This past weekend I asked the Jr. High Students if they had any storm stories they would like to share...I let them write their stories down and they gave them to me at the end of our time together. I was shocked at how many turned in stories...almost 40...Needless to say, I think this was an awesome series, that was totally relevant to them (hello...all of us) So I wanted to share some of them with you...

*My mom on Halloween had to go to the hospital because she had a really bad
reaction to the medicine she was taking. I was on the steps crying but
then i calmed down and prayed to God and asked him to help my mom and that
she wouldn't die. God heard my prayer and saved my mom.

*I just feel empty inside for some reason, I am slipping away from God and
not doing as good in school like i used to. It seems like I get closer to
God and then go away from him...That's my storm story.

*My dad had back cancer and I was really afraid. I thought he was going
to die but then I prayed a lot for him with my family and the cancer went
away. I was really happy.

*I am just coming out of a storm...I got all C's on my report card, my
parents got angry and grounded me!

*I'm in the middle of a storm. It's almost the end of the school year
and i need to raise my two D's up so I can act and go into the 8th grade.
And my friends are mad at me and I want them to apologize so we can be
friends again.

*When my boyfriend dumped me, I seriously didn't know what too do. We
had been together for a year and i was full on head over heels for him. My
heart shattered into a million pieces. But God was there. He was my
comforter and gave me the strength. He healed my heart.

*There is a family that is really close to mine and the father on the family
died. I was so sad and was crying all the time. At the funeral i could not stop crying...I still always feel like i could cry even though it has almost been two years. His wife has been living with us for a while. Now I know he is in a better place.

*A few years ago my brother went to the emergency room. He had a
condition where he had a line in his chest where he got hooked up to
medicine. He was in the hospital for a few months and my mom stayed with
him while he was there. So at home it was me my dad and grandma. It
was very hard. But when he came home everything slowly started to get
back to normal.

*One of my best friends last year was killed in a dirt bike accident. I
try to forget about it but it wont leave me. I visit his family every
couple of weeks. I don't know why God took him away for the world.

*When I was little my dad died. I cried for a long time but then my mom
said that the Lord does everything for a reason. After that I started to
feel better. I still cry about it every once in a while, but i know God
will comfort me.

*My biggest storm, has been my parents divorce. Everything seemed
really nice until I was around seven years old. My parents were never nice
to each other any more, they were always arguing so they moved away from each
other for a half-year then got back together for my sake, but it didn't work out
and they got divorced on my 9th birthday. then my dad found my step mom we
hated each other for a year then things got better, but I still feel weird
around her. My mom goes for the biggest losers on earth, the first
one was a psychopath and the one she is with now has a drinking problem.

*My friend...parents might be getting a divorce soon, I pray for her when she
feels bad.

*At the beginning of the year I was grounded for 4 weeks for something I
didn't do. Also, my grandma is getting sick.

*I'm in a storm right now. My grades aren't good because I don't like
doing homework. I know I need to do it but i can't seem to find the
passion or will to do it.

These are some of their stories...we have learned over the past three weeks that God is with us in the middle of the storms...he has promissed to never leave us. If you are in the midle of a storm, run to God not away from him...He is closer than you think!