Yesterday was such a wonderful last day!! We hit the road a little bit earlier for our work site because our normal morning worship happens at night on the last day. So we began digging and painting around 9am this morning at Mr. Hughes's house. Over the past couple days the work gradually got more difficult as we hit more and more rocks the deeper we dug. There were even a couple boulders that ended up being impenetrable with our pick axes and so we had to leave them for a jackhammer to come break them up. After working hard in the morning and afternoon we finished our last day of digging and painting at 4pm. Our students showed true determination and hard work this entire week as they put all of their energy into each swing of the pick ax and each dig with a shovel.
Our supervisor, Rich, who is an expert in septic systems, said this was the hardest septic system he has ever had to dig and as a result there was a little work that we were unable to complete that a team of engineers without borders will comlete tomorrow. The great news is that Mr. Hughes will not lose his house! Even though we were unable to complete the entire project our students were extremely excited and joyful by the fact that we got to participate in essentially saving a man's life!
Another neighbor of Mr. Hughes drove by and stopped in amazement of what God was doing through our team. She was a good friend of Mr. Hughes and could not thank us enough for the work we were doing. Our students literally showed God and served an entire community of people down here in North Carolina!
After finishing our work project, our team headed back to home base for an evening of exciting and God-filled worship. First we had a fun and dance-filled worship time with Recreation Experiences followed by a moving talk by the Executive Director, Dave Torbett. Then our team headed to our final evening porch time for the week where Luke challenged the student's definition of love. He showed them that the true definition of love is found in 1 Corinthians 13 and the greatest picture of that love is found in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Finally, we split into our final time of small group where we had our best small group of the week. We saw a group of middle school students come together in love, unity, and fellowship in a way that we have not seen in awhile. God truly was tugging at the hearts of our students and they responded by honestly sharing and opening up to one another.
It truly has been a blessed week and although we will miss being here we are excited to come share our experience with everyone back in Williamsburg! The estimated time of departure from our home base down here is 9am and our estimated time of arrival back at the Chapel is 5pm. Remember to check the hotline at 757-810-4021 for updated times of arrival back to the Chapel. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and we will see you tonight!!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
HS DC Trip Day #4 - Our Final Day of Service in DC
What a way to end our final day of service in Washington, DC! God has really shown up this week in the most amazing and tangible ways, and it has been a privilege to share these moments with you.
Today, it was Group 1's turn to receive the early wake-up call. Like Group 2 did yesterday, Group 1 rose at 5am to be at a local church serving breakfast and handing out clothing to people in need. After their time of service, the group was able to sit down with a man named Paul who runs the outreach operation there. Paul's story of transformation was both an encouragement and a challenge to all the students who served at this location. While Group 1 served at this location yesterday, the team noticed that the facility was running low on summer clothing, especially for men. As a result, our entire group made an impact at this facility by donating some of our own clothing to go to the men and women who visit there for help. It was a blessing to see how quickly our kids were able to apply the lessons they are learning by giving of themselves and their possessions. After serving breakfast and talking with Paul, Group 1 headed to a local library to help them label and bare-code books. It was a nice escape from the heat, and another tangible act of service. Their efforts made what could have been a daunting task for the librarians a very enjoyable end to the morning.
Group 3 also rose early today to serve breakfast at a site called S.O.M.E - So Others Might Eat. Group 3 had a great time serving the morning meal, and really learned a lot by the obvious joy on the faces of the men and women who worked there. After breakfast, the employees at S.O.M.E mentioned that there was no group scheduled to help them serve lunch, so our kids readily volunteered, and actually found even more joy in repeating the process of preparing and serving a meal. This extra time of service cut into their own lunch time, but not a complaint was heard among the group!
Group 2 got some much needed rest this morning, then reported to the same nursing home that another group had visited earlier this week. It was great to meet some of the same residents that the earlier group had talked about at porch time. The students pushed through several potentially awkward moments to give of their time and attention to these often-forgotten people, and Jesus really blessed these efforts by making His presence felt during and after the visit.
After these morning activities, all groups met up at a local outdoor skate park in Anacostia to eat lunch and relax before our final day of VBS. Once at the VBS sites, our students continued to pour out their hearts and love the kids we have been building relationships with all week. We tried to cement the message that "God always wins" into the students' hearts and minds by teaching them that, just like Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, God can bring the "dead" things in our own lives back to life when we put our faith in Him and let Him win over death. One of the most heart-breaking and challenging moments of the week came at the end of VBS. While our teams walked their young friends home, there were several questions such as "When are you coming back?" It was almost as if Jesus Himself were asking us, "Are you going to continue to love me by serving me, no matter where you are in the world?" After lots of hugs, we loaded up the vans and headed for our final adventure of the day.
Group 1 was able to spend the rest of the afternoon doing a little sight-seeing before eating their final DC dinner at Pollo Granjero. Groups 2 and 3 got to spend their early-evenings participating in the Urban Plunge activity that Group 1 had completed earlier in the week. Students and leaders were broken up into groups, and went to several different DC neighborhoods in order to serve homeless men and women by taking them out to a meal. Students were also challenged to ask questions of the men and women they ate to find out more about the issues of poverty and homelessness in urban areas, and these questions led to some very interesting encounters and responses. Overall, the groups really enjoyed "plunging" into one of the city's more difficult issues and seeing how God is working in the midst of it.
Finally, all groups met up at the Basilica for our final Porch Time of the trip. During worship, passersby could tell that we were tired and our voices were strained; nevertheless, we raised our tired voices into the night to praise and worship God for all He has done in us and through us this week. Travis gave a great talk, and asked us to think about the question: "Will you let yourself be used as a result of your experience in DC?" Will we continue to let God use us to carry His message and light into the world, including our own homes? We finished Porch Time with a service of communion, in which the students took the elements, and then served each other as a symbol of what it means to receive God's ultimate expression of love and then share that love with others. We had a short small group session after the closing song in hopes that the great lessons learned on this trip would really start to sink in as we process our experiences together. Praise God for who He is and what He has allowed us to do this week.
We expect to wake up around 8am tomorrow (Friday) and depart our housing site between 9am and 9:30am. We will send out a text when we depart, and then will continue to send texting updates as to our estimated arrival at the Chapel. If you are not on the texting list, please send a text to the number 41411 with the message DCPARENT (all one word). You should receive a confirmation text once you are added to this listserve. Please pray for safe travels and no traffic as we return tomorrow. Your kids can't wait to share with you in-person all that they have learned and experienced.
Today, it was Group 1's turn to receive the early wake-up call. Like Group 2 did yesterday, Group 1 rose at 5am to be at a local church serving breakfast and handing out clothing to people in need. After their time of service, the group was able to sit down with a man named Paul who runs the outreach operation there. Paul's story of transformation was both an encouragement and a challenge to all the students who served at this location. While Group 1 served at this location yesterday, the team noticed that the facility was running low on summer clothing, especially for men. As a result, our entire group made an impact at this facility by donating some of our own clothing to go to the men and women who visit there for help. It was a blessing to see how quickly our kids were able to apply the lessons they are learning by giving of themselves and their possessions. After serving breakfast and talking with Paul, Group 1 headed to a local library to help them label and bare-code books. It was a nice escape from the heat, and another tangible act of service. Their efforts made what could have been a daunting task for the librarians a very enjoyable end to the morning.
Group 3 also rose early today to serve breakfast at a site called S.O.M.E - So Others Might Eat. Group 3 had a great time serving the morning meal, and really learned a lot by the obvious joy on the faces of the men and women who worked there. After breakfast, the employees at S.O.M.E mentioned that there was no group scheduled to help them serve lunch, so our kids readily volunteered, and actually found even more joy in repeating the process of preparing and serving a meal. This extra time of service cut into their own lunch time, but not a complaint was heard among the group!
Group 2 got some much needed rest this morning, then reported to the same nursing home that another group had visited earlier this week. It was great to meet some of the same residents that the earlier group had talked about at porch time. The students pushed through several potentially awkward moments to give of their time and attention to these often-forgotten people, and Jesus really blessed these efforts by making His presence felt during and after the visit.
After these morning activities, all groups met up at a local outdoor skate park in Anacostia to eat lunch and relax before our final day of VBS. Once at the VBS sites, our students continued to pour out their hearts and love the kids we have been building relationships with all week. We tried to cement the message that "God always wins" into the students' hearts and minds by teaching them that, just like Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, God can bring the "dead" things in our own lives back to life when we put our faith in Him and let Him win over death. One of the most heart-breaking and challenging moments of the week came at the end of VBS. While our teams walked their young friends home, there were several questions such as "When are you coming back?" It was almost as if Jesus Himself were asking us, "Are you going to continue to love me by serving me, no matter where you are in the world?" After lots of hugs, we loaded up the vans and headed for our final adventure of the day.
Group 1 was able to spend the rest of the afternoon doing a little sight-seeing before eating their final DC dinner at Pollo Granjero. Groups 2 and 3 got to spend their early-evenings participating in the Urban Plunge activity that Group 1 had completed earlier in the week. Students and leaders were broken up into groups, and went to several different DC neighborhoods in order to serve homeless men and women by taking them out to a meal. Students were also challenged to ask questions of the men and women they ate to find out more about the issues of poverty and homelessness in urban areas, and these questions led to some very interesting encounters and responses. Overall, the groups really enjoyed "plunging" into one of the city's more difficult issues and seeing how God is working in the midst of it.
Finally, all groups met up at the Basilica for our final Porch Time of the trip. During worship, passersby could tell that we were tired and our voices were strained; nevertheless, we raised our tired voices into the night to praise and worship God for all He has done in us and through us this week. Travis gave a great talk, and asked us to think about the question: "Will you let yourself be used as a result of your experience in DC?" Will we continue to let God use us to carry His message and light into the world, including our own homes? We finished Porch Time with a service of communion, in which the students took the elements, and then served each other as a symbol of what it means to receive God's ultimate expression of love and then share that love with others. We had a short small group session after the closing song in hopes that the great lessons learned on this trip would really start to sink in as we process our experiences together. Praise God for who He is and what He has allowed us to do this week.
We expect to wake up around 8am tomorrow (Friday) and depart our housing site between 9am and 9:30am. We will send out a text when we depart, and then will continue to send texting updates as to our estimated arrival at the Chapel. If you are not on the texting list, please send a text to the number 41411 with the message DCPARENT (all one word). You should receive a confirmation text once you are added to this listserve. Please pray for safe travels and no traffic as we return tomorrow. Your kids can't wait to share with you in-person all that they have learned and experienced.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
MS NC Trip Day #4
We went back to our normal schedule today by waking up at 6:30am for breakfast followed by morning worship to wake everyone up and give some more vision for the day. Afterwards we packed up the buses and headed back to our work site at Mr. Hughes's house where we continued to work on our septic system. It was exciting to see the actual septic tank arrive and be put in place as well as see our team essentially finish digging the two run-off ditches. One more hard day of work tomorrow should allow us to finish up the septic system, which will allow Mr. Hughes to keep his house!!
One really encouraging story from the day happened when one of Mr. Hughes's neighbors, Loretta, drove by and began talking to us. She told us that she has power of attorney for Mr. Hughes since he does not have any family and that she was so amazed by the work we were doing. She obviously cared for Mr. Hughes and it brought joy to her face to see a group of middle school students taking time out of their summer to serve a man that does not have enough money to have proper sanitation. Our students have been touching many lives and some we didn't even know, like Loretta.
We finished the evening with another porch time where Luke gave the second part of his talk from Luke 10. He looked at what happens when people make sacrifices in their life to meet the felt and real needs of people around them. Luke said that when this happens people "Get Electrocuted" and experience real joy from God's love passing through them, like a conductor, into the hurt of the world. After the talk we split into small groups, relaxed, and headed to bed. We have one more day to go, which means one more blog tomorrow night. Goodnight!
One really encouraging story from the day happened when one of Mr. Hughes's neighbors, Loretta, drove by and began talking to us. She told us that she has power of attorney for Mr. Hughes since he does not have any family and that she was so amazed by the work we were doing. She obviously cared for Mr. Hughes and it brought joy to her face to see a group of middle school students taking time out of their summer to serve a man that does not have enough money to have proper sanitation. Our students have been touching many lives and some we didn't even know, like Loretta.
We finished the evening with another porch time where Luke gave the second part of his talk from Luke 10. He looked at what happens when people make sacrifices in their life to meet the felt and real needs of people around them. Luke said that when this happens people "Get Electrocuted" and experience real joy from God's love passing through them, like a conductor, into the hurt of the world. After the talk we split into small groups, relaxed, and headed to bed. We have one more day to go, which means one more blog tomorrow night. Goodnight!
HS DC Trip Day #3
The DC team had an extremely long, but wonderful day serving Jesus in our Nation's capital.
For Group 2 the day began with a wake up at 5:00am in order to leave at 5:30 to go make breakfast at a homeless shelter for men and women near downtown DC. The team was amazed to see how many people lined up for the meal they had prepared. They were also struck by the various reasons people become homeless. They learned that it is not simply a lack of will to work, but often times it has to do with mental illness or lack of education. Their interaction with these men and women forced them into action as they came back and reported to our team that the shelter's clothing closet desperately needed to be replenished. The team responded by giving some of their own clothes to provide for the homeless shelter. They truly lived out God's call in Isaiah 58 to "see the hungry and feed them and to see the naked and clothe them."
Group 1 also served at a homeless shelter. The listened to the testimonies of several of the homeless people who reside in the shelter and as a result came running up to me at our nightly Bible study desperate to share what they learned. The people's steadfast faith in God in the midst of difficult life circumstances impacted our students and challenged them to trust God with their lives.
Group 3 spent the morning cleaning the two the homes of two different elderly women. The women were amazed at how fast the kids went to work and how hard they were willing to work. At one of the houses we needed a step later to clean the tops of some kitchen cabinets. When we could not find a step ladder, one of the students immediately got down on all fours and volunteered to serve as a human ladder in order to get the job done. Our students really have been willing to do anything and everything to serve Jesus this week.
In the afternoon our three serving groups once again merged into two as we continued to serve at our two Vacation Bible School sites. We continued to teach on our theme verse of Luke 1:37 and our overall theme of "God always wins." Today's lesson was about Jonah and the idea that we must let God win over our desires and our emotions. Some of the students were impacted deeply by walking the kids back to their homes. When they saw the neighborhoods from which our VBS participants come, our team members were moved with compassion. Several were very emotional as they processed the eternally important question of why some people have so much and other people have so little.
At our porch time Bible study this evening, Alexis this touched on this idea of moving from why God? to What God and how God? Moving from why does this type of poverty exist, to what is God calling me to do in the midst of it and how is he asking me to change my life as a result of what I have seen.
All is well. We will be back in Williamsburg soon.
For Group 2 the day began with a wake up at 5:00am in order to leave at 5:30 to go make breakfast at a homeless shelter for men and women near downtown DC. The team was amazed to see how many people lined up for the meal they had prepared. They were also struck by the various reasons people become homeless. They learned that it is not simply a lack of will to work, but often times it has to do with mental illness or lack of education. Their interaction with these men and women forced them into action as they came back and reported to our team that the shelter's clothing closet desperately needed to be replenished. The team responded by giving some of their own clothes to provide for the homeless shelter. They truly lived out God's call in Isaiah 58 to "see the hungry and feed them and to see the naked and clothe them."
Group 1 also served at a homeless shelter. The listened to the testimonies of several of the homeless people who reside in the shelter and as a result came running up to me at our nightly Bible study desperate to share what they learned. The people's steadfast faith in God in the midst of difficult life circumstances impacted our students and challenged them to trust God with their lives.
Group 3 spent the morning cleaning the two the homes of two different elderly women. The women were amazed at how fast the kids went to work and how hard they were willing to work. At one of the houses we needed a step later to clean the tops of some kitchen cabinets. When we could not find a step ladder, one of the students immediately got down on all fours and volunteered to serve as a human ladder in order to get the job done. Our students really have been willing to do anything and everything to serve Jesus this week.
In the afternoon our three serving groups once again merged into two as we continued to serve at our two Vacation Bible School sites. We continued to teach on our theme verse of Luke 1:37 and our overall theme of "God always wins." Today's lesson was about Jonah and the idea that we must let God win over our desires and our emotions. Some of the students were impacted deeply by walking the kids back to their homes. When they saw the neighborhoods from which our VBS participants come, our team members were moved with compassion. Several were very emotional as they processed the eternally important question of why some people have so much and other people have so little.
At our porch time Bible study this evening, Alexis this touched on this idea of moving from why God? to What God and how God? Moving from why does this type of poverty exist, to what is God calling me to do in the midst of it and how is he asking me to change my life as a result of what I have seen.
All is well. We will be back in Williamsburg soon.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
MS NC Trip Day #3
Today was our team's day off from the work project and so we had the opportunity to experience a couple different parts of the area down here in North Carolina. First, we visited a local health and rehab center called the Brian Center where our students got the opportunity to meet and build relationships with elderly men and women that have injuries or diseases that require medical help. Everyone split into five groups and spread out around the center. Each group took a different wing of the building and spent time visiting each of the patients in the rooms. Some patients wanted to go outside in their wheelchairs, others wanted to hear our kids sing, and still others just wanted to sit and talk. A group of 8th graders got the opportunity to visit with alzheimers patients where many of the patients would forget your name five minutes after you told it to them. They took a guitar and sang lots of songs as well as just spent time being a friend and showing Christ's love to these sometimes forgotten and lonely people. Near the end of our time at the Brian Center we were able to participate in a mini church service with some of the residents. We began the service by joining together as a youth choir to sing three worship songs for the residents and then were followed by a sermon by Pastor Wes. Pastor Wes is a 90 year old man that has been serving in ministry for 65 years. He repeatedly said how much joy and inspiration he found from seeing a group of middle school students coming to serve! It was a really awesome and God-filled service to get to be a part of.
After eating lunch at the Brian Center, we left for an afternoon of experiencing the natural beauty of God's creation. Our first stop was sliding rock where we all got to slide down a 50ft. natural rock slide. Although the water was a little chilly, it was a fun time trying to make the longest chain down the rock slide. Next, we headed to Looking Glass Falls where everyone got to swim underneath the cascading water. We finished the afternoon by heading to a beautiful lookout area on the Blue Ridge Parkway where we ate our dinner and had our evening porch time.
Morgan gave a powerful testimony about a question that challenges all of us, "Are you really ready to see Jesus?" She talked about the discipline of having eyes to see and ears to hear Jesus in our daily lives as well as on this mission trip. She used examples from her own life about how she has seen God orchestrate experiences in her own life. Finally, we ended our porch time out on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway and headed back to home base for some relaxation and a good night's sleep. We head back to our work site tomorrow so check back in tomorrow night for another update on our digging progress. Goodnight and God bless!
After eating lunch at the Brian Center, we left for an afternoon of experiencing the natural beauty of God's creation. Our first stop was sliding rock where we all got to slide down a 50ft. natural rock slide. Although the water was a little chilly, it was a fun time trying to make the longest chain down the rock slide. Next, we headed to Looking Glass Falls where everyone got to swim underneath the cascading water. We finished the afternoon by heading to a beautiful lookout area on the Blue Ridge Parkway where we ate our dinner and had our evening porch time.
Morgan gave a powerful testimony about a question that challenges all of us, "Are you really ready to see Jesus?" She talked about the discipline of having eyes to see and ears to hear Jesus in our daily lives as well as on this mission trip. She used examples from her own life about how she has seen God orchestrate experiences in her own life. Finally, we ended our porch time out on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway and headed back to home base for some relaxation and a good night's sleep. We head back to our work site tomorrow so check back in tomorrow night for another update on our digging progress. Goodnight and God bless!
HS DC Trip Day #2
The DC mission team experienced another great day of learning and serving as they engaged in many different forms of mission work throughout the city.
Our team is broken down into three groups for our pre-lunch work. Group 1 went to Food and Friends to prepare and deliver meals to elderly people suffering from various illnesses. This site provides our team with a beautiful picture of the body of Christ at work. The hands of the body prepare and make the meals while the feet of the body carry those meals to those in need. It is an amazing sight to see our team working in concert like this to take care of those who can no longer leave their homes in order to purchase food for themselves.
Group 2 also served the elderly population of DC, but in a much different way than group 1. They worked for an organization which seeks to provide some basic assistance to elderly people who are trying to stay in their own homes as long as practically possible. In order to assist this ministry, group 2 did yard work for several people. To see HS students joyfully doing yard work was a testament to God's power to transform our desires and give us the great joy when we serve someone other than ourselves.
Group 3 went to a rehabilitation home to visit with people who are far away from family and friends and who rarely have an interested person asking them to share in conversation. Our group split up into several different groups and was able to walk down every hallway in the massive facility to offer a visit to anyone who wanted to take us up on the offer. We learned life lessons from many octogenarians and gained valuable perspective on how God can use difficult circumstances to draw us closer to Him.
In the afternoon our three serving groups merged into two and we put on a vacation Bible school for over 100 children. The Student Ministries Summer Interns put together a great program for us before we left for DC. Their hard work paid off as these kids were welcomed into community, loved and taught about the love of God available to them through Christ. Our theme for the week is, "God Always Wins," and our theme verse is Luke 1:37 which states that "nothing is impossible with God." This is the first year we have done the VBS program and I am optimistic that this new addition to our mission trip will give Chapel students a greater relational connection to the work and ministry being done in DC all year long. We will be doing VBS every afternoon on our trip.
Finally, I would like to share one story that really stood out from today's work. There was one woman at the rehabilitation center who upon seeing so many young people serving with such passion said, "I want to go to this Chapel Church Williamsburg Community. What is this place like? Where is it? I would like to be a part of a church that sends people out to serve the world like that Chapel place." It is a joy that many of us reading this blog entry don't have to wonder what a church like that is like. We have the privilege of experiencing it each and every week. Your children are doing amazing things!
Our team is broken down into three groups for our pre-lunch work. Group 1 went to Food and Friends to prepare and deliver meals to elderly people suffering from various illnesses. This site provides our team with a beautiful picture of the body of Christ at work. The hands of the body prepare and make the meals while the feet of the body carry those meals to those in need. It is an amazing sight to see our team working in concert like this to take care of those who can no longer leave their homes in order to purchase food for themselves.
Group 2 also served the elderly population of DC, but in a much different way than group 1. They worked for an organization which seeks to provide some basic assistance to elderly people who are trying to stay in their own homes as long as practically possible. In order to assist this ministry, group 2 did yard work for several people. To see HS students joyfully doing yard work was a testament to God's power to transform our desires and give us the great joy when we serve someone other than ourselves.
Group 3 went to a rehabilitation home to visit with people who are far away from family and friends and who rarely have an interested person asking them to share in conversation. Our group split up into several different groups and was able to walk down every hallway in the massive facility to offer a visit to anyone who wanted to take us up on the offer. We learned life lessons from many octogenarians and gained valuable perspective on how God can use difficult circumstances to draw us closer to Him.
In the afternoon our three serving groups merged into two and we put on a vacation Bible school for over 100 children. The Student Ministries Summer Interns put together a great program for us before we left for DC. Their hard work paid off as these kids were welcomed into community, loved and taught about the love of God available to them through Christ. Our theme for the week is, "God Always Wins," and our theme verse is Luke 1:37 which states that "nothing is impossible with God." This is the first year we have done the VBS program and I am optimistic that this new addition to our mission trip will give Chapel students a greater relational connection to the work and ministry being done in DC all year long. We will be doing VBS every afternoon on our trip.
Finally, I would like to share one story that really stood out from today's work. There was one woman at the rehabilitation center who upon seeing so many young people serving with such passion said, "I want to go to this Chapel Church Williamsburg Community. What is this place like? Where is it? I would like to be a part of a church that sends people out to serve the world like that Chapel place." It is a joy that many of us reading this blog entry don't have to wonder what a church like that is like. We have the privilege of experiencing it each and every week. Your children are doing amazing things!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
MS NC Trip Day #2
Day number two down in North Carolina began the same way as day number one with a tasty french toast sticks breakfast and some morning worship to wake us up and start the day off praising the God we came down here to serve. The weather was beautiful today with the highs being in the mid-80's and a party cloudy sky that gave us a lot of shade. With the sun came new energy for our students as they continued to dig the trenches in which the septic tank run-off pipes will be placed later in the week. We are digging two trenches with each of them being about 100 feet long, 3 ft wide, and 18 in. deep. Along with digging the trenches, our students began digging another smaller trench that will serve as the trench for the connector pipe between the actual tank and the run-off pipes. A small group of our students continued to paint the inside and outside of Mr. Hughes's house today as well.
The students were given a little more motivation today when we all found out that Mr. Hughes will actually be kicked out of his house if we are not able to finish the septic system for him. He has been living in violation of certain sanitation codes because he did not have proper drainage for his sewage. As a result, he stands to lose his house unless we are able finish it for him. We were continually reminded that God's plan to share himself with the world is through us and it was amazing to see our students get fired up to serve Mr. Hughes and God's kingdom by meeting tangible felt needs like a septic system and real needs like the love of Jesus.
After a day of work we headed back to home base where we took some much needed showers, ate dinner, relaxed and headed to our evening Porch Time. Luke taught from the gospel of Luke, chapter 10, where Jesus sends a group of 72 out on their own mission trip. He talked about how we can use their mission trip as a model for our own and one of the key principles being that we get the chance to leave behind our possessions, people, and the place of Williamsburg. We can get so distracted from God's work in our lives back in Williamsburg that this mission trip is a great opportunity to "Leave it all Behind" for a week and focus on serving, listening to, and learning about God. We finished the evening having some small group time and relaxing! Overall it was a great day and Jesus really is looking great in your kids this week! Goodnight and check back tomorrow night for the update about our day-off from the work site tomorrow.
The students were given a little more motivation today when we all found out that Mr. Hughes will actually be kicked out of his house if we are not able to finish the septic system for him. He has been living in violation of certain sanitation codes because he did not have proper drainage for his sewage. As a result, he stands to lose his house unless we are able finish it for him. We were continually reminded that God's plan to share himself with the world is through us and it was amazing to see our students get fired up to serve Mr. Hughes and God's kingdom by meeting tangible felt needs like a septic system and real needs like the love of Jesus.
After a day of work we headed back to home base where we took some much needed showers, ate dinner, relaxed and headed to our evening Porch Time. Luke taught from the gospel of Luke, chapter 10, where Jesus sends a group of 72 out on their own mission trip. He talked about how we can use their mission trip as a model for our own and one of the key principles being that we get the chance to leave behind our possessions, people, and the place of Williamsburg. We can get so distracted from God's work in our lives back in Williamsburg that this mission trip is a great opportunity to "Leave it all Behind" for a week and focus on serving, listening to, and learning about God. We finished the evening having some small group time and relaxing! Overall it was a great day and Jesus really is looking great in your kids this week! Goodnight and check back tomorrow night for the update about our day-off from the work site tomorrow.
HS DC Trip Day #1
The motto the organization the high school team works with in DC is, "Simply Serve." That phrase perfectly describes our first day working in DC, simply put, we served. We served elderly people who can no longer leave their homes through food deliveries, we served teachers in underprivileged schools by building desks for them and their students, we served homeless men and women by eating dinner with them and we prepared to serve over 100 children with the vacation Bible school we will put on for children in the local neighborhood around the Church. Yes all that happened in one day!!! I continue to be amazed by the scope and magnitude of what our God is accomplishing through students at the Chapel.
In the afternoon, our team enjoyed some down time roller skating at a local park while we ate our lunch. We then headed off to our Vacation Bible school orientation. The VBS is coordinated with a group called Kids Connection and the woman who runs kids connection was a real inspiration for our students. She challenged us to forgive our enemies and use our own life experience to understand what God is up to in the world today. We took advantage of the extra time after we ran through our VBS program to engage in some team Bible Study to help the students more fully understand what God is asking them to do with this experience.
This evening the entire team was together for our Porch Time Bible study. I concluded my talk with a challenge from 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 where Paul talks about the type of people God calls to be agents of change in this world. I really believe God has called each and every child and leader on this trip to experience him in a real way. I can already see God changing lives. Keep us in your prayers.
In the afternoon, our team enjoyed some down time roller skating at a local park while we ate our lunch. We then headed off to our Vacation Bible school orientation. The VBS is coordinated with a group called Kids Connection and the woman who runs kids connection was a real inspiration for our students. She challenged us to forgive our enemies and use our own life experience to understand what God is up to in the world today. We took advantage of the extra time after we ran through our VBS program to engage in some team Bible Study to help the students more fully understand what God is asking them to do with this experience.
This evening the entire team was together for our Porch Time Bible study. I concluded my talk with a challenge from 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 where Paul talks about the type of people God calls to be agents of change in this world. I really believe God has called each and every child and leader on this trip to experience him in a real way. I can already see God changing lives. Keep us in your prayers.
Monday, July 12, 2010
MS NC Trip Day #1
Our day began with an early but tasty breakfast followed by some worship through singing and a short talk given by one of the Recreation Experience Directors. Each morning starts with worship in order to get everyone awake, energized, and focused for the work project that we head to each day. After worship, we loaded up the buses and drove to our worksite where we were introduced to Mr. Hughes and his home. Due to throat cancer Mr. Hughes no longer can speak on his own. He has to have a mechanical device that picks up the vibrations in his throat and turns them into audible sounds. Mr. Hughes lives by himself and may seem to have a rough life, but many of the kids talked about how they saw God in the simple fact that amidst all his crazy circumstances Mr. Hughes still smiled at them.
After the introduction, we hiked up a hill in his backyard to the site where we began digging trenches to put a septic system in place for Mr. Hughes. After an hour or so it began to rain which brought a nice cool breeze and cooled us off. However the rain continued on after our lunch break which made the digging a little more difficult, but it was so impressive to see your children pushing through the minor difficulty caused by the rain because they really wanted to serve Mr. Hughes by giving him a septic system. Along with the digging a small team went and began painting the inside of Mr. Hughes kitchen. We ended up leaving the work site early because of the rain and came back to our home base to take warm showers and relax.
After dinner we had our first evening porch time where we gather together as a group to remember the day, listen to a talk, and praise God through music. It was great to hear where students have already begun to see Jesus in each other, Mr. Hughes, and others we work with. Luke gave a talk looking at Matthew 24:31-42 and Colossians 1:27 and challenged the kids to not just see our work project as a simple act of kindness, but rather as a way to literally live out Scripture by being Jesus with skin on to each other and Mr. Hughes. Finally, we split up into small groups and finished the night relaxing in fellowship with each other. It has been an exciting and God-filled first day and we really do appreciate all the prayer and support from back home. Goodnight and check back into tomorrow night!
After the introduction, we hiked up a hill in his backyard to the site where we began digging trenches to put a septic system in place for Mr. Hughes. After an hour or so it began to rain which brought a nice cool breeze and cooled us off. However the rain continued on after our lunch break which made the digging a little more difficult, but it was so impressive to see your children pushing through the minor difficulty caused by the rain because they really wanted to serve Mr. Hughes by giving him a septic system. Along with the digging a small team went and began painting the inside of Mr. Hughes kitchen. We ended up leaving the work site early because of the rain and came back to our home base to take warm showers and relax.
After dinner we had our first evening porch time where we gather together as a group to remember the day, listen to a talk, and praise God through music. It was great to hear where students have already begun to see Jesus in each other, Mr. Hughes, and others we work with. Luke gave a talk looking at Matthew 24:31-42 and Colossians 1:27 and challenged the kids to not just see our work project as a simple act of kindness, but rather as a way to literally live out Scripture by being Jesus with skin on to each other and Mr. Hughes. Finally, we split up into small groups and finished the night relaxing in fellowship with each other. It has been an exciting and God-filled first day and we really do appreciate all the prayer and support from back home. Goodnight and check back into tomorrow night!
HS DC Trip Night #1
Today was a great day! Everything has gone smoothly. We had lots of great fellowship on the bus ride up. This evening we began to broaden our horizons and experience all that the city has to offer in terms of ethnic diversity by eating dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. Ethiopian food is eaten with the hands and our students enjoyed the hands on dinning experience immensely. Following dinner we went on a "prayer tour" as we began to prepare our hearts to serve on Monday morning. We were all over the city praying for the people we will be encounter throughout the week. The experience helped to expose our group to the poverty that exists in DC first hand before we begin to engage in the lives of people who live in that poverty this week. We can be confident that God heard the prayers of our team and has already begun to prepare our hearts to encounter Him this week.
We will update the blog each evening, but the update will often take place after many people have gone to bed. Please check each morning to read about how God is working in the hearts and minds of our Washington DC Mission Team.
We will update the blog each evening, but the update will often take place after many people have gone to bed. Please check each morning to read about how God is working in the hearts and minds of our Washington DC Mission Team.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
MS NC Trip Night #1
After seven hours of driving and team bonding on our wonderful buses and vans, we made it safely to our home base of operation here at Recreation Experiences. We stay at an old school building that has been turned into a housing location for all the groups that come to work with Recreation Experiences. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the gym has been newly renovated and all of the floors in the guy's rooms have been re-done (the girls rooms were already nice last year). All of the students were so excited to finally get here and check out our surroundings and they were quick to find the basketball courts and soccer fields.
Lights out is at 11pm tonight and then we are off to our first day at the worksite tomorrow morning. Check back tomorrow night for a recap of our day tomorrow. Goodnight and thanks for all your prayers and support!
Lights out is at 11pm tonight and then we are off to our first day at the worksite tomorrow morning. Check back tomorrow night for a recap of our day tomorrow. Goodnight and thanks for all your prayers and support!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
MS North Carolina Final Pre-Trip Update
We are only three days away from our trip and here are some final details you need to know:
Departure Time: Sunday July 11th, at 1pm
Return Time: Saturday July 17th, at 5pm
Emergency Contact Number: 757-570-0292
Hotline Number for updated arrival time on July 17th: 757-810-4021
Remember to pack your son or daughter a lunch to eat on the bus on the way down as well as money to stop for dinner on the way down and lunch on the way back.
Please feel free to contact us at 941-1571 if you have questions about your remaining balance or anything else concerning the trip. Below is the final packing list.
Packing List
Work Site
□ Shoes/Boots – Sandals cannot be worn at the worksites
□ Socks
□ Hat
□ Sunglasses
□ T-Shirts
□ Shorts – Not too short
□ Work Pants
□ Water Bottle
□ Work Gloves
□ Rain Jacket
□ Last Name A-J à Hammer and Nail Apron
□ Last Name J-Z à Paint Brush and Plastic Paint Bucket
□ Sunscreen
Housing Facility
□ Comfortable Clothing
□ Sleeping Bag
□ Pillow
□ Sandals (for shower)
□ Athletic shoes
□ Bible and Journal
□ Tooth brush
□ Tooth paste
□ Soap
□ Deodorant
□ Other Toiletries you need
□ Wash Cloth
□ Towel
□ Light Jacket if there is a cool night
□ Swimsuit
□ Flashlight
□ $ for one fast food meal on the way down and one on the way back
□ $ for Concessions (optional)
□ Packed lunch for the trip down
HS Washington DC Team - Final Reminders and Packing List
Hi DC Team!
Our group departs in 3 days! We hope you are all feeling prepared and excited. I've copied below the packing list as a final reminder. Remember, the luggage space in the vans is pretty tight, so try not to overpack! Important things not to forget are: sleeping bag and/or twin sheets, toiletries, towel, and long pants.
We will depart from the Chapel after the 11am service (estimated departure time is 1pm). Please bring a bagged lunch for the ride up, as we will NOT be stopping for dinner! Please bring this with you to church, as the parking lot gets very full, and you may not be able to run to Subway or McDonald's after our service and make it back in time for our departure! You will also need money for fast food on the ride home.
If you have any questions before the trip, feel free to contact Alexis on her cell phone at 919-260-0719. We will send text updates on the way home to update you on our estimated arrival at the Chapel. If you have not done so already, please subscribe to these text updates by sending a text to the number "41411" with the word "dcparent" in the message section. You will receive a confirmation text back if you submit your text successfully.
In case of emergency while we are on the trip, please contact Alexis or Travis Simone (757-650-9120).
We can't wait to see what God has in store for us in DC!
~the SM Staff
Washington DC Packing List:
[ ] Sleeping Bag and/or
[ ] Single Bed Sheets (fitted and top sheet)
[ ] Pillow
[ ] Bath Towel
[ ] Hand Towel
[ ] Wash Cloth
[ ] Personal Toiletries (Toothbrush, toothpaste, contact stuff, deodorant, face wash, hand sanitizer, shampoo, conditioner, soap, feminine products, sunscreen, & bug spray)
[ ] Bible
[ ] Journal
[ ] Pens
[ ] 2-3 Pairs long pants or jeans
[ ] 5-7 T-shirts (No shirts that expose your shoulders (aka. No tank tops! Make sure your shirts are long enough to cover your midriff when you raise your arms)
[ ] 3-5 pairs of Knee length or longer shorts
[ ] 1 pair closed toe athletic shoes
[ ] 1 pair flip flops/sandals
[ ] Bathing suit (modest one-piece for girls)
[ ] Water bottle
[ ] Hat
[ ] Flash light
[ ] Sunglasses
[ ] Money for fast food on the drive home
Do not bring:
Cell phones
Ipods/MP3 players
Video games
Hair dryers, straighteners, or curling irons
Our group departs in 3 days! We hope you are all feeling prepared and excited. I've copied below the packing list as a final reminder. Remember, the luggage space in the vans is pretty tight, so try not to overpack! Important things not to forget are: sleeping bag and/or twin sheets, toiletries, towel, and long pants.
We will depart from the Chapel after the 11am service (estimated departure time is 1pm). Please bring a bagged lunch for the ride up, as we will NOT be stopping for dinner! Please bring this with you to church, as the parking lot gets very full, and you may not be able to run to Subway or McDonald's after our service and make it back in time for our departure! You will also need money for fast food on the ride home.
If you have any questions before the trip, feel free to contact Alexis on her cell phone at 919-260-0719. We will send text updates on the way home to update you on our estimated arrival at the Chapel. If you have not done so already, please subscribe to these text updates by sending a text to the number "41411" with the word "dcparent" in the message section. You will receive a confirmation text back if you submit your text successfully.
In case of emergency while we are on the trip, please contact Alexis or Travis Simone (757-650-9120).
We can't wait to see what God has in store for us in DC!
~the SM Staff
Washington DC Packing List:
[ ] Sleeping Bag and/or
[ ] Single Bed Sheets (fitted and top sheet)
[ ] Pillow
[ ] Bath Towel
[ ] Hand Towel
[ ] Wash Cloth
[ ] Personal Toiletries (Toothbrush, toothpaste, contact stuff, deodorant, face wash, hand sanitizer, shampoo, conditioner, soap, feminine products, sunscreen, & bug spray)
[ ] Bible
[ ] Journal
[ ] Pens
[ ] 2-3 Pairs long pants or jeans
[ ] 5-7 T-shirts (No shirts that expose your shoulders (aka. No tank tops! Make sure your shirts are long enough to cover your midriff when you raise your arms)
[ ] 3-5 pairs of Knee length or longer shorts
[ ] 1 pair closed toe athletic shoes
[ ] 1 pair flip flops/sandals
[ ] Bathing suit (modest one-piece for girls)
[ ] Water bottle
[ ] Hat
[ ] Flash light
[ ] Sunglasses
[ ] Money for fast food on the drive home
Do not bring:
Cell phones
Ipods/MP3 players
Video games
Hair dryers, straighteners, or curling irons
Friday, July 2, 2010
Travel Update 5
The entire team has arrived safely in Williamsburg. Our journey lasted only 10 days, but it will take much longer than that to unpack the lessons God taught us this year in Nicaragua.
Thank you for your support and your prayers. The Chapel Family can be very proud of what their kids accomplished by letting God work through them this past week in Nicaragua.
We have two more mission teams leaving on July 11th. Stay close to the blog to follow their journey and hear more stories of transformation.
You are all invited to our the Student Ministries Missions Experience, which is part of the Chapel Summer Nights series on August 8th at 6:30 in the Main Worship Room. Students from all three of our trips will share what God did to transform them when they decided to step up and begin to exercise their faith and engage in Jesus' mission to make disciples.
What a ride,
Travis
Thank you for your support and your prayers. The Chapel Family can be very proud of what their kids accomplished by letting God work through them this past week in Nicaragua.
We have two more mission teams leaving on July 11th. Stay close to the blog to follow their journey and hear more stories of transformation.
You are all invited to our the Student Ministries Missions Experience, which is part of the Chapel Summer Nights series on August 8th at 6:30 in the Main Worship Room. Students from all three of our trips will share what God did to transform them when they decided to step up and begin to exercise their faith and engage in Jesus' mission to make disciples.
What a ride,
Travis
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Travel Update 4
The seniors are boarding their plane for DC now. Everything is on time and we should arrive in DC at 12:25am.
The sophomores and juniors are still in the air, but should be landing soon. Look for a text from them when they have landed in DC.
-Travis
The sophomores and juniors are still in the air, but should be landing soon. Look for a text from them when they have landed in DC.
-Travis
Travel Update 3
The sophomores and juniors are on the plane and headed to DC. Everything is on time and they should land in DC at 10:25pm.
The seniors are enjoying each others company at the gate for their flight. Everyone is on time as of now.
Estimated times of arrival for both groups will be sent via text message when each group is on the road from DC to Williamsburg. Text "nicaparent" to 41411 to subscribe and receive the updates.
-Travis
The seniors are enjoying each others company at the gate for their flight. Everyone is on time as of now.
Estimated times of arrival for both groups will be sent via text message when each group is on the road from DC to Williamsburg. Text "nicaparent" to 41411 to subscribe and receive the updates.
-Travis
Travel Update 2
The team is back in the USA! Everyone is through customs and waiting for their flights at their respective gates.
The sophomores and juniors depart for DC at 8 and the seniors depart at 10.
The team is currently eating dinner and waiting to board their flights to DC.
-Travis
The sophomores and juniors depart for DC at 8 and the seniors depart at 10.
The team is currently eating dinner and waiting to board their flights to DC.
-Travis
Travel Update 1
The entire team is through the check in process. As with everything on this trip, the Lord was with us and it went faster than I have ever seen before. The team is eating lunch and will then head through security for our 1pm (Nica time) flight to Miami. The entire team is together for this first leg of the trip.
I will update the blog when we get to Miami, but if you would like to receive information throughout the day, the best way to get info from our team is through our text message updates. Simply text the word, "nicaparent" to the number 41411 and you will be signed up.
The sophomores and juniors are expected to arrive at the Chapel at 1:30am. It could be earlier, but that is my best guess as of now.
The seniors are expected to arrive at the Chapel at 3:30am. Again, my hope is that is will be a little earlier, but that is my estimate right now.
We will send out text messages with updated arrival times as we drive from DC to the Chapel.
God was truly gracious to our team throughout this trip. We can't wait to see you all tonight and share with you all of the things God has done in us and through us. To God be the glory. Great things He hath done!
-Travis
I will update the blog when we get to Miami, but if you would like to receive information throughout the day, the best way to get info from our team is through our text message updates. Simply text the word, "nicaparent" to the number 41411 and you will be signed up.
The sophomores and juniors are expected to arrive at the Chapel at 1:30am. It could be earlier, but that is my best guess as of now.
The seniors are expected to arrive at the Chapel at 3:30am. Again, my hope is that is will be a little earlier, but that is my estimate right now.
We will send out text messages with updated arrival times as we drive from DC to the Chapel.
God was truly gracious to our team throughout this trip. We can't wait to see you all tonight and share with you all of the things God has done in us and through us. To God be the glory. Great things He hath done!
-Travis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)