listening to God

This week has been an unbelievable journey. We saw God at work in so many areas and in so many places. My group consisted of me, Sarah M., Rachel F., Miranda, Tanner, and Lucas and Mrs. Foster. There were so many opportunities where we had free time of about three hours to decide what we could do with our free time and we always decided to just pray and let God take over our feet and lead us to wherever he wanted us to go. We've had at least three times where god has led us to a place where w could just bless the people around us.  -Sarah waldron

Arrived In Indy

Hi Everyone!

We have made it to Indy and are looking forward to some time together and some rest.  Thanks for the prayers during this travel day.  We look forward to sharing our stories with family and friends when we get back.

We are still planning to arrive at The Compass Church by noon tomorrow.

Life Changing

This  week I have definetly gotten closer to God and my friends that the only thing i knew about them was thier names. There was very interesting experiences i had also. For example, a silent pillow fight! Also getting pied in the face by my bff ashley that was suppost to be on her face and ended up on mine...yeah... the worship time was completely amazing! I even got to go up myself and play the guitar with Mary and our awesome worship leader Michelle.

There were definetly some  interesting car rides too. Like watching Matthew playing his guitar with a  duck on his head like a unicorn (i naamed him a uniduck) and making up random verses to whatever. Also getting drawn all over my face while sleeping :).

   There were also some amazing god moments downtown Nashville. When my group and I went downtown we went on a prayer walk. We walked all around asking the homeless if  they needed anything like food, toothpaste, to really anything. It just broke my heart how i saw all these homeless people and wanted to help them and everything but i couldnt which will forever scar my heart.

I cant thank the lord enough for all the blessings he has given us this week!!!
Mackenzie Fey

No words are enough

There truly are no words that can even begin to explain this week. This is my third missions trip and for every trip dan and dave (for mexico) have always told us to be prepared to be flexible. On the previous trips everything was as planned. For mexico, our saying was it can never get tough enough for us to complain. This week that was really put into practice. Whether it was getting frustrated with the rooms or not showering or not having enough food, there was no complaining. When we first came down it was 180 and ignite. Now when were leaving its one group of kids who love the lord and love eachother.

One of the most eye opening moment for me was wednesday when we were doing our prayer walk. Monday night we worked with the homeless people and everywhere you walked downtown nashville there is at least one homeless person if not more. I never really thought about it until wednesday afternoon. We were driving around the block waiting for dan to get our fried pickles and there was a line of maybe 50 to 75 homeless people waiting for lunch and it was about to start storming. It broke my heart to see all those people there and it broke my heart the worst knwowing there was nothing i could do. How many times do we complain because we dont like dinner, were cold, we want new clothes, or were bored? That is there entire life and yet when they were waiting for lunch and even monday they were laughing and having fun. Not only that, but they had every reason to be mad at god and they werent. It was amazing and i cant wait to see what else god has in store.

-kim kurtzweil

its not over yet 6/17/11

This has been such an amazing week. God has been working everywhere, and its been amazing to see. I've had a ton of fun and there have been so many inside jokes. My favorite one was probably "don't forget to turn off your swag!" with several different variations between Jeff Eckert, Joey Bernas and I. I have been amazed because every prayer I made has been answered, I have been blessed with amazing friends who encourage me like Jordan Maher, and through it all God has shown that He is faithful.

And now we are going to be late back to the church in Indianapolis again, but this time it's not because the turtle broke down! In fact, it wasn't even because of Mrs. Fey! Mrs. Estal missed a turn and we were stuck in trafic because of several accidents for something like 30 minutes. But it gave us a chance to pray for the people who were in the accidents, so God still has a plan no matter where we go. its been great to know that we still have a God who loves us so much that He died for us and is so powerful that He rose from the dead. Because of this we can trust Him whole heartetly, so we aren't worried about this.

If there is anything that I will take away from this trip it's that some of us need to be destroyed to know God, but no matter what happens it is worth it to know Him.
_Matthew Wiegmann

A Stellar End to an Amazing Week

Hey Everyone!

Right now, the whole group has taken over (literally, overrun) a local rec center, and everyone's either playing Knockout, swimming in the pool, running on the track, or just sitting and enjoying themselves. One looks around at the smiling faces and the wild camaraderie and realizes, as I have, that the fellowship in this group is as tangible as the floor, the walls, the deflated basketballs.

Such fellowship can only be attributed to the incomparable experience that the group has shared. After such a productive, incredible week, everyone can look back and know that what they've accomplished is none other than God's good and holy work. We've been there for the homeless, we've flooded the food pantries, and we've assisted local churches and organizations with whatever work they could drum up for us. Incontrovertibly, what little we were able to do for this city was God's will, and it will make all the difference in the end.

However, as Dan has said to all of us, the most difficult part is yet to come. As we arrive at church tomorrow afternoon, it is vital that we keep this spirit of selfless servitude and absolute adoration of God at the forefront of out lives. We came to Nashville seeking out those who were in need of our help and encouragement; I am simply awestruck when I think what a monumental impact we as a group can have if we come home and do that same thing all the time. I think that's the most important lesson I'll take away from this week. The missions trip lasts only a week, but the lessons it taught me need to stay with me wherever I go.

~Jackson Eckert

Friday

Hey folks!

What an amazing week!  God has shown Himself to each and every student and adult leader here in so many ways....we're excited for the kids to get back home to share their stories with family and friends.

Just to let you know what's happening, it's 10am and we're at a local pool in Franklin, TN for two hours before we head out and begin our journey back to Camby, Indiana for the night.  Please pray for safe travels for all 5 (yes, 5!) vans!!

Patty Fey

2 blogs from Jack Ramsey

Homelessness

There are no words to fully describe this week.  By far the most difficult thing for me was talking to the homeless.  On Monday, I was pulled into a conversation with a guy named Mike.  I felt really awkward at first, but he had a lot to say, and actually shared the gospel with me.  Also, on Tuesday, I met a one-armed man named James.  He had left a mission and his ‘friends’ stole his stuff and beat him up.  We bought him some food and when we got back, I learned that he had been thinking about suicide.  We prayed with him and Mr. Waldron gave him his sweatshirt.  I think we made drastic impact and gave him the encouragement to continue.  I also met a former fireman who was at 9/11 as well as several other men.  Most of them are Christians, and their faith makes mine so ridiculously puny in comparison.  Their faith is their life. 

Worship

This is the most intense worship I’ve ever taken part in.  During worship on Thursday I was overwhelmed by the sheer power of God.  There is nothing I can compare to it that conveys the power or intensity or sheer force.  I’ll never worship the same again.    

The Lord is Faithful

     Today Gods faithfulness was very evident for us, us being groups 1 and 2. As we got in the car, after working, we wanted to stop and get some lunch. Group 2 didn’t get a chance to grab their lunch beforehand, thinking we would have more time. Long story short, we stopped at burger king and we met two men, Kelley and Kirby. We talked to them while ordering and found out they were Christians. Kirby, the older gentleman, immediately offered us 40 dollars for our meal, after figuring out why we were there. He said it was from God, not from him. This covered for all of our meals except for 10 dollars. We talked to them more and some sat down with them while they were eating. After thanking them again and heading back to the car with such excitement at how God blesses, group 1 realized they recognized the younger man, Kelley, from the night before. He was a firefighter we talked with the day before. We ran in to talk to them about how awesome that was, Kirby gave us 60 more dollars, without us asking, and we had a chance to pray with them. This experience just showed us all how faithful God truly is and how he blesses those who follow him. No one could just call all of this a coincidence, it was all God.

~ Alyssa Spradley

Thursday

     Today we did some activities called Meet the need and Grace Works. Meet the need is where we went out into Nashville and talked, gave water, and small Bibles to the homeless people. We worked outside the whole first part of the day (morning) till’ 12:00 and in that time we walked around talking to the homeless about  God , which usually lasted about  10 to 15 min. after our conversation we would offer a Bible and a cold bottle of water. After that time we wondered around a little bit and went to chick-fil-a then we got window markers and wrote stuff like Jesus loves you and Honk for Jesus. Then we went to Grace Works a non-profit company that gives clothing, food, toys, and household items to regular people and homeless people. The boys moved boxes and crates and the girls worked with the cloths, like tagging, taping, and outing away. After a long day we came back to our “house” and ate some pulled pork sammies! Then had a fire and enjoyed some sweet, sweet ice cream.

                                                          Blogged by Christian Kapp

Another Pic!

Yum yum....

Jeff Powerwashing

Here is a quick pic of Jeff in action at the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home.  We are seizing the opportunities before us this last full day in Nashville.

Amazing Day

¶Today was amazing because we were going 2 go 2 mcdonalds in the city but there was a sale on the way in2 nashville so we stopped there and we would hav just gone threw the drivethrew but there was a wait so we went inside and because we did we saw a homeless women and then we bought her lunch! we had a pillow and blanket and other materials 4 this very situation! the lords work!! and then we decided 2 eat with her also. later lucas and I noticed another homeless man so we bought him lunch and lucas and I talked 2 him 4 a while and we also talked 2 another homeless couple. all because a sale at mcdonalds!! GOD BLESS! also te other people in mcdonalds.were interested and listening!!
Tanner

An average of 6.7 hours of sleep a night, having our first shower yesterday, and having several unexpected changes in the schedule does not sound so fun, but everyone is so energized and ready to be used the way that God needs them. Its a blast seeing the way that God is using us and to learn more about Him!! For example, Mrs. Foster's and Mrs. Fay's groups went to Graceworks Food Pantry yesterday morning and with 1 hour left, the girls were just exhausted. However, our leaders were just such a huge encouragement and reminded us why we were there and that we were helping the people of Nashville in the name of the Lord. We truly have great leaders and can't wait to see what else God h in tre rus.

A-Dawg (Ashley)

jordan maher blog post monday night the 13th

So yeah people and parents, this is the giant high schooler Jordan Maher. I mean let me start off by saying all your kids are like missing you guys so badly right now!!!! Like no joke. Well in terms of what has been going on, God has done amazing things things during our time here for example, he is testing our ability to survive without showering since friday. we smell so dandy right now. I mean like roses. oh and my air mttress is terrible. mom dad brittany lve and miss u all. ight jumpy is out. I think they will let me do this again. as they say down here, "night ya'll"

Everything happens for a reason

To say that everything that
happened so far was unexpected is an understatement. first our bus broke down. Then we ended up sharing everything wth another church , aka our new friends from South Carolina. But after everything happened so far im thankful. we have new people, worshiped our one and only God and helped some people. my new motto is God does everything for a reason (:
- alex o.

Good Nite

Better late than never, I guess!  It's after 11pm and lights are out.  Everyone is both tired from our drive but charged up for lovin' on the people of Nashville tomorrow.  We start our day at 6:30am and then off to our different ministries...some will go to a food pantry, others a nursing home. Please pray for energy for the kids, continued flexibility and boldness to share the love of Christ.

Patty 

It's Lunch Time!

Hello!

We are just outside Louisville stopping for lunch. The weather is great, the vans are all good and the kids are pumped about getting to Nashville!  Please pray for continued safe travels...we'll let you know when we've arrived at our final destination point!

Greetings From Indy

Hi Everyone!

After an eventful day we made it to Indy by 11pm eastern time.  Our beloved turtle bus broke down which left us adding two more passenger vans to the team.  We were warmly welcomed by the people of Camby Community Church and look forward to worshipping with them Sunday morning.  Thank you for all the prayers.  We are thankful that the Lord provided two additional vans.  We are learning from the beginning the importance of being flexible.  More to come tomorrow!