Tuesday...

Tara- These past few days have been amazing. We have been working at Corner Stone Ministries, helping out with the Thrift Store and Today the girls in our group went to the women’s shelter while the boys went and helped out at the men’s mission. The people at Corner Stone were so appreciative for the help and support of their ministries. We met a man who volunteers there often and when we were moving things into and out of some apartment buildings, he said that all the work that we had been doing, would have taken him a few months by himself. They even asked us to come back. J God has been working tremendously.

Josh-the boys club is amazing it has about four pool tables, a couple ping-pong tables, about five arcade games, a library, two gyms, walk clubs everything, they even feed about 300 kids everyday for only seven dollars a year. I think the best part is the shuffle ball: there are two tables there both about 6-7 ft each. It`s really cool how most of the stuff they have has been donated. The place is pretty much a Chucky Cheeses for boys ages 6-12.

Updates from Yesterday...

BELOW you'll find notes written by some students and adult leaders:

Kaylyn- It was a great first day. My group was able to go to the youth development center. It’s a building that helps Native American kids that have alcoholic parents or parents that don’t have jobs and they were super cute, they love to play games and color pictures they totally rocked. Then after we ate lunch (we ate on a grass patch between two roads) we went to the Retirement Center and played Bingo with old people. It was lots of fun and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Karina- This is my first mission trip and so far it has been the best time I have ever had. Today we woke up at 6:00 and ate breakfast at 7:45 and the left. I first went to the youth development center and I meet a lot of really cool kids. Then we went to the retirement home and meet Hazel, she was very nice she was telling me stories about how women did not get as many jobs as men it was so cool! Now we are going to the Mount Rushmore (Monday. night) and I can already tell that that will be fun! I really think that today was an AWSOME day!!!!!!!!

Caleb- Today, I saw a miracle. No, not one of the Bible miracles, like fire and lightning and locusts, but a much cooler one. I worked at the Fountain Springs senior care center, and I had been hanging out with the people there, playing card games with them. It was amazing, how they would do so well at the game, they would just be so happy about their success, and then by their next turn, they’d have completely forgotten how they were supposed to play. But, they were just so happy about our being there, I could just see the bright glow on their faces as we played and helped teach them how to play. It was so amazing. As I reflect tonight on how the day went, I think of how amazing God really is, and how He really does still do miracles. He may not do flashy paparazzi wonders and signs, but He does another miracle: The miracle of the grateful heart.

Lora – We went to Fountain Springs Healthcare on Monday. When we walked in and started talking to the people sitting around in the center, their faces lit up! This is where you see how relationships are such an important part of what God wants out of us. We are sharing Jesus’ love by caring and spending time with people. They wanted to have someone to play cards with, or to wheel them out to the garden. Young boys in our group quickly learned how to feel comfortable with an elderly person. They took charge and relaxed with guiding a chair and talking with their partner. The growth in each teen was evident in the first day.

Thanks again for your prayers. More pictures are at the link on the left side of this page.

Arrival & First Day so far…

It was a great trip out and we all are thankful for the safety and protection God provided. On our way we ran over a huge piece of something in the roadway that was throw into the air and hit the wheel guard on the trailer. At that very moment there was a rest area and we were able to pull over and found out there was no real damage however the wheel guard was rubbing on the tire. If we would have had to go further we might have lost the tire. The rest of the trip was great and we arrived in Rapid City, got settled and met new people from two different churches.

Our first Club Night was great as we were challenged to trust God when he has his best for us no matter what. That is exactly what Mary had to do when God was going to use her to be the mother of our Savior.

Our sleep in the church was much needed and most everyone slept well. Today, Monday, we got started at our ministry sites. It will be great to hear the stories from each group as we debrief tonight. Tonight we’ll also be visiting Mt. Rushmore.

Thanks again for your prayers. On the left you’ll find a link to more pictures. The Wi/Fi at the church is not working the best, but we’ll still try to update this blog at least once each day.

and we're OFF!!!!!

We have arrived safely in Rapid City and have had a good night sleep and are ready to start our week off. Unfortunatly, the internet access is rather limited, so we will try to post as often as we can, but I'm not sure how often that will be! Check out the photos to get a glimpse of what has been going on!

Summer2008

JULY 12 - 19th

Twenty-nine middle school students and adult leaders will head out to Rapid City, SD to partner with Youthworks. The team is set, we have prepared through having team meetings, and we're in our final preparations before leaving. God has truly provided right people He has in mind for our mission trip.