Hey everybody, I know this is a day late, but I just wanted to put a final update up about our week. We left Chicago around 7:30 Friday morning and arrived at the church at about 6:00. The trip went smoothly, not too much traffic or construction to slow us down! Most of the passengers slept or read on the drive, since we were all pretty worn out. Overall, the week went great, I think each person brought a lesson or story back with them that had a great impact on their lives. I know I did! It was such a blessing to work both with the kids and members at Old St. Paul, and to help Uptown Baptist Church with their food ministry. Both experiences taught us different things and helped us grow closer to God and each other. Sunday we will have a slide show of some pictures and some members of the team will share some of their stories from the week. Thank you for all your prayers and support, before the trip and during the trip. We couldn’t have done what we did without it! Continue to keep the folks and Old St. Paul and Uptown Baptist in your prayers!
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Posted by center baptist on Jul 12, 2008
Well today was our last day at Old St. Paul! It’s been a long, hard, and fullfilling week! The whole group’s grown so attatched to the kids and other folks at the church, it was hard to leave! After a good final day of VBS, we all very reluctantly said our good-byes and headed out towards Chinatown. Speaking of which, we’re not really sure if we missed the main part of Chinatown, or what, but we ended up just driving around downtown Chicago in rush hour, which is definitely a test of faith for those driving!! We did eventually make it to dinner and a place called P.J. Moondoggies, which had hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, chicken, and a lot of other delicious food! Then we stopped by Baskin Robbins and Dunkin Donuts for a little dessert. We’ve also gotten to see some interesting neighborhoods in our travels, including Little Poland and part of Chinatown. Back to the church, though. The whole group’s worked very hard and done everything that’s been asked of them, many times plus more. They’ve been able to bless the church, and be blessed, through working with the kids and through fixing up some things around the building. I know that everyone will miss the kids and the church, and they will all definitely be in our prayers in the days, weeks, and months to come. I’ve included some pictures, hope you enjoy them! We’ll be heading back to Missouri in the morning! Everyone is safe, healthy, and doing well!!
Chicago Mission Trip Photos
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Posted by center baptist on Jul 11, 2008
Wow, it’s been quite the week so far! Our days have been packed full of activity! Tonight’s entry should be fairly short and sweet, since it’s late and I’m tired. We were at Old St. Paul again this morning and had another successful, action-packed day of VBS. Some highlights from today were the fun-foam crafts, Darrell jumping rope with the kids, and Coach and some of the boys racing some of the kids. Those are just a few of the little things that have made this week so fun. One thing I realized I’ve failed to mention so far is the work that some of the men have been doing. They’ve done minor repairs around the church, such as fixing doors and installing cabinets, just to name a few. Tonight we went to Navy Pier for dinner and shopping, then found a spot on Lake Michigan to watch fireworks from. Now we’re back at the hotel getting ready to rest up for our final day of VBS! Once again, everyone’s worked very hard. And all are safe and sound.
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Posted by center baptist on Jul 10, 2008
Today was another busy day for everybody, even though we were only at Old St. Paul. We arrived at the church around 10:00 and started in with the kids. We’re teaching them key words each day, such as respect and teamwork, and verses to go with each word. Today’s was teamwork and the kids really seemed to grasp the idea and verse we were teaching. We also did songs, games, crafts, and Bible stories with them. Michael is doing an excellent job of teaching the stories, he has some of the kids act out the parts and it really gets them into the lesson. At about 2:00 we left the church and headed downtown for some sight seeing. We went to the top of the Sear’s Tower, and what a view!!! We took a little detour on the way home and got to drive by Wrigley Field right before a game. It was really cool to see that. Tonight we just chilled at the hotel, swam, and ate sandwiches for dinner. Tomorrow we’re going back to VBS then heading to Navy Pier for sightseeing and fireworks. The team worked really hard again today and did the church proud. Sorry I forgot to attach the pictures for Jamie to put up, I was REALLY tired yesterday and I promise I’ll attach them today!! Once again, everyone is safe and sound! More to come!!
Chicago Mission Trip Photos
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Posted by center baptist on Jul 08, 2008
What a day!! We started off in the morning at Old St. Paul. We had about 8 kids today, and we played games, sang songs, learned a Bible story, and did crafts with them. They were all very active and excited to see us. Some of the team stayed at the church and worked with the kids, while the others went out into the neighborhood and passed out flyers for the summer program. Hopefully the word will continue to spread so more kids can share in the experience. A brief word on what exactly that experience is: Old St. Paul is sponsoring a program for kids with the goal of teaching them respect for themselves and others, basic Bible stories, and other skills that will let them know that they have other options and that they have the potential to truly be somebody and make a difference in their community. This program is run by several church members and will last throughout the summer. Back to our day, though. The whole team did an amazing job and really did make the church proud. We left Old St. Paul around 2:00 and made our way to Uptown Baptist Church where we helped them with their Soup Kitchen ministry. Our jobs included showing the guests to their seats, serving the meals, pouring lemonade, cleaning dishes, and just talking to the guests. It was an eye-opening experiene for everyone involved. For me personally, speaking to the guests and leaning some of their histories helped me embrace the scripture that speaks of God looking past outward appearances and looking at the heart. I was truly blessed by the folks that I spoke to, and I know others were as well. Once again, the whole team did a great job and made the church proud. They worked hard and did whatever was asked of them, even if it was a little bit out of their comfort zone. We also enjoyed some ice cream at a famous Chicago ice cream parlor called Margie’s. Tomorrow we will be back at Old St. Paul working with the kids. The pictures I included are of Rev. Jakes right after we gave them the communion table, and of the kids at VBS today. Hopefully more will come later in the week. A note to all concerned parties: Everyone is safe, healthy, and doing well!! I’m going to head to bed now, I’m really exhausted from all the day’s work! More to come tomorro
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Posted by center baptist on Jul 07, 2008
Hey everybody! Today was our first day in the city, and we attended Sunday School and church at the Old St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, where we will be working this week. My dad taught an impromptu Sunday School lesson, which worked out great. He also preached the Sunday service, and did an AMAZING job!!! The highlight for most of us, however, was when we gave the church the communion table that John built. The appreciation that Pastor Jakes and the congregation showed was absolutely amazing. It was so humbling and amazing to be able to see the reactions of the congregation. They were overjoyed and so grateful. We stayed after services for a lunch of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, salad, and desserts. Then, we were given a brief orientation of what we’re going to be doing this week, and what we learned is that we’ll probably figure it all out tomorrow. Also, tomorrow night, we will be working in a soup kitchen at Uptown Baptist Church. We did have one interesting detour down what started out a road and ended up an alley on our way back to the hotel, but we were all safe and sound, as were the vans. Tonight we enjoyed a dinner of Chicago style pizza and met with the Youth on Mission representatives. Well, I think I’ve gone on long enough for one evening, I’m going to go join everyone else by the pool!! I’ll put some pictures of tomorrow, hopefully!! A note for all the parents, grandparents, and other concerned parties: everyone is safe and sound! More to come!
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Posted by center baptist on Jul 07, 2008
Hello everybody! We’ve had a great first day, and arrived at our hotel safely at about 9:30. We pulled out of church at about 9:30 this morning, and stopped in Pacific, MO (just outside St. Louis) for lunch. The trip was smooth, and we stopped again at a town in Illinois (can’t remember the name) for dinner. Another stop along the way was Springfield, IL at Lincoln’s Tomb. We got to stretch our legs and experienced a great historical sight, all in one stop! We’re all crashing at the hotel now, and resting from a long day on the road. Tomorrow, we’re getting started at about 8:30 and going to church at Old St. Paul (the church we’ll be working with this week). Well, I’m pretty tired, so I’m going to call it a night. A note for all the parents, grandparents, and other concerned parties: everyone is safe and sound! More to come throughout the week!
Autumn
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Posted by center baptist on Jul 05, 2008
