​​As it was for all of the ministries at Gateway this year, the 2019-2020 season of youth ministry at Blast (grades 6-8) and Axis (grades 9-12) was challenging and unpredictable. With that said, God did some amazing things amidst everything. Kicking off the year, both groups started out with a number of high energy events with the purpose of attracting students from our communities. Blast had its “Blast Royale” Nerf event and Axis with its “Carnival Kick-Off.” Both were well attended and set a great tone for the year. From there, the schedule held a number of retreats and events that ranged from in church hangouts to Caledonia wide games. During all this, God was also at work through message times, prayer groups, and small groups. Baptisms were planned to happen with a number of students who were excited to commit themselves publicly to following Jesus, that was until the new year when the pandemic hit. 

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            Like the schools, Blast and Axis too had to close its doors. However, the program was ported to an online format! The leaders served the students tirelessly each week during a provincial lockdown and God did great things during this time. During it, Students and Leaders were brought together in some meaningful ways. The conversations had and the discipleship seen was a clear example of God redeeming and using a hard situation. And so, although the year was not what was expected, it’s clear to see that God has been and is at work in the lives of our students through our Blast and Axis programs.