This week has come and gone so quickly. It has been an incredible experience and a trip that we hope to do again. We were challenged in new and exciting ways and were deeply touched by the lives and the love of the children of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Many of them we will never forget.
Thank you to everyone who kept an eye on the blog this summer. It was a difficult task to try to find time to post pictures and updates - especially this week in NYC. I hope you enjoyed what we could do, and forgive me for not doing more.
From Italy, to Passport, to CLUE Camp, this summer has been full of unforgettable experiences. Please continue to ask our students to share their stories and pictures. There is so much to tell.
We look forward to being home and seeing all of you again soon. Please pray for our safe travels tomorrow and we will see you Sunday.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
NYC - safe and sound
After an approximately 12 hour turn around, we returned from Passport and packed up and left for CLUE camp in NYC.
We loaded up this morning, 15 youth and 6 adults. Aside from heavy traffic, we had no issues and a good trip.
We arrived at Metro Baptist Church around 6pm. We quickly unloaded the bus and shuttled it across the river to a parking lot at a church in Jersey.
After getting settled in, we went to dinner at the famous Dallas BBQ. We were treated to large platters of Baby Back Ribs, Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket BBQ. It was very good.
Metro Baptist is only a few blocks away from Time Square, so after dinner we walked up to see the bright lights of Time Square. We did some sight seeing and got a group picture and called it a night.
Tomorrow is a very important day. Our Manhattan team will stay here and worship at Metro. They will then have their camp orientation here after lunch. Our Brooklyn team will board the subway in the morning and go to Greater Restoration Baptist Church where we will worship and have lunch and orientation. Tomorrow we will meet our partner churches and the CLUE camp staff members who will be leading us through the week. It is also our last opportunity to add the finishing touches to our camp program. Please pray for us as we prepare for camp.
We are already having a great time. Thank you Marty Cash and Ward Richardson for safely delivering us to Metro - we really apprecoate your help. Thank you for praying!
We loaded up this morning, 15 youth and 6 adults. Aside from heavy traffic, we had no issues and a good trip.
We arrived at Metro Baptist Church around 6pm. We quickly unloaded the bus and shuttled it across the river to a parking lot at a church in Jersey.
After getting settled in, we went to dinner at the famous Dallas BBQ. We were treated to large platters of Baby Back Ribs, Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket BBQ. It was very good.
Metro Baptist is only a few blocks away from Time Square, so after dinner we walked up to see the bright lights of Time Square. We did some sight seeing and got a group picture and called it a night.
Tomorrow is a very important day. Our Manhattan team will stay here and worship at Metro. They will then have their camp orientation here after lunch. Our Brooklyn team will board the subway in the morning and go to Greater Restoration Baptist Church where we will worship and have lunch and orientation. Tomorrow we will meet our partner churches and the CLUE camp staff members who will be leading us through the week. It is also our last opportunity to add the finishing touches to our camp program. Please pray for us as we prepare for camp.
We are already having a great time. Thank you Marty Cash and Ward Richardson for safely delivering us to Metro - we really apprecoate your help. Thank you for praying!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Chilly Upper Lip
Im sorry to say that I don't have pictures to show you right now, but I still have to tell you this cool story. Earlier in the week I posted the story of our High School girls' Temporary Tattoo parlor and how they were accepting donations for the missions offering, to be collected during Thursday night's worship service.
Well, chaperon Dwight McKee was so moved by the girls' creative and thoughtful endeavor, that on Tuesday they all made a deal - if "Temp Tats" could raise $200 by Thursday night, Dwight would shave off his mustache. He has had a mustache for 30 years now! This was a bit deal.
Everyone banded together and rose to the challenge. Temp Tats went into full swing and all of their "customers" were very generous with their donations. By tonight, Thursday, half the camp was tattooed and even more importantly, Temp Tats had collected $361 for the missions offering!
I wish I had pictures to show - they will be coming - but Dwight was true to his word. We all gathered around as Jamison Lloyd went at his beloved mustache with a barbers care. Sorry Kelly, but it was certainly for a good cause! :)
The mustache is gone and the offering is in. What a night!
BTW, this year's Passport offering is going to Water for Life International. Similar to Watering Malawi, Water for Life is a non-profit organization that helps to drill wells and provide potable water for impoverished villages in Africa. It will also go to support the CBF field personnel who are working with these communities where the wells are being drilled.
Well, chaperon Dwight McKee was so moved by the girls' creative and thoughtful endeavor, that on Tuesday they all made a deal - if "Temp Tats" could raise $200 by Thursday night, Dwight would shave off his mustache. He has had a mustache for 30 years now! This was a bit deal.
Everyone banded together and rose to the challenge. Temp Tats went into full swing and all of their "customers" were very generous with their donations. By tonight, Thursday, half the camp was tattooed and even more importantly, Temp Tats had collected $361 for the missions offering!
I wish I had pictures to show - they will be coming - but Dwight was true to his word. We all gathered around as Jamison Lloyd went at his beloved mustache with a barbers care. Sorry Kelly, but it was certainly for a good cause! :)
The mustache is gone and the offering is in. What a night!
BTW, this year's Passport offering is going to Water for Life International. Similar to Watering Malawi, Water for Life is a non-profit organization that helps to drill wells and provide potable water for impoverished villages in Africa. It will also go to support the CBF field personnel who are working with these communities where the wells are being drilled.
Grace Notes
One of the choice groups is called "Grace Notes." This group explores different ways of worshiping through music. Olivia DeCapri is one our students in Grace Notes this year. This morning, during opening celebration, Olivia and other grace note campers led us in worship for one song. They sang Chris Tomlin's version of "Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone." They did a great job!
Olivia also performed tonight during the Passport talent show, along with Hannah Hayes and Tyler Chalkley. They all did very well. I will have to tell you about that in a different post.
It Honor Camper Time!
Every morning, during morning celebration, the camp honor council announces their honor camper selections from the previous day. The council is made up of one representative from each church group. This year our honor council rep is Wesley Owens. The council members observe campers during their choice, and one camper is selected from each choice for each day. Honor campers are selected for being especially positive, helpful, respectful, encouraging, attentive, etc.
Here is Wesley announcing the Honor Camper for Mission 2.
Several Second Baptist youth have been selected as honor campers this week, including Tyler Chalkley and Charlie Jones.
Several Second Baptist youth have been selected as honor campers this week, including Tyler Chalkley and Charlie Jones.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Follow
Our theme word today was "Follow." We began the day with a personal devotional time reading John 10:25-30.
We are learning that if we Trust God, and entrust our lives to him, then we will Follow him where he wants to lead us. We have been focusing on Jesus as our Good Shepherd who we trust and follow. As his sheep we are promised the gift of eternal life, we are promised that we can never be snatched out of his hands, and we are promised that when we stray, our Good Shepherd will call for us, and we will hear his voice and return.
It is such a joy to go through these themes and scriptures each day and see our students really get it. Tomorrow we will learn to "Share."
We are learning that if we Trust God, and entrust our lives to him, then we will Follow him where he wants to lead us. We have been focusing on Jesus as our Good Shepherd who we trust and follow. As his sheep we are promised the gift of eternal life, we are promised that we can never be snatched out of his hands, and we are promised that when we stray, our Good Shepherd will call for us, and we will hear his voice and return.
It is such a joy to go through these themes and scriptures each day and see our students really get it. Tomorrow we will learn to "Share."
Choices - Missions
Passport Choices is unique in that the students decide when they arrive at camp how they will spend their choices time - 11am-2:30pm. There are nine different choice opportunities ranging from missions to music, drama to Soul Food (a cooking track that emphasizes hospitality). Within the missions "choice" there are 4 different missions opportunities.
I have been assigned to drive the bus for missions group 2. Every day we go to a local park called Creft Park. We then send Passport students and chaperons into the surrounding areas to collect the children and bring them to the park for 2 hours of play, crafts, basketball, face paint, games, and other fun activities. Here are some pictures of the kids we get to work with every day, along with the two Second Baptist youth who are in missions 2 - Jacob McKee and Wesley Owens.
I have been assigned to drive the bus for missions group 2. Every day we go to a local park called Creft Park. We then send Passport students and chaperons into the surrounding areas to collect the children and bring them to the park for 2 hours of play, crafts, basketball, face paint, games, and other fun activities. Here are some pictures of the kids we get to work with every day, along with the two Second Baptist youth who are in missions 2 - Jacob McKee and Wesley Owens.
Everyday we are blessed by the children from these neighborhoods. Already they have shown us so much love and trust. There has been a Passport missions group coming to this park every week for the past 6 weeks. We get to benefit from their hard work and faithful service. The children immediately trust us and the parents are happy to send them out every day to play with us at the park. They love to get piggy-back rides and are not bashful in their requests for a ride. Most of the time they simply say - "Put me on your back!" And we are glad to oblige.
Today one of the young children did not speak any English and Wesley, knowing a little Spanish, was happy to befriend him and help him communicate with the rest of our Passport group.
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