Howdy.
I am afraid this might be the last blog post until we after we get back and it will be short. I have been up late preparing for tomorrow's worship (the reason for the short post) and that worship will not get done until late tomorrow (the reason for no post tomorrow). I will post early next week with a link to all the pictures from the trip.
Today was a good day though. We continued our work and worked hard. Tomorrow is our last day of work.
We had an excellent dinner consisting of salad, baked potatoes, and roast beef followed by root beer floats. What a great meal!
After concentrating on the blues and laments all week tonight we looked on the lighter side of life and listened to Soul Man as performed by the Blues Brothers. We talked about how God can turn our mourning into dancing and that it is just as important to share our triumphs and joys with God as it is to cry out to him when we are hurting.
Tomorrow will be a great last day of work. Pray for safe travel on the way home Saturday.
Blessings and goodnight,
-Nick
Friday, July 2, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Off Day in Memphis
A big shout out to all the friends and fans of Brian Herms (which are many, but I am sure significantly less than the amount for his sister, Melissa)
When you go all the way to another part of the country in makes sense to see what the area has to offer. So, we planned a day away from the worksites and in hanging out in Memphis.
We began with a 9 am tour of the National Civil Rights Museum which is located at the Lorraine Hotel, where MLK was assassinated. It was a fascinating experience and the museum is great. I would recommend it to anyone visiting Memphis. The information was great and their interactive display were neat including a real bus like the one in which Rosa Parks refused to move. They even had the hotel room set up like it was the evening he died.
After the museum we headed over to Mud Island River Park. We rode a monorail over Wolf River to an island in between Wolf River and the Mississippi River. It was a great spot to spend a little over an hour eating our lunches. We got to wade in the 1/3 mile long replica of the Mississippi River which included informative information about the river's history. Although I think most of the youth liked sliding down a huge hill the most.
Afterward we headed out to the Memphis Zoo. They had great exhibits with the highlights being the Panda Bears and Polar Bear exhibits.
For dinner we had reservations at The Commissary, a local BBQ joint in Germantown just a street away from where we are staying. We had been told they had the best bbq in Memphis, and they might be right. It definitely rivaled the famous Rendezvous restaurant we ate at during our one night stop in Memphis last year. Although I better come back and eat each consecutively just to make sure.
We began worship, a little later on, by listening to Johnny Cash's (whose career started at Memphis's Sun Studio) "Folsom Prison Blues". Tonight we focused on the effects of prison life. In the song the narrator laments being stuck in prison while life passes him by on the train he can hear going by. We looked to see how the same effects of prison can be seen outside of prison as well, through economic, situation, bad neighborhoods, and even segregation (a special subject because of our Museum visit this morning.)
Tomorrow we will get back to work but the fun will continue. Thanks for reading.
The internet is so slow here that I can't load all the pictures in a reasonable amount of time. I did load a few from today and they can be found in the next post. I apologize, but I will try and load them all when we get back.
Blessings and Good Night,
-Nick
When you go all the way to another part of the country in makes sense to see what the area has to offer. So, we planned a day away from the worksites and in hanging out in Memphis.
We began with a 9 am tour of the National Civil Rights Museum which is located at the Lorraine Hotel, where MLK was assassinated. It was a fascinating experience and the museum is great. I would recommend it to anyone visiting Memphis. The information was great and their interactive display were neat including a real bus like the one in which Rosa Parks refused to move. They even had the hotel room set up like it was the evening he died.
After the museum we headed over to Mud Island River Park. We rode a monorail over Wolf River to an island in between Wolf River and the Mississippi River. It was a great spot to spend a little over an hour eating our lunches. We got to wade in the 1/3 mile long replica of the Mississippi River which included informative information about the river's history. Although I think most of the youth liked sliding down a huge hill the most.
Afterward we headed out to the Memphis Zoo. They had great exhibits with the highlights being the Panda Bears and Polar Bear exhibits.
For dinner we had reservations at The Commissary, a local BBQ joint in Germantown just a street away from where we are staying. We had been told they had the best bbq in Memphis, and they might be right. It definitely rivaled the famous Rendezvous restaurant we ate at during our one night stop in Memphis last year. Although I better come back and eat each consecutively just to make sure.
We began worship, a little later on, by listening to Johnny Cash's (whose career started at Memphis's Sun Studio) "Folsom Prison Blues". Tonight we focused on the effects of prison life. In the song the narrator laments being stuck in prison while life passes him by on the train he can hear going by. We looked to see how the same effects of prison can be seen outside of prison as well, through economic, situation, bad neighborhoods, and even segregation (a special subject because of our Museum visit this morning.)
Tomorrow we will get back to work but the fun will continue. Thanks for reading.
The internet is so slow here that I can't load all the pictures in a reasonable amount of time. I did load a few from today and they can be found in the next post. I apologize, but I will try and load them all when we get back.
Blessings and Good Night,
-Nick
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Work Day #2
First of all, a big shout out to all the friends and fans of Melissa Herms, and we know there are many.
We had another great day here in Memphis working in the Beltline.
Our work projects were much the same today.
Those working on the house actually got to begin putting up sheet rock today and there was some painting and vinyl installation as well. This house is one of those projects, like many, that takes a while to develop as you learn exactly what needs to be done, but as you continue the pace picks up as you begin getting a hold of what you are doing.
The group clearing lots continued working on the big lot today and were excited to find the challenge of digging up slabs of concrete. No really, they were excited. We found some big ones. We have 3 other lots to work on as well that are not near as big of jobs as this first one and we began working on one of those today.
The last group again interacted with the youth and children of the community and almost finished the computer table they are building.
A great highlight of the day though was lunchtime. This is because we were able to interact with members of the community and Jacob's Ladder staff and volunteers. It was great to come together in fellowship as one large group. A big thanks to our grill master, Mike Goodrich, for grilling all the hotdogs. He did amazingly.
We knew that the gym was reserved tonight so we had in advance reserved the pavilion at a local park. The park was beautiful and so was the pavilion. We had some space to play, some space to sit and talk, and a great view of the pond. Cindy and Linda got all the stuff together for a great cookout, and again Mike grilled for us, this time hamburgers. Both of my hamburgers were great!
We stayed out at the park for worship. After talking about the effects of slavery last night, we talked about the affects of being a stranger tonight. We listened to Elvis Presley's "Stranger in My Own Hometown", a blues song of his, and related it to the ministry of Jesus who was rejected by his hometown of Nazareth as he began his ministry. We talked about how it feels to be unwelcome, or feel like an outcast. We also talked about the qualities of "home" and how it would feel to not have a refuge to be able to go to everyday. We were glad to know that we are improving the Beltline neighborhood so it could be more of a "home" home for it's residents.
Tomorrow is our free day in Memphis. I can't wait to report back to you about our time at the National Civil Rights Museum, Mud Island River Park, the Memphis Zoo, and The Commissary BBQ.
Photobucket is still not cooperating, so I set up a shutterfly account. The internet here is very slow, so I only had time for one album, Joe Eudy's. But you can view those pics here: http://fumcasrhighmt.shutterfly.com/. The password is "fumcarlington".
Blessings to you and Goodnight!
-Nick
We had another great day here in Memphis working in the Beltline.
Our work projects were much the same today.
Those working on the house actually got to begin putting up sheet rock today and there was some painting and vinyl installation as well. This house is one of those projects, like many, that takes a while to develop as you learn exactly what needs to be done, but as you continue the pace picks up as you begin getting a hold of what you are doing.
The group clearing lots continued working on the big lot today and were excited to find the challenge of digging up slabs of concrete. No really, they were excited. We found some big ones. We have 3 other lots to work on as well that are not near as big of jobs as this first one and we began working on one of those today.
The last group again interacted with the youth and children of the community and almost finished the computer table they are building.
A great highlight of the day though was lunchtime. This is because we were able to interact with members of the community and Jacob's Ladder staff and volunteers. It was great to come together in fellowship as one large group. A big thanks to our grill master, Mike Goodrich, for grilling all the hotdogs. He did amazingly.
We knew that the gym was reserved tonight so we had in advance reserved the pavilion at a local park. The park was beautiful and so was the pavilion. We had some space to play, some space to sit and talk, and a great view of the pond. Cindy and Linda got all the stuff together for a great cookout, and again Mike grilled for us, this time hamburgers. Both of my hamburgers were great!
We stayed out at the park for worship. After talking about the effects of slavery last night, we talked about the affects of being a stranger tonight. We listened to Elvis Presley's "Stranger in My Own Hometown", a blues song of his, and related it to the ministry of Jesus who was rejected by his hometown of Nazareth as he began his ministry. We talked about how it feels to be unwelcome, or feel like an outcast. We also talked about the qualities of "home" and how it would feel to not have a refuge to be able to go to everyday. We were glad to know that we are improving the Beltline neighborhood so it could be more of a "home" home for it's residents.
Tomorrow is our free day in Memphis. I can't wait to report back to you about our time at the National Civil Rights Museum, Mud Island River Park, the Memphis Zoo, and The Commissary BBQ.
Photobucket is still not cooperating, so I set up a shutterfly account. The internet here is very slow, so I only had time for one album, Joe Eudy's. But you can view those pics here: http://fumcasrhighmt.shutterfly.com/. The password is "fumcarlington".
Blessings to you and Goodnight!
-Nick
Monday, June 28, 2010
The First Day of Work!
After the craziness of last night we finally got to bed...and (at least for me, slept hard). You would be surprised how you don't mind sleeping on a a hardwood floor when you are really tired. We will be working hard all week too, so tired shouldn't be hard to come by.
We started that hard work today. We are working in what is known as the Beltline, a Memphis neighborhood in the shadow of the University of Memphis football stadium. The Beltline is a pretty impoverished area that has a history of high crime rates and drugs. But Jacob's Ladder, the organization we are volunteering with, is working in conjunction with residents to turn the neighborhood around. In the five years since their conception, the crime rate of the Beltline has reduced by 30%. This happens because they work to make the community a better place by cleaning up vacant lots, repairing homes, creating a community garden, and working with local youth at their children center and teen center. As Rev. Bill Marler told me this morning, the way a neighborhood looks really does affect the crime rate. I think a lot of that is because they are helping to restore hope and pride to the area. We are glad to be able to help them in this effort.
We met the aforementioned Bill Marler at their teen center this morning and he made sure our 4 workgroups got to the right spots. This week we will have two work groups at a home sight where they are and will be installing sheet-rock, insulation, and soffit vinyl siding as well as painting. There is a a lot of work to do on this house's interior and exterior.
A third team was put on lot clearing duty today. They own a few connected lots on a block in the neighborhood that they hope to eventually turn into a park. A large portion of this lot is over grown and littered with bottles, tile, wood, and brick. The machinery (and those that operate it) they have to keep their lots maintained gets beet up by the debris. This was my group and we worked hard to clear the lot, making a The Great Memphis Wall of Old Bottles and even cutting down a dead tree. There is more work to be done on this lot tomorrow but we will get it done.
The last group was stationed at the youth center. They spent part of the day interacting with the youth and children of the area through sports and games. The rest of the time was spent working to build a computer desk for the group.
After work we got some refreshing Sonic and headed back to Germantown where we had a great meal of salad, sausage, macaroni and cheese, and pork n beans. It was great. Let me take some time to let you know that Cindy Ellis and Linda Jennings are working so hard everyday from before sun up until well after sun down to make sure all of our youth and adults have plenty of food. They are going far and above the call of duty and we appreciate them.
Because of a scheduled men's basketball game, we had worship out at the park again. Tonight we talked about how old negro spirituals influenced blues music. We listened to a rendition of "Wade in the Water" and then talked about the effects of slavery, the residual effects of slavery, and how we can be enslaved by sin. Our challenge for tomorrow is to take advantage of the freedom given to us by Jesus by not being enslaved by sin which controls us.
I am looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow....after a good night of sleep.
I am having a little trouble with the photobucket site, but I will attempt to have some pictures up tomorrow.
Blessings to you and good night!
-Nick
We started that hard work today. We are working in what is known as the Beltline, a Memphis neighborhood in the shadow of the University of Memphis football stadium. The Beltline is a pretty impoverished area that has a history of high crime rates and drugs. But Jacob's Ladder, the organization we are volunteering with, is working in conjunction with residents to turn the neighborhood around. In the five years since their conception, the crime rate of the Beltline has reduced by 30%. This happens because they work to make the community a better place by cleaning up vacant lots, repairing homes, creating a community garden, and working with local youth at their children center and teen center. As Rev. Bill Marler told me this morning, the way a neighborhood looks really does affect the crime rate. I think a lot of that is because they are helping to restore hope and pride to the area. We are glad to be able to help them in this effort.
We met the aforementioned Bill Marler at their teen center this morning and he made sure our 4 workgroups got to the right spots. This week we will have two work groups at a home sight where they are and will be installing sheet-rock, insulation, and soffit vinyl siding as well as painting. There is a a lot of work to do on this house's interior and exterior.
A third team was put on lot clearing duty today. They own a few connected lots on a block in the neighborhood that they hope to eventually turn into a park. A large portion of this lot is over grown and littered with bottles, tile, wood, and brick. The machinery (and those that operate it) they have to keep their lots maintained gets beet up by the debris. This was my group and we worked hard to clear the lot, making a The Great Memphis Wall of Old Bottles and even cutting down a dead tree. There is more work to be done on this lot tomorrow but we will get it done.
The last group was stationed at the youth center. They spent part of the day interacting with the youth and children of the area through sports and games. The rest of the time was spent working to build a computer desk for the group.
After work we got some refreshing Sonic and headed back to Germantown where we had a great meal of salad, sausage, macaroni and cheese, and pork n beans. It was great. Let me take some time to let you know that Cindy Ellis and Linda Jennings are working so hard everyday from before sun up until well after sun down to make sure all of our youth and adults have plenty of food. They are going far and above the call of duty and we appreciate them.
Because of a scheduled men's basketball game, we had worship out at the park again. Tonight we talked about how old negro spirituals influenced blues music. We listened to a rendition of "Wade in the Water" and then talked about the effects of slavery, the residual effects of slavery, and how we can be enslaved by sin. Our challenge for tomorrow is to take advantage of the freedom given to us by Jesus by not being enslaved by sin which controls us.
I am looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow....after a good night of sleep.
I am having a little trouble with the photobucket site, but I will attempt to have some pictures up tomorrow.
Blessings to you and good night!
-Nick
Sunday, June 27, 2010
I've got the blues!
Welcome back to the blog!
Today, just a week after our successful Jr. High Mission Trip to Bryan, TX, our Sr. High group left off for Memphis, TN. If time and internet allows I will be updating this sight each day with some basic information and pictures (none today, but check back tomorrow).
After our blessing/commissioning/sending forth provided for us in the 8:15 service we finished loading up and got on the road. We had a great time making a couple pit stops and stopping for lunch in Texarkana.
The number one mission trip is be flexible and we were tested right off the bat. Due to a scheduling mix up we were not going to have access to the gym where we are staying and having our meals until 9 pm. We were supposed to arrive at 6 and eat right away. But a big thanks to Cindy Ellis and Linda Jennings for thinking on their feet and preparing for us last minute. Cindy and Linda are our cooks for this trip, and they had planned a great meal and even came down a day early to prepare it. When they figured out the scheduling snafu they changed plans for us, provided pizza and salad in the hallway (instead of chicken fried steak) and even found us an extra room to meet in when we first got there.
We ended up having worship outside tonight. We started out in the parking lot before we found a park on church property that had a gazebo and picnic tables spread around. It worked perfectly for the small groups we use during our mission trip worship.
We are using the well known Memphis music scene as a backdrop for our worship. We are primarily focusing on the blues and relating the blues with biblical laments. Tonight we listened to B.B. King's "Why I Sing the Blues" and learned the importance being honest with God and sharing with him all of our emotions, including when we are down or in distress.
We were comforted to know thanks to Psalm 40:1 (our theme verse) that God cares about us and hears our cries. The rest of the week we will be talking about issues in our society that deserve a lament or two. We will see how these issues affect our lives and those we serve in the Beltline neighborhood this week.
Tomorrow we get to work. I will tell you all about our projects as we continue in the week, but until then, I am very tired and need my sleep!
Blessings to you and Good Night!
Today, just a week after our successful Jr. High Mission Trip to Bryan, TX, our Sr. High group left off for Memphis, TN. If time and internet allows I will be updating this sight each day with some basic information and pictures (none today, but check back tomorrow).
After our blessing/commissioning/sending forth provided for us in the 8:15 service we finished loading up and got on the road. We had a great time making a couple pit stops and stopping for lunch in Texarkana.
The number one mission trip is be flexible and we were tested right off the bat. Due to a scheduling mix up we were not going to have access to the gym where we are staying and having our meals until 9 pm. We were supposed to arrive at 6 and eat right away. But a big thanks to Cindy Ellis and Linda Jennings for thinking on their feet and preparing for us last minute. Cindy and Linda are our cooks for this trip, and they had planned a great meal and even came down a day early to prepare it. When they figured out the scheduling snafu they changed plans for us, provided pizza and salad in the hallway (instead of chicken fried steak) and even found us an extra room to meet in when we first got there.
We ended up having worship outside tonight. We started out in the parking lot before we found a park on church property that had a gazebo and picnic tables spread around. It worked perfectly for the small groups we use during our mission trip worship.
We are using the well known Memphis music scene as a backdrop for our worship. We are primarily focusing on the blues and relating the blues with biblical laments. Tonight we listened to B.B. King's "Why I Sing the Blues" and learned the importance being honest with God and sharing with him all of our emotions, including when we are down or in distress.
We were comforted to know thanks to Psalm 40:1 (our theme verse) that God cares about us and hears our cries. The rest of the week we will be talking about issues in our society that deserve a lament or two. We will see how these issues affect our lives and those we serve in the Beltline neighborhood this week.
Tomorrow we get to work. I will tell you all about our projects as we continue in the week, but until then, I am very tired and need my sleep!
Blessings to you and Good Night!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Work Day #3
***New Pictures Online***
Go to photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission
The password is “fumcarlington”
Select the album on the left titled “Jr High MT 2010”
Albums from the trip will be listed on the left and bear the name of their photographer.
Howdy!
The last full day of mission trip has passed and we accomplished so much.
We began bright and early at 7 am with a great breakfast of waffles, sausage, cereal, and fruit. Each morning we have had a devotional to send us forth to the worksites. You remember that I was bragging about the energy of our youth yesterday, well it seemed to have caught up with them this morning. Everyone seemed to be dragging So we read Galatians 6:1-11 which includes these words, “If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.” These words encouraged us to stay on task and reminded us the importance of doing what is right, to use our gifts and bear the good fruit we learned about yesterday.
After our morning devotional, we went out to the worksites with our adults staying in the same site but our youth rotating. The rotation between sites allows our youth to experience different kinds of mission so that they will know there is more than one way to serve others.
The Brazos Valley Food Bank group again separated food into small packs for families to use for short term sustenance. I was told they went through many pallets and set a new FUMC Arlington record by separating an entire pallet in just over 11 minutes. This is impressive when you consider a single box for a single family contains 31 items.
The Momon group finished up their house today by finishing up painting the walls and painting all the trim. They also installed gutters on one side of the house. This side had significant water damage, and although they had replaced the rotted siding, they hopefully had cut the problem off at the source.
The P.E.T. Shop workers continued their work today by building parts, assembling carts, and packaging them. Throughout the week, youth have been impressive making parts that require precision. Many have been enthusiastic to learn new skills like “packaging science”, metal drilling, sawing, and even welding (very supervised of course).
Last today, the Roberson house faced a challenge. Unfortunately they were lead astray by a Home Depot salesman earlier in the week. The paint he suggested was not tinted and somewhat translucent. After 4 coats of paint, it still didn’t look right. So having gotten the paint fixed they still needed to put another coat on the entire house and paint all the trim. We had told the youth to work hard, and wherever we were at the end of the day we could be proud of our efforts. Well, they did work hard and through a small miracle (John Salter’s words) they got all the painting completed by day’s end. You should be proud of your youth!
After work we showered at SFA Middle School. Unfortunately we did not have time to make a scheduled stop at Texas A&M’s bookstore but we did spend an hour of fun at Grand Station playing video games, laser tag, and glow in the dark miniature golf. That was followed by a great meal of chicken strips, buffalo wings, salad, fries, and onion rings at Wings n’ More, a College Station staple.
Once we got back to the church we took some great group pictures:
Worship tonight used our theme verses of 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” We talked about how often we come back from trips like this on a spiritual high; a fire has been lit in us. But that flame can go out unless we tend to it and fan it. Youth were encouraged to find ways using a spirit of power, love, and self discipline.
And we ended the night by watching the 2nd half of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring which is part of our summer series, A Tolkien Summer. The movie is coming to an end now and we will be heading to bed when it is over.
It has been a great fun trip, but we are happy to be going home tomorrow morning to share with you, the church and friends about our experiences. See you tomorrow.
Blessings and Good Night!
-Nick
***New Pictures Online***
Go to photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission
The password is “fumcarlington”
Select the album on the left titled “Jr High MT 2010”
Albums from the trip will be listed on the left and bear the name of their photographer.
***Bonus Material***
We want the funk!
Go to photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission
The password is “fumcarlington”
Select the album on the left titled “Jr High MT 2010”
Albums from the trip will be listed on the left and bear the name of their photographer.
Howdy!
The last full day of mission trip has passed and we accomplished so much.
We began bright and early at 7 am with a great breakfast of waffles, sausage, cereal, and fruit. Each morning we have had a devotional to send us forth to the worksites. You remember that I was bragging about the energy of our youth yesterday, well it seemed to have caught up with them this morning. Everyone seemed to be dragging So we read Galatians 6:1-11 which includes these words, “If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.” These words encouraged us to stay on task and reminded us the importance of doing what is right, to use our gifts and bear the good fruit we learned about yesterday.
After our morning devotional, we went out to the worksites with our adults staying in the same site but our youth rotating. The rotation between sites allows our youth to experience different kinds of mission so that they will know there is more than one way to serve others.
The Brazos Valley Food Bank group again separated food into small packs for families to use for short term sustenance. I was told they went through many pallets and set a new FUMC Arlington record by separating an entire pallet in just over 11 minutes. This is impressive when you consider a single box for a single family contains 31 items.
The Momon group finished up their house today by finishing up painting the walls and painting all the trim. They also installed gutters on one side of the house. This side had significant water damage, and although they had replaced the rotted siding, they hopefully had cut the problem off at the source.
The P.E.T. Shop workers continued their work today by building parts, assembling carts, and packaging them. Throughout the week, youth have been impressive making parts that require precision. Many have been enthusiastic to learn new skills like “packaging science”, metal drilling, sawing, and even welding (very supervised of course).
Last today, the Roberson house faced a challenge. Unfortunately they were lead astray by a Home Depot salesman earlier in the week. The paint he suggested was not tinted and somewhat translucent. After 4 coats of paint, it still didn’t look right. So having gotten the paint fixed they still needed to put another coat on the entire house and paint all the trim. We had told the youth to work hard, and wherever we were at the end of the day we could be proud of our efforts. Well, they did work hard and through a small miracle (John Salter’s words) they got all the painting completed by day’s end. You should be proud of your youth!
After work we showered at SFA Middle School. Unfortunately we did not have time to make a scheduled stop at Texas A&M’s bookstore but we did spend an hour of fun at Grand Station playing video games, laser tag, and glow in the dark miniature golf. That was followed by a great meal of chicken strips, buffalo wings, salad, fries, and onion rings at Wings n’ More, a College Station staple.
Once we got back to the church we took some great group pictures:
Worship tonight used our theme verses of 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” We talked about how often we come back from trips like this on a spiritual high; a fire has been lit in us. But that flame can go out unless we tend to it and fan it. Youth were encouraged to find ways using a spirit of power, love, and self discipline.
And we ended the night by watching the 2nd half of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring which is part of our summer series, A Tolkien Summer. The movie is coming to an end now and we will be heading to bed when it is over.
It has been a great fun trip, but we are happy to be going home tomorrow morning to share with you, the church and friends about our experiences. See you tomorrow.
Blessings and Good Night!
-Nick
***New Pictures Online***
Go to photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission
The password is “fumcarlington”
Select the album on the left titled “Jr High MT 2010”
Albums from the trip will be listed on the left and bear the name of their photographer.
***Bonus Material***
We want the funk!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A little fun
For those of you who thought we are all work and no play, think again. Check out these great pictures by the mischievous CJ Rice and Sarah Mischnick.
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Work Day 2
***New Pictures Online***
To see the pictures go to photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission.
The password is "fumcarlington"
When there, click the album on the left titled "Jr High MT 2010".
There are many sub albums listed by photographer name.
These albums are listed on the left margin of the page. Enjoy!
Howdy!
The energy level of a jr. high student amazes me. After a full day of work and activities beginning with a 7 am wake up call, these youth have energy to run around until lights out at 10. I don't know how they do it, but their energy sure was appreciated today by all those who benefited from their hard work.
Today all of our groups got a change a scenery. Those who were working on the Roberson house yesterday were working at the Food Bank today. They sorted over 7 pallets of food, preparing boxes using 31 assorted items that will be provided for families. The boxes will sustain the family's nutrition needs for a few days. They were only expected to complete 5 today, but they outdid themselves!
Yesterday's Momon home workers were shipped out to the P.E.T. Shop where they assembled the P.E.T. carts and got to enjoy the fruits of the labor with a couple joy rides.
Switching places, yesterday's P.E.T. Shop workers headed out to the Momon house where they painted and helped replace siding.
The Food Bank workers from yesterday headed out to the Roberson home where they replaced support rails for the porch roof, put on 4 coats (the wood is soaking in all the paint) of paint, and took part in the great Bryan Wasp Massacre of 2010. We were outnumbered, but never outmatched.
I bet your wondering, "Ok this all sounds great, but what did you get to eat?" Well, Roger did us right. We had bacon, eggs w/ optional shredded cheese, cinnamon toast, and assorted cereals for breakfast. Then for dinner, Roger (with a little help from Al) grilled burgers out at the lake. The conditions at the lake pavilion were less than satisfactory, but we cleaned up most of the litter and had a nice late afternoon swimming, playing volleyball, and staying in the shade.
After showers, we came back to church for worship. If you remember, yesterday we learned that the Holy Spirit is a giver of life and that as Christians we live a new life in Christ as we are born anew of the Spirit. Well today we looked at what that new life looks like. We identified fruits and gifts of the spirit and discovered how they help us live a better life. Youth were encouraged to give thanks for their gifts and not resent others because of the gifts they possess, because their are MANY gifts, but ONE God.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Bryan and it will be jammed pack with work and play. Come back in tomorrow to see what we do and check out all the new pictures.
Blessings. Good Night!
-Nick
***New Pictures Online***
To see the pictures go to photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission.
The password is "fumcarlington"
When there, click the album on the left titled "Jr High MT 2010".
There are many sub albums listed by photographer name.
These albums are listed on the left margin of the page. Enjoy!
To see the pictures go to photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission.
The password is "fumcarlington"
When there, click the album on the left titled "Jr High MT 2010".
There are many sub albums listed by photographer name.
These albums are listed on the left margin of the page. Enjoy!
Howdy!
The energy level of a jr. high student amazes me. After a full day of work and activities beginning with a 7 am wake up call, these youth have energy to run around until lights out at 10. I don't know how they do it, but their energy sure was appreciated today by all those who benefited from their hard work.
Today all of our groups got a change a scenery. Those who were working on the Roberson house yesterday were working at the Food Bank today. They sorted over 7 pallets of food, preparing boxes using 31 assorted items that will be provided for families. The boxes will sustain the family's nutrition needs for a few days. They were only expected to complete 5 today, but they outdid themselves!
Yesterday's Momon home workers were shipped out to the P.E.T. Shop where they assembled the P.E.T. carts and got to enjoy the fruits of the labor with a couple joy rides.
Switching places, yesterday's P.E.T. Shop workers headed out to the Momon house where they painted and helped replace siding.
The Food Bank workers from yesterday headed out to the Roberson home where they replaced support rails for the porch roof, put on 4 coats (the wood is soaking in all the paint) of paint, and took part in the great Bryan Wasp Massacre of 2010. We were outnumbered, but never outmatched.
I bet your wondering, "Ok this all sounds great, but what did you get to eat?" Well, Roger did us right. We had bacon, eggs w/ optional shredded cheese, cinnamon toast, and assorted cereals for breakfast. Then for dinner, Roger (with a little help from Al) grilled burgers out at the lake. The conditions at the lake pavilion were less than satisfactory, but we cleaned up most of the litter and had a nice late afternoon swimming, playing volleyball, and staying in the shade.
After showers, we came back to church for worship. If you remember, yesterday we learned that the Holy Spirit is a giver of life and that as Christians we live a new life in Christ as we are born anew of the Spirit. Well today we looked at what that new life looks like. We identified fruits and gifts of the spirit and discovered how they help us live a better life. Youth were encouraged to give thanks for their gifts and not resent others because of the gifts they possess, because their are MANY gifts, but ONE God.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Bryan and it will be jammed pack with work and play. Come back in tomorrow to see what we do and check out all the new pictures.
Blessings. Good Night!
-Nick
***New Pictures Online***
To see the pictures go to photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission.
The password is "fumcarlington"
When there, click the album on the left titled "Jr High MT 2010".
There are many sub albums listed by photographer name.
These albums are listed on the left margin of the page. Enjoy!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Work Day 1
***New Photos Uploaded!***
See if you can spot a youth you know in the Jr High MT 2010 album at photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission.
The password is "fumcarlington".
Howdy!
What a great first full day of mission trip. Before I begin recapping the day, I need to first recognize all the fans of C.J. Rice and Melissa Herms!
We began the day with a great breakfast made by our own Roger Stephens. Roger goes to bed late and wakes up early to make all of our meals. This morning we had biscuits and gravy along with cereal and fruit. It was excellent and provided the energy we would need for a hard days worth of work.
After breakfast the youth split into their work groups and set out to their sites.
We are working on two home sites, the Roberson home and the Momon home. The Roberson work group is led by John Salter, Laura Munson, and Melissa Herms. They worked today scraping paint, starting the primer, and removing the damaged roof from their back porch among other work.
The Momon home is led by Al Henkel, Mike Howard, Linda Lauchner, and CJ Rice. Today the worked on scraping paint, priming, replacing damaged siding, and removing the decking from the damaged back porch.
We will have a group at the Brazos Valley Food Bank every day to help them with their weekly projects. Today they prepared over 300 meals for the local Meals with Wheels and sorted food.
The last group worked in the P.E.T. (Personal Energy Transportation) Shop. There are over 300 parts to each cart and, cutting wood, drilling, welding, fastening, painting plus more is all part of. The youth were shown the ropes in the shop and made one complete cart plus completed work on many others. Of course they got to have a little fun and drive the cart once they finished it.
After work, everyone headed out to Bryan Aquatic Center where they got to spend a few hours in the pool after spending all day working hard in the hot sun.
When we got back to FUMC Bryan, Roger had prepared baked potatoes and salad with all the fixings. Later in the night we got cake. He is spoiling us!
On mission trip our worship consists of adult led small groups with music, prayer, and sharing. This year we are focusing on the Holy Spirit during worship. The Holy Spirit is the least understood member of the Trinity, so I think it is important that we spend some time discussing it. Tonight's we focused on the Holy Spirit as the giver of life. Youth were shown how we were doing the work of the Holy Spirit by giving life to those we serve. We were also encouraged to take advantage of the new life we have provided by the Holy Spirit.
Tomorrow will be another great day and I hope you check out the blog again to see what we have been up to.
Blessings and Good Night!
-Nick Scott
Don't forget to check out the new pictures at photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission.
The password is "fumcarlington".
All pictures from this year are in the album "Jr High MT 2010".
See if you can spot a youth you know in the Jr High MT 2010 album at photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission.
The password is "fumcarlington".
Howdy!
What a great first full day of mission trip. Before I begin recapping the day, I need to first recognize all the fans of C.J. Rice and Melissa Herms!
We began the day with a great breakfast made by our own Roger Stephens. Roger goes to bed late and wakes up early to make all of our meals. This morning we had biscuits and gravy along with cereal and fruit. It was excellent and provided the energy we would need for a hard days worth of work.
After breakfast the youth split into their work groups and set out to their sites.
We are working on two home sites, the Roberson home and the Momon home. The Roberson work group is led by John Salter, Laura Munson, and Melissa Herms. They worked today scraping paint, starting the primer, and removing the damaged roof from their back porch among other work.
The Momon home is led by Al Henkel, Mike Howard, Linda Lauchner, and CJ Rice. Today the worked on scraping paint, priming, replacing damaged siding, and removing the decking from the damaged back porch.
We will have a group at the Brazos Valley Food Bank every day to help them with their weekly projects. Today they prepared over 300 meals for the local Meals with Wheels and sorted food.
The last group worked in the P.E.T. (Personal Energy Transportation) Shop. There are over 300 parts to each cart and, cutting wood, drilling, welding, fastening, painting plus more is all part of. The youth were shown the ropes in the shop and made one complete cart plus completed work on many others. Of course they got to have a little fun and drive the cart once they finished it.
After work, everyone headed out to Bryan Aquatic Center where they got to spend a few hours in the pool after spending all day working hard in the hot sun.
When we got back to FUMC Bryan, Roger had prepared baked potatoes and salad with all the fixings. Later in the night we got cake. He is spoiling us!
On mission trip our worship consists of adult led small groups with music, prayer, and sharing. This year we are focusing on the Holy Spirit during worship. The Holy Spirit is the least understood member of the Trinity, so I think it is important that we spend some time discussing it. Tonight's we focused on the Holy Spirit as the giver of life. Youth were shown how we were doing the work of the Holy Spirit by giving life to those we serve. We were also encouraged to take advantage of the new life we have provided by the Holy Spirit.
Tomorrow will be another great day and I hope you check out the blog again to see what we have been up to.
Blessings and Good Night!
-Nick Scott
Don't forget to check out the new pictures at photobucket.com/fumcarlingtonyouthmission.
The password is "fumcarlington".
All pictures from this year are in the album "Jr High MT 2010".
Sunday, June 13, 2010
JHMT 2010 - Bryan, TX
Howdy!
I always say howdy, but now it seems even more appropriate that I am spending a few days so close to my alma mater. That isn't why we came here, a fun side note, but not why we came here. There is real need (as there is everywhere), especially in College Station's twin city, Bryan. I am happy and proud that we have such a great group of people who are willing to take a week away from their summer to help others and share the hope and love of Christ through service. We have a group of 66 with us this trip including 48 jr. high youth, 4 sr. high mentors, and 14 adult chaperones.
Let me tell you a little bit about the work that we will be doing here over the next three days:
-Brazos Valley Food Bank has organized some projects for our group over the next few days.
-P.E.T. (Personal Energy Transportation) Project: We will be working with the UMM group of FUMC Bryan to build carts that are sent to disabled persons in developing countries. They are powered and steered by hand cranks. These heavy duty carts provide independence and in some cases a living for those who benefit from them. Here is a link to a site for a group in Missouri who makes these as well. And here is a picture of one in use:
- We will also be working to repair and revitalize two homes. The people who we will be serving were made brought to our attention by the good folks at Elder Aid, a local organization that serves the needs of the elderly of the Bryan/College Station community. We will hopefully be replacing siding, trim, porch decking, porch roofing, and putting on fresh coats of paint.
We had a great, safe trip to Bryan today. They have been so hospitable, setting us up with great rooms, meeting space, and access to a fantastic kitchen. Tonight they even invited us to join their youth group. We got to eat hot dogs, eat ice cream, and play dodge ball. Perfect for any jr. high youth or 28 year old youth director.
Well. It's about time I get to bed. We have a lot of work to get to tomorrow. I will be posting every night around 11:00 pm and will have photos available from the worksites so you can keep up with what our youth is accomplishing.
If you are bored, look at last years posts and see what we did last year.
Invite anyone who might be interested in our group to visit this blog.
Blessings to you and Good Night!
-Nick Scott
I always say howdy, but now it seems even more appropriate that I am spending a few days so close to my alma mater. That isn't why we came here, a fun side note, but not why we came here. There is real need (as there is everywhere), especially in College Station's twin city, Bryan. I am happy and proud that we have such a great group of people who are willing to take a week away from their summer to help others and share the hope and love of Christ through service. We have a group of 66 with us this trip including 48 jr. high youth, 4 sr. high mentors, and 14 adult chaperones.
Let me tell you a little bit about the work that we will be doing here over the next three days:
-Brazos Valley Food Bank has organized some projects for our group over the next few days.
-P.E.T. (Personal Energy Transportation) Project: We will be working with the UMM group of FUMC Bryan to build carts that are sent to disabled persons in developing countries. They are powered and steered by hand cranks. These heavy duty carts provide independence and in some cases a living for those who benefit from them. Here is a link to a site for a group in Missouri who makes these as well. And here is a picture of one in use:
- We will also be working to repair and revitalize two homes. The people who we will be serving were made brought to our attention by the good folks at Elder Aid, a local organization that serves the needs of the elderly of the Bryan/College Station community. We will hopefully be replacing siding, trim, porch decking, porch roofing, and putting on fresh coats of paint.
We had a great, safe trip to Bryan today. They have been so hospitable, setting us up with great rooms, meeting space, and access to a fantastic kitchen. Tonight they even invited us to join their youth group. We got to eat hot dogs, eat ice cream, and play dodge ball. Perfect for any jr. high youth or 28 year old youth director.
Well. It's about time I get to bed. We have a lot of work to get to tomorrow. I will be posting every night around 11:00 pm and will have photos available from the worksites so you can keep up with what our youth is accomplishing.
If you are bored, look at last years posts and see what we did last year.
Invite anyone who might be interested in our group to visit this blog.
Blessings to you and Good Night!
-Nick Scott
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