CPLC Youth 2006

Como Park Lutheran Youth trip 2006

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Follow the journey - July 10-19, 2006

You can find more information at the ELCA Youth Gathering website by clicking on the Cruzando picture

We'll be left for San Antonio on the 10th of July and got back July 19th.

Click here to see some of our pics!
and... click here to see more of our pics!

(Most recent entries appear first)

Wednesday, July 19, 2006 Our travelers returned home safely at 4:30 PM today! -Webmaster
07/17/06 4:49pm It's Lori! Just a really quick note before a review: never NEVER give Noah a ping pong paddle and a ball (or do so at your own risk). Okay. We just did a servant project today. We went to HOPE community center and did a bunch of odds and ends there. It was fun. Tonight we're going to a barbeque and do some swimming. But I probably should let Sarah do her blogging.
July 17, 2006 Hi All, Alrighty here's some of the scoop on what has been happening on this crazy trip of our's.... first we'll start off with Friday evening at the Alamodome- OH MY GOODNESS- the Newsboys were performing and they were AMAZING! I'm pretty sure that they were my favorite performers all week! And, and they sang one of my favorite songs by them: the Breakfast Song. Then our girly- girls as we call them (Claire, Ida, Laura, and Britt) decided that we should go hang out with our blind date group at the Marriott Hotel, not too far from where we were staying...let's just say we didn't end up leaving until after midnight. But it's all good. Britt and Ida performed for a small gathering of youth while we were there and they were great, nervous, but great. On our way back to the hotel we (more like Matt- cause it was his day to lead) decided that we were going to stop and get ice cream, making sleep not happen until 1:30-2 in the morning. Though it was all fun, this girl (hint, hint me) was VERY tired! okay skipping stuff, cause I don't have time to write, Saturday evening Lori, Meghan, Noah and I went swimming and lost the beach ball over the side of the railing (the pool's on the roof- by the way) but it didn't go all they over so we had to call the hotel ppl. and have them help us get it back:) that was a lot of fun and there was much laughter. Oh ya and Matt, Claire and Laura were with us but didn't swim. Ummm...I both lost and found my camera case in the same hour that afternoon. Thank goodness for wonderful ppl. who bring stuff to the lost and found places! Other wise I'd be dead meat right now! Yah- well we're back in OK, and we got to sleep in today (YEAH! I LOVE MY SLEEP!!) and then, as Lori said, we worked at HOPE community center, and I did the food shelf stuff and had the opportunity to meet the ppl. who needed it and it was a pretty cool experience, as was worshipping with 30 thousand other ELCA youth. Ok I have to go now, cause we're going swimming. In Christ, Sarah B.
Find out why Laura's doing the limbo
Saturday July 15th 12:51 hola from SAN ANTONIO TEXASSS! Hey everyone its Laura and wow it's AMAZING HERE. You have probably already heard that from the other bloggers but really it is so fun here! Wow was today packed and at times way to hot for any of us to handle. Haha us Minnesotans were DYING in the hot hot heat today...but I really don't think it was only us! Matt was the leader today and did a very good job at leading! This morning we went to the Alamodome like usual for the Bible Study. Our speaker this morning was Rev. Jim Wallis talked about making a difference and how we as teenagers and young people can make a huge impact on others lives. Then we had Kelly Glow as our musican. She was a rap/hiphop artist. Then Matt and I decided to go out to eat at a place called Oro which was a pasta bar and was one of the few places that wasn't PACKED with kids. We all got the Make Your Own Pasta and loved it! I had the Angel Hair Pesto and it was DELICIOUS and VERY rich! After lunch half of us went out grocery shopping with Tom (Claire, Ida, Britt, Matt and I) to get some meat and fruits and everything for dinner back at the hotel. We then just hung around the hotel. I was able to take about an hour long nap that I needed. We then had a quick dinner in our hotel room and then we were off to the Alamodome for the evening study/concert. Our speakers tonight or I should say last night our speakers were Francis Bok and Yessenia Vazquez who were both amazing and very inspirational speakers. They reminded us how lucky we are to have the lives we have. Then of course the Newsboys tonight! By far the best band so far and the lead singer had a little speach that really touched me and I think many of us. He talked about remembering God's love and taking the time to find what the bible is really saying and concentrating on our faith as young people of Christ. Wow....this day was really amazing and that concert definently semi ended it. Because after we went over to the Marriot hotel and just hung around there because there was a bunch of activities and such. And Britt and Ida got up the guts to play and sing the song they wrote along with another friend of their's. It was amazing and they sounded great! Then we had devos and finally we decided to get some icecream at the little shop by our hotel! Good midnight snack! Wow long day...TIME FOR SLEEP!! Hope all is well there...we are all safe and sound and doing great! Miss you! Love, Laura Antelman
Friday...4:31. We have been having AMAZING speakers come and talk at the Alamodome. They are so inspiring and some are really funny. Its freeeeezing in the dome! I swear its got to be at the most 63 degrees! Yesterday we met our blind date group. There were about 30 people in their group so i barely got to know any of them. There was a group of guys and girls that we got to hang out with after. There is a place at the convention center where you can dress up in different costumes and walk around for around 15 minutes and then bring them back. They have hilarious gorilla and chicken costumes that some of us in the group ran around in. Our blind date group is really cool! They have a tiny accent too. (haha they say bag funny). Last night we went to a pretty good mexican restaurant that gave us waaaaaaaaaaaay too much food. it was good though. O yea...so there was this guy that i talked to at the Alamodome..and he followed us out of the alamo and walked with us for blocks after! kind of creepy...but he was nice. heh..we kind of left him at the corner. oops! On another note...yesterday i found out that my best friend Tia's little sister, Tara got cancer. It is one of those cancers that 2 in a million people get. I dont have much information on it now, but i would like it if people could pray for the Phan family back home. Thank you! The gathering has been super fun! <3 Ida

Thursday Hey All! We are having a fabulous time here in San Antonio. The last few days have been action packed. It seems like we've just been go-go-go-ing constantly. Our hotel is wonderful, I wish we had more spare time to spend here. We plan on going to the pool tomorrow, so that will be fun. THE POOL IS ON THE ROOF!! ahh thats so cool! woot! Anyways....the gathering is a blast. Great music, Great people, and well...GOD of course. We spent most of yesterday afternoon in the interaction center. Its a blast. We get to dress up and walk around in costumes....its a great way to meet new people. Theres also a ropes course and lots of really random inflatable games. We had an inflatable boxing match and we went on the VELCRO WALL!! It was insanely cool. Last night was the first service and it was rockin. Hawk Nelson and Superchic[k] performed, along with the house band. After that some of us went to the dance in our hotel which was a lot of fun and some stayed in the hotel rooms and relaxed. We ended the night with bible study. Today was a great day as well! We attended the morning gathering and then MET OUR BLIND DATE GROUP!! They're a huge group of about 30. We attempted to go to a food court for lunch but it was jam packed. I've never seen so many people in that small of a space before. Laura, Claire, Ida and I met got food with a few people from our blind date group. The entire group then went back to the Interaction Center and spent the afternoon in smaller groups. The 3 girls and I hung out with our new found friends in the afternoon and had a lot of fun. Then the entire CPLC group met up with eachother and went to the night worship. Which was fun of course. And for dinner folks....MEXICAN FOOD!! woot! We ate at a delcious restaurant and had wonderful food. We were all stuffed. Wow this is a lot of story telling...we're trying to catch up...we've been so busy we havent had as much time to write. I hope all is well back at home. God Bless! Britt
Wednesday Dear friends in Christ, Just so you don't wonder why I'm not blogging; I wanted to make sure that all the kids got good chances. It was a long drive, and it's quite warm, but we're all doing fine, and I don't have much to add to what the youth have already shared except that I've had occasion to watch other youth, and it's made me very proud of the youth of Como Park. The drivers also thought that the long lightening rainstorm was beautiful, but there was a little local flooding around the church we stayed in, so the adults had a little different perspective driving through it. But it was truly magnificent, and a wonderful display of the power of Creation. Our daily leaders have been doing a great job, and tomorrow Matt's on the hot seat. Seen a few friends, (okay, maybe a dozen and a half), and that's been fun. Gathering themes are well put together; Tom & I have found the music much more comfortable once Tom tracked down some earplugs. Speaker tonight, Donald Miller, was great; kids enjoyed him also. It's 12:15am, and for our days, this is near to my bedtime, (yes, really!), so I'm headed off. Blessed dreams & good rest to us all.... love & blessings, Pr. Mary Kaye

Tuesday 3:42pm This is my first time writing in the journal! Last nite we saw an amazing storm in OK! It was pouring rain. This morning I slept in the tan van and when I woke up I was in TX! It's SO hot-and I love it! Laura and I played MASHOBT and colored in the Hello Kitty book I brought. We are now listening to Switchfoot and before that the WAPO cd! I'm so excited to get to San Antonio. Just a few more hours! Claire.
Tuesday 3:02pm Wow! What a great trip so far. Peace Lutheran was a wonderful host last night! We got there an hour and a half late. Haha. Oh well. We drove through a gorgeous storm last night. It was incredible. We acted like we'd never seen lightning before, we were so amused. We're driving through Texas now. The drivers are insane. We saw the coolest billboard a bit ago. It said "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your blinkers". It was very cute. I am so excited to get to San Antonio! This has been a fabulous experience so far and I know it's just going to get better. God Bless! Britt.
	Tuesday 2:48pm 90 miles to San Antonio. We are by Waco and Austin. Monday night (a day ago) we saw the greatest lightning storm I ever saw in my life. Noah.
Tuesday TEXAS! The tan van slept the whole morning until we got to Texas. We ate at Pizza Hut/Taco Bell. In the gas station, there was a weird kid that kept showing Britt and I freaky tricks he could do. He could jiggle his irises in his eyes back and forth. It would be awesome if I could do that. Texas is HOT. I don't think I could ever live here for long because it's sooooo hot! We are about 58 miles from Waco, Texas. That's a pretty cool name. Alright. I don't have anything interesting to say. Ida Zalk.
	Tuesday We spent the night at Peace Lutheran which was nice apart from the other people walking around the hall. But I still slept pretty good. We've been driving for awhile. It doesn't seem as long as yesterday. We just went through Dallas. Drivers in Texas seem crazy. Looking forward to arriving in San Antonio. Matt.
Tuesday 12:07ish The storm last night was awesome. Technically, I should write about this morning, but that storm deserves to be mentioned over and over! The lightning was fantastic and it was nice weather this morning. Breakfast was great. We hit the road and are officially in Texas now. Favorite song on, got to go! Lori.
Tuesday 11:48am Happy 17th B-day to me! Yah, yah-I know I'm a dork! Well, last night we drove thru the most beautiful thunderstorm I think I've ever seen. It started at about 9ish and we saw the fabulous lightning show for a bout 2.5 hours (the rest of the ride to our stop!) We stopped/stayed at Peace Lutheran in OK City with 2 other churches from Des Moines making our total # over 100 I think. We got in late-about 10:30 (an hour and a half later than we expected/wanted) We were packed, breakfasted, devo-ed, and pictred by 9:30 am-we were out the door therefore and in the moving vans by 9:30 am! Um ya, I'm the leader today so it should be interesting! Okay-I'm gonna hand you off to someone else! Bye! Love always, Sarah B.
Monday 8:21pm Kansas Tpke. Bridge #22.147 It's a beautiful Kansas evening :) I've split my time between driving and singing Celine Dion and Queen songs in the gold van and riding and relaxing in the green van. I'm looking forward to my big red sleeping bag and my green blanket :) okay, time to help Tom get toll money together. Meghan. P.S: We just saw a rainbow!
Monday 8:20pm 150 miles from OK city It's a nice feeling. Getting up before the sun to leave then sitting until you lose feeling in your foot and getting a sugar-high :) Seriously though, today has been so much fun; talking, singing, cards, games, naps (zzz) Well,, the sun is bright, the scenery unchanging. Bring on San Antonio. Lori.
Monday It's been a long drive even if we are still only in Kansas. But talking and listening to music helps pass the time. I'm looking forward to getting to San Antonio. We have been keeping track of liscense plates, but there aren't many cars on this road right now. We currently have 32 states and 1 US government plate (we just spotted Kentucky!). Matt.
Monday 7pm Listening to Newsboys Wow! Has it been a long, long day. It's been Matt, Me and Lori in the green van all day! We've had some fun, lots of laughter and lack of sleep (at least on my part). So far it's been pretty good! So far it's rained, and that was a BIG downpour! Pretty blah scenery-but the company's better :) We played cards (old maid and go fish), listened to lots of music and told many stories! It was a nice and early morning and it's gonna be a long night...we're not even past Wichita, KS-yikes! We have to be in Oklahoma City before midnight which would be good! We've seen 31 different states plates! We're going for them all-okay, time to pass this on! Ta-ta! Love always, Sarah.
Monday 4:18 pm Well folks, we've officially been on the road for 7 hours and 19 minutes. We've had 4 stretch breaks and 1 lunch break. We just crossed the border into Kansas! Woot! We found a wonderful radio station with our new favorite DJs Greg and BJ! We've sleeped some more and jammed to good music! Yay! We're not getting on each other's nerves...yet. Haha. Laura has to choose a dinner place soon. It will be interesting. Love, Britt
Monday-1:20 pm ROAD TRIP! Well, it's raining! We just left Iowa or more like Des Moines. Meg is driving one car with Noah, Ida, Britt, Claire and me, Laura! Then Pastor Mary Kaye is driving the other with Tom, Lori, Sarah and Matt! Wow it's raining super hard right now, we can hardly see out of the windshield! We've been sleeping in this van and the other van has been looking for different liscense plates! We just stopped at Wendy's a bit ago too and did well with the $5 a person! Alright, BYE. Love, Laura
Monday - 9:30am Good Morning! We actually left on time! We're off to a good start on this adventure! We've heard so many amazing things about this youth gathering from others who just got back. Laura and Claire are coloring in the ninja turtle and hello kitty coloring books that Claire brought. Britt is reading all about herself in the astrology book that Claire brought. Well, Claire is pretty prepared for this trip. The scenery is lovely...I dont really like doing much in the car, i get dizzy. I like the clouds in the country, though. Okay, i dont really have much to say right now. Love, Ida P.S. SPICE UP YOUR SPICY. (-wendy's)