Posted on Jul 28, 2016 in Mission Trip, Youth Ministry |
Today was a great reminder that we serve in His strength and not our own, as many of our team are starting to get tired. Dependent on Christ is always a great way to serve.
Today we move forward or complete each of the facility projects we we’ve working on. We’re just about done with sorting the clothing pantry. We have just a little bit of touch up painting to do on the shed and the women’s bathroom. We finished painting the main entrance, and we finished painting the parking bumpers and parking space lines. We’ve made significant progress on the carpetball table that we’re building for Kids Inc. We also cleaned numerous ministry rooms in this 48,000 square foot building.
Today at Elementary Club we had over 60 kids. God is so faithful. Another 3 kids made the decision to trust Christ for salvation! God is so faithful.
To thank the team for their amazing work, we went out to dinner at a local restaurant. Finding a place that can adequately handle 40+ people is challenging, but they did a great job. After dinner we gathered for a time of prayer and worship, which our team really embraces and looks forward to.
Finally, we expended the rest of our energy playing several huge games of sardines. It’s been a very full, fun, and rewarding day.
Posted on Jul 28, 2016 in Mission Trip, Youth Ministry |
It’s a good kind of tired. The tired that reminds you that you invested every hour and every calorie serving Jesus. I’m so proud of our team – they’re doing an amazing job! I wish you could see them in action.
This morning we continued our work projects here on the Kids Inc. campus:
- repairing weather damaged wood and painting the maintenance shed
- painting the main entrance to the facility
- sorting clothing for the clothing ministry
- more shopping for food – this team can sure eat
- more trimming, weeding, and cutting all around the property
- one team went to the another home to do work around a lady’s property
- painting outside on various places including parking posts and bumpers
After lunch our team enjoyed about an hour of rest and free time – they’ve worked hard and earned it! After lunch we prepped for Elementary Club. Our group of kids keeps growing: Monday = 30, Tuesday = 45, Wednesday = 60. Each day is an opportunity for us to show Christ’s genuine compassion and love. The kids are enjoying music, dancing, games, snacks, crafts, and the gospel. Today 9 kids indicated that they made a significant spiritual decision, some of them for salvation! Praise God!
This evening our team had a very different experience. We went downtown to pray for and with total strangers. We set up a prayer table with a “How can we pray for you?” banner. Our 8 teams were on rotation, with about 1/4 of our group at the table throughout the evening. As we encountered people walking by we asked if we could pray for them. Many people were eager to engage in conversation and have us pray for them. While this was happening the rest of our teams were walking throughout downtown, walking up to people, and asking how we could pray for them. The opportunities were amazing, and the stories of our encounters are super cool. You’ll have to ask our students all about it when they return.
Going into our trip this prayer opportunity was one of the more challenging parts for our teens – many of the students were quite a bit nervous. It pushed them out of their comfort zones. Some of our most shy students were the most bold at engaging strangers. As we reflected on the night many of them were asking if we could either do this again tomorrow night or back in Cleveland when we get home. I’m so encouraged by how the Lord is working in and through them. I’m so proud of how they’re stepping out in faith.
Thanks for your continued prayer support!
Posted on Jul 27, 2016 in Mission Trip, Youth Ministry |
Another amazing Mission Indy day is in the books. It was another great day. Our mornings are filled with work projects around the Kids Inc. facility. We tackled quite a few projects before lunch, including:
- Painting a girls bathroom
- Trimming hedges
- Weeding
- Edging around the property
- Doing general yard work for a disabled lady in the community
- Sorting the clothing pantry
- Scraping and prepping the shed for painting
During lunch the rain came, which was nice as it cooled things off a bit, but also meant we had to change plans for our afternoon projects:
- We were able to continue our inside projects.
- We also added cleaning their nursery and disinfecting all of their toys.
- We sent a team to the hardware store to purchase supplies for some repair work on the shed, supplies to build a carpetball table, and a badly needed lawnmower for Kids Inc.
Later in the afternoon we held our Elementary Club (VBS). Today our numbers grew from 30 to 45! Our team is doing a great job. 24 of these children made a significant spiritual decision, many of them for salvation. PRAISE GOD!
In the evening we took a walking tour of downtown Indianapolis with a special stop at a local ice cream shop. The cold treat was refreshing. We ended our evening with an extended time of prayer and worship right downtown on the circle (similar to our downtown square).
I’m glad to report that our team is healthy, in good spirits, and working well together.
Thank you for your continued prayer support!
Posted on Jul 25, 2016 in Mission Trip, Youth Ministry |
We’re coming to the end of a very hot but productive day. We have our crew divided up into 8 separate work teams so that we can easily divide and conquer, or combine forces. This morning we:
- Purchased food to feed 38+ people for half of the week (can you imagine planning, purchasing, and prepping every calorie for hard working, hungry, growing, teens for an entire week?)
- Cleared, mowed, edged a recreation field that we used for our Elementary Club
- Cleaned and sanitized the food pantry including cleaning out the refrigerators
- Cleaned the skate park
- Picked up garbage, broken glass, etc. around the entire 2+ acre property, including multiple parking lots and play grounds
- Sorted and stocked nearly 300 hygiene kits that we will distribute later this week
- Prepped a bathroom for painting
- Prepped an walkway and entrance for painting
And all of that was before lunch!
After lunch we went throughout the immediate community to cleanup garbage and took time to pray for the community, families, schools, and the ministry of Kids Inc.
This afternoon was the kickoff to Elementary Club (their VBS). Last year we launched this for them, and they have been able to have a kids club each week throughout the year. Today we had 30+ kids on our first day, which is a great start, especially considering it was their first day of school. Elementary Club includes:
- Snack (they come over hungry right after school)
- Music
- Recreation games
- Crafts
- Bible lesson
- Music and Bible verse
- Giveaways and games
Our team did a great job today! Please continue to pray for our safety, unity, and spiritual impact.
Posted on Jul 25, 2016 in Mission Trip, Pastor to Parent, Youth Ministry |
We made it safe and sound. It was an uneventful drive – which is what we hoped for. We’re excited for a chance to serve bright and early in the morning.
Posted on Jul 24, 2016 in Mission Trip, Pastor to Parent |
Well, we’re off. This morning’s commissioning in each of the services was very encouraging.
Today we’re traveling, unpacking, settling in, and having orientation. Tomorrow we start our work projects and launch our Kids Club (VBS).
You can follow us throughout the week on Instagram
@phbc181. #MissionIndy2016
We’re great full for your support and prayers.
– Team Indy
Posted on Aug 5, 2015 in Mission Trip, Pastor to Parent, Youth Ministry | Tags: 181 Update, Mission Trip
Well, we made it home safe and sound. On our return trip we enjoyed a stop at the Creation Museum. It was a fun and relaxing way to close out our trip.
Thanks for the many ways you supported us – especially through prayer!
Here are a bunch of yet unposted pictures from the week. Enjoy!
39.768403-86.158068
Posted on Aug 1, 2015 in Mission Trip, Pastor to Parent, Youth Ministry | Tags: 181 Update, Mission Trip
What an amazing and fulfilling week. I’m excited to report that we finished up all of our projects this morning. This 48,000 square foot ministry facility hasn’t looked this good in a long time. It’s much more inviting for their daily and weekly outreach ministries as well as for their weekly church services.
One of the morning highlights was delivering thousands of hygiene and school supplies to the adjacent elementary school. They were overwhelmed and blessed. It’s exciting to see KIDS Inc’s growing partnership with this school.
During lunch we got to hear Rhonda’s faith story. She’s one of the ladies in the community who have trusted Christ out of some very painful circumstances. We had the opportunity to help her around her property earlier in the week.
After lunch our team had some much needed down time as we prepped for a long afternoon, evening, and night. We finished up our VBS. The teens did an excellent job presenting the gospel to the kids each day.
Immediately following VBS we hosted a hot food meal for the community. Many families from the community attended. They enjoyed dinner, worship music from our team, faith stories from our youth, and a gospel presentation.
Immediately following this meal we hosted a 2 hour teen hang time for community youth. We served them dinner and got to play tons of games and hang out. Two other youth shared their faith stories, and we presented the gospel with an opportunity to respond.
We’re just about done. We have some final packing and cleaning to do in the morning before we head out. Before we come home, we’re taking the team to the Creation Museum. I’m sure they’ll have an awesome time if they can stay awake.
39.7454419-86.1412197
Posted on Jul 31, 2015 in Mission Trip, Pastor to Parent, Youth Ministry | Tags: 181 Update, Mission Trip
It’s a real joy to watch God work in and through our youth. This week has been a spiritual growth spurt for many of us. It’s exciting to see them stretch ministry muscles that they never knew they had.
Highlights from today:
1. Blessing two widows connected to this ministry with property upkeep.
2. Watching our students run a VBS nearly on their own.
3. Hearing from Jake from KIDS Inc. about how our work this week is helping them with their long term and sustainable ministry goals.
4. Enjoying dinner out on the town at a local restaurant.
5. Laughing together – a great sign of unity.
God’s doing great things. As usual, please keep this team in your prayers.
39.7454417-86.1412198
Posted on Jul 29, 2015 in Mission Trip, Pastor to Parent, Youth Ministry | Tags: 181 Update, Mission Trip
Tonight’s post will be brief for three reasons:
- We’ve been busy, and I simply haven’t had time to upload photos yet
- We’ve been busy, and I’m tired
- We’ve been busy, but our ministry today was nearly identical to yesterday’s
So here are a few highlights:
- God held off the predicted rain so that we could have a very successful VBS and move our outdoor projects ahead significantly
- The team’s morale and spirits are high
- After dinner we enjoyed a walking tour of downtown. Similar to downtown Cleveland, they have a circle, not a square
- We all had some very delicious ice cream
- We closed our time downtown with a powerful impromptu time of worship right on public circle
Tomorrow we will divide and conquer again. Two of our teams will be offsite at homes in the community helping several widows with their homes.
Until then – we appreciate your prayers!
