and learning all about others' cultures and lifestyles. This was my first time leaving the midwest and after alll our many stops... supper in Arkansas was the first experience that stood out. Walking up to the counter at Mcdonalds was the first time I was really stuggling to understand them with their thick southern accents. After that while traveling even deeper south, that is all I would listen for. It amazed me how different it was hearing their slangy accents in person, rather than in movies. But the biggest life changing moment for me was Beale street in Memphis. Walking down that street observing all the different people of different cultures was something many of us have never seen, and will never forget.

3. Hey, from Su's group!We all have had many new experiences on this trip like... seeing and experiencing the ocean for the first time, being stung by a jelly fish, service projects, skim boarding and boogie boarding, finding sea shells and hermit crabs, trying new foods, walking on the soft sand, trying to understand different accents, waking up early, having large group with people we don't know(all from MN).

2.Hola! Its Maggie Gulsvig...Hi mom! I would just like to tell you how amazing friends are and how awesome it is to meet new friends! Today was an awesome day and it wouldn't have been as fun with out our friends. Everyone went swimming(and got super burnt!) and picked up asphalt at some deserted beach, and it would definetly been boring if you had to do it alone. We are all friends and we all have faith! (FIF) Whooop!

1. Hey, from Su's group! Growing in faith is our number one reason for going on a youth gathering trip! Tonight we talked about how water is important in our faith life, how it surrounds us, how we are baptized with water, and how it nourishes us as we gathered by the ocean. Please continue to pray for us as we do for you, blessings to ya'll ;)