Day 11: The Road Home...part 1

Well for those of you that have not heard, none of our students won a trophy in an of the categories that we competed in. As disappointing as that may seem, they all did a fantastic job and have nothing to be upset about.

We left this morning for Birmingham, AL at about 4:30am and drove with as few stops as possible so we could get to our hotel and relax a little. Tomorrow we leave at 7:30 to make the final trek home. Soon and very soon, I will get to sleep in my own bed!!!

I will post more pics once i get home and have time to sort through all of them. See you all soon!

Day 10: Awards Ceremony

Well here we are, the last day in San Antonio. This morning we woke up and had a short devotion time in Pastor Brian's room that involved communion as a group. The rest of the day was just taking it easy so we could have a chance to get everything together before we leave tomorrow morning.

We are going out to dinner with Pastor & Debbie and then to the evening's Youth Service. The Award Ceremony will follow and then we will know the results of the competition. Everyone did amazing either way you look at it - Laura Harrison, Matt Murphy, and everyone involved in Rescue. They honestly did everything the absolute best it could have been done. They have nothing to hang their head about, but can hold their heads high knowing that they gave it their best, and did it all for God. I'll try to get online tonight and post the results, for those of you that won't hear directly from any of the kids.

Tomorrow morning we leave at 4am to head home!!! It's going to be a loooong day.

Day 9: Sea World

Today was all about fun - no drama, no convention center, no work! Our secret trip was to Sea World and most of us spent the day trying to stay cool by staying wet. Right before the park closed, we all went to see the Shamu Rocks Texas show. It was cool to see how well Killer Whales can be trained and all that they can do.

After that, we came back to the hotel to chill...and eventually sleep. Tomorrow is the youth service and the Awards Ceremony for Teen Talent. I'm honestly not sure if it's going to be live or not, but you can always check the website to see. Ther service starts at 7pm (8pm EST) and the Awards Ceremony is right after. I don't know when it's supposed to start, but I'm sure your child will be able to call and/or text you once we find out.

Day 8: San Antonio..."Rescue"

Today was an early day. We had to leave the hotel by 7:15 so we could get to the convention center in time to practice a bit before performing Rescue. The group did an absolutely amazing job!! For those of you that were watching at home, I hope that you could feel the power and the annointing via the webcast. It really was the best that they have ever done this one. We won't find out who won until Friday evening, but these kids are definitely winners in all of our eyes.

The rest of day has been laid back and relaxed. The girls all went out to lunch with Pastor Brian while the guys had to fend for themselves. Sorry, I don't have pics from that lunch, cause I obviously wasn't there! Now everyone is just kind of hanging out. Some ran to Wal-mart, some are just chilling at the hotel, and some of us are about to go to the movies (can you guess who that group is?). Tomorrow is a "surpise" day. Is it Six Flags? Splashtown? Sea World? The nearest McDonald's play place? I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of those guesses!

Day 7: San Antonio...the Day of Matt's Drama

Today was a bit more laid back than usual. In the morning we all headed into downtown San Antonio to "Remember the Alamo". It was kind of cool to see a little bit of history and say that we were there.

After the Alamo, we went to a local mall to get some lunch and chill for just a bit. Pastor Brian took all the leaders to PF Chang's so we could hang out and relax...and of course eat good food. We left from there and headed back to the convention center so Pastor Brian and I could work with Matt Murphy to help him get ready for his Solo Human Video while everyone else checked out some of the other competitions and hung out around the city.

Finally the time came for Matt's drama. Everyone grabbed front row seats and waited for Matt's turn so they could cheer him on. Some of us were nervous enough...and we weren't even the ones performing the drama! But Matt stayed cool and ready to do his thing. When they called him up, he got in place and completely rocked the house!! Everyone in the room was totally focused on his human video. He gave it his all and did it for an audience of One. Matt, we are all proud of you for you for all your hard work in making this drama awesome!

By the way, the gun was part of his drama. This was his pre-performance photo opp. Now for a few random pics from the past several days that I haven't posted yet.

Tomorrow morning the group performs Rescue in the 9am session (10am EST). If you can check it out live on the web, please do so! The web link is www.mywinterfest.net.

Teen Talent Live Web Cam

For those of you who would like to check watch our students perform their dramas live on the internet, you can go to www.mywinterfest.net and click on the "Drama Room" button. Matt Murphy performs tonight (Tuesday) between 5-7:40pm. He is 7th on the list for that session, so hopefully you won't have to wait forever to catch his solo human video.

The entire group performs tomorrow morning (Wednesday) between 9am - 12:48pm. They are about 13th on the list for that session, so you may have to wait a while to catch it.

Support our teens and watch them compete live!!

Day 6: San Antonio

Incase you are trying to figure out how I went from Day 4 to Day 6, it's because Day 5 was just our travel day to get from New Orleans to San Antonio. Not much happened except for a lot of flat road with a few stops and meals. Oh, and Cracker Barrel for dinner!




Finally, a chance to actually unpack our suitcases and settle in to one place for more than a day. Today all we basically did was sleep in a bit, head to the convention center, get Laura Harrison and her picture registered, practice the dramas, and hang out. Before practice, we spent a couple hours at the mall across the street for lunch and a little shopping. Once we got back to the hotel, the guys all went out with Pastor Brian & Jacqueline for some hang out time and lots of pizza! We had some devotion time before bed and took the opportunity to resolve any relational conflicts among the group as well as encourage each other.

So here's just a bunch of pictures from the day...