One more day!

Tomorrow is the camp crew’s last day with the kids. I honestly dread getting on the plane to come home on Saturday. The bonds we have formed with these kids is unimaginable. My shadow, a 13/14 year old boy named Tyrone, and many other children tell us daily they don’t want us to leave. Two little girls told Christina and I today that we could buy them for free and they would sleep on our floors. I can’t count how many times Tyrone and Ajhanie and Judda and others have told me today that they would miss us. It breaks my heart to have to leave these faces. Sometimes I want to pull my hair out because they are being a little wilder than I’m used to or louder, but then the next second they are doing something equally as sweet and I just want to hug on their little necks. I thank God for this opportunity. I will be back next summer. There is no way I could not.

Fun and Fellowship on the Fourth!!

We finally got out of the door to drive to the beach to fellowship with church members from Frederikstad Baptist church. It is a beautiful day and we can see where we are going this morning since it was dark when we drove to the house last night.

Pastor John has been at the beach saving us a spot since 6am. He is there to greet us with several of the young people from the church. We are here to have a fun and relaxing day as their guest. The beach is beautiful and the water is refreshing. The local folks are setting up and having picnics all around. It is the fourth of July and a day to celebrate.

Mark brought along nerf finger darts that had a rubber band attached that you could shoot at each other and the local kids had a ball shooting them and diving in the surf to catch them. The older folks sat around the table and played dominos. That was quite a sport to watch!! The intensity with which they played was amazing t o watch. We were speel bound watching them play.

The church women were busy preparing a wonderful meal. It was not hamburgers and hotdogs and apple pie, but it was delicious. We had salad, potato salad, rice and beans, several fish dishes, mac and cheese and goat. Yes, goat! It fell right off the bone and tasted great. The friut punch of papaya and grapefriut was refreshing on a hot summer day.

Then there was the music….some traditional church songs set to reggae music with steel drums. The singing, the dancing and the praising of God through song was wonderful!! We are all excited about the worship service on Sunday…..It is sure to be enthusiastic.

This was a unique and special Fourth of July that I’m sure many of us will never forget. I am excited about working with some of the special people we met. The church people are warm, friendly and outgoing. It’s going to be a fun week.

Judy

We have Arrived!

Good Morning! Good Morning! Most of us arrived yesterday, despite a missed plane and an overbooked plane in San Juan, Puerto Rico, by 3:30pm, the remaining 3 arrived a short time after. We were treated to a divine lunch/dinner of chicken wings, johnny cakes, rice, macaroni and cheese, and salad at Frederiksted Baptist Church. An exhausted group then went and saw the work that laid ahead of us at Eagle’s Nest, the men’s home that is in desperate need of repair, and then braved the K-Mart on the way to the house. A flat tire and a stop for milk, and to turn around (on a gravel mountain one-lane road), we FINALLY arrived at our “home” for the week. We settled in and spent some time in the pool before crashing. We woke up this morning, well-rested, to beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea and Buck Island. Most of the women are behind us in our table nook enjoying breakfast while we sit at our bar and write. Soon we will depart for a 4th of July picnic hosted by the church. Spirits are lifted and bellies are fed.

Time to get dressed! We miss you, but are truly excited to be here to work.

Megan and Christina

Ready or not, here we come!

Today is the day! Dad is upstairs eating a bowl of cereal and I am about to go up and join him. The quicker we eat, the quicker we get to meet our team at the airport. The excitement level, at least on my part, is high. I cannot wait to get on that plane and truly embark on our journey. For as long as I’ve been alive its always been me putting family on a plane for a mission trip, normally Katy, but today… Today it is my turn. My first, outside the continental United States, mission trip. Its safe to say I’ve waited 20 years for this. I hope Frederiksted is ready for us, because, ready or not, HERE WE COME!

Megan

Ready to Go!?

Am I ready to go?  I have gathered everything I want to pack. I have been thinking and praying about our Youth on their mission trip to Port Sulphur,  LA.  I have been trying to plan for any situation that may occur on this trip.  I’m a planner!  Everyone who knows me, knows I plan.  I like to know what to expect in new siuations that way I can plan my reaction.  Will I bond with the folks we meet in St. Croix?  Will the kids enjoy playing with me?  Will I be able to be the example that Christ would want me to be for these kids?  I can only pray that Jesus knows the plan for this trip and that I will be able to follow his plan instead of mine.

I have made my physical preparations, now as always, I must continue to concentrate on my spiritual preparations.  I know my fellow travelers will be doing the same.  We are on this mission as a team and I know they will be there to point me in the right direction, should I stress too much over whether or not we are following our plan.  (There’s that word again!)

God has his plan….for the trip…..for me….for all involved in both Richmond and St. Croix.  I know He is prepared for us to make this trip.  He has been preparing me.  I hope I don’t disappoint Him.  I am still getting ready and will always prepare. When we leave Thursday morning early……I will be ready to go!!

Judy

Update 1 from La.

After almost 24 hours on the bus, the group arrived in Port Sulphur, La ready to stretch and sleep! A delay for repair kept the team from leaving on time, and a minor repair en route put the team way off schedule.

After the 1st day of work, the BBC team was stepping up. They were leading in devotions, reaching out and feeding the kids in the neighborhood with their bag lunches. They even arraigned for the left over breakfast food to be given to the children of the homes they were working on. We have a reason to feel confident that God is in control because of what we are hearing from the team.

Keep them in prayer…

mark

Youth Mission Team Leaves Saturday

Be at the church to send off our Youth and Youth leaders this coming Saturday, June 21st. They will pull out at 8:30 AM heading towards Atlanta, where they will spend the night at Grayson United Methodist Church. They will get up with the chickens (not in the church) and drive all the way to Port Sulphur, La.

Keep them in prayer!!!

Commisioning Gathering This Sunday

Please join our worship and pray for the members of both of our teams. We begin at 11:00 am.

Click on the logo for directions

Free Car Wash June 14th

9AM – 1PM

Shell Station on Staples Mill Road

Get a free American flag with a donation!

Proceeds go to the Youth Trip

Go – Do – Speak – Serve – Minister

This is the site where our mission teams will report and show their pictures.

Our youth leave Saturday, June 21st for Port Sulphur, Louisiana to work with Impact Virginia building new homes. They will be occupied by families who lost their original home during Hurricane Katrina.

Our multi-generational trip leaves July 3rd for Frederiksted, St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. They will be repairing a home for homeless men and women and working with children from a multi housing complex. They will be building relationships and teaching academic enrichment classes. These are children who do not go to church and come from difficult home situations.