Movie Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still

In this sci-fi thriller mysterious alien spheres start showing up around the world landing in various locations. One very large orb lands in Central Park in New York City. As the military and other key leaders show up to discover what this strange object is it opens and 2 life forms appear from the light. One turns out to be a highly volatile alien that they name GORT. He can disable any technology and destroy anything in its path. The other alien lifeform turns out to be Keanu Reeves. After some long and drawn out interrogations and boring conversations we realize that Keanu's character is trying to warn mankind that their time on earth has come to an end. Apparently these aliens view Earth as a sort of hot commodity in the universe and in an attempt to preserve it they will destroy humans. It was at this point that the movie moved from sci-fi thriller to a preachy, "go green" advertisement.

Despite some cool scenes of visual effects the overall film seemed very unoriginal. And not just because it was a remake. The dialogue, the scenes and even the way it was filmed reminded me of previous movies. There were times that I was reminded of Independence Day, The Happening, The Matrix and Cloverfield. The whole thing just felt like leftovers from these previous movies. The really funny thing is to compare the movie poster's picture of Keanu Reeves with the actual face of Keanu in the movie. There was definitely some work done in Photoshop for those posters because he has definitely aged.

To sum up I would rename this movie, The Day the Plot Stood Still.

Uturn Jr. High Adult Volunteers

Meet the Youth Pastors and Adult Volunteers of Uturn Jr. High that regularly give up their time, energy and lives to serve the Jr. High students of Eastside. Feel free to contact them too.

Name: Sean Nault
Nickname: Naulty
Role @ Uturn: Jr. High Pastor since Jan. '08
Birthday: February 22, 1985
Top Bands: Switchfoot, Coldplay, David Crowder, David Cook, The Fray
Favorite Fast Food: In & Out
1 Goal for your life: Attend the Oscars
Favorite Bible Verse: John 15:16-17
Email: seann@eastsidechurch.org
Twitter: www.twitter.com/seannault

Name: April Nault
Nickname: Mrs. Naulty

Role @ Uturn: Jr. High Pastor since Jan. '08
Birthday: April 22, 1986
Top Bands: Goo Goo Dolls, Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, Linkin Park Top TV Shows: American Idol, CSI: Las Vegas, House Hunters
1 Goal for your life: Sing the National Anthem at a sporting event
Favorite Bible Verse: Proverbs 16:9
Email: apriln@eastsidechurch.org

Name: Jason Langsev
Role @ Uturn: Adult Volunteer since April '09
Birthday: January 8, 1990
Favorite Holiday: National Lumberjack Day
Top TV Shows: The Office, Arrested Development, Seinfeld, Lost
Mac or PC: MAC!!!
Starbucks or Jamba Juice: Starbucks in the morning, Jamba on pretty days
Favorite Bible Verse: 1 Cor. 9:26-27
Email: radiswhereitsat@hotmail.com

Name: Jessica German
Role @ Uturn: Adult Volunteer since July '08
Birthday: July 29, 1988
Top Bands: City & Colour, Tool, Sublime, Jack Johnson
Favorite Gaming Console: Super Nintendo
Starbucks or Jamba Juice: Coffee Always
1 Goal for your life: to finish school
Favorite Bible Verse: Romans 8:38-39 and 1 Corinthians 10:13
Email: jessy_g01@hotmail.com

Name: Josh Potts
Nickname: Potts and Pottsy
Role @ Uturn: Adult Volunteer since July '08
Birthday: June 4, 1987
Favorite Holiday: 4th of July
Favorite Fast Food: Quiznos
1 Goal for your life: have a Youtube video of myself get 1,000,000 hits
Favorite Bible Verse: 2 Kings 2:23-24
Email: joshpotts@comcast.net



Name: Lindsay Horne
Nickname: Eyebrows
Role @ Uturn: Adult Volunteer since Sept '07
Birthday: May 21, 1989
Top Movies: Bourne Series, Madagascar
Favorite Gaming Console: Wii
Favorite Fast Food: Taco Bell
Favorite Bible Verse: Colossians 3:23
Email: lindsay.horne07@northwestu.edu

The Needs of Uturn

Wondering how you can give back to Uturn?
There are a variety of ways to help out the youth ministry of Eastside Church. There are items that we would hope to add to our Student Center, just remember that if they're used they still need to be in good condition. Or if you'd rather donate your time there are many ways that you can help Uturn.

If you would like to fill one of the listed needs please contact Sean Nault @ 425.488.2500 ext.336 or seann@eastsidechurch.org

Material Needs:

• Snack Vending Machine
• Beverage Vending Machine
• Pinball Machine
• Change Machine - converts dollar bills into quarters
• Videogames (consoles, games, controllers)
• Projectors or TVs
• Boardgames
• Sporting equipment
• Couches
• Ping Pong balls and Paddles
• Decor - posters and cardboard standees
• Home Depot or Lowe's Gift cards for small project materials

Volunteer Needs:

• Video editing (events and funny videos)
• Graphic artist (web, logos, fliers)
• Lighting in the Student Center
• Sound and A/V
• Podcasting (video or audio)
• Weekly volunteering at services
• Event Drivers/Chaperones
• Data entry
• Craftsmen
• Small Group Leaders
• Summer Camp Cabin Leaders

If there is something not on the above lists that you would like to contribute, feel free to let us know.

Movie Review: Twilight

Talk about your interesting love story. Going into this movie there was so much hype and publicity that it was built up to be the best movie of all time. In fact there was so much talk about this movie that there was no way it could live up to all the attention.

Twilight is a story about a teenage girl, Bella, who moves from Arizona to the rainy Pacific Northwest. As she’s settling into her high school in Forks, WA she meets a very pale companion, Edward. It’s comical how pasty white Edward and his “family” are. They look like they would glow in the dark. As their friendship continues to blossom she discovers that Edward is in fact a vampire and so are his family members. Throughout the remainder of the movie Bella becomes the prey for other vampires, but Edward steps into the role of protector. To be honest not much really happens. You could tell they were just setting it up for the sequel.

Overall the film was kind of a letdown. The storyline barely progressed beyond the discovery of the vampire family and Bella’s continual crush on the blood sucker. Robert Pattinson spends a lot of his time overacting his role as Edward. It seemed like he was trying too hard to be serious and broody instead it looked like he was confused or even constipated. I do give credit to the film makers for their depiction of the Pacific Northwest. The cinematography accurately portrays the rainy, gray feel of Washington that often zaps us of our jovial moods.

It is interesting to think that girls were flocking to the theaters, renting the DVD’s and reading the books due to their infatuation with Edward the vampire. Why would teenage girls fall for a guy badly in need of a tan and who wants to suck your blood. It reminds me of when the prequel Star Wars movies released and girls fell in love with the handsome Anakin, and they were blind to the fact that he portrays the evil Darth Vader. I’m not trying to read too much into it, but I think it’s funny that girls are interested in a guy because of his pretty face rather than what he represents.

In conclusion, I’m just glad I didn’t spend 10 bucks at the theater to see this movie; Twilight wouldn’t even be worth the matinee price. It was worthy of a DVD rental, but even then I probably could have waited.

Don’t buy into the hype, Twilight will suck your high expectations right out of your veins, and leave you disappointed.

Mexico Mission Trip - Day 7

Thursday was our last and final full day down here in Mexico.  It was so great to end the trip with a bang.  We spent the morning and afternoon working so hard.  The whole team split up into groups and did amazing work around the campus.  Some did landscaping around the church and created a new parking area for the church.  Part of the team finished creating the new soccer field for the youth group which included new goals and chalk lines.  We also were able to convert an old fountain into a new fire pit.  All of which we used later that evening.  In the evening Hope Chapel Rosarito had their youth night, Remedy, and we got to participate.  We dedicated and played soccer on the new field and had dinner together as we watched a picture slide show of the week.  After dinner HCR prayed for us as a team that we would go back into our communities and continue to share the love of Jesus.

Below are a few pics from Remedy tonight...

After youth group we concluded the week with an extended team debrief time in which everyone shared their thoughts about the week and described how they hope to bring an aspect of their trip home with them.  It was an emotional time for many as we shared our experiences and encouraged each other.  Following our debrief we enjoyed the new fire pit with the Godwins and Bainbridges.  The day was a great way to end this trip; it was filled with hard work, open sharing, times of serving each other and having fun with each other.

Thanks to everyone who supported us and made this trip possible.  We couldn't have done it without your prayers.  

Muchos Gracias from the Uturn Jr. High Mexico Mission Team.

Mexico Mission Trip - Day 6

Wednesday was a full day of work and labor for the team.  It was filled with hours of projects around the gated community and the church.  We finished the final touches on the concrete foundation for the food storage unit.  And we were able to sign our names in the concrete.  We felt like celebrities at the Chinese Theater in LA.  :)

We also had some of our team do some heavy duty landscaping.  They spent hours pulling weeds, removing shrubs and plants.  The progress over the course of a few hours was amazing.  We also had some of the team go pick up garbage for a few hours.  Over the course of the afternoon they gathered an entire truck load of garbage and rubbish.  It was incredible to see the difference we made over the course of an afternoon.  Our team poured out their blood, sweat and tears into this campus and the impact is amazing.

Doug and Casey spreading out the concrete mixture to form the foundation

Some of the ladies out picking up trash around the property

The joy and excitement of finishing the concrete foundation and getting to sign our names

At the conclusion of the day we gathered our team together with the families of the missionaries.  We were able to really hear their stories and testimonies of what it was like to pack up your entire family and leave your lives for this church down in Mexico.  Both the Godwins and the Bainbridges were able to share their hearts and experiences.  It was a great night for the students to learn from them and also get prepared for leaving the mission field and entering their own local mission field, Washington.  It was exciting to see the light bulb come on for the students that they can have the same impact back home as they could here.

As the trip is coming to a conclusion please continue to pray for us to have health, safety, and strength to finish the trip well.

Mexico Mission Trip - Day 5

Tuesday was an awesome and jam packed day of doing stuff for God.  We kicked off the morning with an incredible time of group devotions in which every student felt God challenging them to make the most of the remaining trip.  The exciting part is that they seized the moment and put the discussion into action in a short period of time.

Before and after lunch our team split up and worked on two projects around the gated community, Rancho Santini.  One half of the group worked on creating a concrete foundation near the church that would eventually be built into a storage shed for food and clothing.  Hope Chapel Rosarito will use the shed to store such materials for those in need in the surrounding neighborhoods. 

Part of our team receiving instruction for the concrete foundation project

While part of the team was moving dirt and laying a solid concrete foundation, the other part of our team was out on the beach picking up trash.  Directly alongside the community of houses that we're staying in there is a beach that was covered in trash.  Everything from automotive parts, glass bottles, used tires and other miscellaneous garbage.  We ended up picking up two full truck loads of garbage that left the local dumpster overflowing with bags.  The difference was so dramatic and noticeable that local residents have been thanking our team for their hard efforts.

Part of our team celebrating their hard work picking up a ton of garbage off the beach

Once we were done with the day's projects we got cleaned up and headed out for street tacos.  Again they were the best tacos ever.  So tasty.  After dinner we drove to a local Spanish speaking church that we were given an opportunity to serve at.  

Our team in front of the local Spanish-speaking church that we served at on Tuesday night

During the service we had our team perform the pantomime, the puppet show and the interactive story about Moses.  What was really exciting was that all three elements came together to form a cohesive message that Sean was able to preach about.  He delivered a message about the greatest commandments, which are to love God and to love people.  Even from the beginning of the service during worship the students could sense the power of God and that we were a part of something special.  As the evening continued Alex, McKenna, Carrick and Emily were able to share their testimonies of God's power and love in their lives.  Then the night concluded with a powerful response.  Two young ladies made a decision to follow God and accept Jesus into their hearts, and almost the entire room responded for prayer and support in being able to actively show God's love to people.  Our students did such an amazing job ministering to the people of this church, and despite the language barrier you saw that the power of God was at work in the lives of people.  As the night finished the senior pastor had us pray for their youth group because they had recently gone through some tough divisive events. The told us that our team was such an awesome encouragement and sign of hope.  

Our students ministering to the locals during the Tuesday night service

Duane and Sarah Cawthon praying for a local man during our service's ministry time

Our leadership team was tremendously proud of our students for getting out of their comfort zone and being willing to serve the Lord in any way necessary.  They came home Tuesday night totally excited and charged up to serve God in any capacity.  This was super encouraging to see that our students were no longer just spectators, but because of the events this week many of them are now experiencing what its like to be used by God in real practical ways.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and we are so grateful for your support.

Mexico Mission Trip - Day 4

Monday was considered our Funday for the trip.  We took the day to rest, recharge and get ready for the upcoming days of projects and hard labor.  If God rested in the creation of the universe, then a group of Jr. Highers definitely need a day of relaxation so that they can refocus for the days ahead.

After breakfast we headed out to the local Rosarito market where students could pick up souvenirs to take home with them.  Everyone seemed to enjoy walking around, looking at the little odds and ends and some even liked haggling for a good deal.  :)

Here's some of the team inside a local shop at the market

Once we were done shopping we went back to the church for lunch and headed out for the beach.  We spent the afternoon at a local beach playing in the ocean, walking in the sand, playing soccer and just enjoying the sunshine.  We roasted hot dogs right there on the beach and concluded the evening with a time of making smores.  Once the sun went down we went back to our rental homes and hit the hay early so that everyone would be well rested for the remainder of the week.

The group at the beach at sunset.  Very Beautiful!!!

Keep an eye out for more updates on our trip and please continue to keep us in your prayers. We've been able to avoid any major injuries or illness, but its only by God's covering.  Thanks again for your support and prayers.

Mexico Mission Trip - Day 3

Sunday morning we woke up had breakfast and headed out to our rental home's patio for morning devotions, as we journaled and meditated on the Great Commission students discussed how they felt called and motivated to be more active in their faith.  That the power of God goes beyond any fear that we may have.

What a view for doing your morning quiet time in the Word

After devotions we got to go to Hope Chapel Rosarito's Sunday service.  The place was full of people for Palm Sunday and it was awesome to be a part of.  The students performed their pantomime and the other half of the team performed their puppet show and interactive story for the little kids.  It was a good experience for students to see different ways of doing church and stretching them out of their comfort zones.  Praise the Lord we witnessed 2 people make decisions to follow Christ in the service.  Many of the students were amazed to see how God can work through people and we didn't even have a long sermon, instead Pastor Sandy shared a short message from her heart.  

After lunch we prepped giveaway baggies for our upcoming outreach.  We made an assembly line and the students filled the bags with tracts, candy, bubbles, and little toys.  We used the bags that we had decorated the previous day.  In total we filled about 100 bags in less than an hour.  Our students are quick and hard workers.

Students filling the giveaway bags for the outreach later that day.

After our bag prep some of us were able to go into the ocean near our house.  We really enjoyed swimming in those big waves.  It was so refreshing to enjoy God's creation like that.  Following our time in the ocean we headed out to a local community, Vista Marina, to do our planned outreach.

We pulled into the neighborhood and corralled as many little kids and families as possible.  At the outreach we had our team do their interactive story, the pantomime and the puppet show.  We concluded by offering an invitation to follow Christ.  It was great for the students to see these kids and their families enjoying all of the students' hard preparations.  There were continual smiles and laughter among the little kids. 

Vista Marina neighborhood where we did our outreach

To finish off the outreach we distributed the bags we had prepared ahead of time.  It was awesome to see the faces on the little kids light up as we gave them this little goodie bag.  It was great to see many of the team interacting with the kids, utilizing their little bit of Spanish vocabulary and showing the love of Jesus.

Goodie bag distribution at the Vista Marina outreach

Our Sunday finished off with a BBQ back at the Godwins' house.  We had burgers, beans and lots of fun.  Our students are doing such a great job of serving, including the locals within our group and showing the love of Jesus.  I continue to hear great things about how caring and respectful our students are.  

Just before we went to bed we celebrated the birthday of one of our teammates, Casey.  We got him a chocolate cake and spelled his name in Captain Crunch Berries.  

Celebrating Casey's 14th birthday with a chocolate cake in Mexico

The trip is going by so quickly, and I know it will be over before we know it.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers and thank you for your support.

Mexico Mission Trip - Day 2

Last night after blogging we went out to support a local futbol (soccer) team.  The pastors and missionaries of Hope Chapel Rosarito have been supporting this team by going to all of their games and cheering them on.  Some of the players actually started going to their church, asking questions and pursuing a life following Christ.  They've even been able to get the team new jerseys with the church's name printed on them.  So last night we got to attend one of the games and cheer them on.  The team loved having such a huge cheering section throughout the game and they destroyed the other team 13-3.  It was a blast watching some "rapid soccer," eating sunflower seeds, and rooting on the local team.

A group pic of us with the futbol team

Today was an awesome day full of various and life changing experiences.  After getting a great night's sleep that could have continued we awoke and got to eat a tasty breakfast under the beautiful sunshine.  We then had group devotions on the back patio in front of God's gorgeous oceanfront.  The discussion was inspiring and riveting.  We went back to the church and did some preparations for an upcoming local outreach.  We put our artistic skills to work as we decorated gift bags and wrote out John 14:6 in Spanish.  

By the time the afternoon came around we headed out to serve at a local church.  Instead of having lunch at the church we were able to eat hot dogs and chips at this church we were serving.  The church we worked with today had recently built up walls instead of meeting on the side of the street or in an old school bus.  The walls were given to them and were old garage doors that were setup for the church to meet.  During their service we performed our pantomime drama, had Duane, Emily and Clara deliver their testimonies through interpreters and listened as the pastor Marcus gave an invitation for salvation.  God did amazing work and we were able to pray for four individuals who decided to give their lives to Christ.  Praise God!!!

The drama team performing at the local church today

Following the service time we served lunch to the people in the church and surrounding community.  We BBQed some hot dogs and gave out bags of chips and fruit punch.  The students really did an awesome job serving this church, and I continue to hear rave reviews about them and their great hearts for God.  

Eating the greatest tacos ever, and drinking sodas out of glass bottles

We concluded the evening eating some of the best tacos in Rosarito.  Students had the choice of fish, pork or steak and they were amazing.  Our taste buds danced as we enjoyed this tasty dinner.  Plus we got to drink cold Cokes in glass bottles; always a special treat.  After dinner we went back to the church for some quality team building and relational time before hitting the hay.

We've only been hear a couple of days and God is doing so much work that this post can't contain it.  Pastors Don and Sandy Godwin keep telling us about how much God is doing in the lives of the church and the people we've been with.  Continue to keep us in your prayer this week.

Mexico Mission Trip - Day 1

We had our first full day at Hope Chapel Rosarito.  We awoke very early when the sun came up and we didn't have a clock to tell us what time it really was.  Thinking we had slept in, some of the students got out of bed and began getting ready.  Come to find out it was 5:30am and they were an 1.5 earlier than when they needed to get up.  We had a great breakfast, had a time of meet & greet with the missionaries here and had some time to practice our dramas and puppet shows.  

After lunch some were able to catch up on some sleep while other explored the local beach of Rosarito.  Friday evening was Hope Chapel Rosarito's youth service, "Remedy."  During which we played capture the flag and had dinner with about a dozen local students and the missionaries' kids.  During the service April got a chance to sing worship with their student band, we performed our pantomime drama and share a quick message and testimonies.  God was really working through our students to impact the lives of these local students.  McKenna and Casey shared testimonies that were so applicable you knew it was a divine moment that only God could orchestrate.  

We're on our way to catch a local futbol (soccer) game, which is going to be tons of fun.  I hear nothing but rave reviews from the pastors and missionaries about how helpful, polite, respectful and fun our students are. 

One day in and God is already doing amazing work.  Praise the Lord.  Keep us in your prayers. Below are some pics from the day.

Some of the group hanging out on the church's back patio overlooking the ocean.  Wow!!

Anticipating the "Remedy" youth service

Students playing the newly discovered game, "trashcan."  Tons of fun and lots of laughs

Playing a little Capture the Flag with some of the locals before service

We're on our Way

Months of planning, preparations, meetings, service projects, team building, and prayer all came together today as we started our first day of our Mexican adventure.  Thursday evening we met at SeaTac Airport, prayed for the team and flew our way to San Diego.  When we arrived we were greeted by some of the Hope Chapel Rosarito missionaries.  We drove across the border and made our way to our rental homes.  It was around 1:30 by the time we got settled in and the students were able to catch up on some much needed sleep.  

Tomorrow, Friday, is our first full day down in Mexico.  Keep us in your prayers and keep an eye out for more updates.

2009 Jr. High Mexico Mission Team

Please keep us in your prayers this week. God is going to do some amazing things through our team.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
· Safety in travel
· Health
· Openness to the Gospel
· Flexibility
· Team Unity
· Cultural Understanding
· God's Kingdom to be advanced

Keep an eye out for more updates throughout the trip.

Digging Deeper: A Devotional from Last Weekend

Matthew 22:37-37
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus replied with this answer when the disciples asked Him which law was most important. I would have expected something like come to church 3 times a week or read your Bible and pray every day. But Jesus gives a simple, straight forward answer; love me and love people. Everything else in our lives hinges off our obedience to these commands.

As easy as that sounds, most of us have come to understand that loving people isn’t all that easy. This last Sunday morning we talked about letting the people in our lives become obstacles in our “race”. This might take the form of anger, jealousy, insecurities, a temptation to gossip, or the desire for revenge. Whatever it might be in your life, you need to let God heal you. You need to forgive the person who hurt you. Finally you must honestly love them with your actions.

It blows my mind whenever I think about the sacrifice Jesus made simply because he loved us. We mess up and continually make poor choices, but he loves us just where we’re at. This love he has for you is the same exact love he has for the person, who ruined your reputation, lied to you, gossiped about you, or hurt you in any way.

Forgiveness is not easy, but it’s necessary. The longer we hold on to grudges or a need for revenge, the more bitter and depressed we become. Ask God to heal you from a stubborn heart and help you forgive the people in your life.

Remember God loves you just as much as He loves every other person.

CHALLENGE for the WEEK:
The church is such a great place to learn from each other and help out. This week I challenge you to make a list of 3-5 people who you don’t get along with or have a grudge towards and commit to praying for them. It can be short and simple, but let’s work on that. Also, something that has helped me when I start having mean thoughts or feelings of jealousy towards another person, I try my hardest to turn that thought into a prayer. Forgiveness is not easy and it takes God’s help.

DIALOGUE
I want to hear your thoughts/experiences and I know the other people have a lot to learn from what you share. Maybe share some of your past struggles with forgiveness and how you dealt with it.
- Why is forgiveness so hard? What keeps us from loving people?
- What does forgiveness look like?
- How to we show people we love them?
Feel free to share, ask questions, and just learn from each other.

Lindsey Horne is a Uturn Jr. High Adult Volunteer and is currently attending Northwest University in Kirkland, WA.