Looking Back on the 2016 Season

Greetings from the TeenPact National Office,

The 2016 State Class season is now behind us and it was an exceptional year with programs in 41 states and students from over 44 states, as several families traveled from distant states to participate in our program. We had 2,760 students attend the Four Day classes and 1,839 students attend the One Day classes. I had the opportunity of visiting six states throughout the season and was blessed to see God work through the students, the staff, the parents, and so many other individuals.

In the middle of the season, I shared some testimonies from the first half of the season, highlighting how God allowed us to fulfill our vision of changing lives to change the world. Those testimonies continued to be shared throughout the season, touching hearts in small, insignificant ways, as well as in big, eternal ways. Whether small or large, this is a testimony to His faithfulness.

I have been focused on God’s faithfulness to TeenPact, not only during this 2016 season, but also for over 20 years prior. This year we drove over 100,000 miles in the TeenPact vans, and though not without incident, He protected the students and staff from any harm. We were able to secure meeting space in Capitol buildings, churches, and community centers across the country. We met state governors, legislators, judges, and other leaders, hearing their respective worldviews, asking them questions that challenged them to think, and showing respect when they didn’t agree with our positions.

As we send students and staff teams out on prayer walks around the Capitol, we challenge them to be the aroma of Christ, “among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” And He has been faithful to use us in many ways. Let me share some examples.

• 2016 is a budget year in Wyoming, and the week we were in the Capitol was the week the budget had to be completed. On Thursday, a group of students gathered in the gallery of the House of Representatives to pray. As the group finished, several legislators thanked them for praying, indicating that the stress of the week had brought many individuals to tears. They saw hope and concern in the hearts of the students.
• Last week I had the opportunity to take a student to meet his senator, a man who had faithfully served the state of New York for nearly 40 years. The day prior, Senator Farley had announced he was not going to seek re-election as he needed to be home with his aging wife. God provided us the opportunity to be the aroma of Christ in a very winsome manner. Before leaving we asked if we could pray for him during this transition, which blessed him tremendously.
• One Intern shared this story of how they saw God at work in Oklahoma. One student’s family visited on a family night with “their sweet, fiery little 5 year old.” When they got home that night, her mother sent a picture of this young girl, who had run to her room and pulled out her “Cinderella guitar.” She said she wanted to be like the “girl with the guitar leading worship” and started singing worship songs. “TeenPact, even for an evening, is not just making leaders out of teens, and impressing parents, but also inspiring five year olds to worship the Creator of the Universe.”

I am blessed to work for this ministry and to see God move in families, in legislators, in capitol staff, in maintenance workers who join us in worship, and in the hearts of everyone reading this post. Please continue to pray for TeenPact Leadership Schools and we will see many of you at National Convention next week!

Blessings,

Peter Martin, President