@ Youth Encounter

From the moment Istvar, my host, met me at the Budapest airport, I was immersed in a sea of languages. Istvar spoke German and Russian in addition to his native Hungarian, and apologized that his English was not so good. Next, a bishop and two youth leaders from Russia arrived, one of whom spoke English. In the next three hours nearly thirty leaders had arrived from a variety of countries, greeting one another in all sorts of languages, eager to find someone who could interpret when they had no language in common. We boarded a bus to travel to the retreat center of the Hungarian Lutheran church, traveling through picturesque Budapest, arriving at the center in Piliscsaba (pil-is-KAWV-vah) two hours later.

Every third year, the leaders of the Lutheran Inner Mission Societies of Europe gather for a conference (EURIM). While the state churches include a majority of a country’s population, the inner mission societies facilitate the spiritual lives of active Christians.
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Youth Encounter 2003 Fellowship Dinner
A Night of Mission and Ministry!
by Brett Koopman

Youth Encounter's 4th Annual Fellowship Dinner will take place on May 19, 2003 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This year's event will focus on Youth Encounter's international ministry efforts. During this difficult time in our world, ministry with young people in Christ's name is so important. Rev. Chuck Lindquist, Director of World Mission Prayer League, is our speaker. Rainbow of Promise will provide music and share about their ministry in India and Nepal. Her Excellency, Anna Mkapa, First Lady of Tanzania, is our special guest. Youth Encounter has partnered with the First Lady this year to help build an orphanage for AIDS orphans through the offering at our 53 youth events. Please join us for an evening of food, fun, and fellowship as we share the impact of Youth Encounter's ministry. For more information, please contact Brett Koopman at 1-800-65YOUTH, or by e-mail: brett@youthencounter.org

Friendship in Troubled Times
A Watermark Member Shares His Experience with an Iraqi Student in Denmark
by Doug Mauss

So you're at a Danish boarding school. You've led a workshop on worship with the ninety or so students, and one has caught your eye. He's confident, strong, and darker skinned with wavy black hair. He's the shepherd of this particular flock; if he approves of the band, the rest of the students will also. If he decides to have fun on the sing-a-longs, the others will enjoy themselves as well.

The students then invite you to play football with them (read soccer, you crazy Americans). That same student comes up and makes a point of speaking to you in English, even though it seems to you that his English is not as good as some of the others. Throughout the game, he commiserates with you when you miss a shot, and congratulates you by name when you score a goal.
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Greetings from Malaysia
New Dawn Ministers in Hong Kong and Malaysia
by Sandy Wittman

The roads are a little bumpy as we travel in a van that our contact has procured for our transportation in Malaysia. He apologizes for the bumps, very sure that our roads in the US are much better. I instantly reassure him that the roads in the US can vary and the roads that we have been traveling on were average in comparison. This makes him laugh. I turn to look out the window and I am struck by just how diverse the people of Malaysia are. There are at least three prevalent races here including Malay, Indian and Chinese. And then there's everybody else. Walking through a mall, it's not uncommon to hear at least five or six languages spoken. Most of the people we meet can speak at least four languages (usually Malay, Mandarin, English and another Chinese dialect-usually Cantonese), some can speak six or seven. Fluently. It floors me.
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Eternal Hospitality
Thoughts from the Rainbow of Promise Team to India
by Paul Nichols

We are welcomed with handshakes and "Vannakam"s. Sit down. Have a cola. Meet the pastor of the church and lay leaders. Eat snacks. Coconut water. Full stomachs. Music program. Dinner. Munch munch munch!! This is typical Indian hospitality. It’s just about overwhelming it’s so nice. Lamentably, it’s also very easy to get used to.

So on this Sunday evening it was very surprising to get only a small amount of this hospitality, far more than necessary, but far less than usual. We were at a countryside church, in Pranthanery Village outside of Nagercoil. Surrounding Zion Lutheran Church are beautiful fields. Most of the men of the congregation work in these fields.
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God's Grace through a Junior High Youth
A Word from the Events Division
by Jennifer Noyes

I will never forget the Arizona Quake and the way God used a junior high youth to teach me about His grace. . .

Things were going well at this year’s Arizona Quake until I found out that some windows had been broken in the pool earlier that afternoon. So, I did what I had to do. I made an announcement that the pool would be closed until I found out who broke the windows.

Before I could even get off stage, two youth and their leader were on the side waiting to meet me and tell me that they broke one of the windows by accident with a ball they were playing with. So together we figured out which window it was and made the appropriate arrangements with the hotel.

But there were still two windows that were broken, so we kept waiting for someone to confess.
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Youth Create 2003!
Quick! Get in on the Savings!
by Cathy Pino

There's still time to get in on the early registration discount for Youth Create 2003! Youth Create provides the opportunity for young people to learn about using their talents to serve the Church and the world in worship and the arts. Youth from across the country will gather in Minneapolis, MN from July 22-28, 2003 to worship, learn, and hone their talents. The deadline is April 30, so quick, hop online and download a registration form, or call Sarah at the Youth Encounter office and ask her to send you one! Also, don't forget that if you bring a group of 5 or more, you can get a second discount on top of the early registration discount!

The final deadline for all registrations (early, group and otherwise) is May 30. There's still lots of room for individuals and groups to sign up and get in on the fun. If you have any questions or would like more information, call Cathy Pino at 1-800-65YOUTH, email her at YouthCreate@youthencounter.org, or click here: www.youthencounter.org/ministries/youth_create.asp .

Gearin' Up!
Spoke Folk 2003
by Eric Arundel

Hey there all!
Your friendly, neighborhood Spoke Folk director here. Just wanted to update you all on the wonderful world of Spoke Folk. As of right now we have 101 people touring from across the United States and our goal is 160. We’re moving along at a decent speed, but we can always use more participants and counselors. So, if you know anyone that would be interested in touring, talk up this wonderful program. I can even send you some brochures to hand out to friends and family. Just let me know. The big news is that Michigan tour is already full! I’ve been told that this is one of the fastest tour closings ever. Thanks to all the kids out there who talked up the program and made it happen. The running joke is that next year we’ll name all the tours “Michigan” to make sure they’re full. The tours and dates for the other unfilled tours are:
Illinois-June 18-29
Maryland-June 18-29
Minnesota-July 30-August 10^th
Thanks for all your prayers and support for our program and I hope to see you this summer!

You can reach Eric with any questions about Spoke Folk in a variety of ways:
Call 1-800-65YOUTH (in the Twin Cities, (612) 789-3556); Ext. 217, write to Eric at sf@youthencounter.org, or get the scoop at www.spokefolk.org !

Updated Web Store!
News from Resource Ministries
by Ryan Veil

Hey everyone! Greetings in Christ! Have you seen our brand new, updated web store yet? Check it out! We have added some great new products in recent days. Check out the popular Riverstone Necklaces. In past years, they have only been available at Captive Free concerts and events, but now they are only a few clicks away. Summer is just around the corner so check out our latest t-shirts and baseball caps! Looking for some great tunes to listen to with the windows down this summer? Check out our latest CD project, “Hymns”. It contains 13 tracks of various artists doing their own renditions of popular Hymns.

Our good friends, Happy Fun Time, have just released their second edition of video Bible study. Available to you is a video that contains four comedy parable sketches and a CD Rom that contains all the materials you need to host a Bible study, using the video. Check out these awesome resources and everything else at our online webstore by visiting www.youthencounter.org and by clicking on the “store” link at the top. God bless!!

2003 Faith Inkubators Renaissance
News from Our Friends at Faith Inkubators
by Amy Steubing

Are you ready to build the kind of team that can inject energy, passion, life, and fun into the educational ministries of your church? If so, Faith Inkubators’ Eighth Annual Renaissance Team Training Conference is just what you need to get your team ready for the fall. Come and join FINKs from all over the world for four days of cross-pollination. The Renaissance Team Training Conference will be held July 28-31 at the FINK home offices and Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, Minnesota.

This year we will be focusing on how the Faith Inkubators system can work in churches of all sizes. We have keynoters from rural North Dakota, a large church in Minneapolis, and a suburban church in Virginia who will share how they are using FINK in their churches. Our FINK staff and trainers will turn your group into a “Dream Team” by the time we’re through. You will also have the opportunity to experience the beautiful Victorian town of Stillwater at an opening picnic Monday night, a lunch cruise on the St. Croix River, and an uplifting concert by Christsyde, a Christian rap group from Los Angeles.

For more information on the Renaissance Team Training Conference check out www.faithink.com or call 1-888-55-FAITH.

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