See you next year!

Is it possible that TeenStreet 2007 is already coming to an end? This week we feel like we've been on an adventure with everybody, and we know God has done something here – He has taken us all somewhere together.

As you go back to your home situations remember that the fruit of who we are as we're Contagious is God's responsibility. You don't have to feel pressure or worry about going home because God will continue to speak to you and will continue to work in you as you touch the throne. Remember that contagiousness is about everything inside you flowing out. It's about being who you were created to be.

Keep allowing God to pour his water in you so that he can fill you up and that you can contagiously flow out to people around you. In the dark and light times let's not forget what we've learned.

Along with our team, we will be praying for you through the year. Feel free to e-mail us and tell us how you're doing and how we can pray for you! We will be so excited to see you back next year.

Josh & Debs

Attention: Contagious!

On Friday afternoon, the outreach for which we prepared during the past week took place today. About 3000 young people went into the streets of Oldenburg in small groups in order to meet the locals and tell them about the experiences they have made with God.

Some picked up litter, gave away flowers or sweets, others did little programmes and performed the Hip Hop dance they had practiced during the week. They also wrote bible verses on the pavements to make people aware of God and to encourage them.

For the Teens it was a great experience to tell the people about their great week at TeenStreet and their friendship with Jesus. It was good that many people responded in positive ways and we hope that many people from Oldenburg could be infected with our Joy!

Running against AIDS

After the founder of OM, George Verwer, led the TNT.Pray (TNT = Teens need Teens) yesterday morning, the TNT.Race took place in the afternoon. The TNT.race is a sponsor race where all teens were encouraged to take part to help other teenagers.

So many teens and volunteers came to run a small course for a good purpose. We wouldn't be at TeenStreet if there weren't any specials in the race. So the race course wasn't an ordinary one and the runners couldn't be recognized as runners right away. The whole thing looked more like a costume parade. The most creative and most beautiful costume received a prize. So at 3 pm you could see many colorfully dressed teenagers, some as pirates, doctors or wrapped up in aluminum foil.

To challenge the teens and to strengthen the teamspirit, the groups were stopped after a few meters and they had to accomplish a small task. They had to do ropeskipping or walk blind through a course with car tyres.

The great weather gave us the opportunity to use a lot of water for runners and spectators. So at the end nobody was dry and clean anymore. Everybody was happy to have collected around 8000 Euro that will help the OM's AIDS-Link-project.

With the AIDS-Link-project OM wants to point out that HIV/AIDS is the greatest health crisis of our time. Work areas of the project are to assist with prevention, to give those children a home in an orphanage or to help them get education. But the staff of AIDS-Link also wants to tell the people about Jesus, show them His love and give them a new hope for their lives.

More information: www.AIDSLink.om.org

KidsStreet

Whoever hasn't been to the Contagious morning event probably saw some 10-12-year-olds who were accomplishing some tasks for their scavenger hunt.

... hm, wait a minute, 10-12-year-olds?... Isn't TeenStreet supposed to be for teenagers age 13 and up? Yeah, that's true. But the approximately 100 kids at TeenStreet shouldn't miss out on anything! That's why there is ToddlerStreet for the unter 4-year-olds, KidsStreet for kids age 4-9 and also the "InBetweens", the kids age 10-12. They are all looked after by some of the TeenStreet volunteers.

The program of the "InBetweens" is very much oriented at the topics of the teens. So this week they also talked about the book Nehemia, learned a verse by heart each day and did a ten minute Shhh-time. The highlight of most InBetweens is when they watch parts of a movie while eating a snack.

The little ones also have a great time in the mornings and afternoons. Together with their parents they could hear stories about Jesus, do arts and crafts and sing.

In KidsStreet the person of Joseph is in the center this week. The kids play games, draw and sing. It's no big problem that the kids speak different languages. The stories are told in English first and at the same time translated into the kids' mother tongues. And when the kids play together, they talk through their hands and feet.

Nice to get on without words! =)

Numbers, please!

Have you ever asked yourself how long it takes to organize such a huge event like TeenStreet? Or how much food the kitchen needs to feed all the people? No? Here are the answers:

Altogether 3.779 people spend the main part of their time in the “Weser-Ems Halle” in Oldenburg. The hall is 13.000 m² big and Oldenburg lies 176 km south-west from Hamburg. 2.237 of the people are female, 1.532 are male. Of all registered persons 2.301 have not yet reached the age of 19. The youngest TeenStreet visitor is 33 days old.The oldest volunteer has already had her 76th birthday.

29.980.800 seconds or 347 days of TeenStreet preparation have already passed. For an ideal audio-visual outcome there are spread around 8,5 km of cable in the mainhall. In the 7 days of TeenStreet people drink 600 liters of milk. That is about the same amount than 30 cows give in one day. In one evening approximately 200 kg of french fries are being sold. A full grown lion weighs 200 kg.

On Monday the kitchen prepared 300 kg of spaghetti (lay down 300 kg of spaghetti in a line, you have 27 km) with 700 liters of tomato sauce (one person should drink 700 liters of water per year!).The cleaning team has bought 4.812 rolls of toilet paper and 2.400 packages of paper towels. In addition there are around 650 trash bags on the grounds that have a capacity of 4.380.000! liters when they are fully filled. Astonishing numbers at an amazing TeenStreet. So we all learned some new things!

Welcome to the party!

Roly Miller has been playing the crowds in and out of the Throne Room every day this week, and as Josh says, 'everybody loves the DJ!' But why is that? "It is a cool job," he smiles. "It's an excuse to be able to come to TeenStreet and minister and see what God is doing! But us guys up the front are seen as cool just because our job is up the front – without the service team or admin people we wouldn't have the event, so I'm no more important than anyone else."

Being in the Contagious sessions, Roly has had the chance to hear about Nehemiah, and there are two things that he wants to take away. "I've really been struck by the theme," he says. "In the middle of everything that was going on, Nehemiah keeps coming back to God, in the good times and the bad times when he's under attack. It's that idea that really struck me; that no matter what's going on there's that constant in his life."

"The other thing is that Nehemiah initiates a party! They came, they saw, they did what they were supposed to do, and then they had a party. People ask me about DJing and whether it's right for a Christian to be a DJ, but when it's God-centred it's good to party. We need to show the world how to party as Christians!"

God's man for the job

Luke Sweetman, from Ireland, may be the new guy on the TeenStreet programme team but the 21-year-old is no stranger to the event. His first TS was in 1999 and he's been back every year since 2003 as a volunteer.

He's excited to see how God is working through the event, as he says, "I don't think God would pass up an opportunity to catch so many young people's hearts. It's amazing to be worshipping and fellowshipping with so many people."

As he helps Josh and Debs in the Contagious sessions, there are moments when Luke gets nervous, but he takes comfort remembering that God has told him: "You're not the best man for the job but you're my man for the job."

"There's freedom in obedience if you're doing what God's telling you to do," Luke says. "You don't have to feel like you're the best person for the job. If He can talk through a donkey He can talk through me."

Make a Difference

Imagine the main hall full of people during Throne Room. Now imagine that all those people are killed by something. Imagine it happening again - that's 8,000 people dead. Does that upset you? Now imagine that happening day after day after day... But this is not just something imaginary - every day 8,000 people die of AIDS around the world. HIV/AIDS is the biggest humanitarian crisis ever. It has devastated South Africa and now is on the increase in Europe. This is why the money from this year's TNT Race is going towards AIDSLink ministries around the world.

Mary works with AIDSLink - A ministry to those affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS. She says, "Every 15 seconds someone aged 15-24 becomes HIV+ - that's 6,000 every day. You will be affected by the choices you make and by the choices other people make. But you can choose to make a difference."

"The money you raise today will go towards education projects, making people aware of HIV/AIDS. It will also be used in aid projects, or could help pay to keep an AIDS orphan in school."

Another way to support AIDSLink's work is by praying - visit the Website www.aidslinkinternational.org to sign up for the newsletter and find out more about its work around the world.

Daily Report Monday

Well, the second day is already over. The sandman is approaching the exhibition halls as the teenagers are reflecting their day. The day started with a pretty difficult task: first of all, the small and tired eyes had to be opened and the warm and cozy sleeping bag had to be abandoned. That was a big challenge for some of the staff and teens.

In the morning event it was Josh and Debs Walker's turn again. Very clearly they explained that God wants to give us his love and that we can pass it on to other people. When we shine God's love, we can infect others like a glass overflowing with water. And this overflow can fill other glasses. After the action in the mainhall, all that you could hear was the sound of doors opening and closing. It seemed like TeenStreet was empty. But that wasn't true. It was SHHH-Time. That means that it is quiet on the whole grounds for half an hour. This way everybody can rest and be quiet. Some read during this time, others go for a walk, enjoying the silence.

In the afternoon the teenagers had time off. They could go into town or stay on the grounds and join a workshop or activity. You could learn about African cooking, how to mix cocktails, try first steps of breakdance, discuss up-to-date topics with other young people or take part in sports tournaments. The art zone was open. There the staff encourage the teens to think about different topics and to express their feelings on paper in a creative way.

On Friday there will be an exhibition of some of these works of art in the youth library in Oldenburg. All the art lovers and people interested in TeenStreet are welcome!

"The Bible talks about many ways how to worship God and one of them is singing."  This is how Marcel Zimmer introduced the worship time in the evening. The team started off right away, first in German, then in French, Dutch and finally in English. When the worship part finished after 90 minutes, the teens could listen to the live pop, soul and R'n'B mix of the Van Dooren Sisters on stage while enjoying a delicious cocktail or some french fries. Some teens wanted to do some music and go on with the worship time, so they spontaneously formed a group and sat on the floor in the foyer with a djembé drum, a guitar, some breakdance "newcomers" and many other worshippers.

So this day is drawing to a close. Whoever isn't tired has done something wrong or has drunk too much coffee :-) .

Cocktails @ TeenStreet 2007

TeenStreet is big, TeenStreet is spectacular, TeenStreet is exhausting... If you're looking for a place where you can relax in quiet atmosphere and have good conversations after a great programme and lots of action, come to the cocktail bar!

For the first time this year the cocktail bar is part of the chillout lounge, an area in the interaction zone. At the bar you can get fruity non-alcoholic drinks in different colours and flavours. And besides this, it's all about having time for fun and personal conversations with friends and reflecting experiences. Everything without stress. Jesus also took time for personal fellowship and for cultivating relationships. And for sure he also drank something yummy :-)

If you have already tried all the drinks during the first evening, you can still taste a different flavour every day: the "Special of the Day". Or you can be a cocktail mixer yourself during the workshop in the afternoon.

Which drink is you favourite?

• Swimming Pool
• Virgin Sunrise
• Banana Dream
• Caipirin Fresh
• Sweet/Sour Shot

Or one of the Specials?

Write down your opinion. The cocktail bar team is happy about your feedback!

Making Music

Fifteen years ago Marcel and Lydia Zimmer led worship at the first TeenStreet Germany. Today, they are still happy to give up part of their vacation time to come, together with the rest of the World News Band. "We are very excited to join and teach teens how to worship," Lydia explains. For many teens the Throne Room worship sessions are the highlight of their week. "Some teens come from traditional churches where they only have an organ and not many worship songs and they get so hungry for more. That's how the throne room started - because teens asked for more," Marcel says.

During Throne Room there is no break for announcements or offerings. "In church you have other things that need to be done," he says. "It's great to lead worship in a setting with no limitation of time. You can just dive into the river with God." At the heart of the World News Band is the desire to meet and experience God at TeenStreet. In fact, it's this encounter with the Lord that keeps the band coming back year after year. "God is enthroned on the praises of his people," Marcel says. "Don't be afraid of letting yourself go. This is a safe place. We want to focus on God."

The World News Band only exists like this at TeenStreet. Besides the members of the band (all professional musicians) have their own projects in the Netherlands such as "life@opweking".

CD's can either be purchased at the TeenStreet book shop or at www.opwekking.nl

Rebel for Jesus

Eddie Fernandes got his first motorbike at 13 – over 30 years ago. Since then he's owed lots of bikes and ridden all over the world. But Eddie doesn't just ride for fun – he's a man on a mission.

"Bikers are the largest unreached urban tribe in the world and if we’re talking about becoming contagious and infecting the world with Jesus, this is right where people gather," he explains. "There are millions of bikers who are completely unreached – they’ve never heard about Jesus."

Eddie and other members of the Christian Motorcyclists Association – the largest bike club in the world with 119,600 members in 22 countries – can be found in the Interaction Zone. But they're not at TeenStreet to persuade more people to buy motorbikes. "How many times have I fallen off? More times than I can count. How many bones have I broken? More than I can count!" he says. "I would never encourage anyone to become a biker, but if someone has that passion then I would say 'great, stay safe!' "

"Sometimes people believe they have to give up something when they become Christians, give up their passions. We're here to tell them that's not so – God can use your passions. Normally you think about bikes, babes and booze – the rebel biker. We want to say yeah, you can be a rebel, but be a rebel for Jesus."

Website: www.cmainternational.org

TeenStreet Ahoy!

"To get to know other cultures." That's what Kathrin Vetter expected when she went on board of the Logos II in September 2004 after her final exams at school. For two years she was on this OM missions ship with 200 other volunteers from 45 different countries. Every 2 or 3 weeks the Logos II visited different ports in the Carribbean, Middle- and South-American.

During this time the ship was open for visitors who looked around the huge international bookstore. In the meantime some crew members went ashore to support the church work there, to visit social institutions like schools and hospitals and to get in touch with local people. Their main concern is to tell people about God and show them his love.

The reactions of the people are mainly positive. "It's not like talking about God with Germans. The people there are differently shaped through their culture. They are on a search for truth and they are happy and interested in a conversation."

Kathrin Vetter's eyes start to glow when she talks about her time on the Logos II. She has experienced that God is at work all the time.

At the moment there are approximately 60 crew members here at TeenStreet at the Logos II stand to help out and to talk about their experiences. After TeenStreet they will continue their work on the Logos II (currently in dry dock).

Well, Logos II, ahoi!

For further information check: www.omships.org

Experiencing God!

TeenStreet's first day already comes to an end with many impressions and experiences. The teens were enthusiastic! They had lots of fun, enjoyed the fellowship with others and especially with God. During the praise and worship time in the evening this could be clearly seen!

The teens are hungry to meet God personally and they soak up every moment with Him! For the staff the day was more stressful. For security reasons the second lunch room had to be transformed into a girls' dorm. Now there is only one dining hall with approximately 1800 seats for 3700 people. The kitchen team does a great job and gives out food for staff already one hour before the regular meals. The sports team also had some exciting challenges: in one of the volleyball fields they found glass, so that the whole field had to be searched for glass and other material that can hurt people. In addition to that we had to organize 4000 liters of water for the safety of the climbing tower!

Despite all this God is in control and no problem is too small for him. The staff is able to experience these encouragements again and again!

Skating for God

Nick Brignola started breakdancing when he was 11, skateboarding when he was 14, and took up skating 2 years ago. The talented 19-year-old can draw crowds wherever he goes, but rather than showing off and taking all the praise for himself, he wants to use his talents to praise God and create opportunities to tell other people about Him.

"I want to reach the skaters – to tell them that Christians skate too," he said. "The world sells skating and hip hop as a package. If you want to skate you have to wear these clothes, sleep with these women and do these drugs, but if God gave you the ability to skate, use your ability for God."

Nick has been to TeenStreet several times, but while he enjoys meeting up with old friends here, it's the chance to worship with thousands of other teens that keeps him coming back every year. "In Belgium when we have youth gatherings there are maybe 500 people," he explains. “Then you come to TS and you see 4,000 people worshipping everyday and that's what keeps you coming back."