Good Morning Everyone,
I'm sure that you all heard that we made it safe and sound yesterday. Praise the Lord! We had a good night last night. We got the teens settled and fed them pizza. We had the folks from Hillcrest Ministries come and talk to them about the work they would be doing. They split up into work teams and spent the rest of the night getting to know the other teens and hanging out. Everyone is very excited about getting to work...but very tired after the long drive. Bridgett, I though Hannah Shea was going to fall asleep standing up a few minutes ago.
We eat breakfast in the morning at 7:45, and then it's off to the work sites. Two of our groups will be going to help paint, clean, restore, etc, a home that a family will move into...and the other group will be working to sort items at a center that distributes good to homeless families. Pray with us that we'll have a great day, and I'll do my best to update you tomorrow.
P.S. I emailed everyone I had email addresses for...but if you know the email address of a parent that's not included in this email, feel free to forward it on.
Kevin
Later That Afternoon......
Good Afternoon,
Our first day of work is going very well in KC. Our teens just finished eating lunch and doing our midday devotional. Three of our teens, Dixie, Christy, and Hannah Shea are with me today, and the other six are with Susan and Whitney. At our site, we've been removing old carpet and painting to get ready for a homeless family to move in and begin their new life. Our other teens are involved in landscaping and cleaning work at the other site which is only a few miles away.
We'll finish up our work this afternoon at 3:30 and drive back to our rooms. We'll shower and relax a bit, and then have a worship service later this evening.
I hope all is well back in Tennessee. We'll keep you updated periodically....
Kevin
P.S. Susan is going to upload some photos tonight...I'm not very good with a camera
Tuesday...... Day 2....It's Getting Better....
Good afternoon,
The second work day in KC is almost done. We had a great night last night. We had a wonderful worship service, and afterwards, we gave them water guns, and let them have at each other...and the adults too. They had a blast, and everyone slept VERY well last night. In fact, the van was very quiet on the drive to the work site this morning, and I looked back and noticed several of them sleeping.
Our kids got a great opportunity to get to know a lady name Brenda yesterday. Brenda is in her early 40's and came from a normal family and lived a normal life. She was a stay-at-home mom. But, when her husband abandoned them, she had no source of income and very few job skills. She couldn't pay the mortgage, electricity, etc, and became homeless. She moved into the place that we're working, and in 90 days, she has been able to get back on her feet, pay off debt, save some money, get a job, and she's planning to begin nursing school this fall. God has really transformed her life, and she shared her testimony with our kids. Tonight, we're attending a party in her honor as she sets out on her new life. It truly is amazing what God has done in her life over the past 3 months.
The weather cooled off a good bit today, so most of our teens were doing outside work. It's been a good day, and we're looking forward to a fun night.
Kevin
Tuesday Night.....Can It Get Any Better?
Tuesday Night.....Can It Get Any Better?
Hello All,
It's a few minutes after 10:00 p.m., and we're just getting back to the college for the night. The teens are showering up for the night, and getting ready for bed. They are exhausted...and the should be. They worked really hard today, but did some really great work.
I know I've already updated you today, but I had to write and tell you what happened tonight. The cookout we attended was nothing short of astounding. Our teens were able to hear the stories of a number of folks who were formerly homeless, but found the love of Jesus through the ministry of Hillcrest, and their lives were transformed. They were also able to spend alot of time talking and asking questions about how these folks ended up homeless. Their hearts were truly broken by what they heard. By the time we left the site, the kids were hungry again, and the begged me to take them to McDonald's. I told them we would, if they would talk to me about the experiences they had had thus far.
On the way home, the teens began sharing their experiences from the day, and how they had been able to show love to the homeless families, and provide food for alot of hungry people in our area of KC. The only way I know to explain what happened in the van was that the Holy Spirit came upon us as we talked. I was so proud of all of our teens as they shared what they had sensed God speaking to them as they have worked this week. I knew we would probably get back to the dorms before they finished talking, so I took the long way home, just to make sure everyone had a chance to speak. The last thing they said was, "Pastor Kevin, can we please share these stories with the church when we get back home?" I assured them they'd have that opportunity. I was having to wipe my eyes as I listened to them talk.
When I got alone, I had to thank God...for only God could have given some of the insight that our teens are gaining this week. I'm so thankful that God has been faithful, and our teens are listening. Thank you all for praying for us. Please continue to do so throughout the week.
Tomorrow, we'll have a little lighter day of work....so that will be a nice break. Hope all of you are well.
Kevin
I didn't want to overwhelm you with all of it in one post! Check out Mission Trip Update # 2
Mandy
Mandy
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