Here is the parent meeting powerpoint:
Parent Meeting Info
And the information that was handed out in the folders:
Meeting #1 Checklist
ReCreation Forms
Support Letter Writing Guide
Packing List
The second half of the meeting was for the students. We began to look at the character in the bible that we will be studying during all of our pre-trip training meetings, Jacob. Before we dug into our passage, we had a look at the background of Jacob and his brother Esau. Jacob was the youngest of the two brothers and was not entitled to receive his family's inheritance. One night, he tricked his brother into giving away his birth right and then, with the help of his mother, fooled his blind father into believing he was Esau so that he could receive his father's blessing. The last thing we read before we get to the passage we study is Esau saying that he wanted to kill Jacob.
We pick up the story about 20 years later in Genesis 32:3-24. This is the first time that Jacob will be encountering Esau since he had stolen the blessing and Jacob tries everything he can think of to try and appease Esau's anger, but goes about it in the wrong way. In our lives, we tend to act like Jacob does in this moment. There are many places we try to elevate ourselves, to make ourselves look good to our peers, families, coaches, etc. We want to seem important so we try and control the way people view us. Jacob surrounds himself with his family and friends, takes everything he has left, and attempts to flee. But we cannot flee from God.
The passage ends by Jacob having a wrestling match with God when he is finally alone and away from his family and messengers. We know that we are going to have moments on this trip when we are going to wrestle with God over something we are seeing or experiencing. But this encounter with God happens when we allow ourselves to get alone. It is sometimes hard or uncomfortable, but it is in these moments that we are able to see what God wants to teach us and change us into the people he wants us to be.
Our next meeting is the Missions Overnight which starts June 3rd at 6:30 and goes until 11:30 the next morning, June 4th. Can't wait to see everyone then!
If you need anything or have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Nick: nmercer@wcchapel.org
