Summer Youth Mission Trip 2010
June 13 - June 19
For Summer Youth Mission Trip 2009, click here
Hurricane damage on High Island (USGS)
With thanksgiving our Youth Ministries Mission Team will travel to the
Port Neches, Texas area beginning Sunday, June 13 following their
commissioning during the 10 am worship service. Representing the faith
community of West Plano Presbyterian Church will be Bailey Anderson,
Kyle and Maddie Webster, Lauren Fleming, Emily and Peter Mikhail, Amanda
Robinson, Thomas and Kirby McLeod,along with mentors
George Jacobi, Matt Calvert, Stacy Camp and DCF Betty Weckerly. We
invite you to be part of the send off @ 11:30 that morning.This mission
team asks for your prayers as they travel on Sunday, June 13 arriving at
the High Island Retreat Center by @ 7:30pm. We will be settling in and
becoming oriented to our surroundings Sunday evening. We hope you will
pray for a good night's rest Sunday night as we anticipate beginning
work in unfamiliar places on Monday.
Our lodging at High Island Retreat Center promises to be comfortable and
brings the challenge of cooking our own meals. Divided into two meal
hospitality teams we will alternate preparing our own breakfasts and
suppers. We appreciate in advance your willingness to surround our care
for one another with prayers for compassion, understanding, and grace as
we delve deeper into learning to be servants to all.
We will work each day diligently and with great enthusiasm as we help
the people of the area. Would you please pray for our safety, our
servanthood focus, and our ability to complete our assigned tasks with love.
Evenings will be spent in exploring the area around us including some
potential times at nearby beaches suitable for swimming and play. Again,
thanks for praying daily for our refreshment and cohesive relaxation
together.
Every evening and morning we will gather in a time of prayer and
devotion ... " ... and there was evening and there was morning ... " as we
continue to explore the fullness of holy living as witnesses to God's
expansive love, grace, and peace. One evening this will include a
service of Word and Sacrament led by Rev. Kevin Boyd from Houston. We
ask your continued prayers for our deepening faithfulness to God. Friday
night we hope to venture to Al's Seafood and Steaks for a great night
out and some fun fellowship after we complete our work in Port Neches.
Saturday morning, we will pack and head home. Again, please surround us
with prayers for safekeeping as we anticipate arriving back at WPPC
before supper time.
Thanks for all of your support for each of us as we venture forth to
share the ministry of our church.
Day 1 -- Sunday (6/13/10)
Ready to begin the journey
We would like to thank Jeannie Stone for the amazing breakfast and the congregation for such a great send-off.
The first part of the drive was spent planning our meals, creating a shopping list and listening to energizer.
We stopped at a Sonic in Corsicana for lunch and to fuel up. After lunch we hit the road, and both vans had ZZZ’s
coming out the windows (except the drivers, hopefully). The next stop was in Conroe for more fuel, bathroom breaks,
and to stock up on munchies (especially Maddie). Our next stop was in Winnie for groceries at the Market Basket.
The grocery list was divided into three teams, (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), each team had to turn this tiny
store over to find the items needed. The frustrating thing about the store is that we couldn’t buy things in bulk
and the selection was minimal. We finally made it to the checkout with four carts brimming with food; we took the
other shoppers and employees by surprise. The checkout process took two lanes, four baggers, and forty-five minutes.
Our next challenge was to load the groceries into the already jam-packed vans. Thirty minutes later we were on the
road again and heading to the retreat in High Island. Once we arrived, we unloaded our stuff from the vans and
everybody was relieved to get there and was excited to see the wonderful place. We were surprised at the size and
quality of the place, and there were six showers! We were very grateful to be in such a nice place and were touched
by the inspirational messages all over the place. We made homemade pizza and salad for dinner; it was great! We
ended the day with devotionals; we revisited the commissioning and discussed what we were grateful for. Everyone
cleaned up and lights were out by eleven; we went to bed anticipating the rest of the trip.
Peace and Grace, WPPC youth ministries mission team.
Day 2 -- Monday (6/14/10)
Monday activities
It's 5 o'clock in the morning and the breakfast crew is laying out food for breakfast and lunches, coffee was made and
the rest of the group is stirring. At 5:30 alarms are going off and everybody is getting up! we all got dressed for
the work day and ate breakfast and made lunches, put the Gatorade and water in the coolers, cleaned up, then Kendall
Boyd from the Presbytery Of The New Covenant came over and joined us for morning devotions and lead us to One Mission
Galveston. To get there we had to take a 30 minute ferry ride, total we were in the car for an hour and a half. We
finally arrived there and we were given our tools, our first work assignment, and said prayers with the One Mission
Galveston team . Our assignment was to work with a lady named Tina, her house was flooded but Rita, then again by Ike.
She has been living in a FEMA trailer while she was trying to fight the battle to try to get funding to rebuild her
home. We helped her salvage the usable parts (doors, windows, 2×4s and a rod iron railing) before they knock the house
down tomorrow, we also cut many sections out of her fence and put in her back yard to save it so she can reuse it when
her house is rebuilt. The work was very hard and hot. We did most of the work with hand tools, a power drill and a
sawsall (everybody got to use all the tools). We had no injuries :-). After work, our trip back to the retreat center
included fighting the traffic, ridding the ferry, and our hour and a half commute. Once we got back to the retreat
center every body was eager to shower, clean up, and get started making dinner. We made tacos, queso, and guacamole --
it was delicious! :-). We ended the night with a devotional about where we saw the holy spirit at work.
Peace and Grace, WPPC youth ministries mission team.
Day 3 -- Tuesday (6/15/10)
Tuesday activities
We woke up early again, in order to get to One Mission Galveston, the organization we’ve been working with, by 8 o’clock
to get our work assignment and attend the morning worship service. We were running a little late, though, and ended up
missing the worship service, but still got there in time to see a lot of the morning activities happening. We met with
Pete DeWorken, the head guy at One Mission Galveston, and got a new work assignment. Our assignment was to hang sheet
rock at the house of a woman named Angela. She was living with her mother and youngest son when their house was destroyed
by Ike. Before we left, we got some quick lessons on hanging sheetrock and mudding; as not very many of us had experience.
Because we combined with another group, Pete split our groups by age, to make it easier to teach it practically. After
the lessons, each group was given all the necessary equipment and headed off to our assignments. Angela’s house had
already been started by a group from last week. They had worked in stages through the house, so we had to hang sheet rock
in some areas, mud and tape in some areas, and put a finishing coat of mud on others. The house didn’t have running water,
so Pete suggested we talk to some of the neighbors and ask to borrow their hose. Just around the corner from Angela was a
lady named Bea, who graciously let us use her water. We found out that her house was also destroyed in Ike and that she
was out of her home for a year and a half. She proudly showed off her new house, which was coordinated and fixed up by
UMCOR mission group. After a long hot day of sheet rocking, we went back to One Mission Galveston to debrief with the
larger group that was staying there. It definitely turned into more of an interactive sermon though, as Pete shared his
call-story with the group and challenged us to discuss our fears, to discuss our faith, and to discuss where we could be
messengers of God. When we left there, we left with our hearts and minds full and headed back to the retreat center we
were staying at. That night, we made spaghetti with vegetarian alfredo sauce and another dish of meat sauce with
meatballs, with corn and peas and carrots and absolutely delicious garlic bread. We ate, we cleaned up, and we had our
own devotional, where we reflected on not just our day but also the message we heard at One Mission Galveston. We were
all exhausted and completely ready to go to bed.
Peace and Grace, WPPC youth ministries mission team.
Day 4 -- Wednesday (6/16/10)
Wednesday activities
The challenge for today was to be more cooperative and to work together as a team, thereby demonstrating the presence of
the Holy Spirit. We were able to get up an hour later today, at 6:30am (yea!) because our missionary work was at Crystal
Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula, only about twenty minutes from the retreat center we were staying at. We did our now
regular morning routine, had morning prayer, and discussed our challenge once more before loading the vans. Our new
assignment was with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, supporting Second Goings, a newly created thrift store and food
pantry. The mission of the ministry was to provide food and clothing to local residents. There we met Pastor Gene
Stratmeyer and his wife Jean. We unloaded an eighteen wheeler semi truck filled with donations from an organization
called Justice for All, based in Iowa. They made a stop in Houston and gave two thirds of the donations to local
ministries. We unloaded the remaining boxes filled with clothing and household items. We soon found out the best way to
unload the boxes. We quickly formed an assembly line with Kyle (The tallest!) taking the boxes down from heights up to
eight feet, and passing them down the line into every WPPC youth mission team member’s arms. Every box made it to the
end of the semi truck and was placed on a pallet, which was then moved inside the building. Because being inside the
truck was much hotter than the already hot day outside, we needed a distraction. We sang songs we all knew: VBS songs
and energizers (sometimes even doing the moves!) Betty made a stop at The Big Store—The actual name of a local store!—and
picked up some speakers for her iPod and we blasted some familiar music to dance and sing along to. We finished up working
early, and decided to head to the beach! We ate our lunches at a pavilion and then made the short mile drive the ocean. We
enjoyed the break from the boiling hot weather when we swam and played in the waves, and when an ice cream truck drove
down the beach, we relished a cold treat. That night, we had company; Pastor Gene and Jean. We decided to have elaborate
breakfast for dinner. The cooking crew for the night made scrambled eggs with cheese, pancakes, fruit of the spirit kabobs,
omelets, bacon, sausage, orange juice, and milk. We conversed with our new friends while we ate. After dinner, we heard
their call stories as well as heard about some of their adventures. Our guests had lived many places from Texas to Alaska.
Gene explained his ministry which is focused on justice. After Pastor Gene served as a pastor both Gene and Jean felt
called to be missionaries in Malawi, Africa. They helped start Presbyterian churches as well as taught the locals useful
skills. Jean shared stories of her participation in the women’s guild and how she taught women how to sew. She explained
the hard lives of the African women, especially orphan girls. Although we could talk for hours, it was getting late and
our guests had to leave. We cleaned up our dinner, and after enjoyed some chocolate pudding (yum yum). We had
devotionals to talk about our busy day, and turned off the lights for a long awaited rest.
Peace and Grace, WPPC youth ministries mission team.
Day 5 -- Thursday (6/17/10)
Thursday activities
Luckily, we had a 6:30am wake-up call; everyone ate breakfast, made lunches, and helped pack the beverage coolers. Of
course, we did have time to have morning prayer before piling into the vans. We headed back to Angela’s house to do more
sheet rocking. As with every day, the ferry ride was inspiring, a great way to start a very hot, hard working day. Our
One Mission Galveston project manager Sam Murray came and brought us our tools and supplies to Angela’s house, cutting off
an hour of travel time, (thus the 6:30am wake up instead of the usual 5:30am). Since this was our second day of doing
sheetrock work, we were much more productive because we knew what we needed to do. While we worked, we had multiple teams
and we were fast and efficient as we measured, cut and hung sheetrock, mudded and taped, and sanded the previous day’s now
dry mud. We made a run to Home Depot to pick up a couple of baskets of flowers for Miss Bea to thank her for her
hospitality and because we found out she needed some help with landscaping. Everybody was so pumped about the progress we
were making that it was hard to get people to stop working. We didn’t stop until we ran out of the supplies that we needed
to keep going; we ran out of the water-resistant sheetrock, tape, sheetrock screws, and sandpaper. To say the least, it
was a late night for dinner. We put together a smorgasbord; we had a variety of personal pizzas, green bean casserole,
mixed vegetables, leftover veggie alfredo and meat sauce with spaghetti, chips, queso and salsa, Spanish fried rice, and,
of course, chocolate pudding. Doing this allowed us to easily clean out the refrigerator while enjoying a delicious meal.
After clean-up, we had devotionals, where we talked about different aspects of gentleness. Eyelids were closing as we
gently bid each other goodnight.
Peace and Grace, WPPC youth ministries mission team.
Day 6 -- Friday (6/18/10)
Friday activities
The last work day of the mission trip began when we rose sleepily from our assorted beds and cots at around 6:30am. After
the usual morning activities, we headed for Galveston, and while on the ferry we had our morning devotional and prayer on
the top deck of the ferry. There was a woman standing at the rail, whom we unintentionally surrounded during that early
morning devotional. Unbeknownst to us, the mystery woman was in need of a prayer and someone to talk to; we believe that
God had a hand in putting her on the ferry that morning, so that some of us would have the opportunity to hear her story
and show her gentle compassion. As soon as the ferry docked, we hightailed it to Angela’s house. We had a lot of work to
get done, and we knew it. After a solid seven hours of hard work, the house was nearly completed. We were quite pleased
at what a few supplies and a determined mission team was able to accomplish in only three days of work at the house.
After the amount of mudding that we did, it was difficult to determine where the mud ended and where actual skin began.
As we were about to depart the house for the last time, we were pleasantly surprised with an unexpected visit from Sam
and Aaron, (another One Mission Galveston project manager). The entire group was overjoyed that we all were able to pray
with her one last time before we left the house for good. We dragged our tired selves back to our place of refuge and
rest to shower and change for dinner. After the quickest rounds of showering yet seen on the trip, we headed back to
Galveston to Casey’s restaurant (part of Guidos) for some delicious seafood. The shrimp wasn’t the only thing stuffed by
the time we made it to the ferry for our almost midnight ride across the Galveston bay. This update is being sent as we
see the lights of the ships, the city and the fishing boats, smell the salty ocean air and feel the wonder of this time
we share in holy living.
Peace and Grace, WPPC youth ministries mission team.
Summer Youth Mission Trip 2009
July 25 - August 2
Our Youth Ministries Mission Trip 2009 is headed for Penasco, New Mexico over the dates July 25 - August 2. Tucked in the
mountains between Santa
Fe and Taos, Penasco is a small rural village within the Picaris Indian area, and home of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.
Our youth and adults will stay here while we provide service to the church and community, including Bible School for the
children of the church; restoring outdoor benches, ramp, and playground equipment; some deconstruction at their church in
Chamisal which is currently for sale; and landscaping at both Emmanuel as well as at elderly members’ homes. The people of
Emmanuel Presbyterian Church are hosting a fiesta for us on Wednesday evening during which we will enjoy homemade dishes
and fellowship with the community. If time and scheduling permit, we may have a trek to Ghost Ranch to work, and a visit
to serve and experience a Family Promise affiliate in Albuquerque.
Our Mentors in Mission for this experience include: Jeanne Denzin, Ken George, George Jacobi, Sami Mikhail, Laura Robinson,
and Betty Weckerly.
Our Youth in Mission include: Bailey Anderson, Lauren Fleming, Kristyn George,
Thomas McCloud, Megan McLain, Rachel McLain,
Emily Mikhail, Peter Mikhail, Amanda Robinson, Kelly Robinson, Kyle Webster, and Madison Webster.
Scenery near Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico
Daily Log (contributed by Sami Mikhail)
Day 1 -- Saturday (7/25/09)
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At 06:30 this morning we gathered for a lovely breakfast prepared by our own Jeannie Stone. Breakfast was a huge fact in everyone
showing up close to on time! Following final packing we were sent off with prayer from
Daivd B. and warm wishes from all --
perhaps even a bit of glee from parents left behind? We arrived in good time in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Eight or so hours of
driving had their effects of course, but we are getting good opportunities to be flexible :)! We find First Presbyterian Church of
Tucumcari ready to offer us hospitality with Grace. Our accomodations are very comfortable.
Dinner at Denny's was
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quite a production, but we made it through with no major mishaps. In a break with tradition, the first
shopping stop was NOT a Walmart! They have Big K, KMart here. Shock! But all found what they needed. We will be heading for
devotionals and a relatively early bed time (we're on Mountain Time now).
Day 2 -- Sunday (7/26/09)
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After a peaceful rest in Tucumcari, we got up bright and early (7 am!) and prepared for the day. After a quick but thorough clean
up we spent some quality time meditating in First Presbyterian Tucumcari's sanctuary.Our first stop was the Flying J in Tucumcari,
where we arrived on schedule. Here we had breakfast and showers. It takes a LONG time to get 18 folks through 2 showers, even with
the speediest of showerers. Nonetheless, we were close enough to being on schedule that we made it up the time on the road. Our
next stop was close to Cline's Corner, stradling the continental divide. Here we had our Sunday morning worship devotional. It was
an interesting experience to
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go through our liturgy with traffic flying by. We then divided into our ministry teams for the rest
of the drive. Next stop, Espanola, fast food and Walmart shopping (finally!). Splitting the shopping list among the ministry teams
proved to be a very efficient way of getting it done quickly. And then on to Penasco. The last several miles of the trip were
particularly exciting: Mountain Roads with particularly steep grades and interesting turns. Just a bit of excitement. David (their
David, not our David :) ) and Lisa greeted us and showed us around. The menfolk are in the Church Office (with access to the internet
-- Hurrah!!!!) and the womenfolk are in the main Church. We have met some of the Penasco youth and adults that will be working with
us on VBS. There has been an almost instant bonding between our crews. This promises to be a very exciting week for all.
Day 3 -- Monday (7/27/09)
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We are learning new things -- timing and pace are totally different here in Penasco. For us over-organized, over-scheduled Plano-ites
this is a bit of a culture shock. We are learning to be grateful for the gift of found time, the luxury of not having to rush to the
next appointment, the blessing of being able to take the time to enjoy each other and nature. On this day we have seen God in Nature,
in the people we have met, in the people we have helped, in the people that have helped us. We have experienced tasks we've found
onerous and tasks we've enjoyed. In all
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of them, we are seeking to be disciples "immediately." Things we've accomplished: Kicked off
VBS. A bit of an adjustment here because of the above mentioned difference in pace. But the Penasco participants are enjoying it as
much as the Plano team is enjoying leading! We moved a Piano from the old Church in Chamisal. The four young ladies today's Outreach
Ministry team, with very little help from a couple of adults got it moved! We've cleared (weed-whacked -- the old fashioned way! -- and
pruned) the Church's road frontage. Fortunately no snakes reared up out of the foliage. The church is now more visible, and the view
of the road from the church parking lot exit is unobstructed making it safer. We've begun re-painting the outside of the Church. The
face lift is making a noticeable difference. The texts guiding us through our journey are from Genesis, the creation story. Our theme
is incarnation. We have been given a number of opportunities to experience God's Grace in his incarnation and are looking forward to
even more opportunities.
Day 4 -- Tuesday (7/28/09)
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Today's accomplishments, of the mundane variety, look remarkably like yesterday's accomplishments: Painting, landscaping, clearing,
trimming edging, teaching playing. But that doesn't begin to tell the story of people stepping out of their comfort zones (all the
way to the top of rickety ladders, or to talking to folks we were not expecting to talk to.) Nor does it tell the story of community
growing here in Penasco, and reaching back to our home church. It doesn't tell the story of the stories we have heard, the faith
journeys that have been shared. Those stories
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cannot be fully shared in a blog, only hinted at. When we come back to our home
community, we will make time to share the stories of our missional community. The treat for today was a visit to Ghost Ranch.
Exciting drive to and and from – including some very threatening weather that mercifully stayed away while we were on the road.
Great supper and a chance to revel in God's creation around the Ranch.
Day 5 -- Wednesday (7/29/09)
If we were to recount what we did on Day 5 it would sound like a laundry list of everything we have been doing. But it would not
convey the increasing level of intensity we are experiencing as we do God's work and look for God in creation. We cleared more
brush and did more painting, and in so doing experienced new levels of team building and interaction with our hosts. We have
learned a lot about them and about ourselves. Half the Outreach Ministry team provided Home Bound Communion to two "ancianos",
older members. Silas is 101. He will turn 102 in September. Mary is 86 years young. Both of them, and their family and
caregivers, welcomed us warmly. They thanked us for coming. We thanked them for the opportunity to server, the opportunity to
see life through different eyes, to hear stories from well before our times. The other half of the Outreach Ministry team
shopped for Communion elements and prepared for the Communion worship in the evening. The team started learning about the
differences in traditions between WPPC and Emmanuel Presbyterian. Emmanuel uses matza crackers, WPPC uses white bread. The
team couldn't find the matza crackers in the Espanola Walmart. They got sweet Hawaiian bread instead. And so began the melding
of traditions, both congregations getting to experience a part of each other's services. The Hospitality team shopped for and
prepared our sustenance. They kept us fed and watered and happy. The Church team continued their work of beautifying the
church and the church grounds.
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It's hard on a day like this to say this was the highlight, or that was the highlight. The visit from Wes and Jan Lackey was a
highlight. It was a joyous reunion. Wes hadn't seen most of the youth in 9 years. Youth he had baptized ... Wes and Jan are both
doing very well and send their greetings to WPPC. The Fiesta in the evening was a highlight. The Emmanuel congregation shared
traditional New Mexican foods with us. The WPPC crew deemed all delicious and delighted in getting to know more of the
congregation. Including Delcenia, 101 who joined us for
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dinner and the worship communion service. The worship communion service
was a highlight. The service was intensely meaningful to all. Emmanuel got to experience the renewal of Baptism at the font.
WPPC got to experience communion passed out to the congregation and taken in unison. The Kickball games were a highlight. We
learned that there is healthy competition, and competition that needs to be be reigned in. In the end, we learned that it is
more satisfying to cooperate and encourage than it is to win. And Dr. Laura got to do some Doctoring. Don't worry parents, no
permanent injuries but lots of learning opportunities.
Day 6 -- Thursday (7/30/09)
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We have completed the tasks we had set for ourselves, to the best of our abilities. The community at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church
has expressed their gratitude. But all of us feel that it is us who should express gratitude: in serving we have learned more from
the folks of Emmanuel than we could have learned anywhere else. The sanctuary of Emmanuel has commemorative stained glass windows.
The design of each window reflects the life of the person being memorialized. The theme for our devotions today, in the sanctuary
this morning and by
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firelight this evening, took up the theme. Betty asked us to think of the people we have served and who have
shown us Christ and to imagine the stained glass windows we would create for them. The stained glass windows we imagined would
fill a cathedral. The reflections of God's creation, God's blessings and God's grace experienced in Penasco will fill a lifetime.
Day 7 -- Friday (7/31/09)
You'd think that
white water rafting
on our final day in Penasco would be the most intense part of a very intense Mission
Trip. You'd be close. But it wasn't. The service of wholeness and renewal that was our last devotional was significantly more
intense. Tomorrow we hit the road again. Our first stop is Sanctuarion in Chimayo, then Santa Fe for some Brunch, then onto
Amarillo for the night (and dinner at the Big Texan!). Then on Sunday morning we will be Homeward bound.
Home Again (8/02/09)
We are all home safe and sound. The ride home was as intense as the mission trip has been:
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Morning devotionals Saturday in the Chamisal church. Possibly the last service in that space. A very moving spiritual journey to
Sanctuario in Chimayo. Brunch in Santa Fe with a quick visit around the Plaza. Dinner at Big Texan in Amarillo. Way too much food.
Sunday morning started with delivering Kristyn to the Amarillo airport for the next leg in her busy summer schedule. Then the long
drive home. Going from the mountains of New Mexico to the flatness of West Texas — well let's just say it gave everybody time to
play all kind of road games.
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This is the last entry for the WPPC Mission Trip '09. All of us fervently hope that we will continue to live out our
baptism covenant and see God in God's creation in the world as we did in Penasco. "And there was morning and there was evening
for the rest of our days ... "
Summer Youth Mission Trip 2008
June 27 - July 6
For our 15th Annual Presbyterian Youth Ministries Mission Trip,
twenty one of us set off on a great adventure in
faithful living thanks to the support of our wonderful congregation,
our families, and our friends. West Plano Presbyterian Church can feel
good about sending our young missionaries; Thomas Mcleod, Emily
Mikhail, Maddie Webster, Holli Esmundo, Kristen George, Rachel McLain,
Miles Hutson, Shelby Stubbe, Lanson Webb, Megan McLain, Lauren
Fleming, Kyle Webster, Catherine Winterland, Kelly Robinson, Bailey
Anderson, to serve the needy in Louisville. Our Mentors in Mission
included Debbie Stubbe, Laura Robinson, Matt Calvert, Duane and Betty
Weckerly. Pollux Gilbert was our Little Ambassador to the children
in the day program at Harvey Browne Presbyterian Church in St. Matthews, Kentucky.
15th Annual Mission Trip group, ready to roll!
Our tasks included working with children who are homeless, painting
and fixing up homeless shelters and community centers, and interacting
and mentoring disadvantaged kids. We also had times of worship with
the staff of the General Assembly Mission Center, with the folks who
work in the stables of Churchill Downs, with congregations along the
way, and with each other each morning and evening!
Here’s a snapshot of our schedule:
FRIDAY June 27: At 7pm we loaded our provisions in the WPPC trailer.
SATURDAY June 28: We gathered at 7 am and left at 7:30 am -- destination
John and Pam Bush’s in Missouri for the night.
SUNDAY June 29: At 9:30 am we attended worship with the Bush family; afterward we managed a visit to the Arch
in St Louis; then we traveled to Louisville, Kentucky where we settled in
at Harvey Browne Presbyterian and met our new pals in mission
from Ohio. Before turning in, we chatted and prayed together then turned the lights out at 11 pm.
MON-FRI: We were up at 6 am all week! From 8 am - 4 pm, we served at
Center of Hope, Wayside Mission, Berryville YMCA, Boys/Girls Club,
Cabbage Patch House. By 9:30 pm we were ready to
chat and pray together, then lights out at 11 pm.
SATURDAY July 5: At 9 am, we left Louisville to travel and explore all
day. By 8 pm, we arrived at Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church in Forrest City, Arkansas
to spend the night.
SUNDAY July 6: After worship at Graham Memorial, we had lunch then got on
the road home. We arrived back at WPPC by evening.
Expecting the
unexpected, we experienced God in the world in many ways
during this special time away. Thanks so much to everyone for their
prayers, encouragement, support,and help in fundraising to extend our
missional witness through this group!
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