In the few final days of 2005, I had the opportunity to meet with youth my age at the 4th annual General Youth Conference (GYC), held in Chattanooga, Tenn. While enjoying lectures and workshops from various authors and evangelistic speakers such as Mark Finley, Samuel Pipim, and C.D. Brooks, I learned many new and exciting things about Jesus Christ. I learned that in any situation Jesus has a thousand ways out, and all you have to do is put your trust in Him to provide for you and lift you up in your darkest hours.
The GYC has impacted my life in an awesome way. It has helped me see my need for personal devotions with Jesus each day and has put a desire in me to spread the Word of God to my peers, my teachers, and my church family.
During my time at the conference, I was able to attend workshops held by Samuel Pipim, called "Faithful unto Death." Pipim brought up key issues important in our society regarding the topic of ethics and spirituality. Ethics and spirituality are dependent on each other. They are the legs of holiness, and without one we are crippled as Christians.
On Sabbath, approximately 2,000 attendees went out to the homes of Chattanooga and knocked on more than 9,000 doors, offering free Bible studies. By the end of the day, almost 900 households signed up for the Bible studies to be mailed to their homes. One experience that impacted me was seeing how many people wanted to know more about Jesus as their personal savior. Out of the seven doors that I knocked on, all seven households said that they would love to receive Bible studies.
Hearing the talks given by Mark Finley, C.D. Brooks and others challenged me to trust in God for strength and guidance in my personal ministry.
Gem State Adventist Academy students Jazmine Martin and Jessie Michel talk with Mark Finley, General Conference vice president for evangelism.
