When I stop to think about it, I simply cannot believe how fast this summer has gone. Far too fast. Every week has had its unique people, unique challenges, unique work projects, unique victories and unique stories of God’s grace. With five weeks behind me and only three ahead, I am sad to be on the tail end of the most wonderful summer I’ve ever had. I’ve worked HARD and sweated a LOT, but it has been so enjoyable. I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity to be working for the Kingdom and seeing God’s work up close and personal in so many others’ lives.

Out here on the Navajo reservation I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned about a slow paced life, one that treasures each conversation and is in a hurry for no thing. I’ve seen families care for each other, brothers and sisters tend to each other’s needs with such love. I’ve learned the significance of saying “thank you,” and meaning it. I’ve learned the importance of getting my plans out of the way and letting the Lord work his miraculous plan. I’ve seen first-hand how much more meaningful it is to work with someone instead of for them. I’ve learned a whole lot about self-less-ness. I always have to break that word down as I say it, because honestly, it’s more than I can chew.

Only by God’s help have I been able and willing to give up my “rights” and expectations for the good of those around me. Sometimes with my teammates I have to pull 60 percent while they are pulling 40, and the next day they pull 75.  In life, most relationships are not even or fair, they are a beautiful push and pull, give and take, and if each is selflessly giving their all- it always comes out even in the end.  Mostly God has taught me how to love others, not for what they do or even necessarily for who they are, but because they are my brother, sharing One Father, Creator of the Universe- each one created as a special miracle with the Lord dwelling in them, making them absolutely priceless.

Much love in Christ,

Laura Marie

Note: Want to see first-hand the remarkable ways of the Navajo people? Experience Mission offers short term mission trips to the reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Find out more information on our Summer 2010 trips at www.ExperienceMission.org

Youth Mission Trips: I can’t imagine a better week. We had two short term mission trip teams this week- Voyagers Bible Church from Irvine, CA and First Presbyterian Church from Ashland, OR. They worked so incredibly hard and from the minute they stepped off the busses they were serving everyone they met.

All of the girls from the CA group had determined before-hand not to wear or bring any makeup at all. What beauties they were too! They also wrote PHIL. 4:12 on their arms (“Do everything without complaining or arguing.”) And that’s just what they did! Even at meals, each person would ask someone “May I serve you?”, and they would go down the line together, each making the other’s plate, just as an act of service and a good way to get a chance to talk together. The Lord taught each student so much and I was amazed at the growth that happened as each of them shared with me what God had taught them through a new culture, new people, hard work, and lots of laughs.

The Lord displayed His divine pursuit this week as well. On Wednesday night as we sat in on the Navajo service, the Lord impressed on my heart to share my testimony with the group this week. So Friday night, while we were out having worship at the base of Shiprock, looking out across the plains, I shared my story, hoping it would be used by the Lord. That night, one of the girls came to me in tears, telling me that she shares a very similar story and she didn’t know how to escape from a bad upbringing and the traps of the world. I was able to encourage her in the Word and share with her more about the freedom in Christ. She experienced such a breakthrough and relief!! Praise the Lord for divine appointments and relationships!

-Navajo Nation staff

*Note: Experience Mission offers Christian mission trips to groups of youth, college, and adult. Interested in finding out more about the Navajo Nation? Check out our website at www.ExperienceMission.org for more information and to sign up for Summer 2010 trips.

Team Atlanta just finished our first week of mission trip teams! The week prior to this, Landon, Kat, and I had been inundated with information about the upcoming summer including, housing and food details, the different sites we would be working at, and the Salvation Army. We were overwhelmed with all of the things that we learned, but it was so important that we went over everything before the teams arrived. A short lecture about the Salvation Army really allowed us to see and be able to participate in their vision. For me personally, the only thing I really associated the Salvation Army with was the different thrift stores, disaster relief, and the people collecting money at Christmas time. I had no idea the extent of their mission.
 The Salvation Army first began in 1865 by a man named William Booth. It consists of churches all around the world, and each church is called a Corps. The Corps we are working with specifically this summer is called the Kroc Center. This is named after Mr. and Mrs. Kroc who are the owners of McDonalds. They donated a bunch of money to the Salvation Army, and this money goes towards building community center churches like the Kroc Center all over the United States! They view their church as the hands and feet extended toward the community opposed to it just being the actual congregation. They believe that before you can meet a person’s spiritual need, you have to meet their physical need. They would not be able to do many of the ministries that we’re participating in this summer without all the amazing church groups that come here to serve! We are so blessed this summer to be working alongside such an amazing group of people, who really are sold out to serving and honoring Jesus Christ.
 Our peaceful and well-planned Monday soon turned into a time to put into practice the many things our team has been learning. Three different churches from Indiana, Kansas, and Florida pulled into our beloved Kroc Center at varying times throughout the afternoon on Monday. We had to be flexible and switch a few things around, but God was still in control in spite of all of our mistakes. We welcomed our mission trip teams in with a delicious dinner of hamburgers followed by a short orientation. By the end of the day, we were all very thankful that the teams had arrived safely and excited about starting our week out.
 Throughout the week, our teams were able to be involved in six or seven different sites. The Florida team worked on a foreclosed home with Kat. The Kansas team was also able to do some work at Sol Luna apartment complex. The Indiana group was able do some painting at Capital View Apartments. The Kansas and Indiana teams were involved with two different day camps at the Kroc Center Corps and also at the Jonesboro Corps. The Florida and Kansas teams were able to weed and plant flowers at Hapeville Manor nursing home, as well as, visiting with the residents and Carlton. We also were able to run two different kid’s clubs. One of the kid’s clubs was located at Capital View apartments complex. The Florida and Kansas teams both had the chance to share their love with the kids there. The other kid’s club was located at Colony South, which is a predominantly Hispanic trailor park. The Indiana group had the opportunity to stay all week here and really invest in the children’s lives.
 The first day of a mission trip is always the most interesting because everyone is learning to be flexible and getting oriented with what it will be like for the rest of the week. Not only was it the first day for our teams at the sites, it was also Team Atlanta’s first day with the different kids clubs, outreach locations, and construction projects. It was difficult at first to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but by the end of the week, everyone had a hard time saying good-bye. God was really able to use our weaknesses to do His glory.

-Danielle
June 20, 2009

Note: Experience Mission is sending our many more great trips to Atlanta and many more great communities throughout the summer of 2009 and are now posting trips for 2010! Check out our website for more information at www.experiencemission.org.

Urban Mission Trip: This is week 3, but we do not have any mission trip teams this time around, so the three of us Experience Mission summer staffers have become relaxers/interns at the Root Cellar, probably more in that order than the other way around. One of the staff members of the Root Cellar has opened her house up to us and we have stayed with them this week. It has been very refreshing.

The weather is still very poor here. It is frustrating considering this is now July! God is good though, and I have faith that it will be great weather next week for the next team.

Some bad news, on Tuesday night Cori and Laurie went out on the town while Jeff selfishly watched a baseball game at the house. While they were out Cori’s purse/handbag was stolen from her hands. A guy just ran up and took it. The bag had Cori’s phones and the EM money we had for this week. It was very unfortunate. Multiple people reminded us that it was stuff and not people being hurt, so everything would be ok. We owe a lot to the great people God has put in our lives here in Portland.

Today, we received a phone call, and Cori’s personal phone was found at a restaurant. We went and got it. I don’t know if God has more stuff for us to find, but that was a good boost for the team.

Thank God for relaxing time, thank you everyone for your prayers and we hope we can count on them in the future.

For more information about Experience Mission visit us on our website at www.ExperienceMission.org 

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Short term Mission Trips: Week two is well under way, and I am in the Root Cellar writing this as the newest youth mission trip team walks by the window, completely covered in mud. I do not know why they are currently caked in mud, but they all look happy.

We on the Portland team have been extremely thankful for last’s week group. They taught us a lot and we became a part of their group.

This week’s group is different, and we can only be thankful for the new opportunity. This mission trip team is from Connecticut, and there are 12 adults chaperoning 25 high school kids, which is quite the transition for us from a group of thirteen total people.

This group has been around the block before, there resume is impressive as this same group of kids and adults have done a mission trip every summer for years, including trips to Louisiana and Kentucky, but this trip is a little different for them. Usually they have one common goal, and that was usually centered on a building project. Here in Portland, we have really tried to stress to them the importance of the kids and the relationships here. The work done here is important, but is second fiddle to the Root Cellar and the people in the community.

This group has adjusted well; this is a different type of stress for them. It has been good to see these guys tired after hours of piggyback rides. They are used to being exhausted by physical labor, rather than screaming (delightful) children.

I am very thankful for their flexibility. Please pray for good weather tomorrow, as the entire group, 40 of us and hopefully 40 plus kids, will head to the beach for beach day. It will be a good time to connect and hangout with the kids.

Please pray that the Kid’s Club develops relationships and that this group can see the fruit of their newfound “labor.”

*Interesting in participating in a short term mission trip? Check out our website at www.ExperienceMission.org for upcoming Summer 2010 mission trips.

Christian Mission Trips: Week one of our short term mission trips is in the books, and what a crazy week that it was. We on the Experience Mission team were blessed beyond words by the youth mission trip team that came this week from New York. We felt a part of their team and they really understood the goal of The Root Cellar and got to see the hearts of the people that work here everyday.

We spent their last evening under a gazebo on the water and reflected on the week. One of their ladies led us in worship and we poured over accounts of scripture that were on our hearts that last night. It was a very fitting way to end the week, and they were rightfully exhausted. Many of their days began at 5:30 or 6 and went until 10 or 11.

The group had been doing a series on Ruth that I thought I would share with everyone. Everyday they read a chapter in the morning for devotionals and at night they would bring their thoughts and questions up with the group. The advantage to having only one group here this week was that we were able to join them after our evening service. Ruth was such a great example of being in a foreign land and trusting in the Lord and being blessed. The group used her example as a springboard for how they should act and treat all of the refugees that are a part of this community. What a blessing.

They left early in the morning, and then the three of us fell back to sleep and have spent the day rebooting for next week.

Please be praying for next week, the group will be three times as large, and the weather report is not good. We are trying not to look at the forecast and put the weather in God’s hands, but it is hard sometimes. Pray for health as well, two out of three of us got it this week, and hopefully Cori will be spared.

Mainly, pray that the kids will respond to a new group. It could be hard for them to meet new people every week, pray that this transition happens smoothly.

God Bless,
Portland Team

Check out www.ExperienceMission.org for information about upcoming Summer 2010 mission trips.

Short term Mission Trips: The restoration project in Pearlington has become a national affair. With the four year anniversary of Katrina making land coming up in August, Pearlington is still in need of volunteer efforts to completely recover. In the last two weeks, youth mission trip teams from California, Chicago and Houston have come to Pearlington to play a part in the rebuilding effort following Hurricane Katrina. The groups have made significant progress on houses for four deserving families in the community, including an elderly woman who looks to move into her finished home in three weeks.

The mission trip teams have been working hard on insulating the walls, installing hardwood flooring, tiling the bathrooms and getting the electrical outlets up and running. In the two weeks that teams have been over at the O’Neal house, the site has been transformed from an empty house that had just been walled in, into a beautiful home that is a couple weeks of touchup work away from being completed.

Every week, Ms. O’Neal, a vivacious 76 year old woman who doesn’t look a day over 50, stops buy to offer her encouragement to the teams and tell them how inspirational they are for the community. On Friday the 19th, Ms. O’Neal and her fiancée cooked up 30 pounds of turkey necks, an enormous pot of sausage as well as corn on the cob for lunch for the mission trip team from Chicago. We ate and laughed and talked about the future of Pearlington and the importance of a continued rebuilding effort. Ms O’Neal had to fight legislation for nearly three years before her plans for a house were finally approved and properly funded. After partnering with community member Glenn Locklin and Experience Mission, her dreams are finally coming to fruition. She told us that “without people like y’all, we wouldn’t ever have our homes back.”

Ms. O’Neal has been an inspiration for the Experience Mission staff in Pearlington, and her incredible attitude is a driving force for every group that comes to her house. We are excited to finish her house soon, and look forward to seeing how God uses her testimony as an example of hope for the community.

*Note: Check out our website at www.ExperienceMission.org for information about upcoming Summer 2010 mission trips.