“This one week has defined my faith and truly deepened and strengthened my relationship with God. I arrived at CHIC unsure of what kind of experiences God had planned for me but now I have a glimpse into the lifestyle he wants me to lead. The CHIC experience has moved me in so many ways; i now want to praise and worship God in everything I do, from when I wake up ’til I lie in bed at night…
… I no longer feel ashamed to worship God and tell my friends that I love Jesus!
…There were many times during that week where I felt my closest to God and I have never experienced so much joy, so much fear, so much vulnerability and so much pride that I loved God all at once! It felt so reassuring that God chose to work in me and in the hearts and lives of 5,600 students around me, who were experiencing so many different things in their lives but had made the decision to come to CHIC even if they were unsure of what the decision was…
…My most enjoyable experience and fondest memory of CHIC is growing closer to my youth group. I feel secure knowing there are more people I can tell about issues in my life and they will help me…”
–Janie
Help make more stories like Janie’s possible by donating to the CHIC Legacy Fund through The Covenant Bookstore.
“At first, I wasn’t all that excited to go, but all of that changed on the first night at worship. All of the speakers were amazing, but Judy especially spoke to my heart. On tuesday night when we sat close to the stage on the floor was when God first started working on me. The message was about Jesus being no ordinary healer. As I went forward (with a friend) to kneel all the hurts and pain I;ve been through recently just be lifted! All I had to do was ask and God heard my prayers…
As the week of CHIC approached, I didn’t really get too excited. I viewed this week as if it was like any other church retreat—a chance to get away from home and chill out with some church friends. It wasn’t until the first night of main stage that I started to realize that this week wasn’t limited to just playing games and having fun with your friends; it was also about a chance to take a step further in our lives with Christ. Each night at main stage was organized a little differently. As music being a big part of my life both in worshiping, but also in my everyday life, I was able to see and experience that there are many different ways to worship God through music. Whether the type of music involves screaming at the top of your lungs, rapping, or simply mellow music, worship can be found through any form. The week of CHIC is an incredible experience that can’t be completely understood by listeners of these stories. CHIC gave me the opportunity to hang out with some close friends, meet some new friends, worship, and many more things.
“On Tuesday night when Judy was speaking about how she didn’t see her dad for 10 years, I was thinking, “Oh man, so maybe I’ll never meet my dad”. And right then and there I broke down. (My friend) was worrying about me but I refused to tell her what was going on—good friend—but then when we were singing, I was still crying and it felt so good. I’ve never experienced a cry that felt good! After I came to realize it was me feeling the Holy Spirit (working) all around me and remembering when I feel like no one cares, Jesus loves me! OOO what a wonderful thought—to know that he is, has, and will always be there for me, just makes me and helps me to think I can do anything. Even though I don’t know if or when I’ll ever meet my dad, it’s not gonna bother me as bad…
My time at CHIC was a lot of fun. I met so many new people who shared the same beliefs I do and many who shared other common interests, which was great because I made good friends. All of it was very exciting and interesting because of the speakers and the number of people who were there. I’ve never been a part of anything so amazing and huge. The effect it had on the large number of us was unimaginable and the entire experience is one that I can never forget.
“The journey to Tennessee produced a new sense of trust within myself. I asked God to help me control my restless feelings that have made me run off and get into trouble. I literally felt him moving with me every step of the trip. I know from this that he will always be right behind me when I need a push forward, a yank back, a quick foot massage, or help with a heavy pack.”
One of my favorite things we did at CHIC was on the third morning when we had a service to raise money for kids in Africa. I don’t remember how much we raised but it was quite a bit and over the course of a few days we packed meals for these kids as well. I felt like it was good experience to awaken kids my age to the world around us and give us a chance to make a difference.
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