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

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

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

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

You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LiveYourMission or become our fan on Facebook.

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.

Chicago Skyline

Chicago Team Picture

The windy city greeted us harshly our second day here with 80 mph winds. Having now been appropriately acquainted, we have also become somewhat oriented with the area. Blue Island took us by surprise, being a very separate city from Chicago, as well as a friendly and welcoming neighborhood.

The first day of our work trips has led to bonding, stories, a workout, and many a paint stain. We have been openly accepted by all of the communities in which we are working and relationships look promising. People are eager to help and to inform us about the areas where we are located as well as about their own personal stories. From Stephen the friendly Menard’s paint expert to Von the seeming life expert, we are anything but short of outside support.
Rain and storms have tried to slow us down, our group has been perseverant. Significant work has been: raising the enormous tent at Circle Urban Ministries for their annual Harvest Fest, painting for H.O.M.E., and gardening/cleaning as well as activities with the children at Blue Island Salvation Army. Much more is to come in the next day of work!

The evenings have been full of worship and devotions, basketball, Frisbee, ping pong, Bang!, and Quelf. Dull moments are scarce with this “Dream Team” from Atlanta, but every activity has been enjoyable. We’ve learned new games, including Foot tag and Ninja, and have participated in such daily activities as Awkward Day and Dramatic Comment Day.  We now look forward to Sarcastic Tuesday! Mount Pisgah has had much to offer us since their arrival, and we are already dreading their departure in two days.

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.

Kids paying attention

It’s crazy to think we’ve only been in Portland for eight days.  We spent the first week doing a crazy amount of preparation for our first team, who came from San Antonio, TX.  They’re a great group of people, eager to jump in and help as much as possible.  Mary, one of the team leaders, loves dancing and singing with the kids, teaching them new songs, and getting the ‘tough guys’ to join in as well.  Callen, one of the guys, comes up with hilarious songs each day to teach the kids Bible verses.  Everyone is offering a little piece of something bigger and greater than themselves, giving the kids here a memorable experience.  As summer staff, Christine, Michelle, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group, and I have no problem telling them that to their faces.  On Monday, we went to the homeless ministry on Preble Street and we volunteered our time to cook breakfast for hundreds of homeless patrons.  We made great friends, initiated relationships, and made a stinkin’ good breakfast, if I do say so myself.  The work projects we’ve started this week include:  General maintenance in the Root Cellar (the non-profit we are working with), working with the Portland Housing Authority (painting low-income housing for the poor as a beautification project), and eventually we’ll be working with the elderly, helping them around their homes when they can no longer help themselves.

The staff at the Root Cellar has been great; the amount of food they’ve been trying to force-feed us has left us feeling extremely blessed.  We were shown around the kitchen by Peggy, assisted in work project planning by Becky, and told the best ways to work with the kids by Clark.  Cori Lyons, a former EM Staff Member, came to help us prep last week, and her experience was invaluable.  Without all of these people around us, well… let’s just say we’re glad we’ve had them along for this crazy ride so far.

Looking forward the rest of the week and the crazy songs that Callen, Oscar, Jeff, and I can come up with, we pray that God lets us be as effective as we can be.

Team Portland

June 2010

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

You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LiveYourMission or become our fan on Facebook.

Beautiful Sunset

We’re here in Portland, Maine for our second day of preparation… and we’re already beat.  We were given the grand tour of the Root Cellar, a great non-profit organization that emphasizes community development in a Christ-centered way.  We’ve also been ‘hoofing’ it around the streets of Portland, getting familiar with our missions field.  A couple of things we’ve learned:  Brick sidewalks are sweet, seafood gets steadily more awesome the closer you are to the ocean, it can actually hail in sixty five degree weather, and this community is a thriving and changing place.  We’re excited to be working with the different populations in the area, ranging from Iraqis to Sudanese to Rwandan immigrants, all of them very unique, bringing something versatile and endearing to the community.

The shops in the area reflect the true ‘melting pot’ culture, and walking the streets is always a joy.  We’re also working with a church in the area;  it’s smack dab in the middle of all the shops and busyness, and it’s a quaint nod to churches of Portland antiquity while still remaining purposeful and relevant to the surrounding area.  It’s been great listening to Stuart and Keith, the caretakers of the church, tell us about how people in the community have provided things for the church as they’ve needed them, and how appreciative and amazed they are at how God provides.  It’s always fantastic seeing real, genuine Christians striving to make a difference in their given communities, and it gives me hope that we can really mesh and involve ourselves deeply to perpetuate lasting change while we’re here.

My prayer for the teams this summer is that, while they are part of just a week long short-term missions trip, they could really show this community a little piece of the kingdom of heaven.  I pray that as individuals, we will do good deeds selflessly, pointing in the direction of Christ as our inspiration for our actions.  Every relationship we build, no matter how short-lived, will have a lasting change if we build them in the mindset of one who follows Christ.

Our team (Michelle, Christine, and I) is very excited to be the conduit for a glorious exchange of love and energy in this community, and we anxiously await the arrival of our first team.  All of this to say… Hello, Portland.  Get ready.

By Chuck

June 2010

Experience Mission is offering Summer 2011 mission trips to Portland and other locations in the U.S. and abroad. Visit www.experiencemission.org or call  360-732-0986  for more information.

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 

You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LiveYourMission or become our fan on Facebook.