Sunday, July 26, 2009

Summer 2009



Wow this summer sure has flown by with the mission trip and camps it's almost gone completely, I need a vacation to recover from summer vacation. Today we leave for Elementary camp, and I am so excited this will be Earl's first camp, and I am so proud of him. He is so organized and ready to go. I had an amazing time last week at Middle School camp and posted pictures on my facebook so feel free to check them out. When I get back I hope to blog a little about the experience there and also this weeks experience with elementary camp. The laundry is done, bags are packed , and I am as ready as I can be for camp, I am excited to see how God will work this week. Be Praying for us as many of the Children going have never been to camp before, or away from parents for an extended period of time! So with that Have a Beautiful Week!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Broken & Poured Out... Continued

OK so I think I left off on our way to Armonk, NY. This was our only stop on the trip that we were not staying at. We unloaded the equipment, had some grilled burgers and dogs, played some games and shared. Then we loaded up to leave for one of two nights in Westhaven. CT. Westhaven was a church that truly allowed God to work through them, this is also where we first lost power in the middle of Tunnel (the Song) and everyone kept right on going. It was a pretty awesome spiritual moment, especially when the church body began to stand and clap to encourage the youth. While here we made our first beach trip to Hammonasset Beach. The kids had a fabulous time swimming, collecting shells and enjoying the warmth of the sun. Our next day Day 6 of the trip we leave Westhaven and head to Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Plantation, and the Mayflower 2, after a busy day of touring and seeing some American history we Drive back to CT to Thompson, CT home of 24/7 and High Pointe Church. 24/7 youth building was AWESOME.... I didn't take many pictures here but they had a rock climbing wall, caged basketball hoops/court, DDR, and a Cafe'. We shared with about 100 students and the energy there was like no other place. It was hard to get our kids to want to sleep that night with all the fun stuff calling them! :) Day 7 we wake up to rain and drive to Boston but not before we stopped at Wal-Mart to get poncho's for everyone! I so wish It wasn't raining cause we looked silly all 57 of us in poncho's walking the freedom trail in Boston but alas no pictures! After drying off at lunch we head to our two night stay in Farmington, ME. We arrive and set up, and this is where Grace and Gary surprised Rebecca. (Grace is Rebecca's Step-Grandma)It was such a neat thing to meet Grace and Gary and for Rebecca to spend a little time with them. Here is also where we were supposed to go MT. Climbing but the rain ruined it for us! :) and boy am I glad, we went instead to the Lighthouse in Portland. All I can say is the pictures just don't even begin to show how beautiful it really was there. I could live there! That's one thing we learned on this trip is that sometimes things don't work the way we expect them but it's OK cause as we saw this day God can have something so much better for us if we were open to it. And we were! I could have stayed there all afternoon, but we had to share the musical again that night and what a night it was. After the worship a woman came forward and just shared her heart and it was beautiful, she's hearing impaired and it was difficult to understand her words but that night I saw God, in her, in the students that surrounded her and prayed for her and with her. WOW! God is good! Just when you think it can't get any better it does well maybe not better exactly but better in a new and different kinda way. Day 9 we head to Middletown, RI. When we arrived at the church they were standing outside waiting for us. They were jumping and cheering and excited to see us. When we shared that night, we were asked to sing more to share more to continue worshiping with them, and we did! It's so hard as I sit here trying to type what we experienced because the thoughts come so much faster than I can type and there are so many things I wish you to know but it would take days to type that all out so for now I am gonna take another little break and say I would love to share our experience with you anytime, just ask. So Have a Beautiful Day!

Christina

P.S. I promise to continue the rest of the trip soon.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Musical Mission Trip 2009

We are back from the 2009 Musical Mission Trip and boy am I exhausted! I thought I'd be able to blog from the road but my cell phone and blogger don't like one another so that is why there are several posts with jibberish. The trip was amazing! We went from Missouri to Maine and back. The students did a fabulous job and I am so glad I got to be a part of it. Two weeks is a long time to be on a bus with 57 othr people and it could have been filled with drama and attitudes but it wasn't. (Praise God)
I have put some pictures on my facebook so feel free to check that out as well as some others who have posted pictures via facebook.
SO I am gonna just say I hope you had an opportunity to see the Musical because God was at work in it each night. Each time I saw it my eye's were opened to something new. Our first night was in Chilcothe, MO (the place sliced bread was invinted no joke) We had some yummy grilled burgers and hotdogs at a beautiful park then shared with the church. After sharing we headed to host homes for our first nights rest. My host was Ginny an older woman 86 (I believe) and she was wonderful. Kori, Lydia and I stayed with her. She talked an told us many stories of her life and we found we have something in common her Daughter and Grandson's live in Findlay, Ohio! No Joke! That's my hometown. She knew all about Deitches and thier yummy icecream and chocolate. She had been there just a few short weeks prior to us staying with her for her grandson's wedding. Small world huh! Then we got up the next day and headed to Wheeling West Virgina. Now if you've never been to West Virgina I gotta tell you it's a lot different than Kansas. There is no flat land in West Virgina. When we arrived at the church and parked the bus I felt as though we were on a roller coaster at the top of the hill just before you fall......thank goodness the brakes work! We had our first night of Fried Chicken and it was good, little did we know that would be the theme of the trip! :) We get everything set and share with the congragation of WFBC. Our third day in we leave for Armonk, NY. I will post more on this later as I am tired and need to get up in the A.M. to get back to my working out! So this will have to do for now! Have a Beautiful Day!
Christina