Thirty teenagers at Milo Adventist Academy in Days Creek volunteered to sleep on a wood floor and skip three meals during the student association (SA) Prayer Weekend. SA sponsors Dale and Darla Milam planned a variety of activities to help students connect to God and have empathy for suffering people around the world. Woven through all the activities was the theme of “Courage.” The Scripture focus was Daniel 1–3 and 6. Students examined how Daniel and his friends had the courage to stand up for what was right, no matter what the consequences. Like Daniel, Milo students want to have the courage to stand firm, even if it means standing alone.
Students created collages representing the theme, added people to maps of different parts of the world and prayed for them, and enjoyed group activities as well as quiet time. Freshman Noahnna Fullmer enjoyed “not being distracted by things and spending time with God."
Sophomore Sierra Kirk says, “We were allowed to have a break, so I went outside and rested and thought about how I should treat others.”
Focusing on God and others helped the teens not to think as much about themselves during the 26-hour fast. Junior Abby Rogers reports, “I didn't even feel hungry during the experience.”
Sophomore Abby Alcantara explains one of the art projects: “The hand and foot painting was based on Micah 6:8. It says ‘... to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ When we painted our hands, it represented that we had made the decision ‘to act justly.’ Our painted feet [were] ‘to walk humbly with God,’ and we painted a heart to represent ‘love mercy.’ With these actions, it takes a whole lot of courage and over the weekend, we learned how to just do that: be courageous.”
Students rotated through prayer stations where they focused on what Jesus did for us.
Yulemi Hernandez creates a collage on the theme of "Courage.”
Jordan Merrill posts on the prayer wall.
Abby Alcantara's hand-and-foot painting depicts Micah 6:8.
Dale and Darla Milam and 30 Milo Adventist Academy students gathered at Camp Umpqua for a special student association Prayer Weekend.
Milo Adventist Academy students spent more than 26 hours without food in order to focus on connecting with God.
Noah Howard enjoys some quiet time at Milo's student association Prayer Weekend.
