M:C 2008 Update

I am taking a break from the craziness and sitting in the computer lab at the Millvale Community Center. This is only our second day here at the Center and so much has happened already. :-)

Monday was mostly a travel day. We pulled out of the RCC parking lot shortly after 9:00am and started the journey south. After a few bathroom breaks and lunch at Wendy's/Taco Bell, we arrived at Pat Pugh's house in time for dinner. We spent most of the evening hanging with Pat, his family, and a few friends who were there. We ended our time there with Pat bringing us up to speed with what is going on in their ministry.

I want to share with you something Pat shared with us. He told us that at the beginning of June, some of the people from the church started meeting an hour before service on Sunday mornings and walked about the community. They would stop at certain places and pray. This is something that have continued to do. Then in a meeting about a week ago, some of the officials from the community informed Pat that the crime rate had dropped significantly in the community for the month of June! Praise God for His faithfulness!! Before we left, we surrounded Pat and prayed for his, his family, and his ministry.

When we arrived at the retreat (our home base for the week) everyone unloaded and got settled in. We ended the evening with a brief devotional. It was good to hear many of the students share what they hoped God would do this week.

Tuesday morning we awoke to rain...a lot of rain. We were supposed to go hand out postcards in the community for a few hours, but instead we went to the center. This actually worked out great. We were able to connect with the kids in the center. After lunch we ran an obstacle course and played kickball. I was so impressed with the way our students worked together and worked hard, without having to asked very much.

When it was Bible time, our students went right to work again. They were singing, smiling, and helping the children get engaged. And when they went to class time, they jumped right into their tasks. It was amazing to see how hard they working and how on task they were. I told them last night that this was my seventh mission trip with a group of teens and Tuesday was the best day on a mission trip I had ever experienced. Every time I looked, everyone was working. I didn't have to ask anyone to do something more than once. They always did it the first time. When they were with the children, they were focused on the children and not engrossed in each other.

If you are a parent of one of the students on this trip, you should be proud. Your children are doing an awesome work down here. They are displaying the love of Christ. They are revealing their character. They are growing spiritually right before my eyes. Thank you to the parents who have labored for years to plant the seeds that are now bearing fruit. You have helped make this trip unfold the way it is. Your work has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. Thank you!

On a less serious note, we did get to enjoy dinner at Sonic yesterday. The troops were very happy! :-)

shine!
Jason