We had a great day here in the Norfolk/Va Beach area, which started this morning with breakfast together and an excitement for what God had in store for us! Our first stop after leaving Spring Branch was to Union Mission Ministries. They are a multifaceted organization that provide housing on their campus for both men and women, a thrift store, donation warehouse and career advisers for homeless men and women who they are working with to get into more permanent housing. We had the opportunity to meet with one of the directors of Union Mission, Miss Linda and she spoke with our team about homelessness and what Union Mission is striving to do about it. We presented her with all of our donations and she showed us where they would be taken, the process for who would receive them and some of the rest of their campus.
After leaving Union, we headed to a nearby park to have lunch. After lunch we went to Consulate Healthcare Center where we were able to spend some time with some of their patients there. They are mostly elderly and/or disabled men and women who can't always do things on their own, or have people to do things with. The team paired up with residents in order to double their chances at winning bingo. Our students were able to witness the intensity that is elderly bingo! After playing, we joined the residents for some refreshments and the chance to get to know them a little better. Our team thrived in what could have been an uncomfortable situation, forming instant bonds with the residents.
We were sad to leave them, but after our goodbyes we went to the beach where we did some team bonding, followed by dinner. Once everyone had eaten, we went back to Spring Branch for our second Porch Time of the trip. We reminisced on the day during Porch Time's staple segments called "Remember That Time" and "I Saw Jesus" where we remember the funny things that happened during the day, but also where we saw God at work on the trip. After worship, Nick spoke on why our faith looks and feels different when we are on trips like this than it does at home. We looked at a passage in John 11 where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, but before he does Lazarus's sisters Mary and Martha each react differently to Jesus' arrival. Mary acts quickly, rising up and going out. Martha initially goes out, but questions Jesus, allows some doubt to control her. We spoke about how as we look to tomorrow where we will be heading home, we will be faced with a decision: to allow what we experienced on the trip to change us and let our faith control us or let in any fears that we may have. We continued these talks in small groups and then are heading to bed soon, excited to finish out our trip well tomorrow!
Friday, July 22, 2016
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Norfolk Night #1 - 7.21.16
The Norfolk team started our trip this afternoon by having a great drive down to VA Beach! It was great to watch as the team immediately
began to bond on our car ride down I-64. There was no complaining about
the traffic, but instead the extra time in the cars was used to have great conversations and sing! As a result, spirits were high
as we made it to our housing site, Spring Branch Community Church, and
settled into our home for the next two nights. Spring Branch is led by
Travis Simone's father Pastor Michael Simone, and we have had a
wonderful partnership with them for many years. One of our favorite
things about the church is their youth room where they have game consoles, a pool
table, a Foosball table and a great space for our team to hang out. The whole
team was super excited to see all the fun things Spring Branch has to
offer!
After dinner and some free time playing games we began what was for most of the team their first ever "Porch Time." Porch Time comes from the old days on Nicaragua trip where the teams would spend the evening on an actual porch and talk about where they had seen God at work during the day and we use the same title for all of the nightly meetings on every Student Ministry mission trip. Tonight, Nick spoke on the idea of "being sent." We looked at Jacob, the biblical character we studied in our meetings before the trip and how before all of the things that we learned about with him and Esau, he too had been sent somewhere by God. We also looked in Luke 10 where Jesus sends out the 72 and how they took nothing with them so they could avoid being distracted and take all of the opportunities to serve and learn about God that were set before them. After the talk, we split up and had our first small group time where we continued discussing the idea of being sent and where we could look for opportunities in our time down here. After small groups, the Norfolk Team headed to bed excited to see how God was going to show up tomorrow!
*If you aren't already on it, you can sign up for the text list by texting "norfolkparent" to 41411. This is how we will communicate our eta for the way home and give short updates throughout the trip.
After dinner and some free time playing games we began what was for most of the team their first ever "Porch Time." Porch Time comes from the old days on Nicaragua trip where the teams would spend the evening on an actual porch and talk about where they had seen God at work during the day and we use the same title for all of the nightly meetings on every Student Ministry mission trip. Tonight, Nick spoke on the idea of "being sent." We looked at Jacob, the biblical character we studied in our meetings before the trip and how before all of the things that we learned about with him and Esau, he too had been sent somewhere by God. We also looked in Luke 10 where Jesus sends out the 72 and how they took nothing with them so they could avoid being distracted and take all of the opportunities to serve and learn about God that were set before them. After the talk, we split up and had our first small group time where we continued discussing the idea of being sent and where we could look for opportunities in our time down here. After small groups, the Norfolk Team headed to bed excited to see how God was going to show up tomorrow!
*If you aren't already on it, you can sign up for the text list by texting "norfolkparent" to 41411. This is how we will communicate our eta for the way home and give short updates throughout the trip.
Norfolk Mission Trip Packing List and Departure Time
Just a reminder to please meet at the Chapel at 4pm in the SM Worship Room.
Here is a link to the packing list if you still need it:
Packing List
Here is a link to the packing list if you still need it:
Packing List
Friday, July 15, 2016
Nashville, Day 6 - July 15, 2016
Sorry to have missed you yesterday! We had our Porch Time off-site at the amphitheater in Bicentennial Park; a very cool atmosphere for our final time to really reflect and hopefully seal in what God may have had in store of us this week. Luke spoke on Jacob and really wanted to address how Jacob was fearful of his brother arriving with a fleet after he had stolen Esau's blessing. Before the trip, students were asked to write down some of their fears in life (popularity, performance in school or sports, growing up expectations, pressures, etc.) and there was an opportunity to symbolically surrender those fears as they burned up those pieces of paper while the song "No Longer Slaves" was sung in the background. That song announces that we no longer slaves to fear, but rather, we are children of God. With small groups afterwards, we got back to the church site just a little later than usual and went straight to bed after a long day of serving. View a quick "hello" and "thank you" from Luke and the team here: https://vimeo.com/174737209/b2b2d60b34
Today, briefly (as we're about to set sail for dinner and line dancing!):
Morning - Groups 1, 3: Each team went to the the Boys and Girls Club that they had visited throughout the entire week. Playing, instructing, and modeling good behavior for the kids has been a great experience as we sought to serve the staff at these camps. I know one group performed a skit on how to be "caring," and afterwards was able to share that our performance does not define our days, or who we are, but rather that how we care for one another determines the type of days we experience and the lives we lead. It has been so much fun to serve at these sites.
Morning - Group 2: This group went to Operation Stand Down this morning. They went to sort clothes and organize home furniture that will eventually be for sale in a thrift store that supports veterans. While less relational work, that physical labor can be incredibly gratifying as you know that sometimes God really just needs able hands and feet to work. While we may not know who exactly will benefit from the donated items or the proceeds, we know we were able to offer what we could to an organization that has been here before our arrival, and will be here after! That's been a great lesson this week as we continue to learn that this trip is not just about us, although we do have time and talents to give, but that there is an element to empowering those who are here on a daily basis to really impact those in need on a daily basis.
Afternoon - Groups 1, 2, 3: All three groups met up at Loaves and Fishes. This is put on by Catholic Charities, and people from all over the community come and receive a variety of donated groceries. We were able to assist by having some of us form an assembly line that would hand out whatever item they had. And others were able to assist by carrying the box that contained each item has the recipient walked down the line. The people that received these donations were so happy and grateful for us, it put everyone in great moods! There was no complaining about what sorts of food were available or how much we were able to give them; it was just thankfulness.
Group 4 - This team went to Round Table this morning! They helped do laundry, washing towels and bed sheets for this homeless organization. They then had their Urban Exposure. This is an activity that CSM challenges us to engage in. We go down town with an extra packed lunch and find someone who looks like they could benefit from it. Sitting down with him/her, we eat lunch. It's not all that complicated a task, but engaging with homeless people can be intimidating or overwhelming. We ask where they're from, how long they've been in the city, what they like most/least about living here, etc. It's always interesting to hear someone else's story and to be able to offer them something as simple as a bagged lunch. The activity continues with various challenges, kind of like a scavenger hunt list, for us to imagine being homeless, ourselves. Where will we find water? A bathroom? A park? (Is there a city map?) Transportation? All of these are things we don't often need to think through, knowing the exact location of everything we could possibly need to survive, and knowing we have access to it whenever we want. So this is a unique challenge, accurately titled "Urban Exposure."
Group 5 - This team continued its service at the YMCA camp. With emotions comparable to those of Groups 1 and 3, it was their last day with kids they had spent the week with. It's difficult to capture the subtleties of a week spent with kids in a blog, but it's the persistent subtleties that inspire and transform. We hope we've been able to visit this city and persistently serve with joy, care, sincerity and gratitude. The way we are loved by Jesus is similar; it's persistent, steadfast, and yet easily overlooked, not always in plain sight. We're grateful for the staff who serve at these camps full time, able to be persistent in their commitment and care for the youth of Nashville. In the afternoon, this serving group went to Project C.U.R.E., a site visited by some of our other teams earlier in the week. This organization ships donated medical supplies to those who need it all over the world. It's a great organization that really impacts and enhances the lives of people who simply do not have the access to medical supplies and equipment that we do.
All teams are now at dinner, and will be line dancing later tonight! Will certainly be a fun a celebrate way to close the week. Current plan is to depart for Williamsburg around 8am tomorrow morning. If memory serves correctly, it was roughly 12 hours on the road a week ago, so a rough estimate would be to arrive at the Chapel around 9pm tomorrow (we'll drive through a time zone, so we'll lose an hour on the road). Of course, we'll text and update everyone as those plans gain clarity!
Today, briefly (as we're about to set sail for dinner and line dancing!):
Morning - Groups 1, 3: Each team went to the the Boys and Girls Club that they had visited throughout the entire week. Playing, instructing, and modeling good behavior for the kids has been a great experience as we sought to serve the staff at these camps. I know one group performed a skit on how to be "caring," and afterwards was able to share that our performance does not define our days, or who we are, but rather that how we care for one another determines the type of days we experience and the lives we lead. It has been so much fun to serve at these sites.
Morning - Group 2: This group went to Operation Stand Down this morning. They went to sort clothes and organize home furniture that will eventually be for sale in a thrift store that supports veterans. While less relational work, that physical labor can be incredibly gratifying as you know that sometimes God really just needs able hands and feet to work. While we may not know who exactly will benefit from the donated items or the proceeds, we know we were able to offer what we could to an organization that has been here before our arrival, and will be here after! That's been a great lesson this week as we continue to learn that this trip is not just about us, although we do have time and talents to give, but that there is an element to empowering those who are here on a daily basis to really impact those in need on a daily basis.
Afternoon - Groups 1, 2, 3: All three groups met up at Loaves and Fishes. This is put on by Catholic Charities, and people from all over the community come and receive a variety of donated groceries. We were able to assist by having some of us form an assembly line that would hand out whatever item they had. And others were able to assist by carrying the box that contained each item has the recipient walked down the line. The people that received these donations were so happy and grateful for us, it put everyone in great moods! There was no complaining about what sorts of food were available or how much we were able to give them; it was just thankfulness.
Group 4 - This team went to Round Table this morning! They helped do laundry, washing towels and bed sheets for this homeless organization. They then had their Urban Exposure. This is an activity that CSM challenges us to engage in. We go down town with an extra packed lunch and find someone who looks like they could benefit from it. Sitting down with him/her, we eat lunch. It's not all that complicated a task, but engaging with homeless people can be intimidating or overwhelming. We ask where they're from, how long they've been in the city, what they like most/least about living here, etc. It's always interesting to hear someone else's story and to be able to offer them something as simple as a bagged lunch. The activity continues with various challenges, kind of like a scavenger hunt list, for us to imagine being homeless, ourselves. Where will we find water? A bathroom? A park? (Is there a city map?) Transportation? All of these are things we don't often need to think through, knowing the exact location of everything we could possibly need to survive, and knowing we have access to it whenever we want. So this is a unique challenge, accurately titled "Urban Exposure."
Group 5 - This team continued its service at the YMCA camp. With emotions comparable to those of Groups 1 and 3, it was their last day with kids they had spent the week with. It's difficult to capture the subtleties of a week spent with kids in a blog, but it's the persistent subtleties that inspire and transform. We hope we've been able to visit this city and persistently serve with joy, care, sincerity and gratitude. The way we are loved by Jesus is similar; it's persistent, steadfast, and yet easily overlooked, not always in plain sight. We're grateful for the staff who serve at these camps full time, able to be persistent in their commitment and care for the youth of Nashville. In the afternoon, this serving group went to Project C.U.R.E., a site visited by some of our other teams earlier in the week. This organization ships donated medical supplies to those who need it all over the world. It's a great organization that really impacts and enhances the lives of people who simply do not have the access to medical supplies and equipment that we do.
All teams are now at dinner, and will be line dancing later tonight! Will certainly be a fun a celebrate way to close the week. Current plan is to depart for Williamsburg around 8am tomorrow morning. If memory serves correctly, it was roughly 12 hours on the road a week ago, so a rough estimate would be to arrive at the Chapel around 9pm tomorrow (we'll drive through a time zone, so we'll lose an hour on the road). Of course, we'll text and update everyone as those plans gain clarity!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Nashville, Day 4 - July 13, 2016
Group 1:
Group 1 started their day by sharing group devotionals. Each member shared a verse that was meaningful for them and they prayed for the day ahead. From there, they went to the Boys and Girls Club and played more with the kids. From playing basketball to working in the classroom with math tutoring to serving lunch to cleaning up, their service with the kids has been fun, but also formational as they gain a new perspective on city youth. After all that, they ate lunch at Centennial Park, sitting on the steps of the Parthenon replica. They then went to the Second Harvest Food Bank where they helped package over 5,000+ pounds of food, equal to 4,000+ meals! Dinner was served at a Nashville soul food staple, called Swett's. And they also got ice cream at a place called Pied Piper.
Group 2:
Group 2 was able to sleep in a little longer today because they went back to Loaves & Fishes for lunch with the homeless of Nashville. The group was very excited to return and continue building relationships with the men and women they had met a couple days ago at the same place. Upon arrival the team immediately jumped to finish preparations for lunch and then serve lunch to the 103 homeless people that showed up. After serving lunch, everyone went out and sat with the men and women for over an hour as they listened to them share the stories of their life. It was inspiring to watch the group be willing to sacrifice their own comfort to offer not just food but a caring ear and living attitude to this community. After Loaves & Fishes, the group spent the rest of their afternoon writing encouraging notes to the people they had met all week at the serving sites. The CSM staff will deliver them later in the week to all the people they had built relationships during the week.
Group 3:
Group 3 returned to the Magness Potter Boys and Girls Club where they had a guest scientist this morning! So in addition to fun lab experiments, they continued to have a computer, craft, gym, and music rotation. Though it has only been three days at this site, it has been challenging to imagine doing it full-time, but also encouraging to see those who do serve at similar sites day in and day out, loving and disciplining the kids who come there in the hope that they might leave there equipped to serve and help the world. From the club, the team ate lunch outside of Krispy Kreme, which of course led to some donuts and coffee being a part of that lunch. After lunch, the team visited a non-profit called Project C.U.R.E. Put plainly, the purpose of this organization is to ship medical supplies to those who need it. All sorts of donations come in (clean gloves, needles, hospital beds, wheelchairs, etc.) to this warehouse where they are then given a quality assessment before being shipped where they are needed. It was neat to be in the warehouse doing very much behind-the-scene work, knowing that the supplies and equipment we helped move and pack will greatly impact someone who doesn't have the access that we do to modern medical practice. Group Three then ate dinner at Sitar, an Indian restaurant; it was phenomenal.
Group 4:
Group four started off their morning going to a non-profit organization called Project C.U.R.E. Similarly to what Group 3 did in the afternoon, the group sorted though all kinds of donations in a warehouse and prepared them to be shipped around the world to countries who don't have access to the same kind of medical supplies we do. This group, however, focused on packing hospital gowns and lead x-ray vests. The group then ate lunch and after lunch, they learned about human trafficking in Nashville and throughout the country at End Slavery. After learning about it, they went into the community and handed out flyers educating people on the reality that slavery still exist in the country and community that we live in. They ended their night by joining group 3 for dinner at Sitar and going to Centennial Park!
Group 5:
Group 5 went to a shop called Barista Parlor for coffee this morning and then went to the YMCA. There they played basketball with the middle school students before a breakout session. During the week, they have three breakout times. Today, they were able to choose between going to an economic and personal success session or a fitness and nutrition session. At both sessions there were interactive games in addition to the lesson. The former session featured games of teamwork and building trust, while the latter session featured proper technique for static and dynamic stretching, running, and lessons on healthy eating. The team then went to the farmers market for lunch and then joined Group 2 for the rest of their day!
Group 1 started their day by sharing group devotionals. Each member shared a verse that was meaningful for them and they prayed for the day ahead. From there, they went to the Boys and Girls Club and played more with the kids. From playing basketball to working in the classroom with math tutoring to serving lunch to cleaning up, their service with the kids has been fun, but also formational as they gain a new perspective on city youth. After all that, they ate lunch at Centennial Park, sitting on the steps of the Parthenon replica. They then went to the Second Harvest Food Bank where they helped package over 5,000+ pounds of food, equal to 4,000+ meals! Dinner was served at a Nashville soul food staple, called Swett's. And they also got ice cream at a place called Pied Piper.
Group 2:
Group 2 was able to sleep in a little longer today because they went back to Loaves & Fishes for lunch with the homeless of Nashville. The group was very excited to return and continue building relationships with the men and women they had met a couple days ago at the same place. Upon arrival the team immediately jumped to finish preparations for lunch and then serve lunch to the 103 homeless people that showed up. After serving lunch, everyone went out and sat with the men and women for over an hour as they listened to them share the stories of their life. It was inspiring to watch the group be willing to sacrifice their own comfort to offer not just food but a caring ear and living attitude to this community. After Loaves & Fishes, the group spent the rest of their afternoon writing encouraging notes to the people they had met all week at the serving sites. The CSM staff will deliver them later in the week to all the people they had built relationships during the week.
Group 3:
Group 3 returned to the Magness Potter Boys and Girls Club where they had a guest scientist this morning! So in addition to fun lab experiments, they continued to have a computer, craft, gym, and music rotation. Though it has only been three days at this site, it has been challenging to imagine doing it full-time, but also encouraging to see those who do serve at similar sites day in and day out, loving and disciplining the kids who come there in the hope that they might leave there equipped to serve and help the world. From the club, the team ate lunch outside of Krispy Kreme, which of course led to some donuts and coffee being a part of that lunch. After lunch, the team visited a non-profit called Project C.U.R.E. Put plainly, the purpose of this organization is to ship medical supplies to those who need it. All sorts of donations come in (clean gloves, needles, hospital beds, wheelchairs, etc.) to this warehouse where they are then given a quality assessment before being shipped where they are needed. It was neat to be in the warehouse doing very much behind-the-scene work, knowing that the supplies and equipment we helped move and pack will greatly impact someone who doesn't have the access that we do to modern medical practice. Group Three then ate dinner at Sitar, an Indian restaurant; it was phenomenal.
Group 4:
Group four started off their morning going to a non-profit organization called Project C.U.R.E. Similarly to what Group 3 did in the afternoon, the group sorted though all kinds of donations in a warehouse and prepared them to be shipped around the world to countries who don't have access to the same kind of medical supplies we do. This group, however, focused on packing hospital gowns and lead x-ray vests. The group then ate lunch and after lunch, they learned about human trafficking in Nashville and throughout the country at End Slavery. After learning about it, they went into the community and handed out flyers educating people on the reality that slavery still exist in the country and community that we live in. They ended their night by joining group 3 for dinner at Sitar and going to Centennial Park!
Group 5:
Group 5 went to a shop called Barista Parlor for coffee this morning and then went to the YMCA. There they played basketball with the middle school students before a breakout session. During the week, they have three breakout times. Today, they were able to choose between going to an economic and personal success session or a fitness and nutrition session. At both sessions there were interactive games in addition to the lesson. The former session featured games of teamwork and building trust, while the latter session featured proper technique for static and dynamic stretching, running, and lessons on healthy eating. The team then went to the farmers market for lunch and then joined Group 2 for the rest of their day!
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Nashville, Day 3 - July 12, 2016
Group 1:
Their day began at the Boys and Girls club! They played soccer, basketball, and a variety of other activities from story time to crafts. Across the street, a dentist was giving out free dental appointments all day. The group was able to take kids to the dentist throughout the morning. It was a cool experience for the students to see how important these things that seem so normal to us really are. Quick story: all of our students were playing basketball with the boys and girls, but a girl named Kami was playing with Carter and they drew some attention; the kids loved when Carter, one of our taller students, would play tough defense, blocking shoots and passes, but the kids got incredibly excited when Kami made a big shot right over Carter. It's been fun to see different ways we can encourage and engage the kids, often by doing things that they love so we can hopefully share what we love (Jesus!). This group then went to the Nashville Farmer's Market for lunch. After lunch, they learned about human trafficking in Nashville and throughout the country at End Slavery. After learning about it, they shared the vision of End Slavery by handing out flyers about sex trafficking to educate people in the neighborhood and hopefully prevent future trafficking. For dinner, this serving group went to a Thai restaurant and everyone loved it.
Group 2:
This group had an eventful day because it is one of the group members birthday, Luke Kincaid! They started off their day at the Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee. While they were there, they got to work in the garden. They picked weeds, harvested vegetables and prepared the land for the planting that they will do in the future. After lunch, the group joined group one at End Slavery where they got to educate the community on the realities of the slavery that still exists today. They then went to an ice cream parlor down the road where Luke's sister, Hannah surprised him from Chattanooga for his birthday. He was really surprised and the students loved being able to celebrate him today! They ended their day eating dinner at an Indian restaurant, Sitar, with group five.
Group 3:
Their morning was spent at the Magness Potter Boys and Girls Club. Similar to yesterday, they assisted the staff there in engaging kids, playing games, teaching computer, math, and music skills. The word of the week at the club is "caring," so we performed a mini skit to demonstrate a caring friend applying a band aid to someone who had scraped her knee on the ground. It's been fun to be able to return to this site and revisit the kids. Some names were reintroduced, but many are being sealed in the minds of the team as we learn about them and care for them throughout the week. In the afternoon, we were joined by Group 4, and together we visited Catholic Charities, who had recently purchased a new property. It was once was an old school and so it needs to see a fair bit of work to get up and running as a site to support families in the community. We helped move filing cabinets, shred old school documents, dispose of general trash, and clean up and rearrange various rooms. It was a lot of fun. Both serving groups then got ice cream at a local shop, visited a nearby store to buy Luke a surprise birthday cake (he's 30!), and then got dinner at an Istanbul restaurant with delicious rice, lamb and chicken.
Group 4:
This serving group went to Granbery Elementary School this morning and helped move desks, furniture and books into the classrooms in preparation for the new school year. They met with the principal of the school and he gave them his testimony, sharing deeper information about the school and surrounding community and how he has seen Jesus moving and how he hopes Jesus continues to move in an area with a wide wealth gap and a diversity of students. This group then went to lunch at a nearby park and joined Group 3 for the work at the Catholic Charities site, as well as dinner at the Istanbul restaurant!
Group 5:
First thing, this group went to the YMCA and played basketball. This group also got to witness a massive day care Olympics! A variety of day care's gathered this morning to compete in various games and competitions, including basketball relays, dance competitions, sack races, etc. They then went to "Welcome Home Ministries," where they met a man named P.T. who has been running this half-way house for 10 years. This program is for those wrestling with addiction, primarily men suffering with substance abuse, but this is ministry offers a healthy environment to help them quit and enter society with some newfound discipline and stability. While there, the serving group helped clean out the shed that receives a lot of donations of couches, tables, chairs, etc. For dinner, they went to an Indian restaurant, and enjoyed some Sonic for dessert!
Following dinner, all groups returned to the church for Porch Time. "Remember That Time," "I Saw Jesus," worship, and a message, it was great to hear the students reflect on the day, sing praise to God, and listen to Abbey share about incarnational ministry. This idea that God dwells in us and in those around us who believe in Jesus is a powerful one. God wants to use us to serve His kingdom, and He tell us that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Their day began at the Boys and Girls club! They played soccer, basketball, and a variety of other activities from story time to crafts. Across the street, a dentist was giving out free dental appointments all day. The group was able to take kids to the dentist throughout the morning. It was a cool experience for the students to see how important these things that seem so normal to us really are. Quick story: all of our students were playing basketball with the boys and girls, but a girl named Kami was playing with Carter and they drew some attention; the kids loved when Carter, one of our taller students, would play tough defense, blocking shoots and passes, but the kids got incredibly excited when Kami made a big shot right over Carter. It's been fun to see different ways we can encourage and engage the kids, often by doing things that they love so we can hopefully share what we love (Jesus!). This group then went to the Nashville Farmer's Market for lunch. After lunch, they learned about human trafficking in Nashville and throughout the country at End Slavery. After learning about it, they shared the vision of End Slavery by handing out flyers about sex trafficking to educate people in the neighborhood and hopefully prevent future trafficking. For dinner, this serving group went to a Thai restaurant and everyone loved it.
Group 2:
This group had an eventful day because it is one of the group members birthday, Luke Kincaid! They started off their day at the Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee. While they were there, they got to work in the garden. They picked weeds, harvested vegetables and prepared the land for the planting that they will do in the future. After lunch, the group joined group one at End Slavery where they got to educate the community on the realities of the slavery that still exists today. They then went to an ice cream parlor down the road where Luke's sister, Hannah surprised him from Chattanooga for his birthday. He was really surprised and the students loved being able to celebrate him today! They ended their day eating dinner at an Indian restaurant, Sitar, with group five.
Group 3:
Their morning was spent at the Magness Potter Boys and Girls Club. Similar to yesterday, they assisted the staff there in engaging kids, playing games, teaching computer, math, and music skills. The word of the week at the club is "caring," so we performed a mini skit to demonstrate a caring friend applying a band aid to someone who had scraped her knee on the ground. It's been fun to be able to return to this site and revisit the kids. Some names were reintroduced, but many are being sealed in the minds of the team as we learn about them and care for them throughout the week. In the afternoon, we were joined by Group 4, and together we visited Catholic Charities, who had recently purchased a new property. It was once was an old school and so it needs to see a fair bit of work to get up and running as a site to support families in the community. We helped move filing cabinets, shred old school documents, dispose of general trash, and clean up and rearrange various rooms. It was a lot of fun. Both serving groups then got ice cream at a local shop, visited a nearby store to buy Luke a surprise birthday cake (he's 30!), and then got dinner at an Istanbul restaurant with delicious rice, lamb and chicken.
Group 4:
This serving group went to Granbery Elementary School this morning and helped move desks, furniture and books into the classrooms in preparation for the new school year. They met with the principal of the school and he gave them his testimony, sharing deeper information about the school and surrounding community and how he has seen Jesus moving and how he hopes Jesus continues to move in an area with a wide wealth gap and a diversity of students. This group then went to lunch at a nearby park and joined Group 3 for the work at the Catholic Charities site, as well as dinner at the Istanbul restaurant!
Group 5:
First thing, this group went to the YMCA and played basketball. This group also got to witness a massive day care Olympics! A variety of day care's gathered this morning to compete in various games and competitions, including basketball relays, dance competitions, sack races, etc. They then went to "Welcome Home Ministries," where they met a man named P.T. who has been running this half-way house for 10 years. This program is for those wrestling with addiction, primarily men suffering with substance abuse, but this is ministry offers a healthy environment to help them quit and enter society with some newfound discipline and stability. While there, the serving group helped clean out the shed that receives a lot of donations of couches, tables, chairs, etc. For dinner, they went to an Indian restaurant, and enjoyed some Sonic for dessert!
Following dinner, all groups returned to the church for Porch Time. "Remember That Time," "I Saw Jesus," worship, and a message, it was great to hear the students reflect on the day, sing praise to God, and listen to Abbey share about incarnational ministry. This idea that God dwells in us and in those around us who believe in Jesus is a powerful one. God wants to use us to serve His kingdom, and He tell us that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Nashville, Day 2 - July 11, 2016
Today was our first full day in Nashville and we hit the ground running. Throughout the week, each day will be split into two parts, a morning site and an afternoon site. Our days all started off bright and early with devotionals and breakfast before we headed out. This afternoon, instead of going to one of the serving sites, each group went on a prayer tour around greater Nashville. We heard about different pockets of Nashville's history and events that have shaped the area. It was powerful to hear statistics about the poverty and education. The things we were hearing and the places we were seeing are unlike anything we experience on a day to day basis in Williamsburg. We are grateful to have so much more knowledge about the city we will be serving all week and hope that it allows us to be more grace giving and to understand the people we will be serving more fully.
Serving Group 1:
Serving group one left the church at 9:45 and headed over to Loaves and Fishes, a feeding center that serves the homeless community here in Nashville. The group cleaned the facility, served food and got to interact with the homeless people they were serving. Coming from Williamsburg, we often don't understand homelessness or haven't been exposed to it, but it was cool to the students jump in and get to know the people they were serving as if they were talking to a friend. Havey, a freshman boy in group one, was able to make a strong connection with a man named Kenny over their country lifestyle. They talked about fishing, hunting and eating deer, gator, frog legs and any type of fish you can think of. They then went on the prayer tour and finished their night eating dinner at a Turkish Restaurant.
Serving Group 2:
Serving group two joined serving group one at Loaves and Fishes, helping prepare and serve breakfast in the morning. They met, sat, and talked with the individuals and families that gathered for the meal. The group was challenged by the realities of homelessness, especially when a dad walked in with three daughters under the age of six. They're looking forward to continuing those relationships when they return later in the week. The group ate lunch in a local park, and then went on their prayer tour before eating dinner at a Turkish restaurant.
Serving Group 3:
Serving group three headed out today at 8:30 for our "anchor site," (the site we will be going to every morning) Magness Potter Boys and Girls Club. There, 100 children between the ages of 6 and 14 come each day for a day camp. They have 50 minute rotations of computer skills, gym, music, game room and arts and crafts. Upon arrival, the group got to know the children they would be spending their days with before getting split up into different rotations. The students were able to help the full time staff there keep the kids engaged and involved in the activities the group was doing. They then went on a prayer tour and finished their night eating at a Thai restaurant.
Serving Group 4:
Serving group four started out their morning on the prayer tour. What a great way to start your day off! After their prayer tour, the group ate lunch and headed out to Room at the Inn, a day shelter that provides a place to rest and teaches people life skills that they can use as they look to enter the work place. The group sorted through donations and met a man there who played them a song on the spoons. It was definitely the highlight of their time there. They ended their night going to a park before eating dinner at a Thai restaurant.
Serving Group 5:
Serving group five headed out bright and early and headed out to their anchor site, the YMCA, where they were able to play with 50-60 middle school kids that go there each day. Today they helped coordinate a big kickball tournament! They also played a lot of basketball and other games to keep the kids engaged. They went to a park for lunch and ran through a nearby fountain, and they also celebrated their CSM leader's birthday! Her name is Bethany, and they took her to get ice cream. After that they piled back into the van for their prayer tour, and finished their evening eating Thai.
After dinner, all groups returned to the church housing site for Porch Time. We reflected on moments throughout the day, with our "Remember That Time" segment. We shared moments throughout the day where we saw Jesus in our team, CSM staff, and Nashville citizens. We sang songs to God reminding us of God's peace, everlasting love, fulfillment, and holiness. And Luke Kincaid shared a passage from Luke 10, where Jesus sends out people on a trip of their own, and how Jesus instructed them to leave everything behind when they left. The consistency, and sometimes the monotony of our lives can dull us to what's happening. Luke talked about distractions, things that are difficult to let go of when we leave home, but how ultimately we get to experience a deeper joy when our identity and lives are lived obediently in serving Jesus and those around us. Small groups discuss obstacles in leaving things behind, surprises in what we've experienced so far, and what joy we've already experienced. We're excited for some time together tonight before we get some rest to split up again tomorrow and go to our various sites!
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Nashville, Day 1 - July 10, 2016
We had a great day of travel to Nashville with beautiful weather and opportunities to begin the relationships in our separate vans that will continue throughout the week. Each van constitutes a serving group throughout our week in Nashville. The vans go to different locations each day and so it is important for each van to know each other and develop trusting relationships. It has been great to watch students and leaders begin to create an identity in their vans that will carry the through the week as they serve together.
After arriving at our housing site, Eastland Baptist Church, we ate dinner and then were introduced to our Center for Student Missions host leaders for the week. These leaders have committed their entire summer to serve groups like ours that come in each week. We split up into our serving groups so that each group could get to know their particular host and then we took a tour of our housing site to get acclimated to our surroundings. After our tour, we unpacked our gear, washed up, and got ready for bed. Our first night here is just meant to be very relaxed so that we can be fully rested for our first day of service at all of the different service locations the groups will go to.
We are excited to share what our team experiences every day throughout this week and so check back every day to read about all of our adventures. We will update the blog every evening to keep you updated.
After arriving at our housing site, Eastland Baptist Church, we ate dinner and then were introduced to our Center for Student Missions host leaders for the week. These leaders have committed their entire summer to serve groups like ours that come in each week. We split up into our serving groups so that each group could get to know their particular host and then we took a tour of our housing site to get acclimated to our surroundings. After our tour, we unpacked our gear, washed up, and got ready for bed. Our first night here is just meant to be very relaxed so that we can be fully rested for our first day of service at all of the different service locations the groups will go to.
We are excited to share what our team experiences every day throughout this week and so check back every day to read about all of our adventures. We will update the blog every evening to keep you updated.
Friday, July 8, 2016
North Carolina Day #5 - 7.8.16
Our final full day here in North Carolina began with a great breakfast at ReCreation and then we headed right out to the work site to spend a full day finishing the project. Much to our dismay, when we arrived, we found the septic trenches that we had worked all week filled with mud and about 4 inches of water. However, even Mother Nature couldn't stop the attempts of our kids to finish the project that we came here to complete and help this family that we have come to love. After spending much of the morning bailing water out of the ditches, our team grabbed their shovels and got to work perfecting the walls and depths for these septic trenches. After spending the day split between putting the new shingles on the roof and crafting our three trenches, we were a little disheartened when we had to leave and only about 80% of the pipes had been placed and recovered.
We said our goodbyes to John, Zachary, and Austin and headed back to ReCreation to clean up and have dinner. After dinner we had a time of worship in the traditional ReCreation way, (lots of dancing and singing and shouting) and were entertained by a short highlight video that the staff had put together with pictures from throughout the week. We transitioned from that into our final porch time where we had special visitors that came to join us. John and Zachary had come to join us for our time of worship and to hear Nick speak on Jacob, the character we had look at in our pre-trip meetings. We talked about how Jacob had had an encounter with God, face to face and that he had left this encounter with a "limp" or something that he carried with him and yet, he was distracted from where God had called him to go.
We concluded that fear is a powerful motive in causing us to put anything besides God on the throne of our lives, and after the message, students had an opportunity to reflect on an assignment they had worked on prior to the trip. They wrote on a card some of the fears and uncertainty in their lives, and slowly, one by one, they made their way to a small fire to symbolically burn those fears and doubts. In closing, we all sang "No Longer Slaves," reinforcing again that we are not slaves to fear, but are children of God. Small groups continued the discussion of Jacob's story and his encounter with God in Genesis.
Just as when Jacob wrestled with God, our students had a chance to wrestle physically and emotionally with the strenuous task of digging these trenches. John, the homeowner we had helped all week, during our final porch time ended our night with wise words of encouragement for our students, "Don't feel as though you failed because you didn't finish the work, but know that you showed me what the true blessing of God is." We hope that after wrestling this week, God's blessing is made clear in our lives.
We are sad to leave, but excited at the prospect of carrying God's blessings with us as we head back to Williamsburg tomorrow!
We said our goodbyes to John, Zachary, and Austin and headed back to ReCreation to clean up and have dinner. After dinner we had a time of worship in the traditional ReCreation way, (lots of dancing and singing and shouting) and were entertained by a short highlight video that the staff had put together with pictures from throughout the week. We transitioned from that into our final porch time where we had special visitors that came to join us. John and Zachary had come to join us for our time of worship and to hear Nick speak on Jacob, the character we had look at in our pre-trip meetings. We talked about how Jacob had had an encounter with God, face to face and that he had left this encounter with a "limp" or something that he carried with him and yet, he was distracted from where God had called him to go.
We concluded that fear is a powerful motive in causing us to put anything besides God on the throne of our lives, and after the message, students had an opportunity to reflect on an assignment they had worked on prior to the trip. They wrote on a card some of the fears and uncertainty in their lives, and slowly, one by one, they made their way to a small fire to symbolically burn those fears and doubts. In closing, we all sang "No Longer Slaves," reinforcing again that we are not slaves to fear, but are children of God. Small groups continued the discussion of Jacob's story and his encounter with God in Genesis.
Just as when Jacob wrestled with God, our students had a chance to wrestle physically and emotionally with the strenuous task of digging these trenches. John, the homeowner we had helped all week, during our final porch time ended our night with wise words of encouragement for our students, "Don't feel as though you failed because you didn't finish the work, but know that you showed me what the true blessing of God is." We hope that after wrestling this week, God's blessing is made clear in our lives.
We are sad to leave, but excited at the prospect of carrying God's blessings with us as we head back to Williamsburg tomorrow!
Nashville Trip Final Details
Hey Nashville Team,
I can't believe we leave for Nashville in just two days! Just a few things to remember as Sunday quickly approaches:
1) We will be meeting at chapel at 7:45 am ON SUNDAY. We will be packing up the trailer and rolling out as soon as possible. Please try to get to Chapel by 7:45 so we can get on the road, we have a long journey ahead of us.
2) For any last minute packers like myself, here is the packing list for Nashville. Please remember to pack a pair of long pants and closed toed shoes, some serving sites require them. Ladies, unfortunately, they have had some issues with leggings so far this summer so all serving sites and the housing sites have banned them. It will be a blistering 90 degrees when we are there so you will probably want to wear shorts most of the time anyway.
Nashville Packing List
Also, you might want to pack a western outfit for our free night....
3) It is a long drive so feel free to pack some snacks. We will keep them in the kitchen once we get there so please label your things either before you leave or upon arrival at our housing site.
4) We will be stopping for lunch on the way up as well as on the way home. Feel free to pack a lunch or bring money for food!
Can't wait to be in Nashville with you guys! Please text Abbey Sams (757.903.6292) with any questions!
I can't believe we leave for Nashville in just two days! Just a few things to remember as Sunday quickly approaches:
1) We will be meeting at chapel at 7:45 am ON SUNDAY. We will be packing up the trailer and rolling out as soon as possible. Please try to get to Chapel by 7:45 so we can get on the road, we have a long journey ahead of us.
2) For any last minute packers like myself, here is the packing list for Nashville. Please remember to pack a pair of long pants and closed toed shoes, some serving sites require them. Ladies, unfortunately, they have had some issues with leggings so far this summer so all serving sites and the housing sites have banned them. It will be a blistering 90 degrees when we are there so you will probably want to wear shorts most of the time anyway.
Nashville Packing List
Also, you might want to pack a western outfit for our free night....
3) It is a long drive so feel free to pack some snacks. We will keep them in the kitchen once we get there so please label your things either before you leave or upon arrival at our housing site.
4) We will be stopping for lunch on the way up as well as on the way home. Feel free to pack a lunch or bring money for food!
Can't wait to be in Nashville with you guys! Please text Abbey Sams (757.903.6292) with any questions!
Thursday, July 7, 2016
North Carolina Day #4 - 7.7.16
After a great day off yesterday, the North Carolina team woke up, had breakfast and worshiped with the staff at ReCreation. We heard another morning message from the head of ReCreation, on service, where we looked at the passage where Jesus washed the disciples feet. We were encouraged to look for opportunities to serve throughout the day, not only through digging, but also serving our teammates and others that we come into contact with. We then headed to the work site to continue our work on the septic trenches and replacing the roof. In a truly "only God" moment, the rains that were foretasted to come mid-day did not come until we had packed up and loaded the buses at the end of the day, allowing us to make great progress on the trenches. We headed back to ReCreation to clean up and had dinner. After dinner we shared in an ice cream sundae bar with the other group that is staying at ReCreation in an attempt to serve the staff here that has been serving us all week. We then began our nightly porch time where we recounted our day through "Remember that time" and "I saw Jesus" and we also joined our voices together to worship the God that we have been experiencing first hand here in North Carolina. Madeline Duke gave the talk tonight about serving and our attitudes behind that service. She spoke from Mathew 25 where Jesus tells the disciples that when they have served the least of these then they have served Him. We continued the discussion on this idea in small groups where we looked at what serving could look like not only in our time left in North Carolina, but as we come home to Williamsburg as well. We are excited, but also a little sad for our last day at the work site tomorrow, where we seek to serve John and his family by finishing their roof and septic system. Thank you all for your prayers! We look forward to see how God will continue to show up during the rest of our time here!
Below is a link to the video of our team we showed at the prayer meeting that was earlier tonight.
NC Team Video
Below is a link to the video of our team we showed at the prayer meeting that was earlier tonight.
NC Team Video
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
North Carolina #3 - 7.6.16
Today was our day off here in Weaverville, but it started the same as the others with an early breakfast and worship at ReCreation. After a brief message from the head of ReCreation continuing the teaching of their summer theme, "Into the Fire", Our team then headed out for our first activity, Sliding Rock! We had a blast sliding down the natural water slide and building even more memories together. After a few hours at Sliding Rock, we ventured down the road a little ways to a picnic area where we enjoyed lunch with a beautiful view. Then we went to "Looking Glass Falls" which is a waterfall with a swimming at it's base and we reveled in the beauty of God's creation as we enjoyed some more quality time together swimming and taking in the scenery. We left the falls and headed into Asheville where we had a chance for some more small group bonding time while also getting the opportunity to learn about some of the conditions of the region and the poverty it faces. With an average monthly household income of $2,000 for a family of four. After necessary bills, they are left with a budget of roughly $100 dollars per month for food. Things that we don't often think about being a problem in America, like making decisions between food or medicine, are very present and much closer to us than we would like to admit. We then headed to May Farms, home of Meagan May who was a summer intern and program assistant in Student Ministry a few years ago. We had dinner and also did our nightly porch time in their barn. Brody Scott spoke tonight about competition verses compassion and how so often in our lives we allow our competitiveness to effect how we treat people and and situations that we face. He compared competition to the example of compassion in John 8 where Jesus said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone." So often are we quick to call out sin in those around us, and yet are blind to our own. Would we want to be called out or would we want to be shown compassion as the woman was in John 8? After porch time, we drove back to ReCreation and began to mentally prepare to get back to work tomorrow. It was a peaceful and restful day, but we are excited to continue and finish our work project in the next two days!
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
North Carolina Day #2 - 7.5.16
Day 2 here in North Carolina started off with an early morning, delicious breakfast, and a fun-filled worship time at our ReCreation housing site. After worship, the head of ReCreation gave a talk on their theme for the summer, "into the fire" where he encouraged us to allow a spark to catch within us. He also spoke about how the fire isn't always easy, but it is within the fire not just near it that Jesus meets us. With those words in mind, we headed out to our work site for day 2 of digging and roofing. We put in a great morning of work at John's house and ate lunch with the family. As we were beginning our afternoon back in the trenches, we were forced to stop working for the day as a thunderstorm rolled through the area. However, we did not let this get us down as we used this new found free time to our advantage with some great group bonding time (which involved some delicious cookies!) We had a delicious dinner provided for us by the ReCreation staff and then got ready for porch time. After "remember that time" and "I saw Jesus", we joined our voices together to worship through song and then heard the second talk of the trip, given by Jordan Bunn. Jordan spoke on the fact that we are here not only to have a temporary physical impact, but that we have been given an opportunity to make an eternal spiritual impact. She spoke from 2 Corinthians 5:20, where Paul writes about being ambassadors for Christ and what that looks like not only while we are down here in North Carolina, but as we take what God is teaching us on this trip and bring it home. We continued our discussion in small groups and then got ready for bed. We are excited about how God has already shown up in the time we've been down here and are looking forward to where He will turn up next!
Monday, July 4, 2016
North Carolina Day #1 - 7.4.16
Happy 4th! We celebrated our nation today by waking up for an early breakfast and some great worship with the ReCreation staff. After morning worship, we loaded up the buses and vans and headed out for our first day at our work site. Upon arrival, we found out what our main project would be: Roofing and digging a septic tank line for a wonderful family. Once we had split up into two groups (one to start digging the first septic line and the other begin the process of replacing the roof), the family whose house we are working at came out and introduced themselves to us. John and his two sons, Zachary and Austin, came out to tell us how appreciative they were for our willingness to come help them. Not only were they incredibly grateful for us coming to work on their home, they actually came and helped us for most of the day with the digging. We were blessed with the opportunity to not only serve these people, but to work alongside and get to know them as well! It is truly amazing to see how God can work through people. After a full day of roofing and digging, we headed back to ReCreation to shower, have dinner, and have our first "porch time." Porch Time is our nightly program where we have time for remembering the funny things that happened during the day, where we saw Jesus at work, and worship through song. Nick then gave a talk on the idea that we were sent here by God, that it was just by accident. We looked in Genesis 31 at part of the story of Jacob and how he was sent by God, but along the way was distracted. We then looked in Luke 10 where Jesus sent the 72 and how they left things behind in order to avoid distractions. In Small Groups the team discussed more about the idea that we were sent here to North Carolina and where we could find opportunities during our time down here to avoid distractions and seek out opportunities to serve. Finally to fulfill our duty as citizens we went and enjoyed a good ol' American firework show and then went to bed, excited to see God at work and continue to serve down here in Weaverville, North Carolina!
Sunday, July 3, 2016
North Carolina Team has arrived!
We made it to Weaverville! The drive went well and the ReCreation staff was super welcoming to our team. We are heading to bed and preparing to see how God is going to work on our team this week! Thank you for all of your prayers and we will update you here on the blog each night about what we did during each day!
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