Tuesday!

We had our second day at the same places we worked on Monday. Dan’s group (Madelyn, Steven and William) spent their morning at the women’s shelter hanging out with the women there and cleaning the building and the afternoon at the men’s homeless shelter. Debbie’s group (Caitlin  and Jessica) spent their morning with the day care center working with the kids and their afternoon spending time with adults with cerebral palsy. Nancy’s group (Beth and Amanda) continued renovations at the Parks for People office. Tomorrow we all go to new work sites for the last two days.

 

This evening, after dinner, we went to the Capitol building. We spent some time outside praying and then had the chance to go inside and watch from the gallery and watch some members of the House of Representatives in session. From what we could gather they were deliberating an amendment to something. We all thought it was pretty cool. We have a really amazing story to tell that happened tonight, but you’ll have to wait to hear it on Sunday.

I’m always so impressed by our youth when I’m with them on mission trips. They are always so insightful during our church group discussion times, jump right in when work needs to be done, and make a point of talking with youth from other churches. I always look forward to seeing God’s love pouring out of these students. I have not been disappointed this week. I especially enjoy seeing the spiritual growth that is taking place here. It’s really been a wonderful experience so far.

It seems that, although we are all very tired , this week is going by super fast. We spend so much time preparing for this trip, months of fundraising, and thinking about coming and now it’s almost half over!

Your prayers continue to bless our journey!

Your brother and sisters in Christ, 

Dan, Debbie and Nancy 

Monday

Our first day of “work”! Dan’s group, which included Madelyn, Steven and William spent the morning at Rachael’s House, a day center for homeless women and the afternoon at CCNV (Creative Center for Non-Violence) the second largest homeless shelter for men in the nation. Debbie’s group, which included Catilin and Jessica spent the morning at Martha’s Table, a day care center and the afternoon at a Cerebral Palsy center for adults. Nancy’s group, which included Beth and Amanda spent the day working at the Parks for People headquarters working on renovations (Amanda and Beth) and organizing  a storage room and doing dishes from an event (Nancy.) Interestingly, the building had been built in 1927 for the vice president though he never lived there, and has in the past been used as several embassies. 

This evening, after dinner we travelled as a whole group to the memorial area of Washington DC. We saw the Lincoln Memorial (that’s what our giant group picture is in front of), the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. We didn’t have too much time at any of the memorials, but they were definitely moving.

Todays’ devotions and club talk were about worship, and what worship is. We defined worship as “an act designed to pursue, adore, and give honor to another.” We have been talking about and exploring how many actions we do can be acts of worship. We are working on worshipping this week as we serve this community.

Thank you for your prayers, your support is appreciated and needed.

Dan, Nancy, and Debbie

Sunday!

After worshipping at Glade Run, we headed southeast toward Washington. It was a beautiful drive to the DC area. We stopped for lunch and arrived here at Lincoln Park Methodist Church around 4:00. This church is very old, with lots of hallways and little rooms.  Some of us have been getting a little lost! The church property also includes a row house, which hold the sleeping rooms for the girls. It’s a very tight squeeze in there. The boys have to sleep in the eating area/club room, so each morning they are going to have to pack up their belongings and pile them on the side of the room. So yes, our sleeping arrangements are a bit rough. We are all toughing it out though, and we’re looking forward to beginning work in the morning.

There are a total of 63 people here with 3 other churches -  group of 33 people from Minneapolis/St Paul; a group of about 15 from Connecticut; a  small group of 5 (all girls) from Maryland and our group of 10.

This evening we found out how our group will be split. We thought maybe they’d just divide our small group in half, but we are split three ways.  Dan will be working with Steven, William and Madelyn, Debbie will be working with Jessica and Caitlin and Nancy will be working with Beth and Amanda.

We were so busy we forgot to take pictures today! We’ll bring you more news and pictures tomorrow.

Thank you for praying for us,

Nancy, Dan and 

Saturday

We made it! (Well, halfway anyway.) Here we are at Glade Run Presbyterian Church in Valencia, Pennsylvania.  We left Geneva Church at 3:00 this afternoon in 2 cars with 3 adults and 7 youth.

We had an uneventful drive , stopping for dinner along the Ohio Turnpike. We are staying in Glade Run’s Youth room that has 5 couches, 3 sets of tables and chairs and a kitchen area. Pretty nice digs! The church also has a gym, which we were allowed to use and showers! (Geneva’s next building campaign???)

Our plan in the morning is to attend their worship service, then take off to Washington DC, our final destination.

Please continue to pray for us as we continue our journey into God’s service this week.

Nancy, Dan and Debbie

Why mission trips?

A mission trip is a life changing event.  There are life skills that are built into the mission trip any teenager will benefit from learning.  You will gain new abilities to understand people and increase your relationship skills as you meet new and different people.  You will learn leadership skills as you take on new responsibilities.  Sometime during the trip you will discover your ability to learn new skills.  You may get the chance to build something for the first time including using tools you never thought you’d use.  You could learn to share your faith with a complete stranger giving you the confidence to speak in front of others.  A mission trip is a stretching experience far more than whatever is competing with your time.

You will encounter Jesus in new, fresh, and powerful ways.  There is no experience that connects us to Jesus like a mission trip.  

I can't wait to be able to serve with you this summer!

Food for Thought continues into the summer!

Should I say, "Back by popular demand" or "The people have spoken"? In any event, we've decided to continue with our Food for Thought program during the summer months!  We change to  one service (at 10:00) on Sunday, May 27 (Memorial Day weekend.) We won't have Food for Thought then, but we'll start back on Sunday, June 3 at 9:00 - 9:45.

What does all this mean?

First, it means you all understand the importance of growing your faith! By wanting to continue to meet on Sundays, even in the summer, you know that our learning about God and growing closer to Him shouldn't stop just because school is out!

Second, it means you won't be sleeping in on Sundays... sorry. But I think (and hopefully you think) this stuff is worth getting up and coming to church!

Third, we will continue to build and strengthen the friendships and bonds we've created this year, with no break! Personally, I always miss seeing you every week in the summer.

Fourth, because our meeting time is only 45 minutes (not the hour we have now) it will be really important for you to try your best at being on time.

Fifth, it means there are more opportunities to sign up to bring food! don't forget to sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/food113

I'm excited to continue to share in your faith journeys with you, each week, all year long!