Summer Adventure-- with a Mission

While most area students will return to school with tales of summer parties, days on the beach, and other such memories, senior Suzie will have a different story to tell. The Ohio teen spent a month of her summer on her fourth mission trip-- the second for her to Panama-- with Teen Mania. "We went to villages, schools, orphanages, basically anywhere that we're allowed, " Suzie explained, "and put on a pantomime/drama that explains the whole message, the plan of Salvation."

Teen Mania was started in 1986 by missionaries Ron and Katie Luce as a way to "initiate, facilitate, and sustain a massive movement of young people from around the world" (taken from Teen Mania's mission statement.) This summer 40 different trips were taken to nearly as many countries. Trips range from one or two months to short two week trips to South America which are usually youth groups. Along with the missions, Teen Mania also sponsors a touring event known as Acquire the Fire during the fall and winter. ATF is a weekend long convention that talks about missions, radically giving your life to God, and becoming a leader in your school and church. Then event is geared not only to the youth but also the church's youth staff with conferences for leaders and youth pastors

Suzie credits an Acquire the Fire event to leading her to finally committing herself fully to God in 1995. After seeing the Christian rock group Petra's video for "Beyond Belief" where the video's main character leaves for a Teen Mania trip, the youth group president, who attends the First Church of the Nazarene in New Philadelphia, decided that she wanted to be a part. "I always felt like God was calling me to be a missionary," she said. Her first trip to Hong Kong was funded like the three that followed-- donations, part time jobs, fund-raisers, and family help. "Hong Kong was not much of a culture shock-- except being in the big city. The worst part was we ate McDonalds for every meal the whole time we were there. I can't stand McDonalds now."

If asked what her favorite trip to date has been, Suzie will quickly respond Botswana. "They were so open to the Gospel there." The trip was not the easiest though. "It was an outback trip. We spent the whole month in tents in the Kalahari Desert. It was winter there so the nights got down to 30 degrees and a sleeping bag just wasn't enough." The group encountered a puff adder snake once and was fed grubworms as a "special treat" by one tribe. "It was a physically challenging trip which appealled to me because I like challenges and to see what I can withstand."

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