Who can really say that on their sweet 16 birthday that they rode on a coach bus, with 250 other friends, to arrive in Houston to join 30,000 other friends for the biggest ELCA youth celebration this town has ever seen? Well, Mary Walls can.

It was quite a memorable day filled with riding a coach bus, watching movies, singing and feeling the temperature rise with every pit stop we made going south.

At 8pm, our group made it safely to our destination in Houston, the beautiful downtown Marriott Marquis. The hotel is filled with 100s of other SEMN youth who were also ready to hit the Texas shaped lazy river. A lot of pool time was enjoyed by our group.

The night ended with a group birthday party for Mary, which included a heartfelt birthday song and delicious cookie cake, made by Otto’s Bakery in Byron.

It was a sweet 16 birthday to remember for Mary. But, also a day of thanksgiving for our safe travels to Houston!