Students answer what the best part about today was...

Riley Girl - getting closer with other people in my group even the guys and hearing more about their experiences  

Madison - sorting kids cloths with Payton and Autumn 

 

McKenzie - sorting the cloths at St. Vincent de Paul with the people in my group 

 

Calie - singing in the car 

 

Hattie - getting to go on a run and being outside on the lake 

 

Payton - knowing how much work has been done and how close we are to being done and getting Starbucks

 

Isaiah - The best part of today was talking with the homeless people.

 

Brendan- getting advice from one of the clients at the men’s shelter. He told me to keep trying to progress and stay in school.

 

Thomas- Brendan. He gave me a full container of Pringles.

 

Riley Boy- spending time at the lake for our afternoon activity.

A New Perspective - Payton

    This is my first trip. I could have gone last year but I didn’t because I was scared and I didn’t think I was ready. This is the longest trip I’ve ever been on without my family. I hate feeling left out though, and every time people would talk about the trip I would feel left out, so I decided I was going to go for it. I thought ok I’ll do this once and get out the way, but there’s no way I’m going to do it again. 

    Before the trip my parents tried to prepare me by saying this is going to be a lot of work, it’s nothing like 30 Mile and that scared me a bit. I thought I would be sad, uncomfortable and complaining a lot and non-stop thinking about home. But the truth is I don’t think I’ve ever laughed more, I’m honestly sick of laughing. The format is really similar to 30 Mile, but this is different because we are dealing with other churches, and the YouthWorks staff. I’m used to knowing everyone at 30 Mile, so this is more uncomfortable and pushes you more. Over 30 Mile Mission you always go to the same places but going somewhere new makes you see things in a new way. 

    At home it can be easy to ignore the needs around you because you see them all the time. But here you don’t know what you’re going to see, so it’s more of a shock and it really forces you to see the people around you and the ways they’re struggle, and that includes people you’ve know for years. 

    I think this trip has helped me to brave, and not to focus so much on the things that go wrong.  At first I thought this would be "one and done" for mission trips, but now after serving for three days I can honestly say I haven’t even thought about home, and this is something I’m am willing to do again. God has showed me things I’ve never thought about and puts my life in a new perspective.

Photos from Day 3

 We couldn't take many photos today at the sites (although there was video taken, so watch for a video to be put together after we get home!)

But here are a couple!

Photos from Day 2!

Working at a local garden

Working at St Vincent de Paul

Touring the Ronald McDonald House

 

Students answer what their favorite part of the day was...

Riley Girl - getting closer with the other people in my service group 

Madison - breaking down boxes and getting to know the other church better 

 

McKenzie - unpacking the food at St Vincent De Paul and putting them in smaller boxes into bigger boxes 

 

Bear - getting a picture with Ronald McDonald 

 

Isaiah - pulling turnips at the community garden

Thomas - meeting harmonica Dave. I had a name tag that said "T" and he said, "oh, you have an alphabet name!" 

 

Riley Boy - going to the Ronald McDonald house and just hearing about what they do there and how they help families. 

 

Dylan - harmonica Dave that we met passing out food 

 

Payton - when we were at St Vincent De Paul,  a girl came up to me and asked if it was whole milk and we said yes and she was so excited. And she told me I have the biggest smile and how I can light up a room.

 

Rikki - getting super efficient at cutting up cardboard boxes.

Boundaries - Isaiah

Long before we left on this trip, each of us chose a word that we wanted to live by and intentionally put into practice throughout the week.  The word I chose was boundaries. 

I originally chose boundaries because I wanted to make my own decisions instead of letting other people's choices influence me. I think I've done that, but I've also realized I've taken it too far. In some ways, I've regressed and gone back to what I like to call my "factory settings"—being shy, staying quiet, and not talking to new people very much.

 

Now, I almost want to do the opposite of my word. I want to break those boundaries. That might sound bad, but I think it would actually be good for me. I want to break away from the unnecessary walls and limits I've put around myself. I want to make more friends, step out of my comfort zone, and maybe even speak tomorrow night at Yea God.

 

I still think boundaries are important, but I've realized there's a difference between healthy boundaries and walls that keep people out. I want to keep the healthy boundaries that help me make wise decisions, while breaking down the ones that keep me from connecting with others and growing.

Photos from Day 1...

 

Sorry for the delay on Day 1 Photos - I was struggling to get them to upload. Finally seems to be working again!

Monument Circle

Exploring Downtown - on our way for Ice Cream after a long day's work