Day Nine – Fun in the Sun and Home Again

Our last day of the trip was spent having a blast at Six Flags. We rode rides and ate junk food and sweated and laughed. It was a fun day and some of us didn’t want it to end. The strange part is that it almost didn’t end. We were supposed to leave the park at 5:00 and about that time we learned that our bus had a flat tire in the parking lot and we had to wait until a mechanic could come and put our spare on. Some people headed back to the rides, others sought out shade and refreshments, others looked for air conditioning. The mechanic showed up around 7:30 and the bus was fixed around 8:00. We ate a quick bite at the nearest McDonald’s, changed clothes and hit the road. The best laid plans …

So we are on the road headed home and that’s all that counts. We are all very ready to get home to our families and our own beds.

This is a great group of kids and I greatly value the relationships that I have developed over the past week. I look forward to seeing each and every one grow into fine young men and women.

I hope these updates have been valuable to you as you watch and support us on our trip. I have enjoyed creating them each evening.

Steve

Day Eight – Goodbyes

Our last day in Chicago started as all of the others, just a little bit earlier. We had to get our luggage to the bus by 7:00 am in order to load and still get to our VBS sites on time. The kids have been great about being on time, most of the time we are waiting on an adult. We were very excited to get to VBS and see our new friends again, the kids have really developed strong friendships with all of the children. VBS went off without a hitch. We ended the morning with each host team feeding us authentic spanish food, which was awesome by the way. We had a good time eating and laughing and fellowshipping with our new friends. We both had surprises in store as well: the Brainard group finished with a water balloon fight which I’m sure the kids thoroughly enjoyed, the Hebron group surprised the kids by taking them for a ride on the big Bus. Ken, the best bus driver we have every had on any trip (and we genuinely mean that), loved those kids as much as we did and really made their day by giving them something they never had and might never get to do again. The time came to say goodbye, which was hard but the kids loved on those kids and they loved back. They made us feel like rock stars by asking for our autographs and phone numbers and chasing the bus down the street as we drove away. We will not easily forget those faces and we will pray for their future.

With our stomachs and hearts full and our adrenaline wearing off, we got in the bus and crashed. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ken was the only one awake in the entire bus, they were laying on the floors and stretched out across the seats. We had all worked so hard all week and saying goodbye to our friends finally wore us out. We were on our way home with a stop off in St Louis.

After quickly checking into the same hotel that we were in a week ago (I even got the same room, what are the chances), we headed off to the City Museum. The City Museum is like nothing I have ever seen before. Someone took an old abandoned 11 story shoe factory and tons of old recycled materials and made a work of art. It had slides and caves and crawl spaces and jump zones and skate parks and turtles and fish and an aquarium and the worlds largest pencil and rope swings and slushies and huge cookies. The kids had a great time sliding and spelunking.

We ended our day with our traditional ‘Senior Send Off’ time. This is where each senior sat in the middle of our circle and everyone got to share how much they meant to us and any stories that they remember from past trips. We also included our senior sponsors who are graduating: Mike and Kathy Davis and Paul and Christie Cox. They have meant so much to so many kids, we will miss their leadership and friendship greatly.

Saturday is all about Six Flags and getting home to our families. We finally get to sleep in with leaving at 9:00 am.

One last day, thanks for all of the prayers.

Day Seven – Quality not Quantity

We started the day out in our normal fashion by heading to our respective VBS sites. Each day brings improvement in our relationships with the kids. They open up more each day and we begin to see a little more into their personalities. They love to dance with the motions to the VBS songs. They want to do them over and over and over. We have grown accustomed to their excited smiling faces waiting for us each day. They grab ahold of their favorite kids and stick with them all day long. They are all very fun and beautiful. It will be a very sad day tomorrow when we have to tell them goodbye. We will be going out in style as each of the of the host churches will be throwing a party with authentic mexican food for us after VBS.

After VBS we headed to perform in our last location; the Shriners Children’s Hospital. We were warned that many of the kids had therapy sessions and few might be able to watch the whole concert. We sang for most of an hour and had a few kids come by, but we had one little girl stay the whole time. She was in a wheel chair and had casts on both of her legs. She was probably 4 years old and was one of the cutest little girls I have ever seen. She sat right down front and was enthralled most of the time. She especially liked to watch Griffin dance to the VBS songs that we did, she was mesmerized.

Next we headed to Michigan Avenue to spend our money on the Magnificent Mile. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people in constant motion. The kids headed out to find the souvenirs and purchases they have been looking forward to finding. After a couple of hours of shopping and people watching we headed to a park close to Brainard Avenue Baptist Church to eat and wind down after a long week. We filled up on Popeye’s Chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. It really hit the spot.

Our surprise of the evening was after we shared a private worship time lead by Charlie, Olivia, Franklin and Stella. Before our trip all of the parents were asked to write love letters to their children. Those letters were given to everyone to read. There were many touched hearts and wet eyes as they soaked in the love that their parents shared with them. It was a special time for everyone.

Tomorrow is our last VBS day and we will head out to St. Louis just as soon as we get done partying.

Thanks for everyone’s prayers and support.

Day Six – ABC’s

Day Six – Learning Our ABC’s

Today we started bright and early, loading the bus at 7:45 sharp. We headed off to our VBS sites and everybody was very excited about the message for today. Today’s topic was the ABC’s of Christianity. We had all prayed hard and worked hard to make this message really count. All VBS days are important, but today was pivotal. We really wanted God to work in these kids’ lives.

After a long fun-filled day, all our effort really paid off. Through jamming in music, sidewalk chalk in recreation, awesome crafts, ABC’s, and acting out the story of Nicodemus, there were many kids that accepted Christ and prayed with John. One story that really touched us was the story of two boys saved at the Hebron VBS site. After praying the salvation prayer, two young boys went up to the front from opposite sides of the room. Turns out, they were brothers that had made separate decisions on the same day! When asked if they had something they wanted to pray about, they told John their story. They boys were going through a rough time, and God was definitely working in their lives today. Overall, VBS today was an amazing experience for both the kids and the Park Hill Youth!

After VBS, we all went to one of Chicago’s icons- the Willis (Sears) tower! Although it was over a thousand feet in the sky, the elevator ride lasted only 60 seconds. We got to experience the coolest feature of the tower- the Sky Deck. We got to step out on the glass boxes, which was like standing on thin air, only 103 stories in the sky. Once our feet were back on solid ground, we headed over to the infamous Ed Debevic’s for dinner. We had great food and entertainment from the rude waiters.

Finally, it was time for what I couldn’t contain my excitement for- Beauty and the Beast at the Oriental Theatre! The show was better than we had even imagined. We sat in the nosebleed section and were perfect respectful audience members. We even voluntarily sang along, giving the actors some nice backup vocals.

Laura Shaddox lead the devotional once we got back to the hotel. She gave a perfect three point sermon summarized into a short and sweet message on encouragement. A highlight was the motivational stickers that Laura passed out to remind us of how our hard work this week is spreading God’s Word and showing God’s love!

Olivia and Stella

Day Five – The Lesson of Love

The day started off like any other, but luckily a little bit later than the usual seven o’clock. We loaded up on the bus and headed to our separate VBS sites, Brainard Ave Baptist Church and Hebron Baptist Church. God has been working in great ways, doubling the attendance of kids at Brainard! In bible class at VBS, the lesson was about love and how God loves us no matter what and forgives us even though we’ve sinned. All of us that teach bible felt it was a success. We could tell a lot of the kids actually got the lesson. It clicked in their mind, and that will be great for the lesson on salvation tomorrow.

After VBS we loaded back up and ate lunch provided by our wonderful choir sponsors. We then headed to the Field Museum, which was filled with many exhibits displaying historic artifacts and different elements of history. The favorite exhibit was later discovered to be the Whale exhibit, it was described to be a once in a lifetime majestic experience.

The next stop on our tour was to the Navy Pier to sing for the people of Chicago and all around. Before we got on stage many of us were worried about two things: 1. Getting asked to leave because we were a religious group 2. That no one would stay and watch. Griffin Peeples put our worries aside when he did his solo in the song “Made to Love.” He went up and performed with no restrictions. He danced freely and really got the crowd into the performance. After that the rest of the choir felt a lot better about singing. During the performance a surprising number of people really got into the music and sang along. Many were impressed at such a big number of teenagers praising and singing to the Lord. It can easily be said that many people were touched by the music and what we were doing for God’s mission.

Every night we try to do a fun activity that follows a long day of praising God, and tonight we were surprised with a guided boat tour down the Chicago River. All 39 students and sponsors boarded the Seadog for a night of fun like no other. Guided by Mike “the man with the mic” we had a fun adventure around the city of Chicago, from the Trump Tower to the Sears Tower we learned all there is to know about this wonderful city.

I’m pretty sure everyone can agree that today was a successful day not only in our lives but in the plan that God has laid out for us. We are hoping to have a great day tomorrow teaching the very important lesson of salvation. Please keep us in your prayers!

Love the two junior girls,
Kaylee Harvison and Callie Mellinger

Day Four – God’s Power

We had another very busy day today. We started our first day of VBS at our two sites today. We have one site at the Brainard Avenue Baptist Church for the spanish church that shares their facility. Our second facility is at Hebron Baptist church which is a very small one-room spanish church with an attached empty house that they use for classrooms. The day started out with us getting to our sites early to finish getting organized and getting ready to great whatever children showed up. About 30 minutes before we were supposed to start, the area was struck by a very large thunderstorm that we later learned knocked down many limbs and sections of trees. The Hebron site lost power and never got it back before VBS completed for the day. We were not able to show videos for the day. We persevered and still worked with all 24 kids that showed up at the Hebron site. They were a delight to get to know and we look forward to seeing them again tomorrow. The Brainard site had 10 kids with full power and also had a great time getting to know their kids.

After VBS we ate out sack lunches courtesy of Kathy Davis, the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I have had in a long time. We headed over to the VA hospital to perform for the men that were in the extended care facility. Performing for the men was a minor part of what we ended up doing. We spent a good amount of time talking and listening to them relive stories of their time in the service. The kids genuinely enjoyed talking with them and we know that we brightened their day with our smiles.

For our fun event we headed to the Shedd Aquarium to see Beluga Whales and dolphins and seems like hundreds of different species of fish. The fun was just beginning for the Seniors. They left the aquarium early to head back to the hotel to freshen up and dress up. They left for the surprise event in a stretch Excursion limo and headed off to a Blue Man Group concert and a late night dinner. The rest of us split up and walked to some good Chicago food.

We pray that we will have power tomorrow and that all of our kids return for more VBS and bring their friends.

Stay Tuned

Day Three – Worship

Greetings from Chicago!!

Well the good news is: we’re officially exhausted! After a whopping three hours of sleep in room 303, we kicked off the day with some made-to-order omelets from the Embassy Suites.

Then we were whisked away to Brainard Baptist Church to perform our first service of the day at 9:30. Although our rehearsal the night before was questionable (lots of joking and restlessness), somehow our focus this morning was incredible. Lydia Osborn (one of our main actresses in the skit who acts as soldier home on furlough) was approached by a woman that currently has a son in the military. She was in tears at the end of the service as she told Lydia about her son who serves on protective duty for bodies returning home. Several people were openly emotional at the end of the service, and we felt truly blessed that we could convey something so moving to them.

After our first service we briefly left to eat at the Old Country Buffet (complete with a slushie machine and plenty of ice cream)! After some adventures in Best Buy and the Dollar Store, we returned to Brainard Baptist Church to perform our second service.

Our 2:00 service was certainly different than the first. Our key word for this mission trip, “flexibility”, really applied to this service… This audience was Hispanic and the majority were not fluent in English. For instance, their pastor had to have a teenager translate for us during his sermon and prayers. We were also faced with really big technical difficulties beyond our control… However, even though the audience’s reaction to our performance wasn’t as big as in the first service, some of the people (primarily the younger women and children) were very moved. As Griffin Peeples said in devotion tonight, it doesn’t matter what language you speak, because praising Jesus is the same in every language!

After our services, we did Vacation Bible School training at Brainard Baptist Church, and  paid a speedy visit to Hebrom Baptist Church where the other half of our group will conduct VBS. (Note: Hebron Baptist Church has no air conditioning, so please pray for us that we will be able to keep up the energy and cope with the heat!)

As fun activities tonight, we visited the Millennium Park where we took pictures by the giant reflective bean statue and the “face” water park… (Look them up on Google if you don’t know what we mean)! After that we hopped on the bus, picked up our frisbees and footballs, and headed to a Lake Michigan beach. Although the water was a tad chilly, some people braved the temperatures and swam, while others were content to lay on the beach and take pictures. The skyline of Chicago was BEAUTIFUL!! and made for some great backdrops for pictures, which we will hopefully be posting soon.

We have a lot to look forward to tomorrow, but it’ll be a busy day, so we’ll keep you posted!

Much love,

the KKK (Katherine Cox, Kristen O’Connell, and Katie Van Patten)

Day Two – Lowell

On the road to Chicago bright and early this Saturday morning!  The kids learned the stump toe rule yesterday which means always leave early just in case you stump your toe and are slowed down but since you left early you are still on time.  The kids did great and we got off without a hitch.

What an incredible first stop we had in Chicago, visiting the Pacific Garden Mission, founded in 1877 and believed to be the first active mission in the Country.  Our tour guide was Lowell.  Lowell had it all;  going to college, great job, money and a family.  He lost it all when he began doing all kinds of drugs, ending up in front of a judge facing possible prison time.  Lowell asked the judge to give him one more chance advising that he was going to go to the Mission.  The rest is history with Lowell about to graduate from the program offered by the Mission which requires attend daily classes for one year.  Just as the Judge had wiped the slate clean so too did God.  Lowell is a great witness for the Pacific Mission.

The Pacific Garden Mission currently can house 475 men, 125 women and between 20 and 30 families.  They offer medical care, food, clothing and nice beds for those in need.

After our tour we were honored to watch the taping of the radio show, “Unshackled”, which started on September 23, 1950.  This radio program is played on over 2400 radio stations including 12 in foreign countries.  The actors did a great job and after a few “cuts” from the director show #3172 will be playing during the week of October 30 through November 5th.

We then headed straight to the Brainard Avenue Baptist Church for dinner and practice for our Sunday morning services.  As I listened to them putting the finishing touches on I was so proud to be considered a part of this great group.  Parents you should be proud!

Pray for a good nights rest but since it’s midnight now and we are just getting to the Hotel after a quick visit to the fireworks on the Navy Pier, I’m thinking we may be a little tired tomorrow.

God is good!  Pray for the services tomorrow and VBS training tomorrow afternoon.

We love you guys!

Mike Davis

Day One – Encore!

Our first day has gone very well. Our goal for trip is to follow God’s lead and remain flexible. We think that we experienced a little bit of God’s leading today. We started the day being sent off by our parents and friends bright and early this morning. Our great driver, Ken, did an awesome job of getting us to St. Louis safely and early. We had to be flexible around our lunch stop because our planned stopping point would have had us eating close to 11:00. We opted to push on and ate lunch in Festus, Missouri which is only about 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis. We arrived early at the New Life Evangelistic Center with plenty of time to set up our sound system and practice through our planned 4 songs. The service, which was being recorded to be televised later on their local channel 24 TV station, began early around 3:15. We were supposed to sing 2 songs, then allow the minister to preach and then sing a couple more songs. Our 4 songs turned into 8 songs and the worshipers were enjoying listening to us sing our extra songs. We aren’t sure why we needed to sing extra songs, but we pray that God will use our singing testimony for His glory.

Phillip broke the news to the kids that our fun event was to spend 4 hours in the Gateway Arch, which is right across the street from our hotel. He didn’t get a very excited reaction to that announcement. Of course we were just kidding, although I really like the Arch, we changed clothes and walked the 4 blocks to Busch Stadium to watch the Cardinals try to rally against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They lost 7-6 after trying hard to recover from giving up a grand-slam to the Diamondbacks.

Katherine Cox and Blake Boone gave our devotion to the group as we all headed to our rooms to get some sleep in order to get up and back on the road by 7:00am in the morning.

A good day all around and a good start to our trip.

Thanks for all of the prayers for our safety.

Stay Tuned …

Work and Play

We went to the New Evangelistic Center on Saturday morning. we made about one thousand sandwiches and then we bagged them and put them into crates. The workers told us that they make about 400 to 500 sandwiches on a regular day, that means that we made enough sandwiches for 2 days!   –Jasper Heard

 

Today we went to New life Evangelistic Center to help the homeless. We packaged baloney sandwiches and gave them to the center to help feed the people who came. We made one thousand sandwiches on the dot. We were so caught up with getting a thousand sandwiches made, we made two extra sandwiches just so we could reach one thousand. We also went to Six Flags over St. Louis today. We rode many roller coasters in the park. In the end we are going to our hotel in Blytheville, AR to stay so we can help tomorrow in Memphis. ~Austin Clements

 

Today we went to the New Life Evangelistic Center to provide help where it was needed.  While there the boys bagged 1,000 bologna sandwiches, and the girls worked in the thrift shop.  In the thrift shop we sorted women’s and children’s clothes and shoes.  The thrift shop was amazing, it provided free clothes and shoes for the homeless.  After spending time at the New Life Evangelistic Center we went to Six Flags.  There we rode many roller coasters and other rides.  We had a ton of fun at the park, and came away with many great laughs and memories, which most of us won’t forget!  ~Maddie Sorensen

 

The kids are doing great!  They sang really good at the New Life Center Friday afternoon.  They worked hard Saturday morning.  No complaining.  No slacking.  You would be proud.  ~Dana

 

This trip rocks!  i LOVED seeing how happy people were just to get simple ham and cheese sandwiches. Singing was a blast! I love to sing and it was a joy to serve people. Six Flags was an absolute blast! (even though the roller coaster was a little scary) I can now officially say I have been to Six Flags!  I thank my choir sponsors and my mom and dad because without them I would not have these awesome memories. This trip is not even over and i can’t wait to go next year! :}   ~Elisabeth McClintock

 

As you can see, we have been making a difference and making memories at the same time.  This is a great group of kids and they have adjusted to every change of plans that we threw at them.   I took us on a 30 minute goose hunt last night with my poor navigation skills.   We learned that St. Louis’ Race for the Cure was this morning and the starting line was a block away from the New Life Center.   We parked as close as we thought we could and started walking to the center only to get led astray, again by my poor navigational skills.   Turned out that we had a reserved spot for our bus in front of the center, who knew.  I’m sure the kids have many more stories they can share with you if you ask, they are all having a great time.  ~Steve Morris