“It’s a joy to watch them having so much fun on the beach.”

This was a quote I overheard while building a sandcastle on Assateague Island. FLAVA youth took a trip to the Maryland coast to camp out for a couple days. I looked up to see who was in the ocean and what exactly they were doing. The man was right. Two of our students were in the water, launching themselves over the waves crashing on the shoreline. Their loud giggles brought smiles

to all the faces around us. These two students had never been to the beach before that afternoon. Everyone was able to partake in the joy they found in God’s creation!

We continue to feel blessed to be a part of moments like these. Bringing FLAVA students to the beach might seem like just a fun trip to some, but it is so much more than that. Students were able to experience a new part of creation, and catch another glimpse of our amazing God and His work. The people around us were able to get a glimpse of this as well. Memories were made, and we had a lot of fun, but seeing our NETwork students connect with God in a new way was definitely the highlight of the trip.

- Tasha