Thanks so much for your prayers...we appreciate it more than you could know!
When we get back, I'll be posting plenty of photos, stories and videos, so stay tuned :)
--Justin
Jeff Day was the speaker for the evening. He used his message to challenge the graduates and to thank those who played a role in making them who they are today. It was a “hands-on” message – the graduates had to work together to build something significant with tools and scraps of wood and metal they were given. The end result was a cross, the thing we should each build our lives upon. 
On June 1st, Adams County Christian Academy said goodbye to the largest senior class in school history. Sixteen students, including five of our own, walked across Memorial’s stage to receive the piece of paper that represented their life’s work to this point.
Abbey Stiles was recognized as valedictorian, and Faythe Grace as salutatorian, although the margin of difference between the two was very slim. Both fought back tears as they remembered years gone by and challenged their classmates to live their lives for Christ.
Other students were also recognized for their achievements. Jared Day received a scholarship in memory of Adam Cole, a local firefighter who was killed in the line of duty last year. The award was presented b y Cole’s uncle, Greg Cole. Day is currently taking classes to become a firefighter and EMT. A special Fruit of the Spirit Award, which was determined by the vote of the senior class, was awarded to Brittany Opperman.
Pastor Steve Baker had the privilege of delivering the commencement address, which was full of humor, personal stories, and challenges for the graduates. Mr. Roy F
rampton, a favorite teacher among the seniors, also offered some parting words to the class.
The evening was also filled with music, as the ACCA band and choir lent their talents to the occasion. Brittany Opperman showcased a song that she penned called “Through The Years,” and the entire senior class, accompanied by Abbey Stiles on piano and Jared Day on guitar, ended the night with their rendition of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”
Overall, it was a wonderful evening of marking milestones, recognizing achievements, reminiscing and praising our Creator.
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Ok, so that was the formal, official story. Here’s some of my random thoughts about the evening and some of the funny stuff that didn’t make it into the story for the church’s site.
--The choir sang “I Hope You Dance” and the seniors sang solos. Brittany definitely opened the floodgates during her solo, if you know what I mean, and I was just like, “this is going to be a long night.” Not that I’m against crying at graduation; I was just concerned for her, because I knew she had to sing again later. The time came for her to sing the song that she had written, though, and everything went amazingly…except for a technical glitch that Alex and Jared had to help fix. The song, though, is amazing, and she sang it flawlessly. I could honestly see that song becoming a hit and being played at graduations across the country some day.
--The ceremony almost ended about 30 minutes early. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but Mr. Arrison gave his parting words and asked the audience to stand and acknowledge the graduates. The problem was that there was still a song to be sung and a tribute video to be shown. I wish you could have seen the looks on the graduates’ faces when he almost skipped all of that. Priceless. :) They got his attention, though, and the rest of the ceremony went off without a problem.
--The sanctuary was PACKED. It has been quite awhile since I’ve seen it so full for something other than a funeral.
--For the record, I would just like to say how grateful I am for ACCA and all of the people that serve the Lord there. It is such a sacrifice to teach at a Christian school, and I thank you all for your service.
People have so many different views of what mission trips are all about. To some, a mission trip is nothing but a vacation with a few bits of Christian service thrown in on the side. To others, it is a time of hard-core, selfless service for the Lord, with no thought for themselves.
I guess by the nature of the place we are going this summer, our trip to Ocean City will hopefully be a good mix of fun and ministry, with the emphasis on ministry. We have been training for months for this trip. Back in March, the youth began an evangelism training course called “The Way of the Master.” This is not a sugar-coated, let’s hold hands and sing kum-by-ya method by any means. I can’t wait to see how the Lord uses our youth to witness for Him on this trip.
Besides evangelism training, we also had a training session on how to effectively teach children. This will be especially helpful, since the main thrust of our ministry will be “Surf and Sand Clubs” for children in local campgrounds each morning. Mr. Bruce Hoover from Child Evangelism Fellowship was with us one Wednesday night to train us in this area. He provided us with many helpful tips and methods that I’m sure will be incredibly useful while we’re there.
There are also many organizational and logistic-related items that we have been taking care of. Without the right guidance, this task could be a nightmare, but Pastor Baker and Amy Lamb have been doing an awesome job of getting everything together and organizing everything. “Parent’s Night Out” takes the most planning and organization while we are there, but the budgeting and arrangements that have been taking place for months leading up to the trip are also frustrating and time consuming…so much goes into a trip like this, both in the “spotlight” and behind the scenes.
Well, we leave next Saturday. Please pray for us as we go, and pray for the people that we will encounter. Pray that God will already be preparing their hearts to hear what He has to say through us.
