The first day of vacation Bible school has come and gone at the East Chicago Salvation Army, consisting of about 50 children from 2-12 years old and about 20 volunteers. Power Lab exposed us to a positive connection between Jesus and science with many “Aha” moments to remind us of our God-given powers.

In order to prepare everyone for the madness to come, we spent Monday night competing in a plethora of creative games including the Elephant Parade Race and Over Under races. Though the team from Battle Creek, MI is small in numbers, they are filled with energy and heart.  While beginning with songs in the morning, our team worked hard to encourage enthusiasm in a seemingly apathetic group of  children. The small amount of response was discouraging, but we were all thrilled to hear children begging to sing and dance again by the end of the day and the excitement was nearly overwhelming by the end. We look forward to much adventure with Chadder the Chipmunk this week and are enjoying getting to know the Bible buddies themed for each day. We are expecting and prepared for as many as 100 children by the end of the week, so only tomorrow shall tell!

Mandy Schumerth

July 2010

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Davis Elswick with his "son", (according to him), EM Staff Nathan Miller

Pike County, KY is the home to a vast array of colorful scenery and exciting wildlife.  One of the more lively characters is 68 year-old Davis Elswick.  Not even two pacemakers or a stroke can keep Davis from tending his chickens and, as he says, “just piddling around.”

Davis grew up on his father’s farm in Pike County, but moved to Northern Illinois for work when he was just a young man.  Although it was a very good job, Davis moved back home when his parents became very ill.  Despite the fact that most of his 10 siblings lived closer to home than he did, Davis was the one who came home to take care of his loved ones.  He lived with and cared for his father and mother until both of them passed away.  Following that, Davis tended to a brother and a sister until each of them perished as well.

No doubt provoked by that experience, Davis then went back to school and became a nurse.  He worked many years in the medical field before his own health began to diminish.  Eventually he had a stroke and has since been required to take over a dozen medications. Following the stroke, Davis’s doctors in Lexington told him that he is not allowed to do much physical activity and that he needs to eat healthier.  Davis does try to eat healthier and purposely purchased a specific type of chickens that lay green eggs with less cholesterol than other eggs. However, he has too much energy to remain inactive.

Visitors to Davis’s residence will likely leave with a couple dozen fresh eggs and a large bag of walnuts.  He has even been known to offer his two spare rooms to people he had never met before.  So if Davis Elswick’s doesn’t answer his door, check the backyard because he is likely feeding the chickens or “just piddling around.”

By: Nathan Miller

July 2010

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Kentucky Team & Miss Linda Cochran

One of the main work projects that we have been doing here in Pikeville, Kentucky is building wheelchair ramps for people who are elderly and disabled. When our last group was here they installed three different ramps throughout the week, (on top of a few other work projects).

One of the women who we installed a ramp for was Miss Linda Cochran. She is not in a wheelchair yet, but she does anticipate to be put into one in the near future. She has only been outside of her house two times in the past six months because she needed so much help getting down the stairs and out to the car. Our group didn’t actually finish her ramp because a thunderstorm blew up on their last day of work, so Nathan, Steph, and I decided to go and finish it for her on Friday evening.

The only work that needed to be done on the ramp was putting on the handrails, so Nathan and Linda’s son, Seth, worked on that while Steph and I just chatted with Linda. She was such a sweet lady, and she was so grateful for this ramp. She already had three dates all planned since she could finally get out of her house and down to the car. Both of her sons were going to take her out to do something fun, and her sister was going to take her out to dinner at a restaurant.

Watching her walk down that ramp all by herself, (even without her walker), brought me so much joy, and I knew that there was absolutely no other place on earth that I would want to be at that moment. It really made me understand the concept of being more blessed to give then to receive. The pure delight that I could see on her face brought me more happiness than I could have ever experienced had I been receiving something. Also, it was so awesome to be able to share the love of Jesus with her by doing such a practical thing. All it took was some two by fours and a drill, and we were being the hands of Jesus to Linda. This moment is one that I will remember for a long time, and I look forward to many more like it here in Kentucky!

June 2010

Team Kentucky

Note: Check out all the exciting things that are going on with Experience Mission on our website www.ExperienceMission.org

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A Visit With Miss Myrtle

Outreach in Pike County, Kentucky looks a little different than it does in some of the other Experience Mission communities. There is a very high population of shut-ins here who are mainly elderly, disabled, or many times both. Since there is such a high number of these folks, our main outreach opportunity is to go and visit with them. Most of them are pretty lonely, so they really enjoy just sitting and visiting for a little while with us “young folk”.

Miss Myrtle Bartley is a prime example of one of our outreach visits. She is 100 years old (but she told us not to tell anyone or she might not get a boyfriend), and she loves to just sit and chat with us. When our last group was here, I took out four girls to visit with her. While we were there she asked all kinds of questions. One of these was if any of us had boyfriends or husbands. We all told her no, we were too young for that! She proceeded to say that she thought we would all make great “hillbilly wives” and she would work on finding us some husbands! Then she told me that she’d try to find me an old man with a Cadillac and a lot of money to marry who was about to “slip on a banana peel right into the grave”. According to her, that’s how people do it nowadays! Obviously we all got quite a laugh out of that, and I’m pretty sure that she really enjoyed seeing us all get a kick out of it! Miss Myrtle is such a great lady, and I’m so glad that I have the privilege of bringing other people out to meet her and hear her stories!

Team Kentucky

June 2010

Experience Mission is offering summer 2011 mission trips to  Pike County, Kentucky. Learn more at www.experiencemission.org or by calling the EM Office at (360) 554-8060.

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them…When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do, they have received their reward in full…But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” -Matthew 6:1-4

This week the EM staff and team from Fleming Island, Florida are learning about what it means to be humble as we serve together. This morning during team devotions, I stumbled across one of my favorite portions in Matthew. Chapter six talks about how we can keep our hearts in check as we serve people around us. Although I try to keep pure motivations when I’m serving, too often I focus on myself. It’s a strangely easy trap to get caught in during mission trips, a time when we are supposed to be focused on others.

Sometimes when I’m serving I think about how uncomfortable I am, or how tired I am. Even worse, I think about how my actions are making me look—Are others impressed by my efforts? Do they think I’m spiritual enough? Will people remember my name at the end of the week? Will I get credit for doing the little things? And when I start asking these selfish questions I have to remind myself, serving isn’t supposed to be about me.

The verse in Matthew 6:1-4 snapped me back into place this morning. As a servant, I must be humble. In fact, I shouldn’t even let my left hand know what my right hand is doing! Going on a mission trip or serving on a mission team is not about me.

Today I’ve made an intentional step toward humility. When I’m doing things merely to make myself look good, when I’m serving others so that I get a warm feeling inside—I stop. Because the truth about serving is, I should be invisible. When I step out of the spotlight, others can see God’s work more clearly.

Atlanta, GA

Heather D. Moline

July 2010

Stepping out of the Spotlight

Note: Experience Mission is sending our many more great trips to Atlanta and many more great communities throughout the summer of 2011 and are now posting trips for 2011! Check out our website for more information at www.experiencemission.org.

Join us as we seek to bring 100 churches together in this long-term effort.

Year round trips starting in August 2010.

Join a Haiti mission trip by visiting www.experiencemission.org/haiti

We’ve had two teams come and go, and saying good-bye has been difficult both times. Thinking about all of the different people we’ve met so far (not even half way through, mind you) astounds me. I think about “Mike the Pilot” from Texas, and his good-natured approach to life; I think about Cheryl from Nebraska, who is ever the optimist and a hard worker, who asked for nothing and gave everything she had. I think I’ve probably met some of the funniest people in the United States as they’ve come in through the Experience Mission trips. It makes me sad to think that I probably won’t see them again, but I’m joyful that they got to do so much for the Portland community while they were here.

This last week, the Nebraska/New Jersey group (lovingly dubbed ‘Nebrersey’) got to work with the Wayside Soup Kitchen, a brand new connection we made the week before. They learned the “ways of the warehouse” from Matt (a great guy who’s expecting a baby soon… baby names anyone?) and we helped grow food to be used in Wayside’s kitchen, a new venture being pioneered by Jake, a volunteer coordinator at the soup kitchen. Betty, the sweetest elderly lady you’ll ever meet, donated the garden where the food is being grown and she was extremely thankful for the teams to come in and give a boost to the project. She said “thank you” by giving us lemonade and muffins! We spent the morning on Monday building trellises and planting beans, hopefully growing a crop to feed lots of hungry patrons at the soup kitchen.

We continued our work with the Portland Housing Authority, trying to make the low-income housing a better place to live. We also returned to Preble Street’s food kitchen and made breakfast with Sean, who is working in the area as a Jesuit Volunteer. The kids missed the group from Texas a lot, especially Rondo, but they quickly grew to love the Nebrersey team. I don’t know if the teams can really realize it, but the relationships they’ve built with the kids here have really made a difference. Lives have been changed for the better, and they continue to be changed by lasting impressions made during the one-week tenures of the groups.

This week has been the EM Team’s week off! We needed it, and we’ve been utilizing it by seeing the sights, being lazy, and getting a -little- bit of work done on the side! We went to Portland Headlight, Peak’s Island, and a ton of other amazing places. We’re praying to be refreshed for the next four weeks of teams, and that we won’t become weary (of each other!) before our time is done here. Thank God for all the things he has done thus far, and thank God for all of the things he will do for Portland, Maine.

by: Chuck Zimmerman

July 2010

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Salvation Army Mission

Working with two separate Salvation Armies has been a great experience as we are learning about the different roles each unit takes. The Blue Island branch is more of a community center, equipped with a rock climbing wall, a large gym, a weight room, multiple classrooms, a chapel, a 24-hour prayer room, an art center, and a senior center. They are currently running day camps for children in which they have activities ranging from theater and choir to going to the movie theater and the local pool. Teenagers and adults with memberships are able to play basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc. all day in the gym area. Senior lunches are provided daily, and there is a Hispanic worship service on Saturday nights and an English service on Sunday mornings both run by Josh Polanco, the resident pastor.

The Salvation Army in East Chicago doesn’t have daily children’s activities, but rather offers a free daily lunch available to everyone. This is run mostly on donations, many of them being from well-known restaurants such as Pizza Hut, Panera Bread, and Red Lobster; needless to say, the public receives a good quality meal. Captain Daniel Paredes and his wife Captain Nivia Paredes run most of the operations, and are involved with getting to know the people who come in for these meals as much as they can. They offer support and prayer for the people that are willing to accept it. They also run a bilingual (Spanish and English) worship service on Sundays.

From the outside looking in, the name The Salvation Army seems to fit the organization. They are clearly appreciated by the surrounding communities, and they offer hope and help for many who would be lost without them. They are accepting and offer love daily, truly being light in a dark world.

The Salvation Army Crest

Team Chicago

June 2010

Note: Check out all the exciting things that are going on with Experience Mission on our website www.ExperienceMission.org

Also, check us out on Facebook (become a fan!) as well as www.twitter.com/LiveYourMission

East Chicago

During our first few days of meetings someone explained to us that when the word “free” is used, people flood in. The amount of free things given not just to the communities around but also to us has been overwhelming. The communities in which we have worked have not just been accepting of us, but have gone to great lengths to provide us with all the resources we could ever dream of. We have met people generous beyond our imaginations. After less than a week in Blue Island and only a few hours in East Chicago, we feel at home. In fact, we were even given a key to our own office in East Chicago! The people with whom we have worked are completely transparent and we see God in each of them.

With only a few minor setbacks, we have already welcomed and said goodbye to our team of 28 from Atlanta, Georgia, spent time developing the community garden, helped collect a donation for the Salvation Army, made a multitude of friends and a great support team, attended the Harvest Festival at Circle Urban Ministries, and become more familiar with The Salvation Army. We are currently preparing for a Vacation Bible School in East Chicago, with expectations of 100 children. Despite constantly being on the go, we have found sanity in people that have taken the time to love us before even getting to know us. Seeing God in everything makes our work easy.

Team Chicago

June 2010

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

Chicago

Our first team from Atlanta, Georgia has truly been a blessing. The work projects assigned were completed in a timely manner, with one group even finishing an extra painting project at Circle Urban Ministries. On our last night together, we enjoyed a worship service followed by an activity of encouragement in which we all anonymously wrote something positive about each other member. This seemed an appropriate way to send them off to the return portion of their week-long road trip.

Before the team left on Wednesday, we were fortunate enough to spend a day downtown relaxing with them and getting to know many of them on a higher level. We were able to go to the top of the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), eat Dues Pizza, visit Navy Pier, and go window shopping briefly. We had many great experiences, including meeting a boisterous waitress named Shaun who used her notepad to write down some Bible verses relayed from one of our team members so that she could study them later and running what seemed like a mini marathon through downtown Chicago in efforts to catch our train. We became quite fond of each person from Mt. Pisgah Church, and were sad to see them go, but we have high hopes for each of them in their spiritual journeys.

Team Chicago

June 2010

Experience Mission is offering summer 2011 mission trips to Chicago. Learn more at www.experiencemission.org or by calling the Office at (360) 554-8060.