Day one began with our departure from the Chapel. Everyone was very excited and ready to head down to Norfolk for our mission trip. It was beautiful to watch how God has prepared each kid to come on the trip as each of them could not wait to leave for Norfolk. Our travels went very smooth down to our housing site at Spring Branch Community Church. The time in the bus is not only necessary for travel, but it also provides a wonderful time for relationships between leaders and students to solidify. Some of the greatest conversations and discussions happen while on the bus and our trip down to Norfolk was no exception.
Spring Branch is a sister church to the Chapel as our associate pastor, Travis Simone, grew up in it and his father is the senior pastor. The church has a fun youth room with foosball and pool tables that your kids immediately gravitated too. It was great watching as the team bonded over games and competition. After dinner, the team gathered in an adjoining room for our evening "porch time." "Porch time" is a time to reflect about the day, sing worship songs, and listen to a talk that helps us process the trip. The name comes from our high school Nicaragua trip where we actually gather on a porch, but we have kept the name for all of our mission trips. Tonight, Luke helped answer the question of where to look for Jesus on this trip. We know that we are going to encounter God down here in Norfolk, but it can oftentimes be a difficult thing to understand where to look for God working in the world. Luke walked everyone through Matthew 25:31-45 and showed us that we will encounter Jesus in the people we serve. Then he used Colossians 1:27 to talk about the idea that we will have the opportunity to be Jesus to the people we serve and to each other on the trip. In short, he challenged everyone to serve Jesus and be Jesus down here in Norfolk.
The day ended with some small group time. We split into groups based on gender and discussed all that had already happened on the trip as well as the ideas Luke discussed in his talk as we prepare to serve the homeless and elderly tomorrow in Norfolk. God has already begun a great work in your kids as they asked questions and begin to wrestle with the things God is placing on their hearts.
God Bless,
The SM Staff Team
