I was recently given the opportunity to chaperone two of our youth (my daughter, Natalie Ramos and Allison Stewart from St. John’s), to the National Youth Leadership Summit at Lutheridge in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina.  What an extraordinary experience this was!  From the guest speakers, to all the wonderful people we met.  I laughed, cried and was deeply moved by the youth of America.  The stories these kids were brave enough share, from feeling like an outcast to their personal experiences with racism, was truly powerful.  I was reminded that the children really are our future and I have all the faith they will make this world much better than it is today.  When I asked to go, so Allison would feel more comfortable going, I thought I would simply walk around with them as they were given information about what the ELCA does and what they can do to be more involved.  Little did I know, the weekend would be much more inspirational, rather than informational.  I am thankful to my Immanuel family for giving Natalie and I this opportunity.  I encourage you to continue to sponsor these events in the future as the value of having our youth attend similar events will always outweigh the cost of sending them.