Challenge 2024

I didn't fully know what to expect for Challenge 2024. Being a "newbie" attender to the conference, all I had to go off of was the testimony of those leaders/students who attended in the past, including my own kids. The feedback historically has always been positive. However, as first-timers to the conference, Jill Louzek and I, the 2 adults who accompanied 21 students, can confidently say that we'll promote the Challenge conference in the future.

In sharing some personal reflections of the conference, Jill wrote the following: "Attending Challenge gave me extended time to spend with students and engage in deeper conversations during our uninterrupted time together. While living together for almost a week I was able to build trust, laugh with, and share life's challenges with the female students. Challenge provided time to ask questions and time to wait on students to think, share, and share some more. I experienced Stonebridge students opening up about how they saw God prior to attending Challenge and how they were learning through Challenge teaching times how much love God really has for them. I had the opportunity to hear a student share that she felt she now really understood what a relationship with God looked like. I saw sibling groups care for one another while away from parents. I saw new friendships start and current friendships grow deeper. I was able to do hard things with students and talk about how hard experiences help us grow as Christians. The Challenge conference allows time to focus on God and each other for many days without the interruption of the business of life."

I also had similar experiences as Jill did with the guys during the conference. As we prepared for several months prior, we immersed ourselves in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7) since this would be the focus of the teaching times during the conference. This passage of Matthew's gospel has had a deep impact in my own life, as it was from these specific Scriptures that God used to draw me to Himself, to convict me of my sin and point to Jesus Christ as the answer to my sin. In addition, I frequent the Sermon on the Mount teachings in giving counsel to others dealing with anger, fear/anxiety, despair, pride, identity in Christ clarity, etc. So I was very encouraged and convicted yet again in all the great teaching at the conference. And, I was grateful for the depth that our small group discussions went to after each teaching. I was also grateful for the "unplanned moments" during the trip. These were very meaningful. I'm not going to repeat the details here but you can read more about those moments in a blog post I wrote recently called "Embracing the Unplanned Moments".

Overall, I'm very grateful to the Lord for His work through Challenge, especially in the lives of all who attended from Stonebridge. And with that, I'm very grateful for all those that supported the trip through prayer, encouragement, and financial gifts. Pray that the Lord continues to use the time at Challenge to shape all who attended into the image of Jesus as we grow in living out what it means to be an ambassador for Christ through the 2024-2025 ministry year.