For over a decade, many Pacific Coast Presbytery youth have looked forward to the annual, end-of-year PacPres Youth Conference. It’s always a time of instructive lectures, delicious food, and fellowship with other Reformed Christians. When we learned that, like many other events in 2020, it had been canceled, the youth were incredibly disappointed. However, the organizers of the conference scheduled an online version so that we could have encouragement and fellowship.

At the starting time, PacPres Youth Coordinator Paul Hemphill gave a brief introduction, with attendees giving their names and their home congregations. There were people from all over the RPCNA, including California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Ontario, and even South Sudan! That is one of the wonderful things of having events online: people who would not normally be able to join because of distance can easily join on their devices.

Following introductions, Keith Mann, the director of RP Missions, gave a brief overview of that agency. He told of several opportunities for young people to travel while gaining a heart for missions. There are mission trips all around the world, including to Cyprus, India, and Japan.

This year’s speaker was David Hanson, pastor of Southside (Indianapolis, Ind.) RPC. He spoke on “Avoiding Complaining in Difficult Times,” using Numbers 11 as his text. He opened by asking two simple questions: What do people complain about? What do you complain about?

The answer, he said, boils down to not getting your way.

Later, he expanded that idea and said that there are four main things people complained about in the context of Numbers 11: food, responsibility, leadership (or rules), and prices. Oftentimes when we complain, we cut God out of the picture and twist reality. For example, when the Israelites complained in Numbers 11, they complained that the food in Egypt was much better. They forgot that, if God had not provided manna, they would have died of starvation. They also forgot that they were slaves in Egypt and God had rescued them.

Not only does complaining leave out God and twist reality, but it is also incredibly contagious. Soon after the people began grumbling, Moses joined in. He blamed God for all the troubles that were happening, something that oftentimes we complainers do.

When we complain, we are often saying through our grumbling that God has no power; He can’t change these circumstances. That isn’t true, though. God reminded Moses and Israel of that with a miracle. God filled the elders of Israel with the Holy Spirit, and they began preaching in powerful ways in which they never had prophesied before or would again.

God then further showed His power to the Israelites by giving them meat, enough meat to last them a month. But how did the Israelites respond? They greedily gathered the quail and ate it in three days. Because of their greed, complaining, and dissatisfaction, God sent a plague and allowed many to die. Pastor Hanson urged us to remember that God has the power to satisfy our cravings, but He wants us to grow so that we might glorify Him better. So whatever our circumstances, trust in God and His promises!

After the lecture, Pastor Hanson opened up a time for questions and answers from the youth (and the few adults listening in). Most of the questions were serious, such as the difference between lamenting and complaining. There were, as is common for Q&A times in youth conferences, a few lighthearted questions as well.

After the Q&A, the youth used their phones to play an online version of a game often played at youth conferences, while chatting over Zoom. The youth played for a while until various duties called them away. A number played for several hours. Since many of the youth still haven’t been able to see their presbytery friends in person because of social distancing, the interactions were welcomed, even if they were online.

Though the regular youth conference was canceled, I’m grateful we got the best available alternative. It may not have been our ordinary conference, but hey, I’m not complaining!

Anna Eshelman is a 17-year-old bookworm, writer, stationery enthusiast, ailurophile, and English major at Glendale College. She is a communicant member of the Los Angeles, Calif., RPC and plans on attending Geneva College in the fall.