When your conference was held here [two] years ago, our two daughters went with our church. They were 12 & 14 at the time.
The theme was "Bigger Than Yourself." Liza was on the verge of her 13th birthday. She was entering her teen years and wanted to do something special but just couldn't decide what. During the conference, the Lord gave her a vision and she came home very excited because she knew exactly what she wanted to do!
She made fliers and sent them to all of her friends. She was having a canned food drive for the Long Beach Rescue Mission. She asked all of her friends to collect canned goods, she didn't want gifts, only donations for the mission. On her actual birthday, her friends came to our home and we filled four vans full of canned goods and teenagers. We went to the mission and put all the cans into their pantry. The mission was surprised and blessed by how much food we brought and how much help we had. We went back to our house for a simple but fun party with her friends.
That party was a highlight for her, her friends and their parents.
It didn't stop there. When we were at the mission, they mentioned that they are always in need of bath towels. Soon after, two of her friends that had come to the party did a towel drive. These girls were written up in the local paper about their good deed, and they referenced Liza as their source of inspiration.
For Liza's 14th birthday party this year, she did the same thing, but for a different ministry. She collected items for abused women and children, then spent the day, with her friends, at the ministry helping organize donated items. Her friends were excited and inspired and wanted to come back and work there more often.
She went on a two-week missions trip to Costa Rica over the summer, continuing the thought "Bigger Than Myself." It drives her to continually serve the Lord through active ministry.
This was all sparked by her attendance at the Tsunami Student Conference 2007. It has blessed and changed her life and it has been a blessing to watch her mature in the Lord and watch how He has been working in her heart and life over the last (almost) two years.
Blessings,
Nancy Marentis
Long Beach
The picture is from Liza's 13th birthday party at the rescue mission.
This is the kind of story that keeps me working with Tsunami for the past 18 years and with students for the past 32.
By the way, Tsunami will return to Long Beach in 2010.
Daryl
The theme was "Bigger Than Yourself." Liza was on the verge of her 13th birthday. She was entering her teen years and wanted to do something special but just couldn't decide what. During the conference, the Lord gave her a vision and she came home very excited because she knew exactly what she wanted to do!
She made fliers and sent them to all of her friends. She was having a canned food drive for the Long Beach Rescue Mission. She asked all of her friends to collect canned goods, she didn't want gifts, only donations for the mission. On her actual birthday, her friends came to our home and we filled four vans full of canned goods and teenagers. We went to the mission and put all the cans into their pantry. The mission was surprised and blessed by how much food we brought and how much help we had. We went back to our house for a simple but fun party with her friends.
That party was a highlight for her, her friends and their parents.
It didn't stop there. When we were at the mission, they mentioned that they are always in need of bath towels. Soon after, two of her friends that had come to the party did a towel drive. These girls were written up in the local paper about their good deed, and they referenced Liza as their source of inspiration.
For Liza's 14th birthday party this year, she did the same thing, but for a different ministry. She collected items for abused women and children, then spent the day, with her friends, at the ministry helping organize donated items. Her friends were excited and inspired and wanted to come back and work there more often.
She went on a two-week missions trip to Costa Rica over the summer, continuing the thought "Bigger Than Myself." It drives her to continually serve the Lord through active ministry.
This was all sparked by her attendance at the Tsunami Student Conference 2007. It has blessed and changed her life and it has been a blessing to watch her mature in the Lord and watch how He has been working in her heart and life over the last (almost) two years.
Blessings,
Nancy Marentis
Long Beach
The picture is from Liza's 13th birthday party at the rescue mission.
This is the kind of story that keeps me working with Tsunami for the past 18 years and with students for the past 32.
By the way, Tsunami will return to Long Beach in 2010.
Daryl
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