WHY GOD CHOOSE ME

I think that God chose me for Mission to Michigan because he wanted me
to concentrate more on my spiritual life. Also, I think that He
wanted me to connect more with the people in our youth group that I
hadn't really connected with before, so that I would feel more
comfortable with our youth group.

God chose me so that I could share Him with the people at the Baldwin Center by doing all sorts of projects and hosting a day camp for the kids in the area.

Rebecca Oden

God chose me to go on this mission to remind me how to balance Him in my life. I kind of got off track with the start of a job and the end of school so He chose me because I needed to re-center my faith.

Also with the events in my life over the last couple of months, God showed me through the people we met on the trip that we shouldn’t give up on our faith. God won’t give up on you and He will always find ways to help you through it.

God chose me to be on this mission because He knew I could work hard and give it my all for a Christian community that needs it. He chose me to use my own two hands to spread His Word and love through the talents He has given me. He chose me to help Detroit, but they helped me, too.
Abbey Horne

Why God Chose Me

The Mission to Michigan was my second mission trip. I had looked forward to it all summer, but never guessed it would be such an amazing and spiritually awakening experience. I tried to go in to the week with an open mind and open heart. I made sure to step out of my comfort zone and let myself experience new things and new people.

Most of all, I tried to go where God led me. This meant scraping wallpaper in a hot house all day. This meant staying awake with my mom for three hours in the early morning while she drove and everyone else slept. This meant playing with the children in the day camp. As a group, this meant making a change at the Baldwin Center.

God chose me for this mission trip so that I could do all this and more. God chose me because it was such an important experience for me. I have never felt so close with a group of people. Our foot-washing devotion was so touching that I felt like a new person. God chose me because it was a chance for me to Live Out Loud. It was a chance for me to do something that would help others. It was a chance for me to be a better person. God chose me for the mission trip to Pontiac, Michigan for many reasons. Because he chose me, I had the chance to be closer with my youth group and with God.

Megan Mallonee

DAY EIGHT

Hi Richard! Hi John! Hi Don! Hi Jeff! Hi Charlie! Boy were we glad to see our relief drivers! Several of the Dads; Richard Blackburn (Ben), John O'Neill (Hannah), Don Buckner (Abigail), Jeff Horne (Abbey and Maggie), and Charlie Greene (Becky and Catherine) drove up to Parkersburg WV on Friday night to relieve our tired counselors/drivers for the trip home. We made a quick pit stop, changed drivers and settled back in for some more rest.

After a refueling stop (vehicles and bodies) in Princeton WV we hunkered down for the last leg of return trip to beautiful, hot Gastonia and FUMC. We certainly were glad to be headed SOUTH, north bound I-77 was backed up for 5 to 10 miles in two spots in Virginia. Of course some of us (tired adults) used this to catch up on sleep. We arrived safely back in FUMC parking lot at 6 pm, 14 1/2 hour trip.

We would like to thank God, our parents, our counselors, our leaders (Becky and Jim) and our church for supporting and allowing us to have this wonderful experience.

DAY SEVEN

Friday was spent wrapping up the projects at the Baldwin Center. The
playground team spread 15 lbs of mulch, the brick patio was completed,
the entire house was stripped of wallpaper, Food for Hope bags were
packed to deliver to senior citizens, the daycampers had a beach party
complete with Sundrop slushies, tee shirts and school supplies to take
home. The clothes closet office and reception area is near completion.

It was the first really hot day and it poured the rain for nearly an
hour. As we packed to leave many staff, parents, clients, and children
commented on how hard we worked, how focused we were, how friendly and
mature our sr hi youth were. We know we left our footprints and they too
made an impression on our hearts.

We showered and arrived back at the Baldwin Center to Mid's funnell cakes! For supper, we invaded Sonic - can you imagine 40 people placing orders in the outdoor speaker! After celebrating our counselors, seniors and Fabulous Fran, we closed with
journaling and prayer. We asked the same question the last night that
we began with, "why do you think God chose you for this mission trip". In
the weeks ahead, I hope some of the youth will share their answers. The grand finale of the eveing was the sllide show presentation. We wish to thank Richard Abernethy for his diligence in producing this essay of photos which captured our mission to Michigan. The last frame posed the question 'What kind of world do you want?'. Which leaves each of us to ponder how we continue to serve and live out our faith every day. After a trip to IHOP and rest for the drivers, we got on the road at 3:30am to head home.

Night,Night.
--beckygreene

Mission Trip 2010: Pontiac, Michigan-DAY 6

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Correction from team "Gold Digger" and playground worksite. No bobcat was brought in to finish off the job. A song was created at the site that said, "We want bobcat!" because their had been talk of bringing one to get the last "big polls" because the staff thought that would be impossible. However, FUMC surprised them and manually dug 3 feet and lifted concrete cinder blocks from the dug hole by using a rope. They worked as a team and played tug-a-war with the concrete until it was pulled out.

The morning was kicked off with Morning Glow from Abigail and Lauren. They talked about our "holy ground." In early years Jesus had church tent meetings, so the church community moved from place to place. This was significant because this is a reminder of how we should still live out our faith in every circumstance, even though we have sanctuaries to worship. On this trip we were encouraged to be hands and feet of God by the work we are doing at The Baldwin Center. Even though we are only here for one week, our impact and examples of our Christian faith will be left on Pontiac for many years to come.

At our work sites today we symbolically left our mark as a reminder of our devotion this morning. Many of us taped crosses to our sites to constantly remind us of our faith. We had many worksites today that were examples of Holy Ground.

At the playground site much progress was made. A total of TEN poles were dug and at the conclusion of the day, the removal of the playground set was complete. It was a satisfactory for those involved, as well as others who had been a part of the process earlier in the week or those who had heard or witnessed the progress. What an awesome accomplishment, especially on something that seemed impossible on Monday.

The relocation of the fence was quite successful today. The entire fence was moved and assembled in the new location except for one rotten panel that will need to be replaced. They anticipate completing this project tomorrow. The relocation will be beneficial to the Center in the winter months when the snow is extremely high and needs to be cleared from the parking lot.

Since the fence project on required a few extra hands, the others first assigned to this project created their own project. Abbey Horne, Lauren Long and Catherine Greene decided that a brick patio would be a nice touch to the freshly painted shed our group painted earlier in the week. They tirelessly cleared grass, framed the patio and toiled the soil. Next they added tons of sand and began to set the bricks. Even after passing up their ice cream surprise, the tedious project was not completed at the end of the day. Lauren and Abbey were determined to finish what they started though, and requested to finish it on Friday. The boys at this site, Clay and Sam, trimmed a TON of trees to beautify this site.

The wallpapering group made substantial progress at the house on Thursday. All the wallpaper was removed from the bottom level and the stairs. Much was removed from the upper level of the house and they anticipate completing the project by the end of the week. The group took great pride in their tasks and even created an additional project that will be finished on Friday. The decided to remodel a bathroom in the house. To begin this project, they removed hardware from bathroom appliances and also began removing tile. They look forward to completing this on Friday.

The Clothes Closet group continued demolition in one room of the place. They knocked out all of the dry wall and replaced a majority of it with new dry wall. This was a labor intensive project and required much time and effort. Although they felt like much wasn't accomplished yesterday, we can promise that this group was extremely successful, complete with plaster in their eyes. At the end of the day they wanted to do more, so they applied sheet rock compound to the walls, which will be finished tomorrow. Erin Ingle would like EVERYONE to know that she used a SAWSALL to chop PLENTY of wood, with proof in her sore wrist.


Another group helped a new member of The Baldwin Center staff decorate her office. This new fundraising director started her job the day we arrived, so we immediately had a special bond with her. This group painted her new office Carolina blue. The woman was more than thrilled with the paint and exclaimed she felt right at home. They also helped her unload her supplies and set-up her new place. After this job was completed, Brittany Helm and Hannah Williams helped pack and organize non-perishable food for elderly adults in the community.

Another wonderful day was had by the children that attended Camp Sunshine. They learned through a variety of activities that they were all a creation of God and molded into the beautiful children they are. The children and youth also enjoyed another sing along, complete with Little Sally Walker, Cha Cha Slide and Beach Beattitudes.

After another successful and enjoyable day of work, we were excited for showers. After we were refreshed, we split into groups to enjoy a delicious meal of Panera or Wendys. The short dinner time allowed for a meaningful and moving evening devotions that evoked much emotion from our entire group.

Continuing with the theme of Morning Glow, we were reminded that Surely the Presence of the Lord is in ANYPLACE where we mark as "holy ground" as we serve our Lord. Jim reiterated these sentiments by sharing a story from the book, "Same Kind of Different as Me". Through illustrations in this book we became aware that people from all walks of life can walk beside us in our Christian journey. Our leadership team symbolically showed us of our journey this week through an inspiring and deeply meaningful footwashing. This was a tradition that dates back to the days of Jesus, as He washed the feet of those He served. We learned through scripture that the washing of the feet were not by chance but by a conscious decision by Jesus. Those He served in the time traveled mainly by foot, so this was the dirtiest part of their body. The footwashing not only cleansed their feet but also washed away their sins, negative thoughts, concerns, etc. Once their feet were washed they were cleansed both literally and spiritually. This tradition that we continued during devotions evoked so many emotions and were extremely memorable since our feet were washed by our graduated seniors and rising seniors. Again, we closed this time with journal and prayer time using our prayer beads. We closed in a circle and holding hands. Our group has grown closer together because of this trip, and our group is extremely grateful to have others in our group who can hold their hand and cleanse their spirits by simply being a member of this unique and special group. We feel very fortunate and privileged to be a part of such a special group where we all feel loved and accepted, and most importantly share our love for God. As a symbol of our love for one another, we joined hands and closed in prayer.

Continuing with our moving devotions the guys and girls spent time apart separately and enjoyed the bonding experience. Again, it was another great and full day in Michigan.

mission Trip 2010: Pontiac, Michigan-DAY 5

It's fun day up here in Detroit, Michigan! This is once again Abbey Horne, Megan Freeman, and Cameron Williams blogging to you about our day!
Our day started off by a lovely breakfast made by Mid Dover, George Freeman, and David Whiteside. We had bacon, eggs, cereal, and biscuits! Although we call it our fun day, we still remain serious and take the day to rest and refuel. The group took advantage of this opportunity to bond and get to know everybody better. We arrived at the Henry Ford Museum by charter bus, given free time to walk around and explore in groups. After seeing most of the exhibits, everyone joined in to go see the movie Inception in the IMAX movie theatre. It was a great movie that kept everybody on the tips of their seats anticipating what will happen next. The next stop on our trip brought us to Ann arbor, Michigan for the art fair. Our group greatly enjoyed the atmosphere surrounding the fair and even found several souvenirs to bring back home. Dinner time arrived around 6 p.m at a local restaurant called The Cottage Inn. After dinner, we shopped a little bit longer, but then it was time to regroup on the charter bus and start our journey back to the church. Once we arrived back at the church, Becky led the devotion based on the one given to us this morning by Hannah Oneil and Sarah Whiteside. During the devotion we were given the time to reflect on how we have influenced the christian community around us. As we wrote in our journals and held our prayer beads, we considered what in the community has influenced ourselves and how important it truly is to surround ourselves with christian friends. The scripture given to us tonight taught us that it is easier and wiser to live our faith out loud by surrounding ourselves with strong christian influences and friends.

Mission Trip 2010: Pontiac, Michigan-DAY 4

Greetings from Cameron Williams, Abbey Horne and Megan Freeman.
To start off our day the ladies had a very unexpected wake up call around 7 am. The garbage trucks came for its routine pick up and noisily disposed of the trash right outside of their window. Even though it wasn't the average wake up call, it managed to get all of them up at once in a very swift manner. Our morning glow was presented by Brittany Helm and Chandler Caldwell. They incorporated the lyrics of the song World-5 for Fighting with the idea that life is what it is because of what you make it. With that concept in mind, they then asked " What kind of world would you want or make using a blank canvas?" Even though we are at different places in our lives, we have all gotten there from our own decisions, and the way we live out our lives. Our Canvas is painted with the choices and decisions we have made throughout our lives and will always represent what type of world we want.
The playground team " gold diggers" got down and dirty with the continuing demolition of yesterdays work. The morning dew made it extra muddy but that didn't stop them from working hard and getting the job done. After numerous attempts at getting the cement out of the ground, the gold diggers were losing steam and finally took matters into their own hands. An equipment upgrade was made and the bobcat was introduced to the team. It soon brought back the spirit to the playground and it is now left standing with four poles to go.
The fence group preceded to go on and work on the progress of removing and digging holes. They started the fence building by digging 10 holes 3 feet deep. This will be the foundation of the new fence that will soon be put in.
The day camp group awaited for all the kids to arrive. Breakfast started around 8 :45 and the day quickly moved on from there. The camp councilors and the kids joined in on several group activities consisting of : hula hooping, side walk chalk math, sing and dance alongs, and several crafts.
The garage group was put together by Becky and our new friend Darrell. Their task was to take a cluttered garage filled with home depot donations and transform it into a properly organized shed. The team worked together by moving all the objects out of the garage and with Becky's wonderful organizational skills, sorted everything inside. With everything in catatorgies, the garage team quickly, but efficiently, put everything back into the garage.
The Demolition team removed a kitchen sink and cabinets and a wall bookcase unit. They then finished by putting down a wooden floor to allow the secretary to rearrange her office space.
The Wall Paper Group continued to strip the wallpaper inside of a house. They made great progress and have now just about finished stripping the entire downstairs. A lot of work is still to be done but with the work ethic we have maintained we will knock it out in no time!
After a long hard day of work, we got the pleasure of being able to go to the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball Game against the Texas Rangers. It was a very exciting game despite the loss from the Tigers. We stayed until the top of the 8Th inning but our game was quickly cut short due to an unexpected rain storm. Everyone enjoyed the game and the bonding time it presented to the group.
For evening devotions each group was given a blank canvas to draw a picture of their days work and then shared their days experiences with the entire youth group reflecting on what they desired their worlds to look like. As a part of the devotions today everyone was asked to journal about what kind of world they wanted and then closed the evening again using their prayer beads thanking God for using them to create the world they wanted.

Mission Trip 2010: Pontiac, Michigan-DAY 3

Our "wake-up" time was an hour earlier today; which most of us felt as we slowly made our way downstairs. Since today was to be our first work day, we had additional preparations to add to our morning. We had to pack our lunches and our bags with clothes to wear following our showers.
Morning Glow was led by Clay and Erin. Their devotion was all about relationships; sustaining them to make an impact on our lives 52 weeks a year instead of just this one. They encouraged us to think about how we work as a group to sustain each other. This week we will strive not to "Catch and Release" our friendships, but to show the love of Christ year round.
We boarded the buses and made our way to The Baldwin Center to divide into our work groups for the day.

We were welcomed by the Resource Developer, Jason Gordon. Jason gave us an orientation and a short tour of the center. Meanwhile, the Day Care Center group, "Team CHABELA" had to go right to work, welcoming children and preparing breakfast. Twelve children attended "Camp Sunshine" Detroit-style. Our theme was "Have you filled your bucket today?" We taught the children that you can fill one another's buckets by doing kind things for each other. You are a "bucket dipper" if you take something out of someone's bucket by being unkind. All of our activities centered around this theme and included language arts, math, crafts, music, and outdoor time. We had lunch with them and began to develop close connections with these special children. We sang songs from a recent Vacation Bible School and closed with a relaxing quiet reflection time.

The children ate a lunch that was also served by some of our group in the Soup Kitchen at the Center. The guests of the Soup Kitchen were served Beans and Franks AKA "Beanie Weenies". Little did we realize that McKenzie would be surrounded by beans-her most-unusual phobia. She survived and helped others in the process.
One of our smaller projects was to unload two boxes of clothing that were donated to the Baldwin Center Clothes Closet.

"Team Cakesters" (named from the car construction game from last night) cleared a lot; removing broken fences and a roof and started post-holes for a new fence. Their favorite part was the removal of SEVEN nasty toilets filled with brown water, mosquito babies and tadpoles. On a lighter note, they scraped paint and applied the first coat of paint on a tool shed.

The "Gold Diggers" aptly named had a main goal to dig and take apart a playground that was not up to code and was more costly to repair than replace. The went through several layers, beginning with mulch and dirt. Next came a very strong layer of weed barrier similar to a burlap sack that had to be cut with scissors. Once they tore through that, they met the clay, which was very thick. In total, the Gold Diggers had to go through 36 inches of mulch, dirt, weed barrier, and clay only to meet up with the unbreakable reinforced concrete base. This seemed like a good time to break for lunch. A trip to the hardware store was needed to purchase the correct tools to take the playground itself apart. The highlight of the day happened within the last five minutes of their workday was when Cameron and Chandler finally pulled out a metal piece with concrete attached that they had been working on all day!

The "Dream Team" began renovations on a house that had been uninhabited for quite a while. They moved furniture, tore out carpet and tore down wallpaper. The house was less than "dreamy"-they found hair on the wall after they peeled the wallpaper and they had to use toilets that had not been cleaned in 12 years-literally. The carpet smelled of animals; some even said the animals may not have been living when they were last in the house.
Skittles AKA "Mark Skillestad" kindly recommended that his group take a break. He then laid down and never came back. While the group wondered where their leader was, he was being transported to the hospital with severe lower back pain and nausea. As it turns out, Skittles, was suffering from a kidney stone. As we write this, Mrs. Skittles is at the hospital with her husband hoping that he can pass the stone and rejoin the group. We ask you to join us in keeping him in your prayers.

After the girls had to limit their showers to 3 minutes or less, we miraculously left the high school in time to go out to eat at the World Famous Big Boy Restaurant. Although some of us had to wait quite a while for our food, the service was friendly and the food was satisfying. Chandler had the most food ever without paying for it. Mid called him a "Moocher" and nothing but it!

Devotions began with a debriefing of the day and what our strengths and weaknesses of the day. We were asked to choose our "Catch of the Day"--the person who overcame the obstacles and was basically the MVP of the day. We ended with our Bible verse and journaling about what we were prayerful, thankful, and joyful about.

Overall, the first day was exhausting, but progress was made and relationships were formed and strengthened.

MORE PICTURES

Here are several more pictures from today that wouldn't fit on our last blog. We're still working on how to provide captions with these photos!!

Mission Trip 2010: Pontiac, Michigan-DAY 2

GOOD EVENING! This blog is brought to you by FIVE FAITHFUL FEMALES (a name that originally had some interesting suggestions due to exhaustion and heat!): Erin Ingle, Hannah Williams, Parrisha Barnes, Meredith Love and Catherine Greene!!

We enjoyed a restful night and awoke with more energy. We started off the morning with Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. at Community Presbyterian Church of Waterford. We attended Sunday School in the sanctuary for one class, young and OLD! They normally all meet in the room the girls took over with all their air mattresses. We learned that we should all be "little Jesus'" and the hands and feet of God.

As church began at 10:00 a.m., the crowd grew larger. During the service we felt so included because the minister continued to mention the North Carolina youth group. We even had the opportunity to share in communion with them, although they are of a different denomination, they too, like us, have an open table for community. What an awesome experience!

Another warm hospitable act was shown to us after church by the gracious Missions Committee at the church. They served us an AMAAAAZING lunch, which rivaled OUR Southern Hospitality! We're definitely enjoyed being spoiled!!

Next we found a high school that paled in comparison to our local high schools. Their amenities and accommodations were superb, and something we're not accustomed to on most Mission Trips! We had relaxing swims and competitive games of water basketball. These FUN activities were followed by the FIRST shower of the week, and desperately needed after the 14 hour ride yesterday.

We experienced a little free time next as we arrived back at the church. This time including a Wal Mart run for stuff we left back in the South (ah hmm...BECKY!) or FOOD.

Our annual pizza party, provided by Sherry McKenzie, was awaiting us! We want to thank her for satisfying our pizza craving and showing her love and support through a distance! We would also like to thank Amanda Cole for the wonderful poundcake, topped with strawberries (thanks Becks!).

Devotions and team building activities concluded our Sunday night. Some of the activities included "People Mission Finder," in which we went around getting signatures of people who could meet different requirements. We then got in our work groups for Monday and made a car out of random things (oreo cakesters, crackers, stirrers, tape and playing cards). The car had to represent our group, which we made a name for. As "The Dream Team," "Chabrela," "Progresso" and "Gold Digger" made their debuts to the entire group, they served as a reminder that we must work together in our groups this week to be successful in the Motor City. We finished the evening with journaling and prayer time. Our journal topic came from scripture first heard this morning during Sunday School, 2 Thessalonians 2:13. This scripture explained why God chose us to do what we do. We wrote about why we felt God CHOSE US to be apart of this trip and experience this week. Why were we called to Detroit? After our jounaling time, we received our prayer beads provided by the Embrace Group of FUMC, Gastonia. The group lovingly and prayerfully crafted the beads for each individual person in our group and enclosed a personalized letter. We are very grateful for these loving gifts we each received. We will use them throughout the week, and continue to cherish and utilize them upon our return.

We thank each and every one of you for your prayers and thoughts for this Mission Trip. Continue to pray that our hands and feet are extensions of God! Also, don't forget to follow our blog daily to keep up with the exciting events happening in our life.

P.S. We would like to mention our dear friend Fran Anderson, who is the Mrs. Caldwell of Waterford, Michigan. She continues to welcome and excite us with her exuberant attitude and smile, in her rockin' heels! Don't worry, we will receive plenty of hugs this week.

We are getting VERY sleepy and MUST get some rest for our first day of work tomorrow. Goodnight from the 5 faithful females!

Mission Trip 2010: Pontiac, Michigan-DAY 1

WE ARRIVED SAFELY IN PONTIAC, MICHIGAN! Please check back daily for updates from our group. Each night a new group of youth will be sharing our experiences through this blog. Tonight, wearily, Ben, Megan M., Mary S., Clay, Chandler, Sam and Catherine try to recount our mundane travel day.

FROM C. Caldwell the Might:

Dawn arose in a quick, but exciting flash. Soon, once all arrived, and with a motivational spiritual preparation from Tripp Hord, we were off on our 14 hour (yes, you read that right!) drive. After several pit stops, numerous munching sessions and the creation of "Fort Helen's Playpin," we arrived around 8:30 p.m. and were welcomed by a plethora of Community Presbyterian Church of Waterford, Michigan (our living corridors for the next week) members. We enjoyed a surprise banana split snack provided by this very gracious church. We mingled and interacted with their youth and adult leaders. Despite our exhaustion, we were extremely grateful by this warm welcome and immediately felt right at home. This is the first time we've experienced such a friendly welcome. After an hour (which felt like FOREVER) of unpacking, unloading and blowing up air mattresses (and trying to cram all the girls and their STUFF into a small Sunday School classroom) we enjoyed an always delicious $5 foot long from Subway. We sure shocked the two girls as we arrived shortly before they closed, but thankfully they filled our hungry bellies! Upon arrival back at the church we had a quick meeting and preparation before settling for bed.

Tomorrow we look forward to worshipping with this church during Sunday School and 10 o'clock church! Following the service, we will have an orientation for The Baldwin Center, which is where we will be working this coming week. After we are oriented, we will enjoy a home cooked meal from our generous church hosts. Then we will anxiously await a pool and SHOWER!!

We are extremely excited about the opportunities that await us this week! We look forward to serving the community of Pontiac, while also growing closer and building our own community in our group, all while strengthening our personal relationship with God.

Remember to check back daily for updates from our trip!

Daily Prayer Guide for Motor City Mission Trip

Saturday, July 17
The team departs this morning for Michigan.
Please pray for: ...all the final preparations to be made smoothly.
...safe traveling and health for team.
...unity and bonding while traveling.
Scripture to pray: “Spread your protection over them, that those
who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless
the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”
Psalm 5:11-12

Sunday, July 18
After sharing in a local church service, the team
will spend the day in orientation. They will be establishing basic
logistics and connecting with one another.
Please pray for: ...flexibility to circumstances they encounter.
...God’s plans for each participant to be accomplished.
Scripture to pray: “Let the peace of Christ dwell in your hearts,
since as members of the body you were called to peace, and be
thankful.” Colossians 3:15

Monday, July 19
The team starts the bulk of their work schedule
today. For the next several days, they will be building, painting, serving
in a soup kitchen, in a clothes closet and a daycare center.
Please pray for: ...discernment as the team interacts with others.
...team to assimilate all information they need today.
...patience.
Scripture to pray: “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in
all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

Tuesday, July 20
The team follows a “typical” daily schedule.
Please pray for: ...openness among the recipients.
...just the right things they will need at each site.
...unity of the team.
Scripture to pray: “May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father
who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good
hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and
word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Wednesday, July 21
The team has a day off. This is a fun
day, but also designed to pace the amount of information the team is
processing.
Please pray for: ...refreshing from God to cover the weariness.
...team’s hearts to be filled with gratitude.
...the students would live out community.
Scripture to pray: “Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Thursday, July 22
The team ramps up for more ministry.
Please pray for: ...continued strength and energy to minister.
...that God would deepen the lessons that He has taught.
...each team member’s life to be changed by this trip.
Scripture to pray: “Come and see what God has done, how awesome
his works in man’s behalf! Praise our God, o peoples, let the sound of
his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet
from slipping.” Psalm 66:5, 8-9

Friday, July 23
The team concludes their week’s labor of love.
Please pray for: ...the team to be encouragers of one another as
well as the local people.
...spiritual conversations to occur in relationships built,
...seeds that have been planted to bear much fruit.
Scripture to pray: “If you don’t know what you are doing, pray to
the Father. He loves to help.” James 1:5

Saturday, July 24
The team leaves for home today.
Please pray for: ...God to speak to each participant today as they
reflect on what has taken place.
...others at home to be blessed by the reports from this trip.
...team’s acclimation back to a normal routine.
Scripture to pray: “The prayer of a person living right with God is
something powerful to be reckoned with.” James 5:16