Our High School Mission teams will be going to Memphis, TN this summer. We will be partnering with LeaderTreks and work with Open Door Bible Church and Streets Ministries in Tennessee. Our work will consist of local projects within the community designed around strengthening the influence of the Church in the community. In addition to our projects, we will host a 3-day VBS for the children in this community, designed to communicate the love of Christ to these children. The community is very impoverished, so we are looking forward to the opportunity to serve them in the name of Christ..
June 2, 2018
Our 5:45am departure from CCC took us 767 miles to Abilene, TX were we tent camped for the night at a KOA! While the drive was long, without cell phones the students engage in meaningful conversation with each other. There are also a few sing-alongs that happen along the way. We are grateful for safe travel, and the many prayers on our behalf. Tomorrow we’ll finish our trip in to Memphis. Thanks again for your prayers!
June 3, 2018
After a rather warm night of camping, we were treated to a free pancake breakfast by the owners of the KOA. They are Christians themselves, and were so excited to hear about our trip, that they offered to feed us. Once on the road, we went another 650 miles all the way to Memphis. We are finding that the country gets greener the further east you go. Once in Memphis, we met our LeaderTreks hosts at the local Walmart. The students divided into shopping teams, and gathered enough groceries to feed 25 people for a week. From Walmart we headed to Open Door Bible Church where we are staying for the week. Everyone is exhausted but is very excited to finally be here and get the week going. Thank you again for your prayers!
June 4, 2018
Our students started several different work projects here at Open Door Bible Church, projects designed to further the impact of this church in the local community. The afternoon was spent at Streets Ministry. The child poverty level in Memphis is the second worst in the United States. Streets is committed to giving at-risk youth a safe alternative to many of the challenges that plague their local neighborhoods. Most of our time was spent playing basketball...and yes, getting dunked on. We had an amazing day. Ready for more tomorrow! Thanks for praying!
June 5, 2018
We had another great and productive day on several different projects here at Open Door Bible Church. The students are extremely motivated and committed to working hard. This afternoon we went back to Streets Ministries, where we played some more basketball. Some of our students led a tie dye craft as well. It was a blessing to see the joy on the faces of the kids! Tomorrow will include more time on the work projects, as well as the opportunity to serve dinner at a local men’s shelter. The students are doing an amazing job. Thanks for your continued prayers...tomorrow is the half way point!
June 6, 2018
The students continued working on projects in and around Open Door Bible Church. They are making tremendous progress each day! The evening was spent at a men’s homeless shelter in South downtown Memphis. Our students had the opportunity to serve these men dinner, as well as sing a few songs for them during their evening chapel service. All the time in the world would not be enough for me to describe how special our time was with these men. Our students were the hands and feet of Jesus. The men kept thanking us for coming...little did they know how indebted we felt to them, for allowing us to spend time with them and come together around the promises and love of God!
June 7, 2018
Our students continued to work on the projects here at Open Door Bible Church. With the end of the week quickly approaching, their sense of urgency has increased, which has resulted in some extra hard work! In the evening, our students hosted a BBQ for the church as a ‘thank you’ for allowing us to stay here at their church this week. Our team is doing great...everyone is healthy and fully engaged in the tasks the Lord has given us to do. Thanks for praying!