As If We Were Dreaming: Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2025
Our Presbyterian Youth Triennium (PYT) Delegation has caught up on their sleep and is excited to share memories of their time together in Louisville for As If We Were Dreaming. They are grateful to you, the Presbytery of Los Ranchos, for your prayers and support for their once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The 2025 Triennium delegation consisted of fifteen Youth Participants (YP), three Youth Adult Participants (YA), and five Adult Advisors (AA) from four Los Ranchos faith communities – Church of Amazing Grace International (CAGI), Ministerio Tustin (MT), New Hope Presbyterian Church (NH), and St. Mark Presbyterian Church (StM). Members of the delegation share their reminiscences and thanks here.
Jimmy Jones, AA, New Hope
Being at the Triennium was such an awesome experience to see more than 3000 youth together. We participated in so many fun and enriching activities. I am so thankful for having a chance to go there and I thank the Presbytery of Los Ranchos for their financial support that made it happen. Based on the topic of the conference which was dreaming, I learned that we all share the same dream as Christians to get closer to God and all our dreams belong to God.
Valerie Mbeki, YP, Church of Amazing Grace International
Thank you so much for your generous financial support, which made it possible for me to attend the Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2025. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity—it was truly a life-changing spiritual experience.
During Triennium, I made amazing new friends from across the country, learned so much about my faith, and grew closer to God through worship, workshops, and community-building events. I even got to pet baby goats, which was a sweet and unexpected highlight! Every activity, from deep discussions to joyful games, helped me see the beauty of God’s love in new ways.
Your kindness and support made this journey possible, and I will carry the lessons, friendships, and memories with me for a lifetime. Thank you for investing in my spiritual growth and for believing in the power of youth ministry.
With gratitude,
Love,
Maya Melvin, YP, New Hope
Queremos dar las gracias también a nuestros líderes, Heyes que siempre estuvo muy pendiente de nosotros y en especial de los que hablamos español haciéndonos sentir cómodos y con confianza, Margery que fue muy cariñosa y cercana al igual que su hija Maya que fue muy especial con todos, Jimmy que siempre buscaba que estuviéramos unidos como familia, Susan que fue la encargada de que todo el proceso saliera bien y a Mrs Kim que con su apoyo nos animó mucho igual que los demás líderes. Todos fueron muy importantes en este viaje y se ganaron un lugar en nuestros corazones.
De nuevo, muchas gracias por permitirnos vivir esta aventura tan hermosa.
Soll Cameron y Sebastian Carpintero, YPs, Ministerio Tustin
I learnt that we should embrace change because change also can be a good thing.
Bay Kinuthia, YA, Church of Amazing Grace International
You have blessed me once again and boy am I grateful… this time you blessed me by sending me as an adult leader with our delegation to the 2025 Triennium in Louisville, KY! I have been to a few Trienniums before, but this year was extra special. First off, it was the first time Triennium was held in Louisville. It was the first time I was part of a delegation, where every person was a person of color. And, it was the first time we stayed in hotels, and not on a college campus. There were a lot of “firsts” for me, but what stood out the most was the palpable energy that we all felt each day as we joined 3,000 participants in worship and praising God together! Entering the convention center auditorium where we worshiped, was breath-taking… everything centered around our theme: “As If We Were Dreaming!” Then, hearing the roar of excited teens and adults cheering, singing, dancing, clapping, stomping (during energizers), and hearing the Word of God proclaimed was truly an amazing sight. I also loved watching our delegation bond — both with one another and with youth groups from around the US! From Day 1, our students traded pins and greeted other youth groups — this was a joy to behold! Not only did our young people meet Presbyterians from all walks of life; they got to see the larger, fuller body of Christ and experience what it means to be “Church” — the capital C Church— in a whole new and vibrant way! I am so very thankful to our Presbytery for sending us and for your immense support. I will always treasure my memories of Triennium… it was as if we were dreaming and God showed us what the kingdom of God here on earth is truly like.
Thank you and may our collective dreams bring us closer to God and one another,
Hayes Noble AA, St Mark
It was such a fun experience to connect with other Youth and Young Adults.
Hope Wambui, YA, Church of Amazing Grace International
I really appreciate the opportunity to work with the youth and enjoyed being able to be a part of their spiritual journey! The event was far beyond what I expected and the organizers went above and beyond to bring the vision to fruition!
Kimberly Artis, AA, New Hope.
To the Presbytery of Los Ranchos,
Purity Gichuru presented the opportunity for CAGI Youth to attend the Triennium at a children ministry leadership meeting to plan the events calendar for 2025. I later received an email from Susan Thornton with more details, and I got excited. I have attended other PCUSA events, and each has been grounding in many ways. I knew this would not be very different.
When I sat on it for a few weeks, I realized I did not have the mental or emotional bandwidth to engage in the rigors of preparing the youth. I communicated this to Purity, and she too sat on it, I believe prayerfully because God had good plans as always. She came back and encouraged me that we could pull it off! I told her that if she can get just a single youth to commit to go, I would accompany them. In a collaborative effort between the church leadership, Susan and the parents, three youth and three young adults had the opportunity to attend one the best conferences I have attended in years. It was an absolute honor to accompany them and provide the needed adult supervision and guidance. The generosity of the presbytery of Los Ranchos made this possible and we are eternally thankful.
Purity’s gentle confidence, Susan’s meticulous planning, the presbytery’s generosity, the companionship of four other adult advisors made it feel as if I was truly dreaming!
In Christ, Mary Kiriaku, AA, Church of Amazing Grace International
I cannot begin to express how truly grateful I am for the opportunity to have attended Triennium. While there, I met individuals from all over the world who not only helped me grow spiritually, but also gave me the opportunity to learn about their cultures and unique perspectives. These experiences cultivated and shaped my ways of thinking in ways I will carry with me all throughout my life.
One of my favorite parts about Triennium, was also being able to visit various different workshops. One in particular, that truly inspired me was based around environmental advocacy and spreading awareness among those who do not receive adequate water supply in cities where they live. This message deeply impacted me and reminded me that using my voice can be the true catalyst for change.
I am sincerely grateful for all that Los Ranchos has done including the financial support that allowed me to have this amazing opportunity. I would also like to thank you for helping to foster the importance of spiritual growth and giving me the chance to grow in my connection with God. It means more to me than words can express.
With deepest gratitude, Nyla Goodjoin, YP, New Hope
I learned that God can speak to us in different ways including Nightmares!
Hope Janet Ndungu, YP, Church of Amazing Grace International
With Love,
Ms. Margery Melvin, AA, New Hope
Something I learned is that we should always trust God and to get out of our shell and our comfort zone.
Neema Mumo, YP, Church of Amazing Grace International
We can hardly put words together to express how grateful we are as Church of Amazing Grace International (CAGI) for the support our youth, young adults and advisor received from Los Ranchos Presbytery to attend the PYT in Kentucky last month. We are thankful for the financial support, prayer, and facilitating all the documentation that was needed. The team came back with testimonies of how incredible the experience was and no doubt the Lord touched each and every one who went to Triennium. As a church we can sense a wave of revival among these young people. We would like to give a shout out to [the presbytery] for walking us though the process from the start to supporting the team at the event. Thank you for enriching the faith of young people in our community.
Purity Gichuru Director of Children and Youth Ministry, Church of Amazing Grace International
