Homecoming Tomorrow Yippee!

As Saturday turns to Sunday I am so excited about tomorrow's homecoming because I know I am going to see God tomorrow oh I mean today! I will keep this short, which is unusual I know, but just a quick note to say come back to the blog I will post some pictures tomorrow. The best is yet to come in more ways than the blog!
Love,
Ms. Mary Lynn

We are MADE TO WORSHIP…and never forget that we must STAND AND SHOUT, WHERE (ever) JESUS IS!

So I am on the bus in Richmond, Virginia…beginning the 12 hour bus ride home. Oh my goodness, what a ride this past week has been. This is my 6th and final choir tour that I have been on since the 7th grade. For the first time ever, I’m not ready to go home just yet. I feel like I still need this time to grow in my faith with God and just be at rest. However, I know that the “seeds we’ve sown” this week will be used for His works. I cannot believe that we have done so many of the things we have done this week. The services were SO powerful. Whenever we sang, I honestly felt like I was at Storehouse or at Wednesday Night Fathom, just worshipping my incredible, wonderful God! But, I realized that I do not give my God even a fourth of the worship, praise, and attention that He deserves. Yet, he still blesses me endlessly. What an amazing God!

Washington D.C. was our “main destination,” along with Baltimore, Maryland. D.C. has always been a love of mine. I love the city, and adore the history that comes with it. However, singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial was incredible! It was such an unforgettable memory, and I will always cherish it. Visiting the Holocaust Museum provided me with an opportunity to be still, even in this crazy week. The memorials are always my favorite, because they honor all of the hard work that many people have produced to not only create our freedom, but to also protect it. Although we were only in Baltimore for a total of 7 hours, we were able to get a nice taste of the city at the Inner Harbor! And of course, the elderly at the retirement home in Virginia were lights of God during our concert. Their smiles, their tears, their laughs, and their memories helped bridge the gap between the old and the young. What an awesome opportunity we had!!

So, let me do a little bit of math here…I’ve been in the CHRIST Choir for 3 years. On each tour, we sing an average of 7 times, plus the 2 times we sing at the homecoming concert. That’s 27 concert performances that I have done! And believe it or not, but I remember each one. As a senior, it’s a bittersweet day…my last day of CHRIST Choir Tour…ever. Miss Susan and Miss Resha, words cannot express how thankful I am that God placed both of you in my life. Your love of God and music has inspired me in ways that you two cannot imagine. Thank you for all you do, and I know that God will continue to bless you both! Miss Susan: from Forever Polyester to Oz and to the Beatles, thank you for blessing me with ensemble opportunities, they have been so much fun! Thank you for your incredible leadership. I will dearly miss you next year! And Miss Resha: While it is incredibly sad that you were not able to join us on our last tour, I’m so thankful for all the memories we’ve shared with you, and I can’t wait to see you Sunday!

Here’s one last thing to remember…

God has created us, and we are MADE TO WORSHIP…and never forget that we must STAND AND SHOUT, WHERE (ever) JESUS IS!

God Bless!
Liesel Burks

The Prayer Team and other good stuff

Here I am sitting on the bus getting ready to go home. What a Choir Tour it has been. I’ve been part of this choir for three years now and choir tour is always an incredible way to end the year. Being it is my senior year and my last tour this marks my last official event as part of the Asbury Youth group. That’s both sad and exciting but there is no better way to top it off than with choir tour. It’s been both a very quick yet dense choir tour marked with various memorable moments and glimpses of God doing large ministry. I know that God has chosen all 128+ of us specifically for this trip with a different reason behind it and I feel honored that He would use us as His hands and feet as He has done this week. We went from performing at fellow Methodist churches, shouting on the steps of the Lincoln memorial, worshiping with seniors at the retirement center, to sharing the word with a group of kids at the children’s home. At all of these places we sang God’s word in song form and shared His love with His children as He shared his love with us. Like I already said, it has been quite a week.
I’ve had the blessing this week of being a member of the 12 person prayer team. As soon as we arrived at a place where we would sing, the prayer team would gather up and pray together for the performance, the choir, the audience, and most importantly for God’s will. A group from the choir has been meeting since January to pray for God’s preparation in this trip and this group was merely a branch from that group. God began to show us the fruits of the prayer team before the trip embarked and this made us all the more excited. Mrs. Myrick was the best team leader we could have asked for on the prayer team as she kept us engaged with various forms of prayer: journaling, prayer walking, praying scripture, visualizing, repetition, name calling, and group prayer. It was a great way to get focused for the next performance and really invest ourselves in what we were doing. God’s word says that when two or more gather in his name that he is there and will hear us. This was the foundation for our prayer and we have security in knowing that he answered us in both ways seen and unseen.
It was also great to know that we were not the only ones praying whenever several members of the choir had time they would also gather to pray for the performance and other requests as well. It truly believe that prayer is powerful and because of the prayers of various people before and during the trip God prepared the places we were to go to be fertile soil for the word that he put in our musical to share with them.
More than ministry, this trip was sooo fun! We got to gallivant around Washington D.C, our nation’s capital, and see the millions of memorials, museums, and several landmarks that make this city special. We also didn’t just get to sing to the kids at the children’s home we got to play and spend time with them too. More than ministry, it was just plain fun. Finally yesterday we were at Kings Dominion. An awesome amusement park! There were like a million awesome roller coasters that by the time the day was over my head was spinning. Finally we got the top of the trip with the ever so famous Talent Night! A series of both impressive and hilarious acts that make you forget how late in the night it was. My personal favorites being the Jackson 5, Miss Universe Pageant, and the Chaperone Skit.
I just want to thank Mrs. Susan for being the best choir director anyone could ask for. You have been a blessing on my life and soo many others in this choir. Also, thank you to EVERYONE who either chaperoned on this trip, helped with the choir, or did something for desert night out. It blows my mind to think of everyone that has done something with this choir that is not actually in the choir. This is very cliché but Choir tour would not be the same success without what you do. Thank you for putting up with the teenagers of 2009 and for your patience and love for us. I’ve been so blessed and don’t want to leave this behind.

Thanks, David Olsen

The End of Tour 2009

With all things you do there has to be a beginning and an end. Well, we’re on the bus now driving home. I truly wish I could make this tour last longer, because I love our music and our choir! J But I’m excited for the ministry that God has planned for me when I get back. Just because tour is ending doesn’t mean the mission is ending. The mission is every day, being the best Christian witness you can be.
Looking back on the tour, I really had a great time. This is my 5th tour, and God still surprised me in many ways like He does on every tour. My favorite mission opportunity would be working in the warehouse sorting through moldy potatoes and rutabagas. I also had the opportunity to be blessed by someone else’s life at the Children’s home. He witnessed to us about how he came to God, when we had come to witness to him. God works in funny ways!
I loved the retirement home, seeing the joy on the citizens’ faces, and talking with them. One lady told me that they always hear about the bad youth of our generation and how much it means to the citizens to see so many youth singing for Jesus. I felt the spirit the most when we circled around the residents and sang hymns to/with them. On Amazing Grace I felt the most joy on this tour.
Now of course there was a fun day, in which we had very little work: King’s Dominion and Talent Night! Woot! I had fun going on roller coasters, and felt great about singing to park goers. Talent Night was amazingly fun with NYSTINK, The Jackson5, Becca, and so many other great acts. I had the opportunity to play the keyboard (something I was told I wouldn’t be able to do) and play a piece that I had written. Thank you Jesus for that opportunity.
Riding home now, I have come to realize that although tour is over, the ministry continues. Now we go into the real world, and God will test our strength and our faith. I can’t wait to see God’s plans for all of us.
God Bless, xoxo
AAA

To be continued....

OK, well here I go. We are sadly coming to the end of Choir tour 2009. I don’t really want it to be over yet. This choir has done so much for me this whole year. I really love to sing. And when I sing I try to sing my heart out. This year has been tough for me. I made some dumb mistakes over the summer with summer assignments. I lied to my parents and it threw up in my face. DUH, what else happens when you lie? Well, my parents eventually found out and it just HAD to be the week before B2SR-08, so of course my parents didn’t allow for me to go. It hurt me so bad. I watched the buses drive off from my bedroom window. At first I just kept saying, “O, no, God won’t let my parents not let me go.” I kept thinking that Friday that when I got home my dad would be there waiting to tell me I could go. Of course, that didn’t happen. I had really messed up. I started the class off with a terrible grade and I lost all the trust I had worked hard to earn for 16 years. For a very long time I did not feel loved by everyone. I grew bitter in my heart. But my release was always singing. I would listen to my iPod to be continued…..

My heart has been touched in many more ways than one

It is Friday morning at 1:19 and in less than 7 hours we will all be on buses preparing for our long trek back to the South—home. In order to begin, I think that you all must understand that this was my first Church trip. I did not know what to expect, yet as I look back I know that I was hoping for something life-changing. Sure enough, I got it. So many awe-striking things occurred this past week that it still boggles my mind and maybe that is because I have not yet fully comprehended everything that has occurred. Regardless, I am going to blog because Mrs. Mary Lynn has entrusted me with her computer over night and I intend to take full advantage.
PS: Mrs. Mary Lynn thank you for making me PIMP (Pee in my pants) You are a remarkable woman who knows how to be the life of a party.
Mrs. LuAnn. You crack me up in the best ways possible. I love spending time with you. You are someone I look up to and admire greatly. I hope one day I can be half of the women that you two are.
This week has been filled with one amazing adventure after the other and my heart has been touched in many more ways than one. I would like to thank every single person who had anything remotely to do with this trip because every single person made this trip just a little bit more incredible. I do not doubt one bit that God was at work this week because I felt Him every step of the way.
Sarah Hernandez

The Last Night Hanging with the "Girls"

The Last Night.
It was a dark and stormy night in the dark abyss. Mrs. Cruisan appeared from the elevator furtively and observed six bad girls sitting in the hall. The very first sentence she heard uttered was, “There is a difference between naked and nekkid.” Upon hearing this, the thought ran through her mind that this conversation was not one to be spoken on a church trip. The ironic thing is that these very words were spoken by Mrs. Fernigan, a church staff member. Mrs. Cruisan decided that she would wait and let the conversation continue and see where this was going.
“Well what is the difference in naked and nekkid?” questioned Hannie with an unsure tone.
“Well when someone is naked they are just naked but when someone is nekked that means that they are nekkid and up to no good,” replied Mrs. Fernigan.

-Mrs. Mary Lynn peeing on Mrs. Lu Ann from coughing and laughing
-“Are you gonna eat this or are you gonna marry it?”
-have a coke and a smile, take a break
-devil vs. angel= lu ann vs. mary lynn
-pip! Lol, omg

*Edited by Ms. Mary Lynn because remember I am the “Angel”

This year's choir tour has been better than I could have imagined. After hearing stories from previous years, I was excited to be a part of something bigger than me.
Emily Gaines

King’s Dominion

Psalm 103:13-19

To know that we are loved from everlasting to everlasting is mind blowing. That from the time God was here to all of eternity, God will reign on high. According to Psalm 103 all we have to do is love one another as he first loved us. If we love as God loved us, then we will receive the grace and mercy and righteousness of the Lord.
In worship there is this idea of surrender. It is understood that when your hands are raised toward the sky, that this means you are offering your heart to the Lord allowing him to come in and change you from the inside out. The love of the Lord is so gracious and bountiful. He covers all sins and wipes your slate clean. We are recreated when he forgives us.
Vulnerability is also intertwined in the idea of surrender and worship. You are allowing yourself to be changed and transformed through God into a creature that deserves to be in the presence of the Lord. And to think that it is so simple… all we have to do is love and allow ourselves to be VULNERABLE.
So now the question remains: Are you going to offer yourself completely and allow God to move in and transform you or are you going to be remain separate and unattached from the living God and the grace he wants to give?

Timothy Walker

God Uses the Bad Things in our Lives to bring Healing

Last night on the bus ride from The Children’s Home to our new hotel in Richmond, Virginia we were given the opportunity to share where we saw God this week. This is my first C.H.R.I.S.T Choir tour and I was super excited to be able to share this week with some of my closest friends. The very first performance on tour was in Roanoke. Everything was going great and I was having an amazing time, until I started to feel very sick. I had to run off of the stage during “The Word is Alive,” and I was so disappointed. I learned how much our choir cares about each one of their members. I was feeling better and performed for the second service. Then, we traveled to Centerville for an evening performance. I got off the bus feeling very ill and didn’t know if my stomach would be able to handle to wonderful taco bar that the church had prepared for us. So, I didn’t eat which led to Mrs. Susan not allowing me to perform in the service. By this time I was so upset with myself. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t get to feeling better. I was so excited the week before and felt that God was going to do something amazing. This was not what I had expected. I sat in the front row and watch the choir perform. I was so amazed by how wonderful our choir was. We had forgotten the normal attitude of a choir that everything must be perfect and uptight. Instead, the choir was moving, and some were even crying. I lost it. As soon as I saw tears in Julianne Knox’s eyes and heard Kayla Ketron sing “Your Name” I was done for. I began to cry and smile at the same time. I saw God in each one of the members of C.H.R.I.S.T Choir. It was then when I realized that God had done something amazing through my own friends. My feeling for worship was rejuvenated and I was reminded that sometimes God uses the bad things in our lives to bring healing. This week has been one of the most amazing weeks of this year, and I am so happy that each one of the members and chaperones that are on the trip have used their talents to reveal God, not only to the ones we have been singing to, but also to one of their own.
Valerie Cashin

Let's Get Dirty

It seems everytime we look at something and say"I don't want to do that!" or "I'll do any job except that one!" That's what we end up doing, and one of two things come from it. One you complain the whole time and be upset and when you do it you see God through it.

Monday was service day and to be honest it was the day I had dreaded. I got assigned to Novaco which stands for Northern Virginia Coalition. It was a woman's shelter for women, suffering from domestic abuse. We were doing landscape and yard work around their safe house. We got there and start talking about who was going to do what. They explained about cleaning the windows, the porch, trimming the hedges and I was thinking I can do that! Even the thought of spreading mulch sounded great. But then there was the weedy thorny bit of bug infested and who knows what else in there, bit of land by the fence. First off I looked at it and thought"Ok Kate just make sure not to get that job." But.......did you guess it? I got that job.

I started thinking about the song by Audio Adrenaline. It talks about getting dirty for Jesus. And that is what we were there for. To get dirty and be the hands and feet of Jesus to who we were serving. So me this big girly girl, who screams "bloody murder" at the sight of a bug and freaks out over dirt was down cutting thorny vines and regular ones getting dirty for Jesus. And I found that I really loved it. To this day (Wednesday) my best memory from this trip is the Service Day. I found myself wishing it was longer. In challenges we grow stronger and see more and more of God's face.

Romans 5:3-5
"We can rejoice too, when we run into problems or trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance, and endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

Kate Hood

Tuesday...Another Great Day

Another great day. Today we divided up and went to various museums; Holocaust, Newseum, Natural History, American History, National Gallery of Art, and the Archives. It was touch and go on whether we would be able to visit the Holocaust but because of the willingness of several chaperones who were willing to battle D.C. traffic and navigate the Metro all were able to attend. I heard great reports from many.

At two o’clock we gathered at the base of the Lincoln Memorial and 125 voices filled the air as the CHRIST choir performed four of their songs from their musical. We had several parents and family members in attendance. Then we rushed back to the hotel with only an hour for everyone to shower and get ready for our Kennedy Center theater performance of “Sheer Madness”. Everyone was dressed to the nines, the young men looked handsome and the ladies were all lovely. I met a lady originally from Montgomery that was now living in Washington she came up to Emily Edwards and asked where we were from. When Emily told her she said she knew we must be from the South because the girls were much prettier there.

“Sheer Madness” kept us laughing and involved us all in the solving of a mystery. It was great fun! Then we had to kill some time so we drove by the White House and the Capitol. Some of us even got to the see the Presidential motorcade as it zoomed by with all of its entourage.

Then to Silver Diner where we enjoyed great fellowship and food.

Sorry we have not been able to blog as much as years past it has been extremely busy and I am trying to be “Chill” with the kids about blogging.

I hope to post some pics and video of us singing tonight.
Mary Lynn

The meaning of the lyrics

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Being on drama team is certainly a different perspective then singing with the choir. When we're in between skits behind the lattices, listenting to the songs, its much easier to think about the meaning of the lyrics. Certainly the music itself lends tremendously to the emotional interpretation of the songs, but being able to cogitate intellectually about what is honestly being stated as the truth in these songs is made easier to comprehend when one is not only able to sit and think, as in sunday morning services, but when one must sit and think. The lattices are thin, and it can be distracting to the audience if they glimpse dancing and jumping through the lattices.

Franklin Wetzel

Good Stewards

I would like to add that not only was it a month's worth of work that the kids did. It was about 25,000 lbs of sweet potatoes and rutabagas that we sorted through. Also on of the coolest things was that when we went to lunch Jimmy Aycock suggested and Dr. Hatcher communicated to the kids that they might consider trying to be conservative with what they got to eat and that we had $400 available to spend on lunch for them but if any money was left over we would donate it to the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Organization. The kids were great at the end of the meal we counted the money and were able to present to Pastor Hall $176!
Mary Lynn Botts

Service Day...to be continued

Before today, I had never heard of gleaning. Going into service day I thought that we would be out in a field picking vegetables or something along those lines but little did I know that we would be sorting loads and loads and loads and loads and loads of sweet potatoes and rutabagas! I’m not really a fan of sweet potatoes as it is, but after today I can honestly say that I can live without seeing another sweet potato in my whole life. And as for rutabagas, I’ve never tried one and I never will because the loads and loads and loads and loads and loads of moldy rutabagas made me instantly have a hatred for them. But through all the smells and smooshy vegetables, this experience was wonderful because all the effort that was put into today is going to feed the less fortunate people in Washington. The five hours that we spent today are equivalent to a month’s work for the people at the warehouse and the presence of God
To be continued…..
Emily Gaines

Rutabaga Holocaust

There we were, 50 strong, located before the rickety warehouse, awaiting our inevitable fate: the massacre and collection of disease infested rutabaga. A gruesome task but one we had all trained for…

Sorry… sometimes I wish that life could be told as an epic tale, making things such as this more worthy of rightful recognition. For what we did was amazing. It was for God, and though it was gross… it was incredible.
Now for what exactly I’m talking about. We walked into a rickety warehouse with the information that we would be “gleaning” (walking through a field picking up all the extra crops that harvesters left behind). Of course, nothing goes as planned. Instead of walking through beautiful fields outside picking fruit, we stayed inside and sorted through rotting and moldy vegetables. As revolting as this task sounds to someone on the outside, it was far more than worth it.
For you see, all of the full-time “employees” at the warehouse are doing something I’ve never seen before. They… aren’t personally making any money… Every dime they receive from outside donation goes to feeding the poor… And even greater, they all work around 6o hours a week. So, really, they are more like full-time volunteers than actual employees. That’s something you definitely don’t see every day. In fact, before going, I’d never seen it. Christ lives in that place. When we first arrived the main man in charge got a phone call. On answering he said something that blew me away. “Praise the Lord”. Who answers a phone like that? I certainly don’t! But in just this example it become SO clear as to just how much God is intertwined into that place. The men and women who work there FOR FREE love to do the work of the Lord. They give their all every day so that the poor, people they don’t even know, can have a decent meal. I envy their strength and love.
Working at the warehouse was in no way a bad experience. I am unexplainably happy I was fortunate to have such an eye-opening occurrence in my life. All I pray is that all 50 of my friends present would remember the day and never forget that sometimes it’s better to be rich in spirit then to be rich in money…

As the saying goes, “The love of money is the fruit of all evil. So, luckily there are people to give it to.” GOD BLESS!

Mountain of Mold

God works in interesting ways. He gives you tasks you probably hadn’t thought of. Today, I had a service opportunity unlike any other. I like to call it Mold. We started off by picking out sweet potatoes. We gleaned (something I had never done before) them, meaning we separated the good potatoes from the bad. A few had mold on them, but the sweet potatoes were not too bad. Then came the rutabagas. Ah yes, the mountain of mold did indeed exist. You know that saying “I can move mountains with God’s help”? Well, I do believe we moved mountains of mold. Quite squishy too. But I never complained (well, the occasional “eww”) because I knew we were making a difference in many peoples’ lives. We were given the opportunity to help others, by giving them food that they wouldn’t be able to buy at a Publix or Kroger. I realize that we take a lot of things for granted, and maybe we could work on that. It’s moments like these that make me think “I do have a purpose, and God has amazing plans for all of us.”
God Bless
Ps. Peter is amazing.
Alexandra Anne

Memorials were Moving

Thank you Dedra for posting. It has been an AWESOME trip. God is evident in all we do! The concerts at Cavespring UMC in Roanoke and the one in Centreville Sunday night were incredible. The Glory of God radiated from the choir's faces. They were truly worshipping.

Service day yesterday was another amazing day. I was at the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning in Maryland and we gleaned and sorted sweet potatoes and rutabagas. This organization is faith based and Pastor Hall inspired us all when he told us the importance of what we were doing. We all learned a new way to answer the phone when we heard Pastor Hall answer with "Praise the Lord".

Viewing the monuments was very moving. I especially was touched by a choir member that was kneeling and praying in front of the Vietnam Memorial. His deep understanding of the cost of war overwhelmed him and me.

God has been so Good. We are about to leave for the museum please continue to pray for us we are truly seeing prayers for us answered.

Mary Lynn

Stand & Shout - Christ Choir Tour 2009

Hi All!

On behalf of the Christ Choir, I just wanted to update you and get something up here!

Mary Lynn just called me and said to tell you that they are all safe and having a great time.

The concerts are going so wonderfully! So much so, that Susan got pretty emotional watching them worship at Cave Spring UMC yesterday. She’s on top of it and was going to instruct them to stand up straight with arms to their sides until she noticed. She noticed that 75% of them were not even looking at her. They were looking up at God. They were worshiping Him. She didn’t say a word. She got choked up and kept worshiping along with them! Priceless. His Spirit is alive.

Mary Lynn shared that this has become like no other Choir Tour she has been on before. This choir is clearly deeply rooted in their faith, worshiping God, alive in the Spirit and strongly communicating that as they Stand & Shout.

Jimmy Aycock shared at the send off service that in order to stand and shout, you first must stand. Stand firmly in your faith, stand firmly in Christ alone. Only in Christ alone would they be able to truly live out the message of this week.

It’s sounds as if their hard work, their prayers, their faith, their call is being lived out. Keep them in your prayers this week… and they promise to get a post up here!

They simply have been too busy to blog! They have been worshiping God! Today is their service day and reports are even service experiences have been WOW experiences with God VERY present. They'll finish up at 3:30 today to head back to the hotel, get cleaned up and head out for dinner in Pentagon City and touring the Monuments by night.

I for one, wouldn’t mind it if they didn’t get a chance to blog, knowing that they are living it out this week!

God is Gracious!

Dedra Herod