New Orleans - Day 5 - July 23, 2015

Hey Everyone!

We had another great day today. We finished up our last day of VBS. We had a great day at VBS as we shared the resurrection story of Jesus with the kids.

We also had a block party this afternoon at our St. Roch VBS location. It was a lot of fun and we really got to minister to a lot of people who were in need. We had a awesome time and the students did great.

Tomorrow, we get to celebrate all our hard work by enjoying our free day. We will be headed to the French Quarter area of New Orleans and enjoying a delicious lunch and enjoy some sightseeing in the city. It is going to be a great day!

New Orleans - Day 4 - July 22, 2015

Hello Everyone,

We had another late night last night, so sorry again for not getting this blog post up last night. We had another wonderful day here in New Orleans. We had two great VBS sites again. It is truly amazing to see how these youth have built these relationships with the kids at our VBS in just a few short days. I am constantly amazed by our youth and all the hard work they are doing this week.

Yesterday afternoon, we headed to Audobon Park to do some evangelism / water bottle ministry. Unfortunately, those plans ended up changing just a little bit as we ran into a little bit of rain. So it turned into quite the adventure and will be a memory we will never forget.

Last night, we took time to honor all of our seniors on our annual senior night. It wa aa beautiful night as youth shared tons of stories about our seniors and the impact they have had on their lives over the past six years they have been in the BUMS. We have such an awesome group of seniors this year, and it is hard to say goodbye to them in the sense of a youth group. They have had such an impact on this group, and have truly left their legacy. This group of 11 seniors is an awesome group f young men and women, and they will be truly missed.

Today we head out to our last day of VBS. It is the day we tell the resurrection story of Jesus, and give kids a chance to accept Jesus. It is truly a powerful moment. We also have a block party this afternoon where we will serve hotdogs, chips, sno-cones, have live music, and other things to reach out to the city. We are looking forward to our last opportunity to witness to these people today. Anyways, we are off to breakfast! 

New Orleans - Day 3 - July 21, 2015

Hey Everyone! Sorry I didn't get this post up last night. But we were busy till pretty late and so I was exhausted and went to bed!

Yesterday was another great day here in New Orleans. We once again spent the morning split up into our two VBS sites: at one site we had 13 kids and at the other side we had 24 kids. So both of our VBS sites saw quite the increase in the number of children attending! Praise God!

Our construction crew also continued their hard work! They are still clearing fields that have grass that is above waste high. They are working so hard this week!

Yesterday afternoon we went to the Chateu Livinf Center and hung out with some of the residents. It was a lot of fun. We played some bingo with them and just got to have a lot of great conversations. We really enjoyed it!

So as you can see, we are staying super busy! We are having a great time! We are excited for another fun-filled mission day today!

New Orleans - Day 2 - July 20th, 2015

We had another fantastic day on our Mission Trip. We split up this morning into our two vacation bible school sites. At one site we had 4 kids and at the other site we had 13 kids.

We spent the afternoon cleaning up and doing some yard work, which is what our construction crew is doing all week. We had a lot of fun doing it despite the heat and the rain.


Here a few pics. We will back tomorrow!

New Orleans - Day 1 - July 19th, 2015

Hello Everyone!

We made it down here to New Orleans. We ran into a little bit of traffic on the way down here, but it really wasn't bad at all. It took us just over 12 hours to get down here, so we made really good time.

We had a great dinner and some awesome worship and devotion time with all the other groups here. For me personally, it feels awesome to be back here. It brings back so many awesome memories for me, as two of my favorite mission trips have been here to this exact Location.

We are all so excited about a fantastic trip. We are all quite exhausted, so we are headed to bed now! Check out the blog tomorrow for another update!

BUMS Summer 2015

Hello Blog Readers! I apologize for the length since my last post! But hence the life of a youth minister, especially during the Summer! My life has been one event after another, and life just hasn't slowed down very much lately! But that is a good thing! I am still really enjoying my job and things are going well! Here is what I have been up to since my last post:

Out side of my job, I recently just bought a house! I closed on it on May 29th, so I have been living in it for a little over a month. I was very tired of my apartment life, mainly because I had quite the noisy upstairs neighbor. But also, I love my job here, and I plan on being here for a while, so I figured to invest in the housing market! I knew I didn't want to be in an apartment for my entire time here, so I figured the sooner I get in a house, the better I am at making those payments. I absolutely love my house! It is so nice to have more room for all the youth to come over and hang out in.

In the life of my job, we have hit the ground running since school let out. We honored our graduates during the worship service on May 17th. They were a fantastic group of 12 seniors who have been very active in the BUMS over the years! I am definitely going to miss having them around next year!

The week of June 7th - June 11th was a busy one for us, as we had a double dose of Vacation Bible School. Our youth group hosts a VBS for the Child Enrichment Day Care Program at our church, and it just happened to fall during the same week as our regular church's VBS. So 5 straight days of being at the church from 8 am till 9 pm made for a long week. But we had a blast. I got to observe our youth rock out hosting our VBS. They did fantastic. Then, during the night VBS, got to be the Lead Singer of our Band (the Lab Coats) as well as be a crew leader for the 5th and 6th graders. It was a successful week for Dr. Todd. 

We also went on our beach retreat to Garden City Chapel in Garden City, SC. We had a great retreat as always. It was a very chill trip. It was a lot of fun and we had a blast!

We have also had a lot of daily activities. We had a back to summer bowling party, had a lunch and movie hang out day, went to a Greenville Drive game, had an ice cream and board games social, and just yesterday went to Gravitopia! So we have been very busy this summer. 

So it has been a great summer so far. On Sunday, July 19th, we leave for our mission trip to New Orleans, LA. It is going to be a fantastic trip and I can't wait to be down there. 

A Wonderful Long Weekend

So this past weekend, I took my first vacation since starting my job here at Bethel. It was a wonderful weekend. Lot's of driving, but it was wonderful.

I left here Thursday and headed down to Lexington, SC to visit with my brother, Kevin and his family. It was a good time. I love getting to play with my niece and nephew. It is amazing how fast they are growing up. It is awesome to get to play with them. It is also really cool to have people just so excited to see you when you come to visit. So that was a lot of fun!

Friday morning I got up bright and early and headed down to Lake Wales, Florida to celebrate the wedding of two of my great friends, Joseph Spate and Neely Nelson. Joseph was my roommate in college for the last two years at Erskine. Neely was a special education major with me at Erskine, so I was very close to both of them. It was a fun time to celebrate with them as well as getting to see some of my classmates from Erskine as well. It was a great time!

On Sunday Morning, I got up to drive to Jacksonville, FL to see a good friend of mine Chad Deetz. He is currently at a church down there doing Youth Ministry. As I have mentioned in some of my previous blogs, Chad is one of the biggest influences in my life and one of the biggest reasons why I am in youth ministry today. It was great to hang out with him and see what all he has going on at his church. It was a lot of fun to get to see him and his family. It was also cool to get to meet a lot of the kids at his youth group as well.

Then I got up early on on Monday morning and I am back at work today. It was a really fun trip. I think in total I drove somewhere around 1200 miles. Spent 4 of the past 5 nights in 4 different cities. So it was kind of crazy and hectic. But it was a lot of fun. It was also nice to be able to get away from work for a while and just relax. Now, I know what you are thinking. How is driving 1200 miles across 4 days relaxing? Well, to be honest, it isn't. But, it was in a sense where I knew I didn't have to worry about anything for work or anything for that. So that aspect was nice. But, it is also nice to be back here at work and get back into the swing of things. We are gearing up for a busy time right now. But I am looking forward to it. I am especially looking forward to the summer when I will get more and more time to just hang out and chill with all the kids.

Anyways, just a quick update this time! Until next time!

In Christ,

Todd Handell

Parent / Youth Retreat 2015

So a couple of weeks ago our youth group headed up to Asbury Hills for a Parent / Youth Retreat. Back when I was in the youth group, the Parent / Youth Retreat used to happen ever year. But, they haven't had a Parent / Youth Retreat since 2009, which was my Senior Year in High School! So it had been a while and I wanted to bring it back.

The purpose of the Parent / Youth Retreat is a few things. First of all, as with any retreat, its about bonding and growing closer together with God and as a group. It also gives insight to the Parents who may have never been involved or attended a retreat as a chaperone to just see what the BUMS are all about. It's also a great time because there is usually at least one game that embarrass the parents, which of course the students always love. 

So we headed up to Asbury Hills on a Friday afternoon. It was my first time actually at the camp, and it was absolutely beautiful. We got up there Friday Night, and we just played some group games together. We played one of my favorites, Animal Name Game, which is where someone stands in the middle of the group with a pool noodle, and everyone else has an animal name (for example, I was and always am Tiger Todd). Then you must call another name before you get hit by the pool noodle. We also did the Soda/Cracker/Candle Face-off Challenge! A game where two people race to drink a soda as fast as they can, but they must keep there candle lit as well as eat their saltines any time the bell rings! Here are some pictures!

On Saturday, we spent the morning in two different sessions. There was a Parent Only session in which we talked about the dangers of social media that these students are constantly surrounded by. We also had a student only session in which we talked about respecting and understanding your parents.

Then in the afternoon, we spent time doing the activities around the camp. Students had the opportunity to do the Alpine Tower, which is a giant climbing tower with tons of different obstacles on the way up. They also had the opportunity to do a regular climbing wall, as well as a giant swing. The kids had a blast. Then, we spent some time playing a game of Rio Linda Kickball, which is always fun.  Luckily the weather co-operated with us on Saturday. It rained a lot on Friday and Sunday, but the weather on Saturday was absolutely B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. It was a gorgeous day.

On Saturday Night, we played some more group games and had a devotion in which we talked about being the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is one of my favorite uses of imagery in the Bible. Especially in this world that we live in today, there is so much that tears us apart. Even among Christians, it's amazing how many people that are different denominations will argue over what is right and what is wrong or more frequently WHO is right and WHO is wrong! It's sad that we live in a world like this. God has called us all to be Disciples of Christ and we all believe in One God, One Jesus, and the same Faith. And that's what we talked about. It's so important as Christians to work together as the body of Christ, because one person can't do it alone. It must be done as a group.

We then got up and headed home on Sunday morning after playing a few games. Overall, it was a great trip. I love always getting to spend time with the BUMS. They are a wonderful group.

The entire group that went!

⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with yourfaith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:4-8

You can check out all our pictures here in this video!

BUMS 2015 Parent Youth Retreat

Until Next Time!

-Todd Handell

Where Have You Been?

So, the other week I did write a blog post, but it wasn't really about what I've been up to lately in the life of a youth minister. And I just know that so many of you out there are just eager to hear bout my job and how everything is going (Sarcasm intended)! So I must share with everyone where I've been since I last wrote in November.

During the months of December through February, Church Basketball was in full swing. I had the pleasure of head coaching the Girls Team. We had a fantastic season! And by that, I mean, we only won one game! But we really did have a lot of fun. We made it into the playoffs (because everybody does) and we gave St. Paul a run for their money. Unfortunately, we came up just short. But it seriously was so much fun coaching this team!

During the Christmas season, we had some fun with the BUMS. The students convinced me to have a lock-in combined with our Christmas Party. It was so hard to stay up all night, but we did it. And honestly, it actually was pretty fun. But I was so exhausted the next day!

We also have been able to do some other fun activities since then. We went to a Charlotte Hornets game as a youth group! It was a blast! And the Hornets won!

We also went to Winter Jam in Greenville! Thanks to one of the parents of one of my youth, we were able to get a suite! It was sweet! We had a blast, and there were so many wonderful Christian artists there! It was a fantastic concert!

Finally, just last weekend, we went to to the Greenville Road Warriors Hockey game! We had a blast there! We had fantastic seats, only 3 rows from the ice! It was so much fun!

So as you can see! We have been super busy with the BUMS! We have been doing a combination of a lot of fun and service opportunities as well. Coming up, we are headed on a Parent / Youth Retreat in late April. And then, we will be in Summer Time, where we will be doing stuff all the time!

So I hope that you have enjoyed this little catch-up as where I've been. I still absolutely love my job! People ask me still, all the time, if I miss teaching and how I like my job. And I just tell them with so much excitement how much I love it! It is the best job and I love every single minute of it. Sure, there are some tough parts, but it's worth it. As the old saying goes "Time flies when you're having fun." I still can't believe that I am coming up on completing my 8th month here at Bethel! It has absolutely flown by! But it really is because I just enjoy it so much!

It is amazing that my full time job is to get to hang out with kids, but more importantly, teach them the word of God on a daily basis. Just today, as I was preparing for my lesson tomorrow night, I seriously just felt my heart swell up with joy! I just love it! I love being able to teach God's word every week! It is so much fun!

So that's all for now! Wow, two blog posts in a week! What is wrong with me! I don't think I've ever done this before. I promise, I will try to make the next one happen before 6 months passes again! Until next time!

In Christ,

Todd Handell

When Tragedy Comes

Hey Everyone,

I hope that all of you are doing well, and I apologize for it being forever since I have written anything in this blog. Things are still going well in our youth group. We are chugging right along, and summer is going to be here before we know it. But today, I write to you on a different occasion.  But this has been laid on my heart recently, and I felt I needed to share.

Over the weekend, there was a tragedy in our church.  There was an unexpected death, and someone left injured, and it has a lot of people (myself included) asking a lot of questions lately. These questions have included:

• Why would God let this happen?
• What was God thinking?
• Why does God let bad things happen to good people?
• Isn't God supposed to be loving and take care of us?

And many, many others.

People want answers. They want to understand what is going on. So people turn to Scripture. But sometimes, we don't always understand scripture. So I write to you today to hopefully help you understand at least these few passages of scripture.  But know that I, by no means, claim to have all the answers or have it all together. 

First and foremost. Before I go any further. We must remember, that...

2 Timothy 3:16- All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

That is the most important thing to remember in all of this.

Moving on, we get to probably my least favorite verse in the entire bible.

Jeremiah 29:11-  "For I know the plans I have for you," declared the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

Everybody looks at this verse for comfort and guidance, especially a lot of youth age people. This verse is very comforting and encouraging. People use it for all kinds of occasions. For people going off to college, and saying that God won't let anything bad happen because he says "he will not harm you" and all kinds of things. But the problem is, when you just look at this verse, it's taken completely out of context, if you only look at this one verse.  If you just look 7 verses before, you will find this:

Jeremiah 29:4- "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon"

There it is. Sorry everyone, but Jeremiah 29:11 is not your saving grace. It's not really applicable to us, because it was written to the Israelite people in exile. This may come as a shock to you. Because so many people use this verse and apply it to themselves. But the "you" in this passage isn't singular. It's plural. And it's related to the Israelites. 

But unfortunately, this doesn't make people happy. They want an answer. So we look at these next two things. 

First of all, and probably most importantly. There are just some things in this world that we don't understand. Just as there are so many scientific equations and math problems that would probably sail over the average Joe's head, so do things about God. If we knew everything that God had planned, well then, the world would be a lot different place. Could you imagine, if you knew everything that was going to happen in your life, how weird that would be? If you have ever seen the Movie "Stranger Than Fiction", we get a glimpse into that. Now this doesn't make us happy. Because in our human nature, we want to control things. And when something bad goes wrong, we want to fix things. But sometimes, we can't. Sometimes we just need to let God take care of things. This is a true struggle for all humans, myself included. 

Secondly, and this is my best chance at answering a question someone may have, we turn to the book of Romans.

Romans 8:18-19: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed."

Romans 8:24-28: "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

That's my best answer to how God handles tragedy. The thing is, no matter how rough things get here on earth, our reward in heaven and the glory that will be revealed is going to be so much greater. And once again, we don't understand that. We can't fathom something being that much greater for good then the sufferings we go through now. It doesn't make sense to us, which goes back to point number 1 (we don't always understand everything.)

And finally, at the end of that passage, it says "and we know that in all things". Notice, it says ALL THINGS. Not just the good, not just the bad, but ALL THINGS. 

I am not writing this blog post to say that I have all the answers and I have everything figured out, because I most certainly do not. God is always teaching me new things every day and I still mess up and make mistakes all the time. 

Tragedy is one of the hardest times to keep the faith in God. We automatically want to turn against him and blame him for the bad things in our life. But we can't, because God provides so much good for us that we just take for granted. And we have to take it all, the good from God and the bad that exists in this world. 

I have been through many trials and tribulations. I have suffered through the passing of many family members, and there were many times where I turned away from God too. No one does it perfectly. We all have our mistakes. But today, if you have made it this far and are still reading, I just ask that you pray for the family and our church family. Because that's the best thing that we can do.  It's never easy to go through anything like this. But God never promised it would be easy, he just said it would be possible. And the best way to get through anything is to rely on God, and pray and talk to him.

I hope that maybe this will help answer a question for at least one person. If you are going through tragedy, just know you are not alone. Until next time.

In Christ,

Todd Handell