Testimonial from Dwight Johnson; July 14, 2011
Words alone cannot even begin to express my experience with Youth in Missions at Lake Junaluska this year. The relationships, the worship, the missions all played key roles in making my overall experience as great as it was. This was my first year taking part with Youth in Missions and I must say going into it, I really was not sure what to expect out of it. I have always had a heart for missions and working with youth so I figured that this experience would just add on to past opportunities, but that was not the case for me. I met so many great people who shared the fire and passion for Christ with me which made the experience a wholesome one. Constantly, we try to find ways to minister to the broken, to the misused, and to the lost. Lake Junaluska bridged these gaps for me, and allowed me to see firsthand the great need of our world today which only put fuel on my already burning desire to help and to reach out to those whose needs exceeds my own. I thank God for allowing this great opportunity to serve with all who came and I especially bless God for the design team who I know worked tirelessly to ensure that Youth in Missions 2011 was as huge a success as it was. I look forward to serving with you all in the future to help make the plans of God become our reality.
With God’s Everlasting Love and Grace,
Dwight Johnson
"Being with hundreds of youth excited about discovering their calls to Christian mission, whatever that looks like for them individually, was a rare blessing. I'm thankful to Youth in Missions for granting me the opportunity to be a part of that." CJ Rhoades, 2010 YIM Speaker
- Below are quotes from Student Evaluations:
- "Youth in Missions exceeded my expectations and far exceeded my student's expectations."
- "Everyone was kind and told me how the week would go and what to expect, but it was everything and more."
- "I absolutely loved the speakers, especially Lisa, CJ, and Amanda and Caleb."
- "Yes, I honestly didn't expect it to be as diverse as it was."
- "The speakers were an inspiration to me. They gave me some ideas about being a leader."
- "The Youth in Missions Event met my expectations of diversity. Not many MIssions have this kind of diversity that Youth in Missions has."
- "The most important thing I have improved is how to be a leader. Being a leader will be useful in my life and in the future."
- "The highlight of my week was Lisa's Bible Studies!"
- "The speakers were sensational!"
- "CJ Rhoades was comforting and encouraging!"
- "I loved LIsa when she spoke because you can tell she has so much passion and really believes what she is preaching."
- "Lisa's devotionals were exceptional. She gave me water when I really felt dry spiritually."
- "One of the amazing things about this Youth in Missions Conference is the fact that it is truly youth led! These are young people who understand the issues facing their peers; they understand what those attending want to see and how they can be best served. The Design Team does a great job of working together to bring about an event that is truly centered on bringing young people closer to God. They work throughout the year, coordinating efforts and strengths to pull off a week of praise, worship and missions. For the members of the Design Team this is the great opportunity to learn how to interact with adults and their peers, take responsibility and work as a part of a team. For the people who attend the conference, it is a blessing to see what God-centered young people can accomplish." Lisa, 2010 YIM Speaker
2010 Ministries YIM participated in:
- Youth in Missions Projects:
- Heritage UMC - Hands on Step by Step UM Ministries: Youth group painted and cleaned up home of local community members
- Broadmeadow UMC, Galloway & St Luke UMC Jackson, MS Black Mountain Greenway - Groups cleaned up community garden
- St Andrews UMC Raleigh, NC - Care Packets for Haywood County & STAR Ranch in Waynesville & River Link in Haywood County
- Collierville UMC Collierville, TN - Boys & Girls Club of Hendersonville
- St Andrew UMC Amory, MS - Brooks Howell Home
- Crewe UMC - Haywood Animal Welfare Association & Folkmoot
- Calvary UMC - Haywood Animal Welfare Association & Folkmoot
- Myrtle Beach FUMC - Sarge’s Animal Rescue
- St Luke Tupelo, MS - Red Cross Haywood County
- Christ UMC Bowling Green, KY - Canton Christian Convalescent Center
- Good Shepherd UMC Richmond, VA - Red Cross of Haywood County & Asheville/Buncombe Co. Christian Ministries
- Belmont UMC Nashville, TN - Haywood Christian Ministries
- Louisville FUMC Louisville, MS - Manna Food Bank Asheville
- Whitehouse UMC Whitehouse TN - Cherokee UMC
- Alabaster UMC Alabama - Haywood Water Ways: Cleanup on Lake Junaluska Grounds
- St Luke UMC Cleveland, MS - Open Door Soup Kitchen, Waynesville
- Youth and their leaders prepared a meal on Wednesday
- Marietta UMC Georgia - Open Door soup Kitchen, Step by Step, Boys & Girls Club of Hendersonville
- Each youth Group a UMCOR Flood Bucket and gave it as an offering during worship!