From the time we got our name tags to the time we dragged our tired bodies home, October 13, our annual youth rally, was an awesome day. Dropping slimy arm pit hair in baggies, discordantly singing, frantically playing leap frog, reluctantly (well, for some of us anyway) swallowing jalapeno peppers and warm diet Coke, and jumping up and down praising God at a concert are only a few of the crazy, fun things one would have seen us wild high school sudents doing that day.
Around two p.m., everyone participating gathered in the courtyard outside at the church and was assigned to a car for the car rally. Each team was given a packet of clues and rules, and we were off!...Or so we thought. To totally baffle us all right off the bat, however, Dave and the other leaders had stolen the drivers' keys, forcing one person from each team to go into the boys' bathroom to find their set of keys! We finally got out of the parking lot a little before 3 and embarked on our on-road adventure for the afternoon. There were two sheets of clues to be figured out. Each clue directed us ralliers to different locations, including Linens 'n Things, Woody's Unfinished Furniture, the Shell station, the A.V. Mall, Steve's video game shop, the AVC parking lot, and the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve, among others. At each location, we were required to perform certain actions (made up by the leader at that post) in order to receive our points. Don made us sing our favorite Christian song; Susan quizzed us with "woody" Biblical questions (she was at Woody's); Rose had us play "Throw Tic-Tac-Toe;" DeeDee and Star instructed us to play leap frog--and not just in a straight line, but in a half circle, and in front of the crowded fountain at the mall, no less; Steve forced us to choke down jalapeno peppers and Coke; and Gail devised a running routine for us to follow. Oh! what we go through for the sake of fun!
Some of us, however, got a little mixed up with the clues. One such clue mix-up occurred with the following clue:
The answer was supposed to be derived by inserting word breaks so that it would read "AVE P ETD ASAP," which is translated "the Shell station food mart on Ave. P as soon as possible." One car (namely the Goertz van) somehow rearranged the letters so that it said "Pet Dave ASAP." So, they tracked down Dave and started petting him! Alas, it was all in vain. But it made for some great laughs afterward! Other bloopers included different teams going to the Poppy Preserve (Todd Fodge's car), the Moes' house (that would be my team, Cheryl Kirkendall's car), and KB Toys (myriad of people). I must say, we got a lot of crazy looks from bystanders--but that's half the fun of a car rally, right?!
Tired and famished, we arrived back at the church parking lot at 6 p.m. sharp (we lost points if we were late). We turned in our points and Dave added them all up, along with any scavenger hunt items we had picked up. (Some of the items of the mini scavenger hunt included: arm pit hair, a hair scrunchie, and any "New Kids on the Block" paraphernalia.)
Submarine sandwiches were served for dinner, and we all enjoyed a great couple of hours of feasting and fellowshipping before the much-anticipated Smalltown Poets concert that evening. The band members even hung out with us for a little while before the concert! Also during this time, Dave announced the results of the car rally. Coming in 13th place (i.e. last), the Kevin Daeley team received a Hulk Hogan cd for everyone on their team. And, for the third time, Pam Goertz's team (Michelle, Aliza, Rochelle, Amanda, and Amanda’s cousin) placed first, and each member received a copy of Smalltown Poet's newest album, Third Verse! (Just for the record, Pam Goertz has placed in the top three 6 out of the 7 past Youth Rallies. The only time she did not place, was the year she didn't participate. Go Pam!!)
The concert began around 8:15 p.m. Exhilarating, inspiring, thought-provoking, fun, wonderfully loud, and worshipful--what more can I say? It was a blast; and, most importantly, God was glorified through it! Smalltown Poets performed a variety of songs, mostly from their newest release, "Third Verse". Their hearts for God were truly obvious in the way they sang, and they were totally open and excited to share what they believed and how Christ had changed their lives. One of my favorites was the song "I'll Give," the chorus of which says "I'll give; I'll hold nothing/ I'll give and I'll hold nothing back." As Christians, that's what our desire should be--to give our lives and our all to God for his use, not withholding anything for ourselves.
Following the concert, Dave shared from God's Word and clearly presented the saving message of God's grace. Then, there was an optional time of worship lead by our high school music team. Smalltown Poets was also available outside, autographing t-shirts, cds, name tags, bare legs (Danny!) and anything else on which one wanted their signature!
'Twas an exhausting, but wonderful day; one that all who participated in will forever remember. I can't wait 'til next year!
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