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YOUNG PEOPLES ANNOUNCEMENTS
Greetings, sorry for the delay on posting this (we didn't have much internet availablity while we there not to mention we were crazy busy! having a blast)
Saturday Day 1: Road trip time! We head out with all 11 and a crowd of loved ones around us. We jump on our new bus, we spend our time watching movies, playing games, having fun, and being excited that the week is finally here!
Sunday Day 2: We have officially named the GPS voice Lola. At the beginning of the day Jordan was fond of her but by the end of the day, with the windy roads of West Virginia they chose not to speak any more.
We arrived at our new home with 60 new brothers and sisters of Christ. With different lives and stories to share as we grow closer. They were from all over from: Minnesota, Ankeny IA, Chicago, Baltimore Maryland. We were greeted by amazing new youth volunteers & friends and Host leaders that begin sharing their amazing testimonies while serving this summer and throughout their lives.
Monday Day 3: Work time! Both groups have our been assigned work projects. One group painting trailers that are open to the homeless, addicted, and challenged. The second assisting in the remodeling of apartments for a low income housing project.
Tonight we watched a clogging group and they proceeded to teach us a couple square dancing steps. It was great fun as we tried to learn, made mistakes, laughed and smiled. We are all beginning to open up and realize that God wanted here for specific and amazing reasons. We all have Christ?s love in common, Praise our Great God!
Tuesday Day 4: Keep on keeping on with faith, & with painting, dry walling, guttering (I don?t think that?s a word;). We all search for the energy to reach deeper, do our best, and find the greatness in it all. Today God showed us greatness amidst our messes in the world.
Meet Vernon: a simple elderly man who turned his back yard acreage into a trailer home for the down, out, and discarded. While we painted these small trailer houses. We had the privilege not only to meet Vernon who opened his home up to anyone needing help, but also all the people staying there. People addicted to drugs, people abused, people with mental problems, people not wanted by anyone else in the world. At this make shift trailer park, they all had a home and someone who wanted to get them better. Whether that way by bringing them to the hospital or simply showing them what Christ?s love is.
Wednesday Day 5: Work day 3, Time to finish us. As usual we get our work done in half the time expected. It is so great to see how God can use simple work ethic & attitudes to make miracles grow!
Since we worked hard, we moved on to the next sight to help another grew finish working. We made new work buddies and new people making miracles in everyday life!
Meet Mrs. Patti: She lives in a different trailer park and also ones the house across from her, it is no longer suitable for living so she opened it up to donations of any sort. She turned this small run down house into a bit of a used supply shed for anyone in need of clothes or pretty much anything else. People stop there regularly when they can?t buy new clothes for their children and others, but because of Mrs. Patti giving out of the little that she has, no one needs to go without.
We met new people to serve with and new people to assist in their efforts to help. They were similar and really different then us but they taught us that God makes us all according to how he wants us to serve. It was really great to meet these everyday Christians seeking to change live everday in the world they live in everyday! They gave out of what they had more then what we often dare to even imagine. Halleluiah, for the God of Greatness using his humble servants!
Thursday Day6: Today was our last day! In this short time we have come to really love it here. The place, the people, serving, this has been a time of truly growing and loving. Today we finished our projects and was able to help finish the other projects. This blessings allowed most of us to see all the sites that our new group of 50 worked at. Every place we were at we there were miracles. There were people seeking to make this dark world a little bit brighter, giving what we can no matter how God has blessed us.
We ended our last day with a great summer grill out with the amazing people we served and our great new friends. Then we head over to worship time, We can't get enough of the singing and get to hear from our favorite leader Katelyn. Tonight the serve trip leaders washed the youth leader?s feet, and the leaders washed the kids feet. It was amazing to reminded that Jesus became a servant and then he washed away all our sins. This week reminded us that all it takes is love to become servants just like Jesus did! Praise God!
Friday Day 7: Sadly it?s time to get home. It's sad to leave this place and the new people we have grown to love, but it?s time to go back to our homes with the lessons we learned. Now we get the part where we really need to work. We end this week long mission trip and have to make our lives a mission trip.
The ride went well,. We caught up on our sleep for a lot of it, hung out, enjoyed our new bus. Mostly we want to just say Thank you for helping us go on this trip, providing us with the bus to get there, and much more! This trip as well as our loving church are amazing gifts God have us so we can grow to me more like Him!
Blessings!
Please pray as everyone adjusts to to life back at home and living out the amazing lessons God has taught us all!
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