Giving teens what they want is not always the most loving thing we can do for them. In order to lead youth into deeper and more satisfying happiness, we often must give them what they don’t want. We should withhold bronze so that we can give them gold; we should withhold what youth value so that we can give them what is of real value.
There are billions of details to plan and decisions to make on a mission trip—Where will we rent vans? When will we stop for potty breaks? Who will pack lunches? How will we load our trailers? The question I ask myself is, How strategic or intentional should I be in planning those details? Which decisions should I control, and which ones should I allow others to decide? A good leader will strike a balance between control and freedom. Too much control will crush a team; too little will yield chaos. I have in no way mastered this balance, so I am grateful that God is steering my heart towards those areas that would benefit from strategic planning.
One area I believed our NOLA2010 team needed growth was in the area of unity. In our briefing meetings prior to the trip I noticed several factions. Each group was divided by age, gender, school district, affinity; and it created uneasiness when we were all together. We didn’t know each other well enough to be comfortable, and we weren’t comfortable enough with each other in order to be a team.
I felt God pulling at my heart to consider how to break down these barriers. My solution came by intentionally selecting who would ride in vans on the way down, who would room together in hotels, and who would work together on the job site. I invested a lot of thought into how to blend the cliques over the course of the week. I prayed and weighed over tons of factors, too many to list in this blog. In the end I believe these efforts brought tremendous fruit, but only because God was working in ways I never could, to melt the hearts our team enough to stretch us but keep us from snapping. We left PA a divided group and returned a cohesive unit.
Could God have done that without the planning on my part? Absolutely. He is always accomplishing ends without me—often in spite of me. Would our group have come together without my planning? I don’t think so. If given the choice, teens would have chosen to ride, room, and work with their friends. They would have done whatever they could be around people they were comfortable with. In many ways, I think they would have remained in the same factions they had prior to the trip.
My decision to select these groupings was not popular among the youth. I heard disgruntled complaints and manipulative excuses. The question crossed my mind, Should I give them what they want? Or should I withhold what they want now because I believe there’s something better for them if they endure this momentary affliction? As a leader, I saw the discomfort as a necessary step toward their greater happiness.
I wonder if God doesn’t use this same type of suffering to bring us to a greater place of joy. My heart isn’t much different from the teens’; I prefer comfort to pain. But what if this comfort only produces bronze, while the pain produces gold? Wouldn’t I be a fool for settling for bronze when gold is offered?
I love our youth, and I want the best for them. On this mission trip, that meant I didn’t let them always be with all of their friends. (It meant I didn’t allow them do a lot of other things, too!) I wanted them to experience the gold of being a unified team at the expense of bronze time with friends.
I believe God loves us and wants the best for us. It takes faith to believe that that’s true even when pain comes my way and I don’t get what I want. The more I understand the truth of God’s love for me, the deeper my faith grows. That’s element that changes my prayer from, “Lord, please protect us.” to “Father, please sustain us.”
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Teen Blog Brooke Part 2
The week is dwindling down and patience is beginning to fade. With the increase in temperature, I know there has been a decrease in my motives. Yesterday was the most tiring day so far and I did not think that I could go on any longer. Yesterday we had the privilege to walk around the 9th ward for our prayer walks. The 9th ward is a very poor part of town and it is where the levy broke and most of the flooding occurred. A prayer walk is when you walk around the community and pray with people that you see and talk to them about their life. It can also be a chance for you to take a look around and mumble prayers in your head about the surrounding area. I was not looking forward to walking around the neighborhood but I was excited to talk to everyone. I was upset at myself for the selfishness in my heart so I put it aside and walked with happiness. While walking we got split up into groups. My group was Me, Leanne, Hadassah, Hannah, Klarinda, and Katie. We found many people that were more than happy to talk to us. We met a few lovely ladies who had so many stories and things to share. As we were listening to them, we knew that they knew God. It made me so excited to see the hope that was in all of their hearts. After everything that happened I cannot believe how happy all of these people are. It makes me wonder how back home I see so many unhappy people who did not go through anything that these people went through. It makes me realize how powerful God is and how much he is really doing down here in Louisiana. I was very glad that each person that we stopped to see was happy to pray with us. I loved praying with all of them and just letting them know that we care.
After about an hour of walking I was getting exhausted and in my head I was ready to get back. My energy came back when a lady passed us and beeped so loudly. She was smiling with one of the biggest grins I ever saw and she was waving. Then I looked down and realized that she was waving and happy because she saw our shirts and knew the reason that we were all down here. Then I beat myself up again for being selfish.
After talking to a few more ladies my feet were aching and I was extremely tired. We were all ready to sit down and go back. We were soon there and I was very glad. Finally Katie turned and looked at us girls and said, “Before we go back why don’t we sit down here and pray for all of the people that we met today?” I could see the rest of the group ahead and I was a little upset that we were stopping again. We were so close to going back but we still needed to pray. In my mind I was happy to pray, yet I was thinking of my hunger. We all sat down in a circle and held hands. The prayer began. We all went around and prayed about a different person that we all met. In the middle of prayer I heard a car stop behind us. I took a peak and realized that it was a lady sitting in her vehicle with the window down and her eyes closed. I did not think that much of it and we continued praying. After we were done praying and about to get up, the lady got out of the vehicle and was crying. She walked over to our circle and asked if she could pray with us. During her prayer she was crying and thanking God for all that we were doing. She was grateful for all of us taking time out of our summer to help her community. By this point all of us girls were in tears as well. We were crying because we were saddened by what she was saying, but my tears were for a little more than that. I was upset at my selfishness and how I was complaining in my head about walking. I was thinking of myself and not the impact that we were making on others. I was mad at myself and upset that I
would have even thought those things before. When the prayer was over we all wiped our tears. She explained to us how she was just on her way to her Grandchildren’s house. She was on her way to tell them to not be discouraged and that God was going to provide for them. Their house was still not complete from the storm and she was explaining how they were getting to the point of wanting to give up. It was then that she saw us praying and was encouraged that there was still hope and people that care. When she was saying this I choked up a little more. I was so happy to see that all of us high schoolers were actually making a difference.
The people of New Orleans saw what we were doing and they were very happy and encouraged. This changed my whole outlook on prayer walks. Prayer walks are really helping the people and it really is giving them all something to think about. While still talking to the lady she told us that she has been looking for someone to help repair her grandchildren’s house. She was so excited about Touch Global. She called up her grandchildren right away and told them that there were still good people in this world and not to lose hope. This was just amazing to me. The fact that she would stop and pray with us was wonderful.
After we were done talking to her we took her down to the block party. A block party is when we grab a bunch of people from the community and all of the workers and come together for food and fellowship. It is a good opportunity to get to know the people of New Orleans. The block party is always a very good experience. Last night I was so impressed with our youth group. Everyone walked around and talking to everyone that was there. The ones that were there were very open and willing to talk. While I was talking I looked around. It was a very good sight to see. Courtney, Morgan, and Kelli had a group of kids jump roping. They fit right in with the kids and got a game going. Elizabeth was talking with other children as well as their parents. Klarinda was playing with bubbles with a two year old named Cameron. Hannah, Hadassah, Heidi, and Megan were off with a group of kids taking pictures and making them feel so welcome. Kayla Strenck, Kayla Kreiser, David Good, and Doug Fisher were playing a game with kids and just sitting around and talking to them.
Watching each member of the Keystone Senior High Youth Group break out of their shell and talk to the community of New Orleans was incredible to me. I can just tell that everyone has grown so much. The block party helped everyone see what everyone actually had to go through. Looking at the kids in the community made me so sad to think that they had to go through what they did. They were all so happy and outgoing and it saddened me to think that they ever had to suffer like they did. But in sight of what happened to them, they all still were the happiest children I have ever met. Leaving the block party I reflected on the day and I realized that God brought me here for a reason this week. He is telling me not to be selfish and to put others first. He is teaching me to stop thinking about Brooke all the time and to put others in place of myself. I am so excited to see what God has done in the rest of our group. It all could not have been done without everyone’s prayer and support.
After about an hour of walking I was getting exhausted and in my head I was ready to get back. My energy came back when a lady passed us and beeped so loudly. She was smiling with one of the biggest grins I ever saw and she was waving. Then I looked down and realized that she was waving and happy because she saw our shirts and knew the reason that we were all down here. Then I beat myself up again for being selfish.
After talking to a few more ladies my feet were aching and I was extremely tired. We were all ready to sit down and go back. We were soon there and I was very glad. Finally Katie turned and looked at us girls and said, “Before we go back why don’t we sit down here and pray for all of the people that we met today?” I could see the rest of the group ahead and I was a little upset that we were stopping again. We were so close to going back but we still needed to pray. In my mind I was happy to pray, yet I was thinking of my hunger. We all sat down in a circle and held hands. The prayer began. We all went around and prayed about a different person that we all met. In the middle of prayer I heard a car stop behind us. I took a peak and realized that it was a lady sitting in her vehicle with the window down and her eyes closed. I did not think that much of it and we continued praying. After we were done praying and about to get up, the lady got out of the vehicle and was crying. She walked over to our circle and asked if she could pray with us. During her prayer she was crying and thanking God for all that we were doing. She was grateful for all of us taking time out of our summer to help her community. By this point all of us girls were in tears as well. We were crying because we were saddened by what she was saying, but my tears were for a little more than that. I was upset at my selfishness and how I was complaining in my head about walking. I was thinking of myself and not the impact that we were making on others. I was mad at myself and upset that I
would have even thought those things before. When the prayer was over we all wiped our tears. She explained to us how she was just on her way to her Grandchildren’s house. She was on her way to tell them to not be discouraged and that God was going to provide for them. Their house was still not complete from the storm and she was explaining how they were getting to the point of wanting to give up. It was then that she saw us praying and was encouraged that there was still hope and people that care. When she was saying this I choked up a little more. I was so happy to see that all of us high schoolers were actually making a difference.
The people of New Orleans saw what we were doing and they were very happy and encouraged. This changed my whole outlook on prayer walks. Prayer walks are really helping the people and it really is giving them all something to think about. While still talking to the lady she told us that she has been looking for someone to help repair her grandchildren’s house. She was so excited about Touch Global. She called up her grandchildren right away and told them that there were still good people in this world and not to lose hope. This was just amazing to me. The fact that she would stop and pray with us was wonderful.
After we were done talking to her we took her down to the block party. A block party is when we grab a bunch of people from the community and all of the workers and come together for food and fellowship. It is a good opportunity to get to know the people of New Orleans. The block party is always a very good experience. Last night I was so impressed with our youth group. Everyone walked around and talking to everyone that was there. The ones that were there were very open and willing to talk. While I was talking I looked around. It was a very good sight to see. Courtney, Morgan, and Kelli had a group of kids jump roping. They fit right in with the kids and got a game going. Elizabeth was talking with other children as well as their parents. Klarinda was playing with bubbles with a two year old named Cameron. Hannah, Hadassah, Heidi, and Megan were off with a group of kids taking pictures and making them feel so welcome. Kayla Strenck, Kayla Kreiser, David Good, and Doug Fisher were playing a game with kids and just sitting around and talking to them.
Watching each member of the Keystone Senior High Youth Group break out of their shell and talk to the community of New Orleans was incredible to me. I can just tell that everyone has grown so much. The block party helped everyone see what everyone actually had to go through. Looking at the kids in the community made me so sad to think that they had to go through what they did. They were all so happy and outgoing and it saddened me to think that they ever had to suffer like they did. But in sight of what happened to them, they all still were the happiest children I have ever met. Leaving the block party I reflected on the day and I realized that God brought me here for a reason this week. He is telling me not to be selfish and to put others first. He is teaching me to stop thinking about Brooke all the time and to put others in place of myself. I am so excited to see what God has done in the rest of our group. It all could not have been done without everyone’s prayer and support.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Final Leg
Good morning, Keystone! If you're checking up on us before services this morning, we are stayed the night in Abington, VA and should pull into our parking lot before 5pm. It's been a great, great week! There are a lot more stories to tell. Please keep us in your prayers as we make the final leg of our trip. We're tired. And we're looking forward to seeing you soon!
Brandon
Brandon
Friday, July 23, 2010
Teen Blog Kayla Squared
So this is Kayla squared talking! Meaning Kayla #1 and Kayla#2 or Kayla Kreiser and Kayla Strenck, or also very well know as best friends!! We came on this mission trip having many expectations of what it would be like. To be completely honest, everything is so much different than we expected. Some of the things we expected were that the New Orleans people wouldn’t be so nice and talkative, but the people here are so full of hope! When they see us around the community or at our work cites in our t-shirts they come up to us and want to know all about what we are doing. The people here are very caring and never fail to help us out when we are in need of information as visitors. On the very first day we started working on our job cite, immediately we all had to go to the bathroom because since we are on the north shore the drive had been an hour long. We saw that there were some porter potties down the street and we started walking toward them and all the sudden a guys pulls up and says hello and after having some small talk he told us not to go to the porter potties because they where too dirty for us to use. So we walked around for a while and everywhere we went there was either no bathroom or it was out of order. We kept walking until we came along some people and then we asked them if there was anywhere else close because we couldn’t walk too much further. They said maybe the church down the street so we walked there but all the doors were locked. As we checked the very last one, a lady was locking it. We explained and asked nicely if our group could use the bathroom and it all worked out! We felt like that was truly God’s fingerprint on that situation. Another one of our expectations was that when it came to working on the house we wouldn’t know how to do anything, but let us tell you we are true hard working girls. We have been painting, sheet rocking, we are defiantly experts with hammers, and we worked under the house in the cross-space pulling the HARDEST nails out ever. We where dripping sweat!! It was fun though! We have done so many jobs and have had fun with all of them and with our entire work group. This trip has truey touched both of our hearts and we have seen God at work every day!
Washing Feet: Get down or Lift up
Friday, July 23, 2010
Washing Feet
The Facts:
As I type, our teams are driving to our work sites for the last time. The week has gone by quickly, but last Friday seems SO long ago. Yesterday, the painting crew finished the exterior of their home and have been assigned a demolition job. Special thanks for Duane who has assumed leadership of that team after Jarin was traded to Doug’s team. The other teams will wrap up get things prepared for the next team to take over. Today’s work day is shortened so that we can do a bit of sightseeing in the Lower 9th Ward, French Quarter, & Garden District. After returning to the north shore, we’ll head out to dinner in Mandeville.
The Story:
When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he set an example for the rest of us to follow. In order for us to wash others’ feet, we must either get on our knees or lift someone else. Both require us to humble ourselves. I love to see the ways that our team has washed each others’ feet because it always requires humility.
One way we’ve been able to live to the glory of God is by sharing ways in which we’ve served in the strength that he supplies. Some will hesitate to share the ways they’ve served other people because it can sound arrogant or boastful. But if we know we are serving in the strength that God supplies, I believe it’s our responsibility to share what God is doing through us. How will people worship God if they don’t know what he’s doing? As I hear teens share how they’ve looked toward the interests of others, I respond in praise to God for transforming their hearts to serve.
Another practice we’ve been encouraging is to notice ways we’ve seen others serving. This spiritual practice softens our own hearts as we look for evidences of God’s grace it others. As our eyes become more sensitive to seeing this, we end up being less critical, showing greater patience, and being altogether more loving toward one another. It’s this kind of attitude I pray continues and spreads when we return to PA.
Washing Feet
The Facts:
As I type, our teams are driving to our work sites for the last time. The week has gone by quickly, but last Friday seems SO long ago. Yesterday, the painting crew finished the exterior of their home and have been assigned a demolition job. Special thanks for Duane who has assumed leadership of that team after Jarin was traded to Doug’s team. The other teams will wrap up get things prepared for the next team to take over. Today’s work day is shortened so that we can do a bit of sightseeing in the Lower 9th Ward, French Quarter, & Garden District. After returning to the north shore, we’ll head out to dinner in Mandeville.
The Story:
When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he set an example for the rest of us to follow. In order for us to wash others’ feet, we must either get on our knees or lift someone else. Both require us to humble ourselves. I love to see the ways that our team has washed each others’ feet because it always requires humility.
One way we’ve been able to live to the glory of God is by sharing ways in which we’ve served in the strength that he supplies. Some will hesitate to share the ways they’ve served other people because it can sound arrogant or boastful. But if we know we are serving in the strength that God supplies, I believe it’s our responsibility to share what God is doing through us. How will people worship God if they don’t know what he’s doing? As I hear teens share how they’ve looked toward the interests of others, I respond in praise to God for transforming their hearts to serve.
Another practice we’ve been encouraging is to notice ways we’ve seen others serving. This spiritual practice softens our own hearts as we look for evidences of God’s grace it others. As our eyes become more sensitive to seeing this, we end up being less critical, showing greater patience, and being altogether more loving toward one another. It’s this kind of attitude I pray continues and spreads when we return to PA.
Feeling Small & Feeling Good
NOLA2010
Thursday, July 21, 2010
The Facts:
Fact: Our teams are the hardest-working crews to ever work with Crisis Response.
Fact: I am biased.
Our days are long here. The guys begin their day around 5:45am to wake up, pack up all of our belonging, and move our gear into another building before driving 10 minutes to Trinity Church for breakfast. After breakfast and devotions at 6:30am, we load our vans with lunches, water, and tools for the day. Two of the crews drive along a 24-mile bridge across Lake Ponchatrain into New Orleans. We all work until around 4:30pm and return to Covington to shower and get dinner at 6:30pm. After dinner, we attend an evening program and finish with our own team meeting. After an hour or so of free time, the guys return to their church around 10. The days are long. Please continue to pray for our endurance.
The Details:
Tonight broke the mold of the traditional schedule. Instead of traveling back to the north shore after work, we stayed in the city. New Orleans East is a rather rough part of town according to most locals we speak with, and in it’s heart there is a church called House of Hope. As a ministry, Crisis Response send out teams on prayer walks. A team walks through the neighborhood blocks and prays for God to pour out blessing on houses, parks, and homeowners. The teams also invite everyone they meet to a block party. It’s a really fun way to relax and listen to people. There are hotdogs and drinks for everyone and lots of balls and games for kids. I love block parties.
The Story:
All of our foremen have been super pleased with everyone’s desire to pitch in and do really good work. I like seeing the youth learn a skill and teach other people how to do it. I really think we raise the bar when it comes to making progress in the construction realm; not just in work accomplished but in quality. I noticed though that our prayers down here centered around safety and “getting stuff done”. It bothered me that none of our youth prayed about interactions with people, at least not often. Personally, I made it my prayer that the focus of the trip would be on speaking with people. This is why tonight’s block party moved me toward worship in a new way.
Block parties can be intimidating arenas for youth. It’s a lot of strangers in a scary part of town where you’re expected to engage people in conversation. What I saw at tonight’s block party moved me to tears. After playing soccer with a few young kids, I looked up and saw little pockets of Keystone Youth huddled around multiple neighbors. There must have been almost a dozen little pods; some conversing, some entertaining kids. This was truly a God thing. When I surveyed the block party, I was overwhelmed by my insignificance. I could have preached a whole series on why we should love our neighbor. I could have taught a training module on how to love through listening and dialoguing. I might have even come up with a cool step-by-step acronym for how to do it in the field. But there is no way I could have gotten youth to do it. I can take no credit for how awesome our group was at the block party. Praise God for moving my heart to pray and answering it in a really awesome way. God is doing a million things underneath all of my best intentions and subconscious reactions. It felt really good to feel so small.
Thursday, July 21, 2010
The Facts:
Fact: Our teams are the hardest-working crews to ever work with Crisis Response.
Fact: I am biased.
Our days are long here. The guys begin their day around 5:45am to wake up, pack up all of our belonging, and move our gear into another building before driving 10 minutes to Trinity Church for breakfast. After breakfast and devotions at 6:30am, we load our vans with lunches, water, and tools for the day. Two of the crews drive along a 24-mile bridge across Lake Ponchatrain into New Orleans. We all work until around 4:30pm and return to Covington to shower and get dinner at 6:30pm. After dinner, we attend an evening program and finish with our own team meeting. After an hour or so of free time, the guys return to their church around 10. The days are long. Please continue to pray for our endurance.
The Details:
Tonight broke the mold of the traditional schedule. Instead of traveling back to the north shore after work, we stayed in the city. New Orleans East is a rather rough part of town according to most locals we speak with, and in it’s heart there is a church called House of Hope. As a ministry, Crisis Response send out teams on prayer walks. A team walks through the neighborhood blocks and prays for God to pour out blessing on houses, parks, and homeowners. The teams also invite everyone they meet to a block party. It’s a really fun way to relax and listen to people. There are hotdogs and drinks for everyone and lots of balls and games for kids. I love block parties.
The Story:
All of our foremen have been super pleased with everyone’s desire to pitch in and do really good work. I like seeing the youth learn a skill and teach other people how to do it. I really think we raise the bar when it comes to making progress in the construction realm; not just in work accomplished but in quality. I noticed though that our prayers down here centered around safety and “getting stuff done”. It bothered me that none of our youth prayed about interactions with people, at least not often. Personally, I made it my prayer that the focus of the trip would be on speaking with people. This is why tonight’s block party moved me toward worship in a new way.
Block parties can be intimidating arenas for youth. It’s a lot of strangers in a scary part of town where you’re expected to engage people in conversation. What I saw at tonight’s block party moved me to tears. After playing soccer with a few young kids, I looked up and saw little pockets of Keystone Youth huddled around multiple neighbors. There must have been almost a dozen little pods; some conversing, some entertaining kids. This was truly a God thing. When I surveyed the block party, I was overwhelmed by my insignificance. I could have preached a whole series on why we should love our neighbor. I could have taught a training module on how to love through listening and dialoguing. I might have even come up with a cool step-by-step acronym for how to do it in the field. But there is no way I could have gotten youth to do it. I can take no credit for how awesome our group was at the block party. Praise God for moving my heart to pray and answering it in a really awesome way. God is doing a million things underneath all of my best intentions and subconscious reactions. It felt really good to feel so small.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Teen Blog Brooke
God is amazing. During our trip we have something that we call God’s fingerprints. This is what we use to recognize that God is in control and taking care of us. On our long journey on the way to Louisiana, God proved to all of us that he was here and going to be with us through the trip. We had three vans and one car that was following each other to Louisiana. For example, we were on a busy highway and one of the van’s light adapters fell off. It was in my van that this happened and none of us knew that anything was wrong. Then God’s fingerprints were clear. The car that was following behind us saw it fall. If that wasn’t enough, we were also in slow moving traffic which allowed the car enough time to jump out and grab the light adapter. After this we were all like “WOW!” This was a clear sign that God was here with us and that we were headed to work for him. We also had a few more encounters on the way down. One of the vans air conditioning completely broke down. Praise God that there was an Auto Zone right across the road where we stopped. Then when someone (no names) went inside to purchase the part we needed they accidently picked up the wrong one. It was almost 9 and we knew that that is when Auto Zone would close. We went on our way and happened to find another one at 8:58, just in time! We returned the old part and got a new one that worked. We were then on our way to the hotel.
On the way Saturday everyone was still unsure of each other and not everyone really knew each other that well. Our youth group is filled with many different age groups and clicks and it is hard for everyone to hang out as a group without it being awkward and tension. It just so happened that on this missions trip Brandon had something in mind. He decided that we were not allowed to pick our own hotel rooms. At first, this was tragic! Everyone was a little upset and uninformed about why this would be the case. It was all people who didn’t know each other and were not in the same clicks. When we all arrived at the hotel we were a little intimidated. Walking into the rooms it seemed as if everyone was confused and disappointed. But Brandon for sure knew what he was doing. Sunday morning it seemed as if we had a whole different group with us. At breakfast everyone was together and the groups were mixed up. The same clicks were changed into random groups of people. It was neat to see the dynamics of the group change in just one evening. It seemed as if everyone could just put their differences aside and actually work together on this long journey that we still had left.
The car rides are always the best part to get to know people and sometimes even learn some interesting things about people that we never knew before. My van was the crazy hyper van and barely anyone slept. It was filled with a good variety of personalities and many different humors. We had Quintin Blank, Brandon Blank, Chris Esh, Ben Combs, Jodan Shauffer (who I must say must be one of the most entertaining people I have ever met), Leanne Lefever, Klarinda Stoltzfus, Elizabeth Hoover, Leesha Smoker, and Doug Smoker as our wonderful PATIENT van driver. After a long long car ride we FINALLY arrived at Trinity Church. It was wonderful to hop out of the car and know that we won’t be driving in there again for another week. Don’t get me wrong I love the van rides and everyone in it, but after 20 hours of driving it is about time to arrive and get down to business.
The first night at Trinity was just orientation and learning about what we will be doing and all of the rules. We were all too tired to think and we were just all ready to sleep and see what the next day would hold. On Monday morning when I woke up the first thing that came to my mind was “How in the world am I going to work on a roof?” We were all assigned our work groups on Sunday night before we went to bed. We were having a group dry wall, one group paint, and another group would be doing roofing. I was placed into the roofing group. At first I was so confused about how in the world I was placed in this group. I have no skill at all when it comes to anything handy. And when I took a look at my group they all seemed to be so skilled and experienced (The guys did anyway.)
Monday morning we all packed up our bags and headed to our work cite. At first I was a little shocked in the development that the house we were working on was in. All of the houses were big mansions and were very nice houses. The house that we were working on was the only house in the development that was not worked on. We were rebuilding this house for the staff of the church. It went through my head all day why were would work on a house that is in such a nice neighborhood and not a house that is in the center of the city surrounded by people who need us more. It took me awhile to think about it, and finally Brandon Fisher led me to a conclusion. It is not just the poor that need our help and need the love of God. It is everyone. We need to show our love and our willingness to work and serve to the rich and the poor. Just because they have everything does not mean that they have Jesus in their hearts. The more people I talk to, it seems like the ones who have nothing are the happiest and the most hopeful. Walking around the development here we did not get to talk to that many people. We did meet one cute old lady who was willing to talk but clearly did not have Jesus in her life. She has been on the back of my mind the past couple days. She is living alone with her dog and she seems to love life, but she is missing the most important part. I am hoping that there is something that we can do for her before the week ends.
As of yesterday the job cite that we are working on has gone very well. We got so much done and thankfully I found some work that I can do. My team has amazed me in so many different ways and I am so proud of each of them. My team consists of Morgan Lanser, Leesha Smoker, Hadassah Huyard, Torie Stoltzfus, Becky Glick, Zach Fisher, Jordan Shauffer, Devon Smoker, Barry Yoder, Brandon Russum, Clare Evans, Connor Beiler, and Brandon Blank. It has been a joy to work with them and it seems as if this group works so well together. The guys have been amazing when it comes to all of the work. They have so much talent and they have helped us girls know what we are doing as well. They even taught me how to use a saw and hammer nails. The group dynamics have been so good so far and I am very excited to see how the rest of the week will play out. We can all tell that everyone is getting more exhausted by the minute and the weather here is extremely hot, but I think that we are all learning a good lesson in patience and how not to complain. It is hard but I can already see some people working on this and excelling. Thank you all for your support and your prayers! We appreciate it very much and we can all feel God with us!
Continue praying for….
~Our group being in harmony with each other
~ Leesha Smoker and her disk in her back. She has been in pain all week but she has not complained about it once. Continue to pray for healing and that her pain would be reduced for the remainder of the trip.
~ Patience
~ Willingness to do what God wants to be done down here
~ All of the groups out on the Job , it is hot and I know that sunburn and some slight sickness has been a minor issue that past few days
~ The leader’s patience. They have done so much for us this week so far and they have another big drive at the end of the week. Just pray that they will have strength to endure all that is ahead.
On the way Saturday everyone was still unsure of each other and not everyone really knew each other that well. Our youth group is filled with many different age groups and clicks and it is hard for everyone to hang out as a group without it being awkward and tension. It just so happened that on this missions trip Brandon had something in mind. He decided that we were not allowed to pick our own hotel rooms. At first, this was tragic! Everyone was a little upset and uninformed about why this would be the case. It was all people who didn’t know each other and were not in the same clicks. When we all arrived at the hotel we were a little intimidated. Walking into the rooms it seemed as if everyone was confused and disappointed. But Brandon for sure knew what he was doing. Sunday morning it seemed as if we had a whole different group with us. At breakfast everyone was together and the groups were mixed up. The same clicks were changed into random groups of people. It was neat to see the dynamics of the group change in just one evening. It seemed as if everyone could just put their differences aside and actually work together on this long journey that we still had left.
The car rides are always the best part to get to know people and sometimes even learn some interesting things about people that we never knew before. My van was the crazy hyper van and barely anyone slept. It was filled with a good variety of personalities and many different humors. We had Quintin Blank, Brandon Blank, Chris Esh, Ben Combs, Jodan Shauffer (who I must say must be one of the most entertaining people I have ever met), Leanne Lefever, Klarinda Stoltzfus, Elizabeth Hoover, Leesha Smoker, and Doug Smoker as our wonderful PATIENT van driver. After a long long car ride we FINALLY arrived at Trinity Church. It was wonderful to hop out of the car and know that we won’t be driving in there again for another week. Don’t get me wrong I love the van rides and everyone in it, but after 20 hours of driving it is about time to arrive and get down to business.
The first night at Trinity was just orientation and learning about what we will be doing and all of the rules. We were all too tired to think and we were just all ready to sleep and see what the next day would hold. On Monday morning when I woke up the first thing that came to my mind was “How in the world am I going to work on a roof?” We were all assigned our work groups on Sunday night before we went to bed. We were having a group dry wall, one group paint, and another group would be doing roofing. I was placed into the roofing group. At first I was so confused about how in the world I was placed in this group. I have no skill at all when it comes to anything handy. And when I took a look at my group they all seemed to be so skilled and experienced (The guys did anyway.)
Monday morning we all packed up our bags and headed to our work cite. At first I was a little shocked in the development that the house we were working on was in. All of the houses were big mansions and were very nice houses. The house that we were working on was the only house in the development that was not worked on. We were rebuilding this house for the staff of the church. It went through my head all day why were would work on a house that is in such a nice neighborhood and not a house that is in the center of the city surrounded by people who need us more. It took me awhile to think about it, and finally Brandon Fisher led me to a conclusion. It is not just the poor that need our help and need the love of God. It is everyone. We need to show our love and our willingness to work and serve to the rich and the poor. Just because they have everything does not mean that they have Jesus in their hearts. The more people I talk to, it seems like the ones who have nothing are the happiest and the most hopeful. Walking around the development here we did not get to talk to that many people. We did meet one cute old lady who was willing to talk but clearly did not have Jesus in her life. She has been on the back of my mind the past couple days. She is living alone with her dog and she seems to love life, but she is missing the most important part. I am hoping that there is something that we can do for her before the week ends.
As of yesterday the job cite that we are working on has gone very well. We got so much done and thankfully I found some work that I can do. My team has amazed me in so many different ways and I am so proud of each of them. My team consists of Morgan Lanser, Leesha Smoker, Hadassah Huyard, Torie Stoltzfus, Becky Glick, Zach Fisher, Jordan Shauffer, Devon Smoker, Barry Yoder, Brandon Russum, Clare Evans, Connor Beiler, and Brandon Blank. It has been a joy to work with them and it seems as if this group works so well together. The guys have been amazing when it comes to all of the work. They have so much talent and they have helped us girls know what we are doing as well. They even taught me how to use a saw and hammer nails. The group dynamics have been so good so far and I am very excited to see how the rest of the week will play out. We can all tell that everyone is getting more exhausted by the minute and the weather here is extremely hot, but I think that we are all learning a good lesson in patience and how not to complain. It is hard but I can already see some people working on this and excelling. Thank you all for your support and your prayers! We appreciate it very much and we can all feel God with us!
Continue praying for….
~Our group being in harmony with each other
~ Leesha Smoker and her disk in her back. She has been in pain all week but she has not complained about it once. Continue to pray for healing and that her pain would be reduced for the remainder of the trip.
~ Patience
~ Willingness to do what God wants to be done down here
~ All of the groups out on the Job , it is hot and I know that sunburn and some slight sickness has been a minor issue that past few days
~ The leader’s patience. They have done so much for us this week so far and they have another big drive at the end of the week. Just pray that they will have strength to endure all that is ahead.
Teen Blog Hannah & Megan
dEaR bLoG,
We’re sitting in our van on the way back from our work site. We are driving down the Causeway… when you first get onto the Causeway, it’s so long it looks like you’re driving off the end of the Earth. Today when we first got to the work site, we did some intense primer-ing. We had to primer most of the downstairs. We split up into two teams and started “paint wars.” Doug, Elizabeth, and Megan were on team Greatness while Hannah, Heidi and Jon were on team Perfection. We all changed the lyrics of songs so that they were about paintbrushes and primer.
We finally had lunch and took a bathroom break at the Dollar General down the street which has become our favorite bathroom spot due to its cleanliness. When we got back we spent most of the rest of the day nailing Hardy board to the floor. Everyone was in one big room and we got a lot done. We were even able to take a five minute siesta. After cleaning up at the end of the day we were all tired and ready to get back to the church and begin the fight for showers.
Everyone has paint and primer on their shirts and dust in their hair. Today was hot but not unbearable. Most of the work we have been doing is done inside. The girls enjoy taking breaks to walk to the Dollar General so that we can socialize with people in the community. Everyone is so friendly down here! Tomorrow we will be going for a prayer walk so hopefully we will be able to spend some more time interacting with the locals. Should be a fun rest of the trip!
God bless,
Hannah&Megan :)
We’re sitting in our van on the way back from our work site. We are driving down the Causeway… when you first get onto the Causeway, it’s so long it looks like you’re driving off the end of the Earth. Today when we first got to the work site, we did some intense primer-ing. We had to primer most of the downstairs. We split up into two teams and started “paint wars.” Doug, Elizabeth, and Megan were on team Greatness while Hannah, Heidi and Jon were on team Perfection. We all changed the lyrics of songs so that they were about paintbrushes and primer.
We finally had lunch and took a bathroom break at the Dollar General down the street which has become our favorite bathroom spot due to its cleanliness. When we got back we spent most of the rest of the day nailing Hardy board to the floor. Everyone was in one big room and we got a lot done. We were even able to take a five minute siesta. After cleaning up at the end of the day we were all tired and ready to get back to the church and begin the fight for showers.
Everyone has paint and primer on their shirts and dust in their hair. Today was hot but not unbearable. Most of the work we have been doing is done inside. The girls enjoy taking breaks to walk to the Dollar General so that we can socialize with people in the community. Everyone is so friendly down here! Tomorrow we will be going for a prayer walk so hopefully we will be able to spend some more time interacting with the locals. Should be a fun rest of the trip!
God bless,
Hannah&Megan :)
Southern Heat
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Facts:
We have three teams working in the New Orleans vicinity. Barry is leading a roof framing team with Becky, Clare, Jordan, Brandon, Brandon, Connor, Zach, Devon, Hadassah, Morgan, Victoria, Brooke, and Leesha. Jarin is leading a painting team with Duane, Molly, Kyle, Ben, Chris, Quinton, Klarinda, Leanne, Kelli, and Courtney. Doug is leading a drywalling team with me, Erica, Austin, Doug, David, Jon, Elizabeth, Kayla, Kayla, Hannah, Megan, and Heidi. Doug & Jarin’s teams are working in New Orleans East, and Barry’s team is working in Mandeville on the north shore.
The Story:
Our group has adjusted really well to a TON of unexpected miscues, breakdowns, and disappointments. When our expectations aren’t met, it’s easy to get frustrated and discouraged. The next step is often a cranking complaining and perpetual bad attitude. God has been gracious to us and given us cheery, uplifting youth who pick their friends up and boost the morale of everyone around them. They are worth their weight in gold—keeping the scales from shifting toward a grumbling mob.
The camaraderie created in this type of environment is exciting to see. It’s counterintuitive to think that less than ideal circumstances would yield such positive results. I think suffering polarizes people—it’s difficult to be ambivalent when you’re uncomfortable. We haven’t prayed for an easy trip; and we haven’t gotten it. I praise God we’ve seen positive fruit in the midst of scorching heat.
The Facts:
We have three teams working in the New Orleans vicinity. Barry is leading a roof framing team with Becky, Clare, Jordan, Brandon, Brandon, Connor, Zach, Devon, Hadassah, Morgan, Victoria, Brooke, and Leesha. Jarin is leading a painting team with Duane, Molly, Kyle, Ben, Chris, Quinton, Klarinda, Leanne, Kelli, and Courtney. Doug is leading a drywalling team with me, Erica, Austin, Doug, David, Jon, Elizabeth, Kayla, Kayla, Hannah, Megan, and Heidi. Doug & Jarin’s teams are working in New Orleans East, and Barry’s team is working in Mandeville on the north shore.
The Story:
Our group has adjusted really well to a TON of unexpected miscues, breakdowns, and disappointments. When our expectations aren’t met, it’s easy to get frustrated and discouraged. The next step is often a cranking complaining and perpetual bad attitude. God has been gracious to us and given us cheery, uplifting youth who pick their friends up and boost the morale of everyone around them. They are worth their weight in gold—keeping the scales from shifting toward a grumbling mob.
The camaraderie created in this type of environment is exciting to see. It’s counterintuitive to think that less than ideal circumstances would yield such positive results. I think suffering polarizes people—it’s difficult to be ambivalent when you’re uncomfortable. We haven’t prayed for an easy trip; and we haven’t gotten it. I praise God we’ve seen positive fruit in the midst of scorching heat.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Two Work Days In
My apologies for not maintaining this blog as I'd like to. Everyone is healthy and doing fine--minus some blisters & sun burn. I have other blogs I will post once I have a wifi connection. The iPhone saves the day again!
The brief story is that we have three teams: one roof framing, one exterior painting, and one drywalling, painting, & tiling. I've been very impresses with the work ethic and genera construction skills. I'm looking forward to them realizing that it doesn't matter how much work gets done as much as it matters who they spoke to.
More updates forthcoming!
The brief story is that we have three teams: one roof framing, one exterior painting, and one drywalling, painting, & tiling. I've been very impresses with the work ethic and genera construction skills. I'm looking forward to them realizing that it doesn't matter how much work gets done as much as it matters who they spoke to.
More updates forthcoming!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Fingerprinting God
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Fingerprinting God
An ongoing thread I try to string into everything we do on the trip is the concept of looking for God’s fingerprints. Fingerprints are unique. No one in the entire world has one identical to yours. Because of that fact, if your fingerprint is found somewhere, it must have come from you. Your fingerprint can place you at the scene, uncover your actions, and reveal your true identity.
This mission trip is a fantastic time to focus on the fingerprints of God. He is still very active in the world, and his fingerprints are everywhere. Sadly, we have trained our eyes to scan over his heavenly handiwork and credit his glory to something or someone else.
God’s glory is difficult to define—it’s kind of like trying to define love. Perhaps the best way to telling someone what it is is by pointing to it over and over again. My goal for the trip is to continually point out God’s fingerprints so that his trip may be to the praise of his glory. My hope is that would become more sensitive to how he works and spot his hand more often.
Throughout the trip, I intend to have a few youth reflect on the fingerprints they’d observed. For some of what I’m talking about, consider:
While humming along I-40 at 65mph, one trailer’s wiring harness flew off. Just before arriving at our hotel, one van’s electrical box began to blow fuses at 8:30pm. Capital One deactivated the church credit card after “suspicious gas station charges.” When I said last Sunday that a million things can go wrong, I underestimated. Without God’s sustaining hand, all things fall apart.
God has his fingerprints all over these inconveniences. Just before the harness fell off, the Crown Vic noticed something dragging and were watching as if tumbled down the road and hit there car. They pulled off, picked it up, and handed to Jarin who repaired the shredded wires and attached the harness. The fuses blew half a mile from an Advance Auto Parts store that closed at 9:00pm. Though my credit card was declined when purchasing the fuses, it wasn’t taken, and I was able to have it reactivated before paying for hotel charges.
What was God doing in these inconveniences? I image a billion things we’ll never know. Maybe he wanted us to be able to talk to the salesman at AAP or Sebastian, the Capital One rep about why we’re traveling to NOLA. Maybe he wanted us to slow down to miss an accident ahead of us. Maybe he wanted me to humble me and increase my reliance on other leaders by exposing my total ignorance of wire harnesses and fuses. We can speculate, but what I know is that God is not absent in our trials; nor has he abandoned us in our time of need. He is sustaining us moment by moment to draw us up into his love for us. I pray for eyes to see his fingerprints more often.
Fingerprinting God
An ongoing thread I try to string into everything we do on the trip is the concept of looking for God’s fingerprints. Fingerprints are unique. No one in the entire world has one identical to yours. Because of that fact, if your fingerprint is found somewhere, it must have come from you. Your fingerprint can place you at the scene, uncover your actions, and reveal your true identity.
This mission trip is a fantastic time to focus on the fingerprints of God. He is still very active in the world, and his fingerprints are everywhere. Sadly, we have trained our eyes to scan over his heavenly handiwork and credit his glory to something or someone else.
God’s glory is difficult to define—it’s kind of like trying to define love. Perhaps the best way to telling someone what it is is by pointing to it over and over again. My goal for the trip is to continually point out God’s fingerprints so that his trip may be to the praise of his glory. My hope is that would become more sensitive to how he works and spot his hand more often.
Throughout the trip, I intend to have a few youth reflect on the fingerprints they’d observed. For some of what I’m talking about, consider:
While humming along I-40 at 65mph, one trailer’s wiring harness flew off. Just before arriving at our hotel, one van’s electrical box began to blow fuses at 8:30pm. Capital One deactivated the church credit card after “suspicious gas station charges.” When I said last Sunday that a million things can go wrong, I underestimated. Without God’s sustaining hand, all things fall apart.
God has his fingerprints all over these inconveniences. Just before the harness fell off, the Crown Vic noticed something dragging and were watching as if tumbled down the road and hit there car. They pulled off, picked it up, and handed to Jarin who repaired the shredded wires and attached the harness. The fuses blew half a mile from an Advance Auto Parts store that closed at 9:00pm. Though my credit card was declined when purchasing the fuses, it wasn’t taken, and I was able to have it reactivated before paying for hotel charges.
What was God doing in these inconveniences? I image a billion things we’ll never know. Maybe he wanted us to be able to talk to the salesman at AAP or Sebastian, the Capital One rep about why we’re traveling to NOLA. Maybe he wanted us to slow down to miss an accident ahead of us. Maybe he wanted me to humble me and increase my reliance on other leaders by exposing my total ignorance of wire harnesses and fuses. We can speculate, but what I know is that God is not absent in our trials; nor has he abandoned us in our time of need. He is sustaining us moment by moment to draw us up into his love for us. I pray for eyes to see his fingerprints more often.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A Mission Trip Transplant
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A Mission Trip Transplant
The Facts:
At 6:00am this morning, the NOLA2010 Team gathered at Keystone before embarking on cross-country trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. Our caravan consists of three 15-passenger vans, two 8-foot trailers, and one baby blue Crown Victoria that looks straight out of a 1993 police fleet. Packed inside are 28 teenagers, 8 adults, and luggage for 9 days. As I write, we are buzzing along route 81 in Virginia and planning on staying the night in Chatanooga, TN. Thank you for your prayers as we travel. Please also keep in mind Becky & Kyle Glick who will be flying down to join us on Sunday.
The Details:
We have a stellar lineup for this year’s team. God has provided three skilled laborers to lead work teams in the city. Barry Yoder, Jarin Smoker, & Doug Smoker each bring an experience & expertise that will greatly enhance the productivity of our efforts. Becky Glick, Molly Rineer, Clare Evans, Erica Horning, and Duane Evans round out other adults. Including this week, our leadership team has already served over 25 weeks with Crisis Response, plus an entire year that Doug Smoker and his family served.
Our teen group is a healthy blend of 14 guys and 15 girls from all senior high grade levels. Some are new to mission trips; others have served several times in New Orleans. I’m looking forward to the how our teams will gel. There are a lot of new experiences and challenges ahead of us. These events can have polarizing effects; hard times can tear us apart or bind us together. My prayer hasn’t been for a comfortable week—relationships grow strongest during the greatest trials. My prayer is only that Jesus would remain the strength of our heart and our portion forever.
The Story:
As Duane & Doug were hitching up Keystone’s trailer, we noticed it was full of tables and chairs. We gathered a few guys and made short work of unloading the trailer before loading it back up with our own gear. In the midst of the unexpected labor, Duane and I joked that we weren’t supposed to start serving until we got to New Orleans. It was a lighthearted joke, but I wonder how many of us are more serious in that mentality.
While we traveled home last year’s mission trip, the young adults stopped in Nashville to celebrate the Fourth of July. I had a tough time calling that little detour part of the mission trip, so I said as we entered the city, “The mission trip is over.” Not long after that, we encountered a homeless couple looking for money. So how do you respond to people in need when the mission trip is over? Conclusion: The Mission Trip is NOT over! (Check out the details in the previous blog.) But when does it start?
Though we are serving in New Orleans this week, we have already been sent by Jesus on a mission trip. When Jesus prays to his Father in John 17, he says, “As you [Father] sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” And we know our mission is to make disciples, love one another, serve one another, let our light shine before others, (insert biblical command here). Though we won’t start “serving” on the mission trip until Monday, the Mission Trip has already started—we’ve just been transplated.
A Mission Trip Transplant
The Facts:
At 6:00am this morning, the NOLA2010 Team gathered at Keystone before embarking on cross-country trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. Our caravan consists of three 15-passenger vans, two 8-foot trailers, and one baby blue Crown Victoria that looks straight out of a 1993 police fleet. Packed inside are 28 teenagers, 8 adults, and luggage for 9 days. As I write, we are buzzing along route 81 in Virginia and planning on staying the night in Chatanooga, TN. Thank you for your prayers as we travel. Please also keep in mind Becky & Kyle Glick who will be flying down to join us on Sunday.
The Details:
We have a stellar lineup for this year’s team. God has provided three skilled laborers to lead work teams in the city. Barry Yoder, Jarin Smoker, & Doug Smoker each bring an experience & expertise that will greatly enhance the productivity of our efforts. Becky Glick, Molly Rineer, Clare Evans, Erica Horning, and Duane Evans round out other adults. Including this week, our leadership team has already served over 25 weeks with Crisis Response, plus an entire year that Doug Smoker and his family served.
Our teen group is a healthy blend of 14 guys and 15 girls from all senior high grade levels. Some are new to mission trips; others have served several times in New Orleans. I’m looking forward to the how our teams will gel. There are a lot of new experiences and challenges ahead of us. These events can have polarizing effects; hard times can tear us apart or bind us together. My prayer hasn’t been for a comfortable week—relationships grow strongest during the greatest trials. My prayer is only that Jesus would remain the strength of our heart and our portion forever.
The Story:
As Duane & Doug were hitching up Keystone’s trailer, we noticed it was full of tables and chairs. We gathered a few guys and made short work of unloading the trailer before loading it back up with our own gear. In the midst of the unexpected labor, Duane and I joked that we weren’t supposed to start serving until we got to New Orleans. It was a lighthearted joke, but I wonder how many of us are more serious in that mentality.
While we traveled home last year’s mission trip, the young adults stopped in Nashville to celebrate the Fourth of July. I had a tough time calling that little detour part of the mission trip, so I said as we entered the city, “The mission trip is over.” Not long after that, we encountered a homeless couple looking for money. So how do you respond to people in need when the mission trip is over? Conclusion: The Mission Trip is NOT over! (Check out the details in the previous blog.) But when does it start?
Though we are serving in New Orleans this week, we have already been sent by Jesus on a mission trip. When Jesus prays to his Father in John 17, he says, “As you [Father] sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” And we know our mission is to make disciples, love one another, serve one another, let our light shine before others, (insert biblical command here). Though we won’t start “serving” on the mission trip until Monday, the Mission Trip has already started—we’ve just been transplated.
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