Week 2: Ministry Day 4

Hi Everybody! 

            This has been an awesome and growing week.  Today we prayer walked Hart Plaza, which was a new experience for me during which I was able to see new parts of downtown Detroit that I haven’t seen before. It’s amazing to compare the different sections of the city, like downtown versus the projects.  As we talked about, Detroit architecture has the habit of being created in a way that allows you to experience only the nice, clean part of Detroit you want to see while veiling the truly broken pieces of the city. It does inspire hope, though, when I am able to compare how the city has changed in the past three years. As I said before, it’s been so amazing to see God work in this city.

            My truly favorite part of the trip, as always, is Big A with the kids. Being here two weeks is both wonderful and heartbreaking, as you are able to spend more time with the kids to grow stronger relationships, but it makes it so much harder to leave them. Last week I started to spend time with a sweet girl named Aaleigh and it’s been so fulfilling to just pour into her and see her drink it in. Today as I was spending my last few minutes with Aaleigh, one of the Florida leaders let me know that she became a Christian during Big A today. It made my heart so full of joy to know that even if I am never able to see her in Detroit again, I will be able to see her again in heaven. As I was giving Aaleigh her last hug, I told her how happy I was that she accepted Jesus and she whispered in my ear that she was safe. I truly saw God in that moment as it felt like He was telling me she would be okay. 

            God has been working with the 15 and up kids as they have surprised me, wanting to know more about God once they drop some of their guard. Our group has been able to build more of a relationship with one girl in 15 and up group. Seeing her grow from not really wanting to participate on the first day this week to her answering questions and asking questions has been amazing. It reminds me to never put limits on God and always expect God to move in big ways. 

            Well, that’s all for tonight, but please pray for us with our last day of ministry tomorrow! Hope you’re all doing well! God Bless! :)

Summer H 

Week 2: Day 3 of Ministries

I can’t believe we are half way done with the second week. Time has really flown by. I woke this morning to a text  from a Detroit youth, DeShaarmani, who we drove to a job interview yesterday and got the job. She was texting me to say Good morning and that she got on the bus. I am so proud of her. Later in the day, I got a text asking to pick her up for Big A. Just the simple task for giving her rides has grown our relationship with her. 

            During morning ministry, we walked around the city and prayed for people. One of our favorite ladies from last week was sitting in the park. She loves to read and told us she lost her reading classes. We decided to buy her a pair of reading glasses and bring them to her. She was so excited to be able to read again without straining her eyes. 

            Having a larger team join us at first was quite overwhelming. However it has been so cool to get to know new people and see how our common faith has bonded us together. Watching the children on the team worship and pray has been such a blessing to me. It sure has made me miss my kids more, but has lit a fire in me to do a family trip mission trip with them. 

            Thank you for all your prayers. God has been soooo good to us. 

            Gratefully, Amanda

Week 2- Day 2 of Ministries

Greetings,

         We had an amazing first week and are now into the second week here in Detroit! As we are now in the second day of Big A my group of 5 from Timberwood are growing closer to God everyday. Today we awoke up to egg bake for breakfast and morning devotionals in the book of 2 Thessalonians. After time alone going through the devotional we were able to come together as a group and discuss with Kevin leading discussion. We have had some amazing discussions and I have learned many new things about God. Service Evangelism followed and we as a group have been able to connect with a woman to help her find a place to live and a place to go to Church. Big A (Day 2) went well today, I taught on Faith and Works to the fifteen year olds out of the book of James and I feel like it went well, after much help from our group and from Matt (an intern here at Detroit Love).  After Big A we moved into dinner and then free time with the other Church here; we played games and by doing so we have made new connections to both teens and adults in Florida. I have seen God work in so many ways during my trip including; through prayer walking, servant evangelism, and through the fifteen and up group that I have now been meeting with for two weeks. When I’m here I feel like I search and find the Holy Spirit and see God’s plan so much clearer and I have grown in many ways because of it. See you guys on Saturday! 

                                             With love,

                                                 Bryce

Week 2- Day 1 of Ministries

Sorry this blog is late. Last night got to be a late night so I decided to hold off on typing this until today.  Yesterday was the first day of Big A (VBS) for week 2.  As we have been preparing, I can feel our team getting even closer than last week, which is quite a feat.  With getting closer though, I’ve started to notice some cracks in our team.  Some are tired, some are dealing with other things, and some are just having a tough time adjusting to the new (LARGE) team that has now joined us from another church. It can be tough finding a new time to take a shower, take a nap, or find a place to relax when we all had our routine last week.  I feel we could all use prayer for rest, patience, and strength to push to the end of the week.  That said, we are meeting new friends, having great conversations, and experiencing different things than we did last week.  It is pushing us to grow in different ways.

Big A looks a bit different for us this week; all 5 of us are with the 15+ group.  We are going through the book of James with them and each of us has taken a different chapter to prepare a lesson for.  Today, Summer Mills taught us about being steadfast. We started with a marshmallow throwing game that helped us learn more about the students and showed us how to push through when things got frustrating.  We then transitioned inside where we had to introduce each other based on what we learned during the game.  We played Jenga, which showed how when different pieces are missing from our lives, our Christian walk can get shaky and our life can fall apart.  This was followed by us reading James 1 and asking discussion questions.  Each day we will be covering a different chapter/theme.

Our little group of five is a team this week for chores, dinner prep, prayer walking, and servant evangelism.  For servant evangelism yesterday morning we went shopping at Target for a girl named Michelle.  Some of our group met Michelle last week while prayer walking.  Amanda had it on her heart that she was to help her, so we have been investing in her throughout the week.  We have helped her find a women’s shelter, she attended church with us Sunday, and Monday we made the Target run was for basic toiletries as she had literally nothing when she first got to the shelter. It has been awesome to see how God has allowed us to stay here for a second week and to continue to invest in Michelle; something we wouldn’t have been able to do if we would have left with the rest of the group.

We miss you all back home and thank you for supporting us on this trip!

Carl

Weekend Update

Hey all, Summer Mills here! Since we forgot to post yesterday I will be talking about what we did then, and what we did today. These past few days have been days of rest for us, so I don’t really have many cool God stories, but they were still good days. We had stayed up a little late Friday night playing wheelie-chair basketball with the interns, so the rest was much needed.

Saturday: We woke up bright and early, around 5:20, to say goodbye to a large part of the team. After the other twelve members of our team started their way home to MN, Summer H., Bryce, Amanda, my dad, and I went back to bed for a few more hours. Once we woke up we got ready for the day and headed to Eastern Market. With the Dean family, who run Detroit Love. The market is mostly outdoors, and people sell anything from flowers and food to shirts. We all bought drinks at some point in the market, but didn’t buy anything else. We spent the next few hours resting and just hanging out. The other team from Florida who will be here for the week arrived late in the afternoon, so we didn’t really see them for very long because we had plans that evening. The interns, Josie, Seth, and Matt, and the five of us left in the evening to go play WhirlyBall, which was a lot of fun! We decided it would be a good idea to get something to eat after, so we went to Dairy Queen to get some ice cream. After we got back we all went in the staff room to watch Wreck-it-Ralph 2 before going to bed.

Sunday: Normally for church in Detroit we head to PMBC, the church we run Big A at. However, this week our Timberwood group went to Woodside, a church very similar to Timberwood. We picked up two students from the projects to come with us, and our God-story of the weekend, Michelle. Amanda had met Michelle earlier in the week, and had helped her find permanent housing and invited her to come to church with us today. Throughout the weekend whenever we prayed about Michelle coming to church or finding a home, she seemed to call a few minutes later to update us. Only God could do something like that:) While the Florida team was at PMBC, we did some shopping, showered, did devos, and napped. I even got to try mac-and-cheese ice cream, which was actually not bad.  We had our first VBS prep time, as well as worship and stories of the day. Now we are hanging out, playing basketball and slowly getting to know the other team, which has 30 people so it might take a while. 

I’m so excited to see how God is planning on using our team this second week. It will be different than anything we have done here before, but I know it will be good for both us and the people in Detroit. See you all soon, Summer M:)

Friday- Last of Ministries

God has been at work this week in Detroit and it has been amazing to be apart of God’s plan! 1 Thessalonians is the book that we have been studying throughout the week and it has taught me and other people on the team so much about God that I had never known! If I didn’t have the Holy Spirit helping me interpret the mind-blowing information scripture was stating with the help of Kevin’s explanations, I would have been zoned out within seconds. That is one example of how God has been at work in my spiritual life.

Our servant evangelism project for this week involved my team being lead to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan and we found ourselves making little activity packets for some kids. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the patients directly which was a little bit of a bummer, but when we delivered the packets today that disappoint was uplifted.  A lady who would be giving out these packets couldn’t tell us enough how appreciative she was for the packets and how much it truly helps that kids even though it doesn’t really seem like it.  God was at work showing me that we don’t have to do grand gestures to fulfill his calling.

Big A (or VBS) was such an amazing experience this week that I can’t explain.  I worked with the preschoolers this week and they are some of the most adorable and most misbehaved kids ever and these kids will forever have a special place in my heart.  They are innocent souls that don’t really understand the world yet and it makes me so hopeful that they can learn about Jesus and what he did for all of us.  God was at work in multiple kids’ lives and it was incredible to watch.  There were moments of silence during a story that was unexpected and there is no other explanation except for God.  Kids would ask us different questions about who God is and where he is.  Four-year-old voices would shout, “God loves me!” and there is no words to express how much joy these phrases would bring to me when I heard this.  

These are just a few of the ways God was at work in the past week and so many other team members have some fascinating stories.  Our team has being united and it is such a blessing to not have any drama and become one big family :).  Giving up distractions for a week has also convicted me that I need to be living present and live like Jesus is going to come every single day of my life just like the Christians of Thessalonica.  Thank you for all your support and prayers!!
Emma Benson

Thursday- Second to Last Day of Ministries

Hello Everyone!  

            It is the second to last day which is really sad, but I’m ready to go home and live out everything I’ve learned from morning devos, to prayer walking, and even playing with the little kids and spreading God’s word! 

            So today started with morning devos.  The devos and talks with Kevin Dean have helped me grow so much in my faith and I’ve learned so many amazing things about God from his word in the bible.  Today we talked about what happens when Jesus comes back to Earth and it is CRAZY!  

            After devos, I went out with my team and helped out an old lady named Katheren paint her stairs on her patio and we will be going back tomorrow to finish up painting and also replacing some astroturf on her patio as well.  We found this old lady yesterday when we were driving around looking for people who needed help, however, at first we couldn’t find anyone who needed help but we did run into some people and got to pray and talk with them. We were starting to lose hope with only 30 minutes left and hadn’t found anyone to help yet!  Then we saw Katheren sitting out on her porch. We pulled over and parked the car and approached her. She is the nicest lady and she told us she was 93 and I was shocked because she doesn’t look a day older than 80. Anyways that’s how we spent our serving evangelism time today!

            After all that we had lunch and did our chores.  Than we did our Big A prep then had free time! This was the first day I didn’t need a nap so I had time to do stuff and played ball and sweated a bunch.  We packed up the cars and headed over to the place we set up Big A. Today we had a lot less kids then normal because it was $1 waterpark day so most of the kids we pick up went to that.  It was kind of nice with less kids because for one, they were easier to control and two, we could connect with them on a little deeper level then you could say with a group of 8-10 boys of the ages of 11-14 and with some 10 year olds that claim there 11. 
            Over all I have seen God working through me and our group throughout the week and can’t wait to share all of the incredible stories with all y’all back home.

God Bless,

Jack Benson

Wednesday- 3rd day of Ministries

Hey friends! 

We are having such a fun time here in Detroit! Today we got to wake up 30 minutes later, which I think we all needed and appreciated:) After breakfast we did our devotions in 1 Thesalonians. Devotions have been one of my favorite parts of the day. I get to be outside in God’s creation, hearing the birds chirping and people outside while reading the bible and it has been such a great start to my morning everyday! After devos, our team had a very deep conversation about sanctification and many of us learned many things that we had not known before and everyone was sooo excited to be growing in their knowledge of sanctification. Today, my team went on a prayer walk around the neighborhood. It was a little difficult for me because there were many distractions, but despite the distractions I know my team still felt God’s presence and the hope for this city. We headed back to the Detroit Love building and had lunch (during lunch I got stung by a wasp for the first time, so that was fun:)) Then we did our chores and got prepped for Big A (VBS).  Walking into the doors of Big A while feeling the swarms of hugs and seeing the smiles of the kids is one of the best feelings ever!! I am with 11-14 year olds this year and it is a huge change from me helping with preschool last year. I love having fun, yet meaningful conversations about what they think heaven will look/be like, why God loves us even though we sin and why he created us uniquely and beautifully in his image.  After Big A we had dinner, which by the way is VERY good! We hung out for a little bit and then went into worship and stories of the day. We also had an hour+ conversation about some deep questions which was very great for all of us. 

Thank you for all of your prayers and please keep praying for what is happening in this city!! I need to go to bed now!! Love Brecken

Tuesday- Day 2 of Ministries

Greetings from Detroit!

            Today started out with some wonderful blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes from Miss Lori. They were amazing.  After breakfast we did our daily devotional on 1 Thessalonians, followed by a large group discussion. It’s crazy how much you can learn about the Lord and those around you in just under 2 hours. 

            Following our devos, my team prayer walked in Cass Park. This was a super good time to see different ways the Holy Spirit works. We got to talk to and pray for many people of the community. What really stood out to me was when we would meet homeless people that appeared to have a good understanding of the gospel and faith. For example, one guy we met in the park, Rickie Ricardo, has had quite the life and is now looking for a home for him and his wife, as they are currently homeless. He said that he was introduced to Jesus around the age of 3 and is still a believer. He said that through all his life he has stayed happy and smiling. This is a wonderful example of having joy in Christ that isn’t situational.  This is just one example of how I saw Christ during our prayer walk.

            Following lunch (seriously the food is so good), we prepared for Big A (VBS) and had a chance to rest. I never knew you could do so much in one day, but boy does it tire you out. The rest was much needed. 

            After a bit of a shock and hectic time yesterday at Big A, I was a bit nervous going into today. However, I leaned on the God and he answered my prayers.  The 30 or so preschoolers I am able to work with is time well spent. Each kid wants your undivided attention and love and I do the best I can to give them that. Sharing the love and word of Christ to such small people is one of the best things I’ve ever done. We are planting seeds in these young ones, and learning just as much from them as they are from us. I can’t even explain how heart warming it is to hear a four year old excited about God.

            Coming home to tacos and worship was a good tummy and spiritual fill up. Being able to worship with this team is so so good. We then got to share stories of the day and that’s super cool to hear how much the Holy Spirit is working just in our small group, it’s hard to wrap our heads around how great God is. 

            Now it’s time for dessert and free time with the team. I cannot even describe how thankful I am to be on this mission trip. My heart is filled with love for Jesus, those around me, and the city of Detroit. Thank you back home to everyone who is supporting us. We can feel the prayers!

God bless, 

            Whitney

Monday- First Full Day of Minstries

Hello Everyone!!

            

            I had the most wonderful day filled with prayers, love and the Holy Spirit working through both myself along with my team. Starting off the day, my team and I went prayer walking around the neighborhood. As we prayed for the city of Detroit and the struggles and goodness that lie within it, I couldn’t help but think about how much hope is alive within the city. Whether it be through the kids that I interact with at Big A, the people we interact with on the streets, or the beauty that lies within God’s creation, I can’t help but be hit with the realization of how much hope is in this city. Today, I was sitting at Big A listening to Joy tell the story to the kids. With little girls gathered around me, I looked down at them and was filled with joy. I looked at their cute faces, the ones that God uniquely made and thought about how much lies ahead of them as they live their lives. I thought about the fact that as you strip everything away in their lives, the city of Detroit, their family life, the hardships that they experience, there is still the hope that lies in a relationship with Jesus left.

            Anyways, that is just a small story or snapshot into my time in Detroit so far…I can’t wait to see what is to come! The team is bonding so much and we are having a blast together. 

            Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers while we are here in Detroit! (:

            -Anna

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.