We made it to Red Lake and all are well!! Our trip was awesome (I have a feeling I'm going to use that word a lot this week). We stopped yesterday and had a chance to put our toes into Lake Superior. Later, when we arrived and got settled at First Presbyterian Church in Marquette, we walked down to a park with a beach and almost everyone took a swim. Now you should know that the water temperature in Lake Superior is about 40 deg. We had pizza in the park and had lights out at 10:30. We left the church on time this morning and made our way to Red Lake.

First Day of Travel!

Saturday morning we picked up our 2 vans. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to reach the pedals, but I could!  After deciding tat we had to remove the back seats to fit our luggage, we packed up and were on the road around 10:00 AM.

The middle schoolers and high schoolers are traveling in separate cans. Jeff and I are with the middle schoolers. Almost right away, this group started playing games together. They played car games,(the alphabet game, pictionary telephone and mafia) the entire way!! Jeff and I thought we were going to have to be the instigators in getting the kids to talk with each other and interact, but we didn’t have to.

The high school van was a little quieter we hear, with reading, sleeping and small conversations…

Thanks to someone having to stop for a bathroom break, we stopped at a rest area that was right along Lake Michigan. Dan and I couldn’t resist getting our feet wet, so we all stopped for about ½ hour, walking through the water and getting refreshed. The water felt really good.

We made it to Marquette just before 7 P< and were welcomed by a member of the First Presbyterian Church with plates of homemade cookies! After being shown to our sleeping rooms, we went to a park on Lake Superior to swim. We were told the water was 41degrees, but that didn’t stop 16 people from going swimming! (3 of us were out getting pizza for the rest of the group.) We have a very brave and courageous group!

After staying in Marquette for the night, we left bright and early to head towards Duluth. We plan on eating lunch together, then the high schoolers will head towards Red Lake and the middle schoolers will stay in Duluth to start our week of mission!

Whew! What a day!

We might have chosen one of the hottest days of the year so far to walk around downtown Detroit, but I think it was quite worth it! After a few minor glitches (Family Fun Days on the River Front and an afternoon Detroit Tigers game we didn't account for, which made parking a little more of a problem) we made it!

6 youth and 3 adults (including me) made 22 lunches that included a sandwich, fruit cup, water bottle, chips and cookies  to hand out to some hungry people we met. Since this was our first attempt at this mission activity, we started on a small scale. In less than an hour, our supplies were gone! We all came back to the car saying we should have had more!

I think the best part of this ministry is that we don't just give hungry people food, we also pray with them and for them. I don't think many indigent people feel that they are worthy enough to be prayed for. I think (hope) we're able to show them that they matter in the eyes of God.

I hope more people can join us when we do this ministry again. I'd like to make it a regular thing!

What do you think?

Service and Study in the Summer

One more Food for Thought until fall... That doesn't mean we won't have lots of opportunities to grow in our faith though....

We've got service/mission opportunities!

June 23 - Following Jesus' teachings and 'feeding His sheep.' We'll make sack lunches after church and deliver them to hungry people in Detroit. I guarantee you'll think this opportunity is a wonderful experience. Hands-on faith!

July - mission trip of course! Serving in a community not like your own is going to be really something!

August - local service! We can't get more local than working around the church! We'll be sprucing up the gardens (weeding fun!) and the youth room. As usual, there will be ice cream after!

We've got study opportunities!

Beginning June 19 we'll be doing some in-depth Bible study together for whoever wants to come! We'll meet on Wednesday mornings most weeks throughout the summer to dig in to God's word.

We've got fellowship opportunities!

What? fellowship helps you grow in your faith? YES! Hanging out with other people gives you the opportunity to be yourself and show love to others while having fun!

June 2- lunch and mini-golf
July 28 - lunch and ? (got a suggestion?)
August 11 - lunch and games
August 23- LOCK IN!!

Another fundraising success!

Hey everyone! Great job on another A Night Out success! We worked hard gathering donations, setting stuff up, serving and cleaning up after. We've even got all our thank you letters written and sent out! Amazing work everyone. Together, we raised $7,000 towards the cost of our mission trips this summer.

I heard lots of compliments about the evening, ranging form the great service, to the good food to the wonderful entertainment. I agree! I was super impressed at how well everyone came through remembering their lines, being where they were supposed to be and performing wonderfully- whether it was skit or music or joke!

The only thing left to do is make sure you follow through with your auction services. Don't let it get too late before you complete your services! If the person who won your service hasn't contacted you in a month or so, PLEASE contact them, and at least remind them.

Auction Auction Auction!

How important is this event?

In the past, each student would have had to pay almost their entire mission trip expense. There were some small fundraisers (Super Bowl Subs, Pancake Breakfast, Car Wash) but they didn’t make a significant impact on expenses. There were also Youth Serve opportunities, but these were sporadic. The big fundraiser was our “A Night Out” dinner. The entire profit from this dinner was typically $1500. (split between all mission trip participants.) In 2010 we implemented a silent auction portion to our fundraising dinner. The  average profit from the auction alone has added between $3,000 and $4,000 to our expenses. Since we implemented the auction, no student has had to pay more than their $50 deposit. All expenses have been covered.

This year, we have the added expenses of extra travel days, which creates more meals needed and more gas to purchase. We’ve also added the cost of 2 passenger van rentals. This year, more than ever, we want a very successful fundraising dinner and auction.

How can you help?

Parents and Youth: Encourage bidding! Mingle with your guests or others at the auction tables, encouraging them to bid and even overbid on the items.  (It’s for a good cause!)

Parents: bid yourselves! Yes, you’re still spending money, but you’ll be getting some wonderful items for it! Or, maybe you’ll just be increasing the amount that other people will pay for that item!

Remember the mantra.... Bid high and bid often!

A Night Out is coming up fast!

The date for our annual fundraising dinner and silent auction is coming up quickly! We’ll be setting up, serving and providing entertainment to the many people who are supporting our summer mission trips.

Youth and Parents --  here’s what you need to know:

Donations:

~ Parents and Youth - Bring in some auction donations! With the additional expense of rental vans, we’ve got a larger amount we need to raise.  Ask businesses to donate, or relatives or friends who own businesses. Letters to businesses are available on the bulletin board at church.

~ Youth - think about what service YOU can auction off. What are you good at that people will want to pay for?

Here are some suggestions:

Are you good in the garden? Planting or pulling weeds would be a good service to offer. Can you babysit? A Night of babysitting would be excellent to offer. Do you like to cook? A dessert of the month or a special complete dinner would be very much appreciated! Are you known for your love of animals? Maybe a weekend of pet-sitting is the thing for you. Can you clean a car inside and out? Auto detailing is always a big hit with bidders! Do you like kids? Maybe you could offer your services at a child’s birthday party. Do you like to paint nails? Offer some manicures! Maybe you don’t think you’ve got much to offer… how about taking in mail and watering plants while people are on vacation? Talk it over with your parents if you aren’t sure what you can offer.

All donations and forms need to be returned by Thursday, April 4!

Time commitment:

~We put out auction items for bidding the week before the auction, Sunday April 14. I will need some help on Saturday, April 13 and Sunday morning, April 14 in setting up the auction.

~Between Sunday, April 14 and Saturday, April 20 we need ironers! Plan on spending an hour or two up at the church in the afternoon or evening ironing tablecloths and napkins.

~Saturday, April 20- We’ll start setting up at 9:00 AM for several hours, then give you a break, then expect you back later in the afternoon to start serving.  Once the evening is over, we’ll expect EVERYONE to help clean up.

Entertainment:

Youth must participate in at least ONE piece of our entertainment. Youth (AND Adults) can participate in as many of the entertainment pieces as they want to. (The only requirement is that for part three (testimonies) people must have been on a mission trip.)

~Skits will be performed in several parts. (see below)

~Musical pieces will be performed in between each act.

~We’ll perform a reader’s theater.

~We’ll also present something about Minnesota and the need for us to mission there (not sure how we’ll do this yet.)

Skit information:

Part One- Game Show  (Performed Live)

Cast:

Game Show Host                   Nathan                      

Contestant 1                          Jessica

Contestant 2                          Josh                            

Contestant 3                          Drew

Prize Girl                                Caitlin                        

TV Announcer                       Steven

Commercial Man                   Luke                           

Commercial Woman             Beth

Whammy                               Louie                          

Parent                                    Angie

Part Two - A Van Ride (Performed Live)

Each participant will work with Jake Zinke to create a sketch revolving around a van ride to a mission trip. We’ll start writing this skit on March 24 @7:00 PM. 5-7 youth plus one adult are needed for this sketch.

Part Three - Testimonies (Video-Taped)

Individuals or pairs will share true stories about events from past mission trips that they’ve been on. There is no limit to the number of participants. Youth AND Adults can take part in this.

Possible Part Four- Another Van Ride

Depending on how part two works out, we may add a sketch revolving around a ride home from a mission trip.