Overnight in Waco!!!

 

So after a quick drive we arrived in Waco at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church. We had just enough time to enjoy the comfy seats of the bus, the gracious driving of our bus driver Clement, and great movie School of Rock. Enjoyed The Center which is actually a converted YMCA so it has a pool! Now settling down of the night so that we can enjoy all the more fun for tomorrow!

 

The Mystery Begins!

We head out Friday at 6 PM!  Let the adventure begin!

Fun on the Lake!

Had great fun on Beaver Lake yesterday!  About to perform at Arkanshire Retirement Center!

From Springdale to Fayetteville with some Retirement Time in Between

After our first stop and performance in Springdale, AR, we left for Fayetteville, AR.  After performing in the Butterfield Trail Village Retirement Home, we dropped our stuff at our evening stay in Mount Sequoia Camp and then rushed off to a baseball game with the Arkansas Naturals.  Much fun to be had and even more excited for the lake day tomorrow!!!

And We're Off!!!!

Just about to fly off!!!

Arkansas here we come!  Joseph & his Technicolor coat are on the move!  Stay tune for more updates depending on our internet connection capabilities...

SB Mission Day 2: Touring Town, First Work Day and Swimming!

We reported for our first day of work with Rebuild Joplin today and began 3 different projects in our work teams! 

Work Team 1 is putting in all the flooring for a newly rebuilt home that was completely devestated as well as finishing touches such as electrical covers and light fixtures.
Work Team 2 spent the day working with AmeriCorps to clean up debris still covering over 100 acres.
Work Team 3 has quite a project as well aiding in preparation the trench digging and concrete work involved in building a new foundation for a home.


Daniel Gregg shared the challenges of the labor intinsive work his group is doing and followed all of the grueling accounts his felllow group members shared with the simple words "I'm so grateful for all I have at home."  Like Daniel, most of our amazing youth experiencing this adventure of real life servanthood this week have (despite the hard work, sunburn and minimal sleep) expressed overwhelming feeling of gratefulness for the blessings in their life whether they be family, friends, homes, or other treasured things.  There is nothing quite like experiencing devestation (even second hand like we are this week) but even amongst feeling Joplin's heartache, their surviving spirit and faith in midst of struggle is absolutely contagious!  If you ask youth staff, volunteers and youth alike, I am sure you will discover that we all feel there is not much better since it is FULL of God's love!

SB Mission- Joplin, MO Day 1: Food, Fellowship & Basketball

We made it safely to Neosho, MO for a wonderful night of youth fellowship, worship, and wonderful food with our generous hosts here at Neosho UMC!  It's time to wind down from all the travel, preparation and countless hours of basketball challenges in the fun Family Life Center where we are staying.  After merely one day, it is already apparent that this week is truly going to be a life changing one for EVERYONE involved!  It's off to Joplin at 7:00am for training and begining our work sites... so off to bed with us, but LOTS of stories and pictures will come soon!

There's just nothing like having a group that's a family....

in every...

sense of...

the word!

We are all here to do just what God called us to do... serve!  So that we will do, with all the gifts and talents with which we were blessed  "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?" 1 Corinthians 12:27-29  We are ALL the body of Christ!