Only a few days left until departure!

We started this blog in 2011 when we left on our mission trip to San Diego. It's interesting to look back and see how we all have grown as leaders and youth since that time, and to see how people have changed in the photos too. For our youth, it's fun to look back and be reminded of memories of previous experiences all while looking forward to making new memories in yet another city.

For 2014, our group will travel to Denver, Colorado. We will be serving along side four other churches from other parts of the country. Service will be primarily to elderly, kids and the homeless, as it has been on our previous trips.

Since 2011, we've accumulated about 4000 "visits" to the site. That's over 1300 site hits per trip. What an encouragement to our youth when we share this info with them, that our support system back home is reguarly checking in on us and sharing in our experiences. I encourage anyone keeping up with us to leave comments if you are so inclined after reading one of our posts. The comments are even better than seeing how many visits we've had to our blog that day.

This year's theme is "Demo: Live Like Jesus" and is inspired by John 13:15.

Our perfect demonstration of a life full of love and service was Jesus. He wants us to follow Him and do what He did while He was on earth. As the eleven of us depart to do our best to "Live Like Jesus" this next week, we ask you to pray for safe travels, open minds, good attitudes, servants hearts and compassion. These trips allow us to "disconnect" from everything at home, (most) technology, our friends and even our families to focus on Him through devotion, service, bible studies, and worship. We laugh together, learn together, cry together, serve together, eat together and pray together for one full week.

Sometimes it's hard to wrap your head around a week of service to a community. How can we make a difference in a week? Is that really enough time to have any impact? Youthworks was established in 1994 and has been establishing relationships in communities all over the country (and outside of the country!) ever since. Each summer, there are 14 weeks of service to each community, with each week being made up of new groups from different places. If you count the average time that each person spends serving at a volunteer site in a week, it comes to about 22 hours (give or take a couple). Multiply that by 65 people at the site, and suddenly you have 1430 hours of service in one week. Multiply that by 14 weeks, you have over 20,000 hours of service to a city in a summer. If these organizations were to replace us with paid staff, paid at $10, before any benefits, it would cost over $200,000 in labor. Multiply that again by all of the sites across the country---well you get the idea. The service hours and economic impact to these communities adds up, especially over the years.

But how about sharing God? After all, these trips are about Him, right? That's where our demonstration comes in. Jesus sacrificed for others. He loved others. He showed compassion to others. He fed the hungry. He spent His time with the outcasts and those who suffered. We hope to "demo" that this week - sharing the same love that He has for us and in turn letting people know through words and actions that Jesus loves them the same way He loves us.

Is a week enough time to get to know someone in order to bring them to Christ? We will probably never know the impact we will have on the people we encounter as Christ works through us. The comforting thought is that we don't have to worry about that part. Philippians 1:6 says, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." It is God's work, not ours. He has chosen to use us for His will in small ways and in big ways to complete His work. Whether we are coming into contact with people directly or working at a food bank that will later have an impact on someone's life, God can use any and all situations to further His kingdom.

All of this reminds me of a song that was recently released and is on the radio right now. It is by the group "NEEDTOBREATHE" and is called "Multiplied"

You can listen to the song on YouTube using the following link: http://youtu.be/VGrmmQGaOCI
One of the verses says:
"May this offering stretch across the skies
And these Halleluiahs be multiplied"

We have faith that He will take this week of service and multiply it for His glory--both in us and in those we serve!

Tim