I would like to thank the congregation for their support of Trinity Lutheran youth. The gathering was full of positives. I made new friends, attended uplifting concerts, and the comedy act was awesome.

The speakers at the Super Dome really made me pause and grabbed my attention. One especially, when he was telling a story of his friend who was in the hospital and a visitor came and sat down. And the friend told his visitor that they were sitting on Jesus. This reminded me that Jesus is with us at all times, places, and instances in our lives. Even the sad ones. Even the ones that break our hearts. He is with us. Always. Carrying us. Sometimes we forget that. Sometimes we might get mad at him. But being at the youth gathering gave me back my faith in God. It showed me that he never left me, that he was there for me to lean on. Jesus did for us what no one can do. Because, of his sacrifice we will have eternal life. There is no love greater than the love of Jesus. I know that, and am so thankful for it.

Thank You,

Tom DeVoe

The National Youth Gathering was great! I learned a lot in the classes and Bible studies I attended.
It was awesome to see so many other Christian teenagers from all around the country join together
in worship. I really appreciate the support from the congregation and thank everyone for
making this trip possible.
-Hannah Buckley

I'm writing to thank the church for their generosity in allowing me to attend New Orleans. I just
wanted to let you know that I'm aware of how blessed I am to have such a giving church. I'm so
thankful that I got the opportunity to visit New Orleans. I brought away a great deal of knowledge
from the seminars I attended. A great amount of things I learned I have been able to apply
in my everyday life. I also really enjoyed some of the food, and seeing alligators. Again I thank
everyone so much.
Sincerely,
Seth Trevvett

Dear Trinity,
Thank you so much for all of your support in the National Youth Gathering.
I had the time of my life in New Orleans! It was a blessing to worship with so
many Lutheran youth. Every day we went to the Convention Center and attended
Bible study as well as a variety of interesting sessions on interpretations
of the Bible and life stories about finding God. It inspired me and helped
me become closer to God. In the evenings we attended the Mass Event where
we sang songs of praise and heard inspiring and humorous stories. Thank you
so much for your blessing and contribution in this eye-opening event.
Much Thanks,
Chris Barnett

"Doing the Most Good"

Salvation Army Bell Ringing for Youth
Mark the dates for bell ringing – December 4 from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm. (Note the time change from the Torch. This annual project helps the Salvation Army to “GO out to share His love” in ways
that most of us will never have the opportunity to do. YOU also have the opportunity to "GO" simply by ringing the bells, wishing a "Merry Christmas" or our REAL OBJECTIVE: "God Bless You!"
This year we will be at Gayton Crossing and East Ridge.

Middle School youth need a parent chaperone, High School youth can ring with a buddy or alone if you've got it in you. Sign up at the Youth Communications Center in the lower narthex.

The Big Easy Goes Green

As far as the eye can see - its GREEN in New Orleans. Everyone's backpack is green, and those who participated in a service project (which is EVERYONE) got a green tee-shirt. There are shirts for everything - so Moms - you just may have some new laundry to do!

day 3 /Saturday

It's our third day in New Orleans and we are having tons of fun. Yesterday, we went to Cafe du Monde for beignets, walked around the French Quarter, and went on a swamp tour. The beignets tasted a lot like funnel cakes but better! It was worth the wait. Our tour guide knew almost everything about the swamp and Mississippi area because his family owns the property. An unexpected guest arrived during the middle of the tour. (Mother Nature) It started pouring while we were exploring the marsh. Afterwards, almost everyone held a baby alligator and following that excitement we went to Outback Steakhouse.

Today we went to Mardi Gras World and learned all about the floats and history of the famous celebration. Some things we learned were the statues that are placed on floats are mostly made styrofoam and sometimes fiber glass. They even recycle as many float pieces as possible. By recycling they transform the characters into other characters each year. The Wizard of Oz's Dorothy to a character from the Excorist named Linda Blair.

While staying here in New Orleans, we have this project where you ask all different people from the gathering where they are from. Although it was hard to approach strangers, we found that everyone was very friendly.

~The Freshman (Hannah, Emily, Katilyn, Megan!!)

P.S. Did you know alligators like marshmallows?! (:



The sophomore of the group, Ashley, says: There have been a lot of interesting people in weird outfits walking around.



Bethany's oh so delicious group, the two seniors, two juniors and newly college freshmen..

Kelsie: This is definitely going to be a trip to remember.
Jordan: This trip has been pretty interesting so far.
Sophia: This trip has been an awesome experience so far...a lot of bonding!!
Emily: Walking around the streets of New Orleans has been neat. There are lots of interesting architecture to see.