FOOD, FUN, AND SPIRITUAL LIFE CHANGE

That's what I'm expecting this weekend on our annual high school mens trip to the desert.

This year we're taking 23 high school young men and 9 adult mentors from our church along with 12 students and 3 adults from a church across town. 47 total. This is the one trip I vowed that I'd never stop doing as long as God has me in youth ministry. The women go to a resort on the beach and the guys to the desert. I don't really care where they each go, but getting them alone with one another and inviting God to change them into men and women whose lives are fully devoted to Jesus- that's a non-negotiable for me.

In preparation, today I went around and bought duct tape, buckets, rope, and stakes needed for some team building activities we're doing.

Then I went to costco with some of our team and bought the food. $1012 to feed 47 men in the desert for 2 days. Dinner number one:

• 38 lbs of steak are soaking in two 5 gallon buckets of yoshida's terriaki sauce in the church fridge right now awaiting a HUGE bbq.
• 40 lbs of potatoes are in my oven baking and awaiting aluminum foil so they can be re-heated in the fire coals.

• 10 loaves of french bread are ready for garlic, butter, and some heat.
• A bucket of carrot sticks are awaiting a vat of ranch dressing.

This year we have a 50 man tent to set up army/circus elephant style, tons of firewood to create the ultimate bonfires, a shooting range for both 22's and shotguns, a battle planned with 30 sling shots firing paintballs, and several talks lined up on Moses and what God taught him in the desert.

Should be a memory maker.