This weekend, we took 8 Jr. High students to Northern Kentucky University to participate in CIY Believe: a retreat designed specifically to help Jr. High students connect to God. The theme this weekend was “Contact”, and our focus was on prayer and contact with God.

“But what is Believe?” you may be asking?

Imagine the sights and sounds (and smells) of a basketball arena packed with a couple thousand preteens and concert grade audio-visual, talented musicians playing upbeat worship, a respected leader in the field of Jr. High ministry as the main speaker, an emcee who also happens to be a skilled rapper, and an internet famous juggler/entertainer with millions of social media followers.

Sounds awesome, right?

Trust me, it was.

Beyond all the lights and excitement, the content of the weekend is what holds the most value. Five sessions in under 24 hours helped teach our students what prayer is and why it matters. Through engaging and exciting lessons they learned that prayer is powerful and personal because God is powerful and personal, that they can talk to God at any time because He is always listening, and some methods of how to pray.

Overall, this weekend was a great way for students to learn about, or have reinforced, the fact prayer is our chance to have deep, meaningful, personal contact with God at all times – not just at church, before bed or food, or when something is going wrong. These lessons learned at a conference for Jr. High students are lessons that are valuable for us all to remember.

PS: If you know someone who went on this trip, ask them why prayer and tacos go together. You may be surprised!