Hey all!  Hope everyone's summer is going well.  It hasn't really felt like summer here because it has been so rainy...but it is nice to be out of school. 

So every summer there is this thing called the God Rally.  It is a free Christian concert at the fairgrounds that lasts for 3 days.  There are local bands that perform and also 'big' name people like Avalon and Building 429.  People also speak at this event too.  This was the first year that I went and it was so amazing!  On Friday, Kayla, Morgan and some friends went and listened to Building 429 sing.  The night was very encouraging and it was such a blessing to listen to them and worship God with so many people.  At the end of the concert, Jason Roy, the lead singer, challenged us to not lose the passion we had at the concert when we leave.  He said, "You can't be a Jesus freak in here and then go out and not live your life for Him." He also shared the meaning behind the numbers 429 (Building 429).  It stands for Ephesians 4:29 which talks about letting nothing unwholesome come out of your mouth, but only that which glorifies God.  Some of the songs they sang were Glory Divine, End of Me, Space In Between, and Always.

The next day there was a lot of speakers during the day, so me and Morgan didn't go out until probably around 3.  When we got there, nothing was really going on so we sat in the bleachers and listened to Tammy Trent and Avalon do their soundcheck.  That was really fun because it was neat to see all that goes into a performance.  So that night, Tammy Trent sang and shared her testimony. She told us about how she met this guy when she was 15 at her church.  She really liked him and they dated a little later on.  Seven years later they got married.  Tammy described her husband as someone who loved God passionately and encouraged her in her relationship with Him.  After they had been married for 11 years they went on a mission trip to Jamaica.  Her husband loved to go diving so one day they went out and he wanted to go diving for about 15 minutes.  Tammy watched him swim out and go under.  She waited a long time and never saw him come back up.  She started searching at the edge of the water for him but couldn't find him.  Searchers came in and ended up finding his body.  Something had hit him on the back of the head and he didn't make it.  The next day was 9/11 and all flights were grounded so none of her family could get out to see her.  Alone and overwhelmed Tammy found a lifeline of hope connecting her to God's love and strength.  God gave her hope that although her sorrow would last for many many nights, joy would come in the morning.  She had hope in Him.  Tammy's story is so sad but encouraging because it shows how God is with us even in our darkest hours.  After Tammy sang, Avalon sang.  They were amazing.  They have such a beautiful sound and their love for God is so strong.  The opened up with Take You At Your Word, and throughout the concert they sang Still My God, I Don't Want to Go, Can't Live a Day, and ended with Testify to Love.  At the very end everyone sang I Love You Lord a cappella.....it was gorgeous to hear so many voices worshipping God.

Yesterday was the last day of the God Rally.  Big Daddy Weave sang last night to close the whole event.  Mike Weaver, the lead singer, is so funny and he has such a big heart for God.  They sang What Life Would Be Like, Every Time I Breathe, Fields of Grace, You Found Me, and lots of others.  After the concert, Morgan and I went and stood in line to get their autograph.  We got the autograph of everyone in the band.  They were all so nice, and they really are just normal people.

The past three days have been such a blessing.  It's kind of been like going to camp.  I'm so excited to tell the world about Christ and what He has done for me.  I just pray that I will keep the passion and excitement that I have right now when I go back to the 'real world.' 

So here are some pictures and maybe a video of Avalon if I can get it to load. 

Jason Roy, lead singer of Building 429

Building 429

Tammy Trent

Avalon

Avalon again

Mike Weaver of Big Daddy Weave

Big Daddy Weave

Morgan and me with Big Daddy Weave.

I couldn't get the video to load so I will try again later.  Love you all!

In Christ,

Paige Noel xoxoxo

So today I went driving.  Like for real, on the road.  Yeah, I know, scary. First, mom took me to the elementary school parking lot where I drove through the pick up/drop off circle a bunch of times.  Then we went out to the high school parking lot where I drove over speed bumps and around the lot.  It's a good thing that there weren't very many cars in the parking spaces because I had a hard time staying in the lane and not 'crashing' into (invisible) parked cars.  Then we went to a back road and I drove the whole road and it was kind of long!  I am sooo proud of myself.  I was scared and excited at the same time.  It was fun, but it kind of wore me out....can't imagine how mom feels.  I know I made her pretty nervous a couple times, but she was very calm and did very well.

School is almost over.  We are in the final stretch!  Yay!  The only bad thing is it's soooo busy.  This coming week I have a choir concert, a major test, I get inducted into NHS, and on top of that I have to work.  So the last couple weeks are going to be really hectic!

If you were wondering what NHS is, it stands for National Honor Society.  To get in you have to do 20 hours of community service, get two recommendation letters, and fill out a bunch of information about extracurricular activities and such.  Then, a bunch of teachers decide who gets in.  National Honor Society is about volunteering and helping out the community and I am very excited to be in it.

Well that is all for now.  Hope everyone has a great week!

In Christ,

Paige Noel  xoxoxo

On Monday, November 17, 2008, Emily passed away.  When she got her license, Emily signed up to be an Organ Donor, and doctors were able to save all of her organs.  Her organs will save eight people's lives, and her tissues will improve the lives of hundreds of people.

Please pray Emily's family (she has a younger sister, Hanna) and friends...this is obviously hard.  Also pray for our school....Emily's death has affected us a lot.

Emily was a junior and full of love and laughter.  She played on the soccer team and gave everything her all.  She will be missed.

(Em(ily)brace: "Embrace" with the initials ily which stands for "I love you") This is kind of the "motto."  Kids have been making T shirts with this, too.