Fun day update

Hi all!

We are at the Columbus zoo and water park. After getting caught in a storm, the kids finally got to go have some fun at the water park. We've enjoyed exploring the zoo, but are looking forward to getting home. 

The game plan is to gather and leave the park around 5:30/6. We are stopping for dinner then will be on the road. The kids will get their phones back after dinner. 

Looking forward to seeing you all

Emma

Amy - more pics

Group pics

Rob - day 4

Let me begin with a disclaimer; I am not a blogger.  But, the vents of the past week have been so inspiring to me that I needed to share my experiences.  I am the fortunate one who has been surrounded by energetic, imaginative, and very faithful people who have been part of this mission trip.  We came to the triangle of PA, OH, and WV not quite knowing what to expect from our arrangements to serve the people of this area.  We knew we would be doing some work to help folks have access to their homes and the outside world, but that was the extent of it.  On the first day we learned a little about our families and their addresses and needs.  Then we met these great people in person and saw the distressed conditions in which they lived their everyday lives.  We wanted to pitch in to help.  But, as the days progressed, we found that they were also building us up.  We became friends, hugged dogs and shared the stories of their lives and their faith encouraged us to deepen our own.  Your kids (our kids) developed in ways that have astounded me.  Both playful and considerate, measured and excitable, each youth and adult partnered with God to do things that made all who observed their work and demeanor wonder aloud as to their foundations of faith.

I am so unbelievably honored to be a part of the youth ministries at FPCN.  Pastor Emma has done an outstanding job of getting things organized and continuing to make things fun.  The adult volunteers were once again amazing in their own right as they found such a strong balance between protecting, encouraging, and stretching the limits that our youth have either had placed upon them or they placed upon themselves. 

Those that we thought would be the recipients of our service have now become part of our extended family of faith – and their tears and smiles and laughter have touched us all.   Thanks to the parents and supporters of these mission trips.  Without you, your kids, and your support these moments would not be possible for any of us: servants and served alike – and the essential message of God’s love and concern would be silenced.  To all of the mission team members I say thank you.  This trip will be filed away as one of the best of my memories.  God speed to all!

Rob

Olivia M - day 4

Yesterday, we finished our ramp that we had been working on all week. My group and I felt very accomplished after we were done. Donna the women we made the ramp for was so excited and thankful for what we did for her.  Since we were finished yesterday, we went to the Union Local High School for a mobile food pantry.  When we arrived, there were many cars. We waited for the truck to arrive so we could unload it. As we unloaded it, the people began to enter the line. I was very confused as to how it would work, but once it started, everything came together. Every family could get one or two servings of food or drink. We had people handing out the goods and others were helping the people carry things to their car. After we came back to where we were staying, we started to help clean up a house that was becoming a food pantry. Karin and I painted 3 doors and a doorframe then helped fix up another ramp.  Overall, this week has been great, and I am excited to go the zoo tomorrow.

-Olivia M.

Valerie - day 4

(work site 2) Today was the last work day of my first ever mission trip and it could not have been more perfect. Finally getting to work the whole day felt so good after losing so much time due to materials not arriving. The long, hot day consisted of putting the finishing touches on the ramp and deciding to re-build the entire deck at the last minute. Today I was also able to talk to Midge again, but this time, she opened up and told me more about herself and her story which she had neglected to tell the past few days. For me, this day was the most memorable. I learned so much about myself today which allowed me to further my relationship with God and was able to see the final reactions of Bob and Midge when the saw the completed ramp and deck for the first time. It was also very cool to see how all of our hard work came together in the end and will ultimately help the couple live a happier and safer life. My favorite part of the day was getting able to see how a few days of hard work has the power to help someone for the rest of their life. This mission trip has been everything and more that I had ever imagined and I’m so happy that I was able to share this experience with my sister and dad.

-Valerie

Tess - day 4

Today was the last full work day of the mission trip. We finished our ramp for Midge and Bob and even replaced some of their deck with our extra materials. Today was definitely our hardest day of work, but the most rewarding. Being able to see the finished product was such an amazing feeling. I thought back to the first day when we had no materials and I never thought that we would be able to finish and have such a great final product. Although I loved finishing our project, my favorite part of the day was Midge and Bob’s reaction at the end. We saw Midge use the ramp and it was so obvious how happy she was. Also, at the end, Bob was crying tears of joy. It felt so good knowing that just the littlest thing can have such a big impact on their lives. This mission trip was such an eye opening experience and I can’t wait for next year.

~Tess

Cameron - day 4

Today was pretty chill, even though the lunch wasn’t. Yesterday (Wednesday) we ended up finishing our entire project for Donna. We built an extension for her deck, added a wheel chair accessable ramp, and spread her a new gravel driveway. She was very excited that we were working so hard and so fast so she decided to cut us a watermelon. Today, since that we had no work to do, we ended up handing out food at the local school to people in need. I’ve had a really fun time this week with the dudes. (Shoutout to Jamie for reading the blogs).

~Cameron