Sunday: First Full Day in Detroit from the heart of Caleb

Yo what up, it ‘s Caleb. Talk about one heck of a Sabbath Day. We started our day off with the most important meal of the day (and Carl forgetting to wake me up).  After breakfast and some Devo Time, we all got looking snazzy for church. 

            Church was amazing. Everyone was talking and hugging when we walked in and I was really excited. During the service we started singing these really repetitive songs, and it was awesome. The Pastor went up on stage after announcements and he started singing, so we all started singing again. When the singing was done we talked to whom we were sitting next to and telling them how amazing they are, then the sermon started. During the sermon there was a lot of yelling (good yelling) and people saying ‘Amen’ and ‘Hallelujah’. Before we left the church we all had a massive hugging and talking session (Highlight of my Day).
            We came back to the building and all of us prepared for lunch. Lunch was like a combination of leftovers from previous meals and other foods. (Lunch wasn’t that exciting)

            After Lunch we walked to Downtown Detroit. It was really cool. We met some people and said ‘Hi’ to some people. We walked to a river, and we saw Canada at the other side of that river.  Then we went to the GM Building. At the GM Building we saw some Chevy and GMC cars, and when I was looking at an old Camaro I set off a Security Alarm with my foot. (It was all resolved quickly and honestly, so no real harm was done)

            After the Walk Downtown we came back to the building, did chores, had dinner (It was Pasta), talked about 1 Thessalonians, and now I am sitting in the dark listening to my friends play Murder in the Dark. I want to go join them. 

Watch This, I’m Done.

Saturday arrival day: from the heart of Elena

Yesterday we woke up bright and early at about 5:00; some of us went and got coffee. After that we packed up and got on the road by 6:30.  We went to Culver’s for lunch, we drove for a long time and then stopped at a fruit stand, the fruit was so GOOD! Not long after the fruit stand we arrived at Detroit! 

            Once we unpacked from our trip we took a tour of the Detroit Love building and saw the creepy basement, eek. Next we drove around the city and stopped at Cass Park where we do one of our prayer walks. Then Lori cooked us dinner, we had hamburgers, hotdogs, and tater tots. After dinner we did devo. books on 1 Thessalonians, we did a discussion about what we read after. Once it got darker outside some of us played Murder in the Dark. After that we went and got ready for bed. (:

We arrived in Detroit

All is well here. We arrived safely and we are headed to bed. More details about our day will be posted tomorrow, but we wanted to let our friends and family know that we arrived safely. Stay tuned!

We are in Chicago!!!

We arrived safely in Elgin, Chicago about 3:30. Since our arrival, we have swam, played games, enjoyed dinner together (some even tried Sushi for the first time), and shared many laughs. We are settling in to our rooms and getting ready for an early morning departure.

Final day of ministry:: Anna Just

Hello Friends, Anna here,

            My week here in Detroit has been absolutely wonderful. God has shown himself to me in so many different ways and I am so thankful for all those opportunities.  He has answered my prayers, along with the team. He has spoken to me through other people that I prayed for in Cass Park or in my Big A small group.  I have studied His Word during devos working through the book of Nehemiah. I am so very thankful for those opportunities and the people that I experienced them along with. 

            Today was Friday, our last full day in Detroit. If I could put a definition on the word bittersweet, it would be today, especially during Big A.  I just feel like when we drive home tomorrow, I will be leaving a piece of my heart here in Detroit with these sweet kiddos that I came to know this week. It is bittersweet because I am sad that I won’t be able to see these kids again for at least another year, but I am happy knowing that we all shared the gospel with them and showed them as much love as we could in one week. I bet, if we had a nickel for the every hug that someone on our team gave out to a kid at Big A, we could buy all those kiddos a candy bar. (: 

            I am just so thankful for this trip and the relationships that it has built and the change that it has and will make in my life. I can’t wait to go back next year.

            Signing off now because I can’t be late for my favorite game of Murder in the Dark. (oooooohh spooky) I’ll see you all tomorrow!

            Love, Anna

Elena and Kenzie telling about Thursday from their eyes and hearts

            Today we went on a prayer walk around the Detroit neighborhood and while we were walking we would start praying about things we saw along the way. Something that stuck out to me was a burned out school that we passed and as we prayed for the kids that had gone there, we talked about the parents of the kids, how their families struggled to find jobs and how now the parents who didn’t have collage degrees had to compete with the kids, who are not even out of high school, for jobs at local fast food places. After hearing that it really put into perspective for me how different Detroit is from the Brainerd Lakes Area.

            During Big A, a lot of my group hasn’t been coming everyday so it has been hard to get a good relationship going with them. Although the last two days my group has had the same people and we have really been able to have good deep conversations. I was able to answer questions they had about the bible and they would answer in length the questions I had for them about the skit.

            I have less then 48 hours left in Detroit and I am sad to leave but glad in knowing that I left an impact in the people I met. 

            Today I was blessed with the opportunity to buy supplies for a girl named Alexis (who we met at church), who is going to college TOMORROW.  She was accepted into a college and told her to come a month early, therefore she did not have anything.  And it was just really awesome how God lead us to Alexis, and allowed us to do this wonderful thing for her.  

            I have seen God in some many different ways since I have been here in Detroit.  And it is just so crazy how much joy God can bring to an area like Detroit.  One of the most special ways that I have seen God in action has been at Big A (or VBS).   At the beginning of the week I was struggling with the kids.  The kids just weren’t grasping the concepts that we were trying to teach them in the skit.  So I was just praying about it and asking God to open the kids hearts, ears, and minds, that they could understand the significance of what we are teaching them. And the past two days have been amazing, especially today.  My kids all participated in small group time, and answered all of the questions, and asked me some pretty amazing questions.  Questions that I would’ve never expected them to ask.  And then at the very end of group time two of some of my “harder kids” asked me if it was ok to pray with our small group. And I was like “Of Course!” It was just so cool to see how God has been changing the hearts of the kids here in Detroit. 

            I have had such an amazing time here in Detroit, I wish I could stay here longer, and just love on the kids just a little bit longer, and I am not excited for my final goodbyes at Big A tomorrow L  

Emma Benson and Summer Hardy tell all about Wednesday!

  It is already day 3 of ministry and it is going by so fast! This week has been filled with a lot of God moments for me, and I will share a few with you that I have had today J

  Being in the book of Nehemiah this week has opened my eyes a lot. It seems like whenever I open my bible (which isn’t enough) I tend to go to the New Testament.  This has helped me to realize that I need to explore the bible a little more.  Anyways, learning about how Nehemiah was a leader for God has got me thinking a lot. He was so strong in his faith during all of his troubles and it makes me want to be more like Nehemiah.  

  Today we also prayer walked in Cass Park, which is a place in Detroit with lots of poverty and homeless people.  Even though we didn’t pray for a whole lot of people, Roderick was one of the four people we prayed for.  When we approached him he was very open to us.  God called us over to him so he could talk.  The power of listening was acknowledged during this time.  What he really needed was to have people listen to him and genuinely care for him and God allowed us to do that for him today.

  Big A has been filled with God this week also.  I’m with 7-10 year old kids and I enjoy loving on them so much.  All the hugs, high-fives, and hands I’ve held have allowed me to show the kids love and that someone does care about them.  Throughout this week sometimes the kids seem like they don’t care and don’t seem to be listening, and then they remember everything about the skit and things they’ve learned.  They are testing, but it is the best reward to know that God is using us to show love for these kids.

  The team has been getting along so well and coming back has made me realize how much I love this trip and this city! ~Emma

Hey All!

            Tonight the words that are going through my head are overwhelming joy and love. This week has once again been an amazing experience. God is so here on this trip! 

            Today my team had servant evangelism. We struggled in the beginning to nail down what we wanted to work on, but finally settled on creating care packages for the daycare workers at Big A. Every day they work so hard to keep the kids happy and entertained and we wanted to give back to them. It is so interesting to strive to give up our own agendas and completely dedicate the day to God and ask Him to show us what he desires. 

            Big A is where I have really seen God this week. I am in the 7-10 group and have had quite the growing experience, in the best way! Most of the kids I have were kids that I didn’t know from last year, which was something rather unexpected for me, but has worked out in the best way.  The last two days have been a struggle with some of the boys in my group, but today was an incredible God experience. I was able to connect with some of my girls from last year, which filled my heart with joy, but I also have a fantastic small group discussion where we got to really focus on Jesus and his gift of salvation. It was so encouraging to see that they wanted to engage with the gospel!

            There is so much more that I could write, but this will be the end for tonight. Please continue to pray for our team and all of the wonderful experiences that we have been having!  

~Summer