SHigh Mission Trip 2012: Rest Day 1--Friday, July 20th

Today was our "relaxing" day. We started out the day visiting the Joplin Art Museum, where they have an exhibit dedicated to the tornado and the days that followed. It was truly a moving experience. 

Afterwards, for something a little more lighthearted, we went on a tour of a local candy factory and got some free samples. 


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4365658824446&set=a.2298874756136.135825.1377167824&type=1&theater

In the evening we had our final worship experience as well as a time to talk with some of the Next Step staff. It was a powerful evening and many of us are emotionally spent. 

We plan to leave Joplin around 8:00 tomorrow morning and I will send out an email when we depart. 

Pray for a safe journey to Dallas. 

Merchant

SHigh Mission Trip 2012: Work Days 3 and 4--Wednesday & Thursday, July 18th & 19th

I'm so sorry for the lack of an update yesterday, it was a full day!

Our two groups worked a hard day, with heat warnings.  The Hot Buns (Roofers), Caroline Clark, Jeremiah Gress, Elizabeth Dobbs, Bailey Phillips, Bryce Barron, Sam Thomas, Chris Vanisko, Ashley Lewis, and myself worked until the roof until it was just about too hot to touch.  We were confident that we would be able to finish the roof on the last day.  The Honey Buns (at Billie's house), James Hallonquist, Kaitlyn Smith, Shelby Eckelkamp, Katie Rogers, Ben Murley, Caroline Dobbs, and J.R. Leal began their painting job on Billie's Porch and continued their work on the new gutters.  All in all it was a great work day.

In the evening we were a part of a really powerful evening.  It began with another video, this time from Bizzle a Christian Rap artist.  You can watch his testimony here: http://www.mystep.me/truth-or-dare/bizzle

Afterwards our groups split up and we participated in a foot washing.  This is always moving thing to do and our group always shares their hearts with each other.  It was a long and emotional night, and as always, a wonderful time.

This morning we started early.  The Hot Buns, in an effort to try to beat the heat and finish the job, arrived at their work site 45 minutes early.  We needed the extra time because we still finished 30 minutes past our regular end time.  The reward was finishing the roof up to the last shingle on the peak.  Yeah Bailey!  It was a very long hot day and we were definitely exhausted.  The Honey Buns worked hard as well, they finished Billie's rain gutters after lengthy problem solving and learning all about water flow.  They also cut and finished wood trim, shutters, and finished painting the porch.  Billie definitely blessed us all this week and we got to paint handprint butterflies on her porch.  The story of the butterflies is truly a special one and and I can't wait for you to hear about it at report-back.

This evening we again watched another powerful video, this time by Harmony Dust, a victim of sexual abuse who has founded a ministry that helps women who work in the sex industry.  You can watch her testimony here: http://www.mystep.me/truth-or-dare/harmony-dust

Afterwards we had our own opportunity to share privately with God anything burden that has been placed on our hearts and release it all to Him, another moving experience.

After that we had a fun time in Next Step's version of Fear Factor, ten rounds of really gross food to see which crew's teams could eat the different foods the fastest, as well as hold them down.  It was a spirited game that lasted well into the night, but I am proud to say that St. Luke's was the winning team and all those Messy Games Nights we have had over the years have finally paid off.

Today was our last work day and tomorrow will be a day of rest before we depart back to Texas in Saturday.  We have had a wonderful time serving the Joplin community and we are looking forward to our final days together.  Please pray for continued strength and energy.  Although we are no longer working, it is always nice to have energy while driving our wonderful youth around in large white vans!

Merchant

SHigh Mission Trip 2012: Work Day 2--Tuesday, July 24th

Today we spent a solid day of working at our sites.

We were again greeted by a note from Billie, water, bananas, and Honey Buns. She also shared with us her experiences the day of the tornado as well as the days that followed. It was moving to hear her talk about how much her faith has carried her through those days, and a gift that she shared it with us.

At Billie's we installed a new rain gutter in the front, painted, and did more shutter repair.

 Across the street the roofers are getting accustomed to the roof, laying the tar paper, and sitting on hot shingles. It has definitely been an experience on working in high places.

The team enjoyed another night of worship and tonight watched a video about Sam Childers, "The Machine Gun Preacher."  You can watch that video here:  http://www.mystep.me/truth-or-dare/sam-childers

Please pray for us to stay hydrated tomorrow. We have been very good about drinking our water, but tomorrow is supposed to be hotter than today was, so we will need all the strength we can get.

Merchant 

SHigh Mission Trip 2012: Work Day 1--Monday, July 23rd

Today we began our first work day.  Our high school mission trip is a little different this year for our team assignments.  The other youth groups that are here this week requested to stay intact which means that our group is also staying together.  Our group has split into two teams that are working across the street from each other.  One team is working on the roof, and I have to say this is the steepest roof we have been on so far.  Pray for sure footing!  Across the street, our other group is working at the house of a wonderful woman named Billie.  This morning we were greeted at her house with a lovely note, and a cooler full of cold water and bananas.  Here's a photo:


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4231944006105&set=a.1056398099442.10571.1510542998&type=1&theater 

During our day, we also took a tour of the path of the tornado which was an eye-opening experience of the extent of the destruction.

This evening we enjoyed our second round of worship music as well as our first discussion video.  This evening we watched a testimony by Mo Isom, former soccer goalie for LSU.  You can watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ptcSmKIihA

Please pray for our work day tomorrow.  We will be have a full work day tomorrow and after the prep we were able to do today we should be able to make great progress on both sites.

Merchant

SHigh Mission Trip 2012: Travel Days 1- 2--Sat/Sun, July 21st/22nd

Sunday, July 22nd


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4227773141836&set=a.1056398099442.10571.1510542998&type=1&theater

We have safely arrived in Joplin and are settling in. We were pleased to see some familiar Next Step faces from both New Mexico and Mississippi.  There will be churches from North Carolina, Mississippi, and Nebraska. 

Pray for a good start!

Merchant


Saturday, July 21st


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151033895613766&set=p.10151033895613766&type=1&theater

We have eaten dinner and are settling in for the night at St. Mark's. As a bonus, they have showers!  So we should be nice and comfortable for our drive tomorrow to Joplin. 

Pray for a continued safe trip and start to our service week. 

Merchant 

JHigh Mission Trip 2012: Day 5--Friday, June 22nd

We started the day early, serving breakfast at The Waystation. This is a program at Palmer Episcopal Church. They serve breakfast every weekday to anywhere from 300-400 people. This morning we served pancakes until there was no one left.

After a bit of a rest, in the afternoon we served at Open Door Mission, a men's facility that has a 9 month drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. In addition to that, they also provide GED education for those that need it. We helped prep, clean the kitchen, and then serve dinner to the residents.

Tomorrow morning we plan on leaving by 8:00 am which, with stops, should have our arrival time around 12:00. I will have the youth begin calling their parents when we are about 1 hour from arrival.

It has been a wonderful trip, please pray for a safe journey home tomorrow!

Merchant 

JHigh Mission Trip 2012: Day 4--Thursday, June 21st

We started the morning at Kids Meals. This is a program that provides lunches for needy children who typically only receive lunches when they are in school. We drove through the neighborhood, delivering over 136 lunches as well as extra grocery bags.

In the afternoon we volunteered at the Houston Center for Literacy. Here the kids assisted with a Computer Literacy Class, teaching adults how to use PowerPoint.

In the evening we moved on to Bread of Life.  This program provides many services to the homeless of Houston. Tonight we interacted with many of the people who came in and then served them dinner. We were then fortunate enough to be able to eat dinner there as well.

We finished the night at The Waterwall, a tractional visit for us.

Please pray for Rachelle and Christian who left us tonight for a family vacation. Pray especially for Christian's ankle, which he injured today.

Pray for us for our last work day tomorrow, as always this week goes by fast. Tomorrow we an EARLY start. It will be a fun last day.

Merchant 

JHigh Mission Trip 2012: Day 3--Wednesday, June 20th

The prayers for endurance must have helped because we made it through the day, but tonight we are crashing fast!  In fact, as I write this at 10:00 pm, most of the boys are voluntarily in their beds with the lights out, falling asleep.

This morning we started with the Urban Plunge. This is a type of inner city scavenger hunt where the kids have to find certain things and interview various people throughout the city, asking them their views on various topics. This involves a LOT of walking and getting to ride the light rail.

In the afternoon we returned to the Haverstock Apartments, where we spent our first afternoon. Today was the kid's splash day where they have the opportunity to go to the apartment complex's swimming pool. For 1 1/2 hours we played with 20 kids in a swimming pool.  Being in the inner city and not being exposed to swimming pools and lakes, most all of the kids, even up to 10 years old, did not know how to swim. This meant that it was up to us to carry and swim with them the entire time.

After our time in the pool we spent some time at a local Hispanic Farmer's Market where the kids enjoyed fresh mango and other treats.

We followed all that up with dinner at Laredo Taqueria, voted as having the best tacos in Houston. Add all the days activities with a heavy meal, and we are all ready for some rest, pray that we get it tonight.

Merchant 

JHigh Mission Trip 2012: Day 2--Tuesday, June 19th

We began our day at Sheltering Arms. This is a day program that serves the elderly who suffer from various forms of dementia. We had the opportunity to interact with them and participate in some of their activities.

For lunch we had a real treat. We were invited to a Juneteenth Celebration at Independent Heights, an independent living facility for the elderly. 

After lunch we went on a prayer tour of Houston. This is an opportunity to see the diversity of the city and learn about many of the challenges that people face. We finished the tour with a visit to the Houston Holocaust Museum. Always a moving experience, this a unique opportunity to have a new understanding of something that we all should learn from.

For dinner we dined at Reggae Hut, wonderful Jamaican food.

We finished the night at The Salvation Army Harbor Light Center where we blessed by their phenomenal men's choir, always a great way to end a day!

Pray for ENDURANCE tomorrow! 

Merchant 

JHigh Mission Trip 2012: Day 1--Monday, June 18th

Day 1 began serving at The Beacon. A program of the Diocese of Texas and across the street from the Cathedral, this ministry serves the homeless of Houston by providing breakfast, showers, and laundry service. Today we served in a variety of ways including food prep, cutting chickens, making large amounts of ranch dressing, preparing hygiene packs, and working in the laundry room. Afterwards we went across the street and took a brief tour of the Cathedral.

For our afternoon ministry, we volunteered at a children's program at Haverstock Hills apartments.  A program that serves the children of the apartments, mostly Section 8 Housing, it provides stability during the summer with various activities.

We ended the day celebrating Jack's 16th birthday with a cookie cake. Happy Birthday Jack!

Please pray for our group to be in the right frame of mind for tomorrow. We will be doing a few things tomorrow in addition to work sites that require us to be mature and respectful

Merchant 

JHigh Mission Trip 2012: Day 0--Sunday, June 17th

We arrived this afternoon and met our City Guide for the week, Tyler, who will be guiding us throughout the week to our various ministry sites. We are safe, sound, showered, and tucked away in our beds.

Part of our week long experience is dining in local ethnic restaurants and today we started off with Mexican food. I know, it's not a stretch, but it was a gentle start to the week. 

Tomorrow we begin our first ministry day bright and early. Please pray for our group as we begin to form bonds that will support us throughout the week as we begin to trust each other. Also pray that we find the best ways to serve at our ministry sites tomorrow.

Merchant

Welcome to Youth View

Youth View is set up to share news about the youth ministries at St. Luke's on the Lake.