NYC was amazing! Youth from all four corners of our United States and Canada gather for a once in a life time experience. My brother and sister went to this conference in Houston, Texas four years ago; however, I was too young to go at that time. I overheard them express to others how their lives changed and they grew immeasurably in their walk with God. When my youth pastor announced two years ago that the next NYC would be held in Missouri at St. Louis Rams Dome I jumped at the chance to go.

Three large buses full of tired teens rolled out… clueless of what NYC was going to be like. We did know a couple things: the theme, Water, Fire, Wind. Our suitcases were ready to feed about five thousand families, and a life changing experience awaited us in the next eight hours. The trip to St. Louis was relaxing watching movies, sleeping and being with friends. This started my trip off with a fun time.

As we arrived at our destination we received more announcements about taking our suitcases of food and walking them to the dome. Carrying our suitcases really wore our arms out, since walking to the Jones Dome felt like an eternity; although it really was only about a ten minute walk. We distribute the canned goods to the appropriate boxes, and the feeding of what we thought was five thousand families turned out to a much more huge number.

That first night as we walked into the Dome and I looked around, it sent chills down my spine. Just seeing ten thousand kids striving to be like God every night, made me grow. Throughout this conference I learned about Water, Fire, Wind in regards to our spiritual walk. Water represented playing in the pool of Jesus’ grace. Fire stood for getting out of that pool and walking to what God has in store for you. The last day we talked about wind and the changing effect it can make on our lives. It symbolized reaching out to families in need. That day I was shocked to hear that instead of five thousand families feeling the impact of our generosity, ten thousand families would not starve because of the suitcases of food we donated.

Youth from all four corners of our United States and Canada gathered for an once-in-a-lifetime experience. This experience helped all of us grow closer to God, be more open about our faith and to realize that the grace of God impacts each of us everyday.

- Dustin, Student