The Saturday night youth focus event began with a dinner of made-to-order smash burgers. Smash burgers are made by flattening the ground beef onto a grill with a spatula as it cooks. Each person could order two or three patties, and topping choices included fried eggs, bacon, spicy sauce, and grilled onions, as well as the traditional toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles.  For dessert there were delicious fried apple pies and soft-serve ice cream.

The group activity was led by Ryan and Diana Erdmann. Teams competed to identify pictures that were projected onto the screen at the front of the room. The rounds included guessing Oregon tourist attractions and matching childhood photos to current ministers!

After dinner and activities, Sam Asaya led the group in singing songs with help from several musicians playing piano, guitar, and ukulele, as well as singing (pictured above).

Erik Calhoun gave a recap of the West Coast youth retreat. The young people were split into two groups and then Brother Erik would ask a question about the youth retreat such as, “Who led the first session?” After the teams guessed, he would reveal the answer, and then talk about each session.

Those at the youth retreat had studied Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians in a series of four sessions. Brother Erik went through each of the theme verses in Philippians and spoke about the meaning of the verses and how they can be applied in real life. One verse was, “Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). Brother Erik talked about the importance of Christian unity and fellowship. Another verse was Philippians 3:8, which describes how the Apostle Paul counted “all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.” That verse helps one think about how to set priorities, as well as choose the path that will enhance rather than hinder one’s walk with God. The youth focus session ended with a time of prayer.