One God, One Earth, One Heart

Ok..so to start..this weekend was AMAZING!! Friday was great..as people starting showing up and registering, i was getting SO friggen excited. It was awesome to see some people I haven't seen in a long time and to meet so many new people. The first service was incredible..Pastor Ira is just a great man of God and is great at what he does. Usually people expect the first night to be kinda calm..it was anything but! Everyone was just loving and praising God. After that we had a bit of hang out time, and then an AMAZING concert by Revolution Band. They told us they wanted it to be more of a time of worship than an actual concert. And was it ever! People were lifting their hands, falling to their knees, singing out loud. A little side note, the bass player's name is Sam..so we talked for a bit..haha. They were all really cool tho..they hung out with us after and getting the chance to talk to them was a great experience for me.

Saturday..wow...where to start?! The morning service was phenominal..you'd think that early in the morning a bunch of kids and teenagers would be slow and sluggish..but no..it was the opposite. Pastor Ira spoke again and was, again, awesome. Then we had a workshop..I went to Pastor Matt's on Politics in Canada and we had a guest speaker..Craig Millar..so it was cool to hear from him. Then it was lunch and another workshop. This time I went to Pastor Mike's on Evangelism. It was also really good. After that we had another service with some worship and then we broke into our youth groups. Our youth group then split into our Cadres. It was really neat to be able to talk to some of the girls, ones i've known for years and some I just met this weekend. We went around and said something that stood our to us or impacted us so far. Then we prayed and played the Human Knot game :P. And then..DINNER!! A lot of people went to BP, including a group of 10 of us. That was fun..then it was back to the church for more hang out time and another service.
Now, everyone knows the second evening service is always the one that something BIG happens..and this time was no different. Pastor Ben spoke and definitly kept everyones attention! Worship was amazing (as it was ALL weekend!) and then at the end during the ministry time..wow. There were people just crying out to God, being filled with the Holy Spirit and just loving Him. I prayed for a lot of people and some of those girls..they just fill my heart with pride..I loved watching them all weekend and it was great to hear them say they looked up to me. At the end of the whole service, we cleaned up (while some students were still at the alter!) and then went home around 11:30ish. This morning was also really good..Pastor Ben spoke again and during worship, me and Matt went up to the front and were soon followed by most of the youth. It was great!

So all in all..this weekend was amazing. I admit I wasn't really expecting a lot to happen with ME personally, but having the privilege to spend time with these people and pray for some of the younger girls..its just an amazing feeling. I think thats all I have to say..for now ;P

A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped put this conference on..it was a great blessing!

Cadres

So tonight was Cadres. And let me say..it was AMAZING! Although most of the time everyone was distracted and running around, a lot of things happened. I'm not sure about the other groups, but mine was awesome. Earlier today I went out and bought journals and bracelets for each of my girls. Then I wrote a little note on the first page for them. They were pretty happy to get those. I only had three girls today (Kelsey, Tianna and Carmen) and I love them so much!! They are all so insightful and adorable. We discussed the pros and cons of public schools and christian schools. And we got a pretty big list! One of Tianna's biggest con about christian school was "UNIFORMS!" It made me laugh :P. If you wanna see the list, you can ask me or one of the girls, its a little long to write on here.
So all in all, tonight was really good. It was nice to have something to take my mind off recent situations. It's still hard..I see his picture and it makes my heart hurt..I still can't believe he's gone, but its getting easier.

The pain will ease

I still can't believe he's gone..it just doesn't seem real. Today didn't seem real. I got to school..and it was so quiet. Extra counselors were brought in and there were rooms open for people to go to. Blue stairs was packed with grade 12s..all mourning. We went to AG first, where the teachers made an announcement about the accident and about Zach's death. I, along with a couple others, started crying before the teacher finished speaking. First class, Tourism, we did nothing..some went on the computer, others went to one of the counseling rooms. I held together all class, and then as I left the room, my friend Harrison was standing there, waiting. He gave me a huge hug and I broke down. Another friend was there to give me a hug as well. We then had regular AG, which was extremely silent. Chorus was more routine..we sang two songs. One is called Prayer of the Children..I tried to make it through, but I couldn't. I had to stop singing a few times because I was starting to cry..then I let go at the end..I had to leave the class for a bit. During lunch, me and a few people went to a room with a friends youth leader and prayed for the whole time. That was awesome. Biology was hard...Zach was in my biology class. My teacher said she didn't want to teach..and didn't know when she would be able to. She canceled our unit test and our final project. A few of us sat in the room and just talked to her..crying and remembering the good things about him. Then I had my spare, which I spent most of in the library..a few other friends were in there, and they all tried to cheer me up, which was nice. I really noticed how many supportive friends I have..not many of my close friends were friends with Zach, but they knew I was, so they were very comforting. I've never had so many hugs in one day. It still pains me to think about him..to see his picture. I can still hear his laugh...see his smile..my heart hurts. I want him to come back..walk into the school and say "hey guys..i'm here..i'm fine.." but i know that won't happen. Katey, one of the girls in the accident who was injured, was at school today. She had cuts and bruises on her face and body. Abby, the driver, was there too. I feel for her because even though she has many supporters, many people are blaming her as well. Jordan, Zach's girlfriend, has taken to blaming herself because she begged him to get in the van because she didn't know anyone else.
I've been praying like crazy..for Zach's family, Abby, Jordan..the other students involved in the accident, everyone who was affected by this. As I was reading my bible, I found a couple verses.

Psalm 71:20-21 - Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.

Revelation 21:4 - He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

These verses really gave me peace and comfort. I know that Zach is better now...free of pain. And I know everyone else is going to make a full recovery. God is here in the situation and has been all along. He will heal and He will provide. All we need to do is trust in Him. It hurts to say goodbye to Zach..but its not the last time I'll see him. One day, when it's my time, I know he'll be there waiting for me.

RIP Zachary Peardon <3

We don't always understand

Why some things happen

We can't always comprehend

The reason for pain like this

Why people so young are suffering

I do not know the answer

All I know is it's in God's hands now

Zach, you were an amazing person

Always laughing, always caring

You had the biggest heart

And the brightest smile

You were there for me

When I felt like giving up

I wish I could have been by your side

I wish I could have said goodbye

I love you, Zachary Peardon, and I will never forget you

God obviously needed another Angel

But you didn't need to go to Heaven to be one <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking around

Pained expressions on each face

Eyes hollow, with no feeling

Even those who didn't know him

Share the grief of a loved one's passing

Halls are silent

Only a few whispers are heard

Bodies weak from crying, hurting

Questions are asked,

Why him?

Comments are said,

He was so young

How can something like this

Happen to someone like him?

He didn't deserve this

It wasn't his time

But God knows what He's doing

So we can all rest knowing

That everything will be alright.

<3

Update...

So I was told this morning that Zach passed away..but now there's talk that he's still alive. So I'm trying to figure it out..and I'll keep you all posted. Thank you so much for your support and prayers. Its greatly appreciated :)

3:04pm
Zach's on life support in vic general. he's braindead, with no activity all last night. if there's no change, they're gonna pull the plug today.

3:30pm *I'm not sure if all of this is correct, but its what I've heard*
Bobbi is in a coma and if she doesnt wake up soon they dont know if shes gunna be okay
Katey got burns and cuts on her face but shes okay now
Jordan broke both her ankles
Hailey broke both her legs and pelvis..its gonna be a lot of therapy for her
matt broke his cheek bone
Abby(the driver) is fine and so is ryan

3:50pm
I heard its possible that Bobbi woke up today

4:22pm
I've been told they pulled the plug on Zach..not 100% sure though

7:00pm
They made the decision to pull the plug at about 4:30..Zach is now with God. Everyone else is going to be fine though.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Keep Fighting

I'm not going to say much, but a good friend of mine, Zach, and a few other people were in a accident late friday night. Four of them are in the hospital, one in critical condition. Please pray for them and their families that they stay strong and make it through. They're all tough people and I know they can make it.