Day 8: 2025 (Final Day in Detroit)

 Hey wassup, coming at ya from Ashley and Ben from Detroit. Today was such an amazing day. We all slept pretty well last night. Team 2 was on breakfast duty so they had to wake up a little bit earlier but that's okay. We had pancakes, cereal and muffins. It was pretty good. Then after breakfast we had our devos. Today we were reading Philippians 3 : 1 - 11. This was a little bit of a struggle for me ( ben ) but it was really good to hear. It was so awesome to be able to talk about the different ways to explain the Gospel and the things that are not in comparison to a life with Christ (Ashley). Our group (Team 3) then went prayer walking around Cass Park which we did today because it was too rainy yesterday. Even though we got rained on we were able to meet a lot of people like Dan, Tony, and the men in the men's shelter who we were able to say grace for before their lunch. While we were praying, some of the other teams picked up some kids at the Digs project and all went to the park to play. Which is an answered prayer for our team because we have been praying over the parks and kids around the neighborhoods for them to use the parks and playgrounds. Then we all came back for lunch. After lunch we did Big A prep and chores. We all went shopping ( Mama Kottke ) Kris got a couple shirts and (Chickadee) Summer got a cup but nothing super cool. After a speedy shopping trip NATALIE spilled the whole bucket of orbeez right as we were walking out of the door to head to Big A. The orbeez went ALL down the stairs and ALL across the road. It was silly. Big A was smaller today because the daycare was not running so we were only able to pick up the kids from the Diggs. Ben was able to experience 15 and up today for the first time because none of his usual kids were there. Ashley was able to team up with Cooper today for 7-10 yr olds even though we only had 3 whole kids. It was a blast. Ashley and Natalie had the opportunity to teach the kids a new song and dance called the Hippo Song and it was a total hit. We added a new fruit to the fruit song, a pineapple. We (Ben and Ashley) could not star in a skit today because today was a bit different since it was the last day of Big A. Then we just came back to the building, ate pasta for dinner, had stories of the day, packed, and hung out for the night. We plan to leave at 6 AM. 

TTYL- Benny BooBear and Ashley LOOK AT ME

Day 7: 2025

 My name is Caleb, when I was asked to write part of today's blog I had no clue what I was gonna write about. I sat and pondered to myself for a while reflecting on my trip so far and today I have seen God move in ways I couldn't imagine. I noticed two different times today how I could see God having an active presence. The first time being at Big A, I noticed today when the leaders were picking up kids how ecstatic they were to play with us and remembered our names. I saw how kids were bringing up previous days and were so excited to learn about the gospel. The second time also at Big A was when we were wrapping up our 15+ age group and DJ (A dude I met on this trip) led our prayer. The words that came out of his mouth left me speechless, I could see Jesus working through him and sharing his word through DJ. As we keep going through this trip I am excited to see how else God reveals himself to me. I am so grateful for the opportunity and ability to go on this trip and share the gospel with others. 

Day 6: 2025

 Hello, This is Amelia Reynolds. Where do I even start, this team and this week has been just a blessing to be honest and tonight made that even more sure. In this blog I'm going to talk about the way our team of students have connected not only this week but in the last 3 hours and it all started with a sin. One of our team members brought a phone and got caught. It was brought to the team's attention and we all felt betrayed and trust was broken. We were all sent to go pray not only on how to respond but how we are living in our own sin. We came back all of our hearts were heavy and so was the air. We started confessing our sins and struggles and it just kept flowing and flowing out of us. Then we prayed as a group and tears started flowing. And more and more people started to pray and cry and just confess. We started to worship and all of us kids were huddled together crying, sweating, singing, praising, it was an all around God moment the fact that we just sat there and got to be vulnerable and there was no judgment whatsoever. We got to experience this all together and it was honestly so beautiful. Then we shared stories of the day and where we saw god today and there were more tears and more just pure emotions. When i tell you there was not a dry eye tonight that is not an exaggeration, we got to experience all of these emotions together and just be with one another and it was beautiful and it was just pure raw feelings and it was just amazing. Seeing everyone just be together is something that we will never forget. This trip has been so eye opening and just flat out amazing. Hi family, I miss you guys. 

Sincerely Amelia Reynolds 

Hey guys, this is Micah Kibwaa.And  HOLY MOLY God has been moving. Our team and others had the Holy Spirit moving over all of us tonight (06/18/25). God was so present today in all of us. It started with a mistrust of a person bringing their phone on the trip. We are studying the book of Philippians and how in Philippians God used a tough time and made it for good. That's exactly what happened.We all got in a group and The Spirit knew we needed to talk, God really had us all in tears from the vulnerability, the reactions, and add ons from others that was so God. I even mentioned that the emotion and having tears FLOWING down my face were not emotions I would even show around my own family which sounds crazy. But the Spirit put me in the position of telling me these people I literally met less than four days ago felt like I've known them for my whole life. It was such a heartwarming feeling that was MOST DEFINITELY from God and I can’t thank Him enough. God has moved all of us so much this trip and I pray for every single person that they carry that feeling home. Not just Detroit but that we still have this posture in our heart. God brought us so much more together as a body in Christ and I can’t thank Him enough. 

It’s been great, miss you all.

Sincerely Micah Kibwaa.

Day 5: 2025

 Today's day 4 of being here and I could not be more happy I came on this trip. The day began as most do, waking up, hitting snooze, eating breakfast (which is DELICIOUS thank you Lori!) and getting ready for the day. During our prayer walk Chuck (one of the people helping us on this trip) had us stop and look around. We were told to look for something that stuck out to us, and how we can pray about it. Amelia (one of the lovely members of my group) noticed that one door had three locks. We were reminded of how fortunate we are to live in the place where we do, most days only locking our single lock in the evening. As well as how unfortunate it is that these people go to the grocery store and have to worry, even with three locks, that their house will be broken into. Jaw. Dropped. 

Big A (the VBS we help operate) was so much fun! We walk in and are greeted by all these smiling kids who just want us. They want to be loved and man do we love them. From a record breaking 63 jumps on the jump rope, to holding a little boy who didn’t want us to leave, we loved these kids in every way we could. This is all I have to write tonight, I’m hot and ready for a good shower. Please pray that God continues to work in, and through us, in everything we do. Thank you. 

   Sincerely, 

Amani Kibwaa :)

Soooooo today was a long day lots of crazy things happened number 1 Big A man that was a lot of fun! I work at a youth camp full of about 300 kids a week and there isn't even a close comparison of these kids to the ones at home. they are so open so loving and just want to share about their day with you and they love the big A. it might be songs games crafts doesn't matter these kids have a blast with each other and  it's a lot of fun to see a group of kids from the city in the projects all get together and just have fun. And learn about the lord and savior Jesus christ. Also I want to make a shout out to the Crew this group of people I have grown up with for years and years and have never seen them so into their faith and sharing it  a wonderful place to be and so glad i came just Hoping the lord uses me the best he can for the rest of it 

Cooper

Day 4: 2025

 Hello everybody!

We had a busy day in Detroit today.  We started our morning with Lori’s delicious breakfast that consisted of eggs, muffins, bagels, and my favorite, cereal.  We then had our devotional time to spend some time with God.  After that some groups went prayer walking and some groups did service of evangelism.  My group went prayer walking and not even 5 minutes into the walk we met a wonderful old lady named Sheri.  She had a relationship with Jesus and told us she needed prayer because she was going through a hard time with housing and we were even able to answer some her previous prayers.  After lunch we went back to the building and had lunch.  After lunch we did chores and prepped for our first day of Big A.  Once we were prepped we had free time so I played basketball and hung out.  Then before I knew it we were at Big A which was very very exciting.  It was so awesome to see all the kids and even have kids come up to me to say hi and tell me they remembered me from last year.  Big A was fun and exhausting all at the same time.  When we got back from Big A Lorie had prepped a delicious chicken and mashed potatoes dinner for us and I ate plenty.  After dinner we had worship and shared our stories of the day.  Right now as I am writing this there is also a basketball game going on, so that is what pretty much everyone else is doing right now, or they are watching and cheering loud.  But that’s it for now.

Jaxon





Hello and greetings everyone!

We had a very eventful day today as we started our first day of full ministry. This morning started with quite a late wake up call giving me 5 minutes to prepare myself for breakfast. I did give my complete effort to get out in time, but I did still end up being just a little bit late to our morning prayer before breakfast. Breakfast, as always, was absolutely amazing with it being prepared by our wonderful chef Lori. After breakfast finished, it was devotional time. Our devos this year are in the book of Phillipians, which is a book I haven’t read too much from, but it is one that I actually referenced in my blog post last year with the verse Philippians 4:13. Now, this year one thing I set out to do was to be fully intentional in my devo time with the Lord. The previous two years I haven’t been completely focused on the Lord while in my devo time, so this year, I wanted to be completely intentional with Him so I could get the most I could out of it with this being my last time in Detroit for the foreseeable future. (We’ll see where the Lord takes me in my walk after high school :)). Our conversations after we finished our alone devotional time were very fruitful, and during our devo we focused on the verse Romans 8:28 (And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose), and how it relates to Paul’s experience in prison. This was especially meaningful for me as that is one of my most favorite verses, and one that I try to remember on a daily basis, especially when something might not go the way I want it to or something bad happens.

After we finished with our devos, we transitioned to our morning ministry. My group ⸺consisting of Barbie, Ella, Caleb, and Micah⸺ had prayer walking the community around the building that we’re staying at for our first day. We walked around and prayed for a wide variety of things such as run down buildings that are in desperate need of repair, or the Detroit public school system and how underfunded and undereducated it is, or even just for the roads and sidewalks and other basic infrastructure. Now prayer walking used to be something I personally didn’t like too much as I’m a relatively introverted person and I didn’t want to say the wrong thing while praying for someone. Over the years I’ve been here however (and also much thanks to Amanda’s help), I realized that even if I say something wrong in a prayer, that it ultimately doesn’t matter because the Holy Spirit knows what’s on my heart and on my mind and will still bless the person or place or community that I’m praying for. While prayer walking, we did end up running into an organization that helped people who just got out of prison with adapting to the new and changed world that they were entering into. They weren’t completely faith based, but they did still have a heavier emphasis on Christ. For me, to see an organization like that help teach people who are oftentimes not remembered about how to use a phone or debit card or computer, it really opened my eyes to just how much good can be done in the world, and that there are communities that exist that sometimes I completely forget about. It’s an organization that will be in my prayers for plenty of time to come, especially after we found out that they’re looking for a new building after their old building got the roof ripped off of their gymnasium.

Once we got done prayer walking, we headed back to the building and had another delicious meal from Lori. After we ate, we had our final prep for Big A (the VBS we put on in Detroit), I took a tiny nap, and we were all ready to go for our first day of Big A. This year, instead of helping with planning games before we left, I’m part of the skit group and all the planning that comes with that. Now, with it being a circus theme, Kris and I both get the special role of ring leader and we narrate the story and keep everything going along. After the skit, we moved to our small group time. I was in the group of people that would be taking 11-14 year olds, and I was quite happy that I could go with this age group this year as last year I got swapped to the 7-10 year olds to accommodate Natalie switching from there to the 15 and up group. I had my group of 4, and the rest of Big A went alright, the discussion was ok, most of them weren’t too engaged in the game, and they all sat down and made the craft that we had. However, there were two big God moments that stepped out to me. The first is that when I pulled out my bible and asked who wanted to find the scripture and read it (they couldn’t remember what Jesus said to fish for instead of fish, so I decided to have them look in scripture for it), pretty much all of them all at once either reached for it or begged to be able to. It was so cool just to see them all want to read God’s word, no matter what their reason for it was. The second cool God moment I had to do with the small group discussion that we had. In our small group, no one was really paying too much attention to the story, and I did have to end up explaining a decent amount of it, but I made sure at the end to explain to them what being a fisher of men meant. I kinda assumed that nothing much would come from it and that it would be somewhat of a lost cause, but God proved otherwise. Later, during the craft, one of the Detroit Love leaders came over to talk to two of the students. She asked the first one what the story meant, and the kid didn’t have too much of a clue, but she turned to the second one, one of the ones that was in my group, and he just immediately rattled off pretty much exactly what it meant to be a fisher of men. In that moment, I was just reminded that God can turn any situation into a positive situation and that even if I think something is a lost cause, it can still be something so cool and beautiful.  It actually reminded me of our discussion of Romans 8:28 in devos and how God works all things together for the good, which, is also such a cool God thing of how our devo discussion and a conversation at Big A almost lined up with what was essentially the same lesson.

After Big A finished, my team was on dinner prep. For dinner tonight, we had chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and bread. Once again, we had another amazing, out of the park meal cooked by Lori, and I’m so looking forward to more of her food in the coming days. Once we were done with dinner, we had worship time and we also had a time to share our stories of the day, where we shared how we saw God working throughout the day. I shared my story of how that one student fully remembered what the meaning of what we talked about was because it was just so cool to see God work like that. Now, after this, we started a game of basketball (a regular occurrence during every free time opportunity we get), and I started writing this blog post once Jaxon got done with his part of the post. It’s been a great night relaxing, eating cake, and watching the basketball game going on, and I’m excited for the nights to come.

Finally, I just want to give a huge hello to all my family and friends. I miss you all greatly, and I can’t wait to see you when I get home. To my dad, I want to give you a belated happy fathers day. To my mom, I hope you’re enjoying the time alone that you have in the house for a lot of this week. I miss you so so so much, and I love you so incredibly much. Now, to my sister Maren, I hope you enjoy your time in Costa Rica, you better make the best of it as you don’t get an opportunity like that very often in your life, especially with your birthday coming up on Friday (only one away from being a legal adult after that!!). I love you so so much, see you in a week and a half when you get back. Remember to take lots of photos :)

Blessings to all of you,
Tyler Wallin

Day 3: 2025

 Sunday- 

Hi Everyone! This is Ella writing and my second time on the trip! Sunday is such a fun day because it’s our first full day in Detroit. We spent a lot of this day preparing for VBS (big A) and learning about Detroit. We also go to church at People’s Missionary Baptist Church. Our morning started off with breakfast then we walked downtown and saw the GM building. Church was next and is always such a cool experience, it’s different from a normal Timberwood service but so to see how others worship God. Unfortunately we don’t have Kevin here this year but we do have Lori still along with Heidi and Chuck. I really enjoy their teaching style and know that God is going to do amazing things on the trip. We got out teams for morning ministries and chores. Barbie, Tyler, Caleb, Micah and I are team 4! We are already getting into crazy adventures together, and I am excited to see what God does this week for us. I am so grateful for this team and can’t wait to spend the week together. See you all on Saturday!

Hi Everyone! This is Isaac Quisberg doing my blog on my 1st Detroit trip. I'm writing about sunday the our first full day at Love. We started our day after breakfast by going on a 40 minute walk to the GM building and got to learn about the culture in Detroit. We had a funny experience while on the walk this on lady started walking around Caleb calling him Big Daddy. It was a fun walk with friends and getting to know each other. We then got changed and went to church at Peoples it was a cool experience getting to see how other churches run their stuff. We then got in our teams for chores and im on team 1 with Cooper, Natalie, Riley, and Melissa. We flew through the bathrooms and helped finish cleaning the gym which is a big job. We also started devotions, worship and talking about how we saw God that day. A lot happened but that was only day 1.

Day 2: 2025

 We woke up at 5 in the morning to leave. The workers at the hotel woke up early to make us breakfast. After breakfast we left for Detroit. The first 3 hours of the drive we stopped at an ice cream shop/cafe to get food. Then we got back on the road and had another 3 hour drive to Detroit. Then at like 1:30 we got to Detroit Love. At 3 o'clock we left the building to go prayer walking. Then 15 minutes into prayer walking we had to go help the people that run Detroit Love for someone's graduation party for graduating from college. Then we came back to the Detroit Love building to go eat dinner. We had burgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, chips and fruit. Then after dinner some people went to help clean up the graduation party.

From Noah

 Then people helped clean up dinner. We got to the church at 6 and left at 6:30 am. I personally went to sleep in all the cars till the hotel. Then we got there. We did our last 3 faith stories and hung out for a bit till about 930 pm then headed back to the rooms and crashed. We all got up around 5 530 and the hotel staff were kind enough to make breakfast for us early then we left and again I personally passed out till about an hour before we got to the Detroit love building. When we got to the building we were greeted by some very kind people that work here and they helped us clear cars and then got a tour of the building and the church and big A building which is for teaching kids about God. We got good food and fun games of basketball. Now we are hanging out and I'm enjoying it. The experience was great. I love it here and so happy to be here and glad we are here.    

From Elijah

Detroit 2025: Day 1

 We made it! We are safely in our hotel after many laughs, walks, games of basketball, and hours in the car. Please continue to pray for our safety and our unity. We are all in our rooms and snuggling in for a night of rest and rejuvenation for another day of travel. 

Stay tuned for more exciting details tomorrow. 

Last Day

   Hi! I'm Ella Owens and this is my first time on the Detroit Missions trip

     This trip has been a truly life changing experience. Big A (or VBS) has taught me to love everyone like Jesus and how much the fruits of the spirit can impact people. We started out our days this week with devotion time followed by morning ministries which was either a pray walk in Cass Park or the neighborhood around Detroit Love. We also took turns doing servant evangelism and led to God working in some pretty amazing ways. Big A was every afternoon, I was part of preschool so I hung out with the toddlers and got too see their curiosity and energy all week. I am so thankful for the people who encouraged me to come on this trip. I have gotten so close with this whole team and these memories will stick with me forever. 

THURSDAY 😁

     This week has been such an adventure and has definitely flown by. I want to first say I know this is very late because I was supposed to do this last night but we had a busy night out getting ice cream at Wally's Custard and preparing our last day of Big A for today. This week my group of Natalie, Tyler, Kristine and I had prayer walking during the first two days then servant evangelism the second half. Servant evangelism is where we basically drive around or walk and pray for the Lord to tell us how we can help the community of Detroit and serve Him. Wednesday we did a lot of driving around, praying and listening. Although we did not get to do anything for anyone, we met an absolutely LOVELY lady named Mary Kennedy who is 80 years old and was right outside her house. She has the most beautiful and lively smile and always wears bright clothes. Ever since we have gone back every day to visit her and at least say hi. Yesterday my team and I stopped by her house again to ask her for ideas of what we could put in care packages for the homeless. Mary is the most delightful woman and my team loves her so much, she never let us help her with anything but always prayed the Lord's prayer with us and gave us ideas on how to help the community. 

    Besides Mary, Big A has definitely been one of my highlights on this trip. The kids are SOOO AMAZING and SUCH a joy. I don't think you could go to big A and not fall in love with them. It makes me so sad to leave them tomorrow because I am going to miss seeing the Lord move in all of them. The moment you walk into the dream center you most likely would receive a hug from a kid or many kids within at least five minutes. They really say the darndest things and ask the weirdest questions but really theres not a moment where we are there and not laughing. I'm pretty sure at least seven kids are FULLY convinced Jaxon and I are siblings which makes no sense since we look absolutely nothing alike. Just yesterday I got challenged to two dance offs from the girls in my group and let me tell you they definitely won because I cannot dance. And all of sudden a little girl would come up to you and braid your hair or ask you to jump rope with them. After Big A Lori makes the BEST food for dinner, specifically her shepherds pie she made last night. 

    Normally after dinner Natalie and I play basketball with Ben, Jaxon, and DJ for the rest of the night or until Ben sweats so hard his shirt changes color. However, last night we went on an outing to Wally's Custard and got ice cream. After Natalie and I played cribbage which we just learned this week and have been playing a lot of. We are all exhausted and dreading the 12 hour journey home but we definitely plan on making the best of the rest of our time here tonight. 

    This trip has been so life changing and I am so grateful to be here and serve the Lord and watch him move in every person here. Much love,  Ashley Slaybaugh

bens blog

 

            This morning started off great with me waking up my friend with one minute before he had to prep for breakfast. The breakfast today was amazing and we had lots of funny conversations while eating and after. Once breakfast was done we had devotions witch is probably one of my favorite times of the day because we just got to talk and listen to what God has to say to us and learn more and more. After we had talks about all our devotions my group of three got to go prayer walking. which is super cool and unique to see what God wants us to pray about and what He want us to see. We met lots of really cool people and especially Marco. Marco is 54 years old and he lives in an all mens shelter right now. When we walked past the first time he wasn’t there but right when we started to walk by he came out and said, he just had a feeling to come out to get some fresh air he said it was just lucky but we think it was God telling him to which was pretty cool because he is a friend of Detroit love ( the place we are staying ) for a while and he loves when we come by and pray for him. so we prayed for him and a friend who was close by. It is also Macros birthday next Tuesday so we sang to him early which was pretty cool. When we all came back after spending time with our groups and God we all helped to get lunch together. And once again it was magnificent. After lunch we split back into our groups and I got the privilege to clean the boys bathroom, lucky me. Once all of us got our chores done we all kinda did an assembly line to package out snacks for big A. One of my favorite parts of the day was right when I walked through the doors I was greeted with one of the cutest little hug by one of the kids I had the day prior, and her name was Amaya. Today for big A I only had 2 kids to little boys named xzavior and Ace. They were 2 little boys who was really excited to learn about the gospel. Theses little boys were so into the discussion they had to walk around and talk because God was so powerful to them, and to see God moving within them was so cool. Also seeing them so engaged. After big A we came back to a magnificent smell of pasta and garlic toast. P.S it was so good. Then after dinner we had a little bit of free time that most of us spent that time playing volleyball. After getting all sweaty playing volleyball we had story time. Where we share times where we saw God in our day. After stories we got spoiled when fresh brownies and cookies came out for us to enjoy. And I will probably end up playing basketball or volleyball until my shirt is a totally different color because of sweat.

DAY 5 🤯

    When I say that being here has been such an adventure, I mean it.  My day consisted of a variety of excitement, joy and speed (the days seem to FLY here), but also a mix of slowness, waiting and a whole lot of patience. I started my day by helping set up breakfast with my team. The food made is absolutely phenomenal btw, thanks for asking. Some time after breakfast our super huge Detroit team, (11 whole people) split into our groups for prayer walking / serving evangelism. My team and I, during our time serving evangelism, spent a lot of time asking God for clarity, praying for signs, and asking to hear his voice. It was a really testing time for some of us who struggle with patience and waiting for a timing that isn't our own.  After some time driving around we decided to get out and walk. Something I noticed was all the little things I would have never seen zooming by houses, (going 20mph). I saw things like people sleeping on sidewalks, people sitting outside their homes because it was hotter inside their homes than outside (it was 88 degrees with 76% humidity, just btw 🥵 ) and so much more. It really hit me thinking about all the things I take for granted at home while so many people can't even stay cool. 

    On a much happier note, Big A (the VBS we're putting on) has to be the most beautiful things in the world. All of these kids, ranging in age from 3-18 years old, come together to learn about God and his love for them. Through them, the way they treat each other, and they way they treat us (total strangers) I think I'm starting to understand what an honest love REALLY looks like. Every day when you walk in, handfuls of kids come up and hug you, say hi to you and want to see you. But after all of that, after all we leave the kiddos, after we get home, my favorite part of being here so far is when the team comes together and we just hang out. We spend time worshiping, talking about how we saw God today, and the majorities favorite part, basketball. I personally don't play, but watching everyone come together, sweaty, tired, and exhausted  even, they all get even more sweaty. I say this in the most loving way possible I swear. In all seriousness, seeing our team get CLOSER through a COMPETITIVE sport is honestly inspiring. 

    Being apart of this missions team has to be one of the best things that I have ever been lead to do/been apart of. Everyone on this team is so amazing and has such a heart for God, it's so life giving and I am honored to be a part of it. 

                                              Much love from me and my heart, Amani Kibwaa :)

                                                                      

     Hello everyone, my name is Jaxon W and this was my day in Detroit.  We started the day off with some breakfast which I was late to because someone forgot to wake me up...Riley.  After breakfast we went into a devo time for about an hour to connect with and learn about God and discussed our thoughts after.  Once we were done with all that we split into our teams and went out to do things, my team was assigned prayer walking.  While we didn't see many people we did come across two men name Mark and Will.  While they were not the most religious they didn't hesitate to let us pray about them.  After our missions outside we came back together for lunch and a little free time to rest up before Big A, the VBS that we put on.  Once we had all rested up we got in our cars and we were off to Big A.  Once we arrived I was amazed by all the smiles on the children’s faces.  All they wanted to do was play basketball or play catch, which was totally fine by me, and I gladly hopped in with them.  When it really started we all got together for some songs and then broke off in some small groups.  I had a group of about 8 with ages from 10-14.  While they didn't really pay much attention to what I was trying to tell them I was still glad they were there.  After small groups we went to games where my team was 3-0 against Ashley’s team, big W.  Once we were done with games we went to craft where we made bead bracelets that represent the fruit of the spirit.  That was the end of Big A for the day so we headed back to the building.  At the building we ate some delicious chicken and then talked about and worshipped God in many ways.  After all that serious and important stuff we got some more free time where I chose to play a lot of basketball and have lots of fun.  Overall the day was definitely an experience but it was one that I was glad to have.  I am excited for the new day and I am very excited to get some much needed sleep.  That's it, that was my day, thanks for tuning in.

Happy Fathers Day!😘

    This team is SOOOOOOO much fun! The past few days has me so excited for the many ahead. Today was our first full day in the city and we got to explore a little. We had the opportunity to take a little walk (actually it was 6 miles) into the downtown part of Detroit. The massive murals on the sides of buildings are just incredible, the city is alive. Something that really shocked me was the amount of change I saw in the city. Weather that was new buildings or people all over or parks updated; it changed a large amount in the last summer. But anywho we then returned to the D-Love building and changed for church. We got to experience (what i would say) is authentic Detroit church. With the music so loud you can even hear the singer and the congregation proclaiming amen (as they should) more time than all of us combing can count. The vibe was vibing. We then headed back to the D-Love building and prepared for the amazing things that are going to happen at BIG A tomorrow and the rest of the week (yayyyyy). Im excited but nervous because I’m going to be venturing into a new area of big a. The past two year I have had the privilege to be with preschool, but this year I get the opportunity to be with the 15+ age group.  Im heavily leaning on the lord in this time of adventure and I believe that he will get me trough it. On another note to end the night with debriefed our first day of devotionals and it when really well. I wish all the fathers Happy Fathers Day! 

Oh and might I add that basketball is getting heated!!

From the heart of Natalie Runksmeier 😁

We've Arrived!!

   Greetings Everyone!

     Today we got up bright and early at 5:30 in the morning to get ready for our travel to Detroit. After a quick pitstop getting some Starbucks and Panera we were off towards out destination. The trip there was filled with plenty of music and laughter, and quite a few different games were played. A question popped up in one of the games that was being played and it asked who's most likely to be revealed as an alien. However, we decided to change it up to who, on the trip, would be most likely to be revealed as an alien. The consensus between the two cars came rather quickly, and the award for: Most Likely to be an Alien goes to... Riley! Since that result, Riley has picked up a new nickname. Alien. 

    On the way to Detroit we made 2 pitstops. One at fruit acres, which might have some of the best farm fresh fruit I've ever had, and the other at Target, where Mr. Alien had to purchase a belt because he forgot his back on Mars. After we left Target, it was straight on to Detroit Love, where we'll be staying for the next week. 

    When we arrived, we had a tasty sandwich lunch prepared by the wonderful Mrs. Lori, and then got into more of the business side of things with going over rules, a tour of the building, and unpacking of our belongings. After this, we had quite a bit of free time, and during this free time, people did a variety of things like playing some card games, or just sitting down and talking at the table, but for the 3 other guys and I all realized just how much energy it takes to play basketball, with all of us being absolutely exhausted afterwards. 

After cooling down and changing, everyone left to go on a tour of the neighborhood where the VBS that we put on, or Big A, is held. We prayer walked the area around the gym where we hold Big A, then proceeded to walk down Heidelberg Street, and observe all of the interesting artwork that has been created there. While walking, we met a man who actually happens to be the main artist of the Heidelberg Street Project. He told us all about the meaning behind a lot of the artwork, what inspired him, and many more details. It was a great conversation, and one that certainly made the day a little more interesting. During the conversation, it was very interesting to hear how his faith had guided him and inspired him to do a lot of the artwork that he did. He was very open with us about his faith, which was honestly something that was really cool to see. It's also something that I personally want to work on, and something that I've been trying more and more to work for. 

Once we got back, we ate some absolutely delicious burgers and hot dogs, played a group game of volleyball, had a little worship session, and discussed what the general plan for Big A is going to be. Now, on a more personal note, this is my 2nd year going to Detroit, and going back is something that I've personally looked forward to ever since I left last year. Last year I grew incredibly in my faith, and I experienced God in a way I've never experienced Him before. This year, I'm looking forward to growing more in my relationship with Him, growing closer in my relationships to others on the trip, and serving and glorifying God through whatever he guides us to do. I'm really looking forward to starting our ministry work, and especially looking forward to getting started with Big A on Monday. It's going to be very tiring, and there's going to be challenges that get in the way, but like Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Him who strengthen me". 

With that being said, it's getting late and tomorrow is going to be a big day. To my family and friends, I miss you all, and I can't wait to see you all when we get back. To my sister, I want to wish you a happy early 16th birthday, it's crazy to think that you'll be able to drive on your own soon, and I hope you enjoy your sweet 16th. I love you. 

Thank you all for reading

- Tyler Wallin

Day 1: Detroit 2024 Travel Day

                 

                   As we were driving in Wisconsin our check engine light came on. We called Enterprise and they found us a replacement vehicle. With a detour to the Madison Airport, we have an upgraded Expedition that allows more space for people and things.  Our drive has been full laughs, snacks, conversation cards, and lots of music. We are all safe and well fed. Hands have been slapped with an intense game of Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza. We are all snuggling in for an early departure to embark on our next leg of the journey. 

We hope you are all well at home. Please pray for continued unity and safety for our journey. 

Our Last Day :(

Today was so much fun. I cant help but smile as I’m writing this. God answered so many prayers. I can see how God responded to my biggest prayers in the perfect ways. First I'm going to start with some background information so you can tag along in this journey with me. On Wednesday my team and I were on for servant evangelism (it's where we give time for the holy spirt to move in and around us). We started off just praying for signs and feelings of the Holy Spirit urging us in any direction where God needed us. We then started to drive around and God put on my heart that we needed to go to the Brewsters (one of the project) and do something for or with the kids who lived within. So where did we go the, we went to the Brewsters. We drove in and there was no one. no one walking around, no one sitting on there porch, there was no one.  So the we left and had to go pick up a prayer walking group in Cass Park. On our way to Cass Park we saw boys from the Bewsters selling water at a stop light. We picked up the team from Cass Park and we head right for those boys selling water. We pull up and Amanda asked if any of them had ever been to Big A (the VBS we do here in Detroit). However, the light was green and we had to continue on so Amanda, being Amanda, yelled "WE'LL COME BACK FOR YOU". We whipped a U-turn and waited for the light to turn yellow (or red) and right as we got to the light God answered a prayer. The light turned yellow and the entire car went crazy! This provided a connection with the kids selling water (from the Brewsters) and rekindled those past relationships. The next day my team went back to the Brewsters and saw two kids walking. The ironic part was they were waving for us to come near, not the other way around. It turned out to be two kids (who weren't selling waters) that I had a previous relationship with. The interactions from that moment were overwhelmingly positive and filled my heart with an overflowing love. We invited them to Big A and they actually came. That was the best birthday present ever, since Thursday was my birthday. God was moving in those moments yesterday and today, I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in everything connecting the dots of each event. Now tonight, we got a different experience.  Not only was today the hardest day yet, but it was the most fun. After Big A we came home to Mrs. Lori and her "Boujee-quare" restaurant, which was essentially a fancy pizzeria in the kitchen. We had our own personal chef (the wonderful Mrs. Lori) serve us table-side and I would leave 5 star review on yelp. Then we were off to the baseball game, which conveniently was the Twins against the Tigers and the Twins won! The joy in these moments was evidence of Gods presence. It was so breath taking to see how the once in a life time opportunity brought out the best in every single one of them. And  a little cherry on top was to spend time with Kenny and Diamond (people from Detroit). To finally rap this up, skipping down the street with Kenny and others on the team was the most perfect way to end they trip:)

From the girl who ran into the pole,   Natalie 

Day 6!

 Day 6 is now complete in Detroit! The time spent here has gone by SO quickly. Throughout this week, God has been present throughout my team and the Holy Spirit is at work.

Today, my team and I had the opportunity to prayer walk the neighborhood surrounding where we are living. If someone hasn't already mentioned, we are staying in 'Poll Town' and the place we live for the week is the old community center building for the Polish people coming to Detroit. Throughout our prayer walk, we prayed over church communities of Detroit, school systems, along with the community of the neighborhood. We were able to encounter some people in the community as well! One of the ladies we came across was a native of Detroit. She had a massive garden and she gave us a tour of her garden. It was incredible. We ate some of her strawberries, and tried mulberries for the first time! Her and her husband bought surrounding properties and have hope to build community in the neighborhood. It gave me immense hope that people are actively investing in the city. The life she is choosing to live is a life of simplicity as well which gave me perspective. It was a reminder of what matters in life- even though she wasn't necessarily a believer in God.

And then it was Big A time. God answered some prayers for Big A today. Amanda and I had 15 or 16 kids in 15+ (kids that are 15 year olds or older). What a blessing it was to be able to share God's word and love with kids. 2 brothers who had come before ended up coming today and it was so sweet!!! Not gonna lie, I was able to show the Detroit guys that I could hoop which was a fun flex on them too.

Overall, I'm so thankful for the opportunity to come back to Detroit. As I've mentioned, God has been moving through our team. Please reach out if you want other stories from the week!

God bless :)

Emma

Only Two More Days?!?

     Hello All!!

    As I write this letter at 12:00 at night I reflect on how amazing this trip has been. I can't believe we are already over halfway done! If you were to ask anyone of my close family members or friends how much I was looking forward to this trip they would tell you little to none... With that being said, I have absolutely had a 100% change of heart, Detroit, Big A and D-Love has won over my heart. 

    Today was day 3 of VBS (Big A) and it was filled with fun, laughter, singing and dancing. The day started with an amazing breakfast as always (a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Lori for making all of the amazing food on this trip), we then moved into devos. Today we focused on the attributes of God and how they all function together and equally. This idea changed my thinking and allowed me to open my eyes to all of the ways God works in my life. We then moved onto our service projects of the day which I will never forget. 

    My group was assigned with Servant Evangelicalism today which is something that I have never been apart. We started in prayer and silence and waited to see what God wanted to place on our hearts and minds. After 30-or-so minutes of reflection our group landed on main ideas: cards, flashing lights, city skyline, the song kumbaya and a casino. With these ideas in mind we first played a game of "Go fish" to see what God was calling us to do, next we headed to Motor-City casino with a deck of cards, a table, chalk and goldfish (because of the game of "go fish").  We had no plan or idea with God lead us to do the things we did, but we had faith in his plan for our time and wanted to see what He had in-store of us. After arriving we found a table to sit outside the casino and decided God put us here for a reason. During our time there we were able to spread the Gospel and spread Gods goodness through drawings on the ground in chalk as well as grow closer as a team in time spent together. After Servant Evangelicalism we headed back for lunch and into our "normal" afternoon schedule. 

    Afternoons are filled with Big-A prep, which for me looks like filling 75 bags of goldfish for the kiddos, rest (either in the form of a nap or bracelet making) and chores. As we get closer and closer to 4:00 you can feel the anticipation of what we will spend our next 2 hours doing. Today I had 8 kids in my Big-A small group which is double what I have the past 2 days. Although more kids to be in charge of may be a challenge, the joy of being able to spread God's love to these kids is enough to cancel out any stress that may be caused. After Big-A it is back to the D-Love building for and amazing dinner, worship (one of my favorite parts of the night), stories of the day and prayers of the day. After our "normal scheduled activities" the team played games and spent time together having fun and laughing more than ever. I think you could definitely say the delusion is kicking in. 

    Tonight Natalie and I were able to go with Amanda on a night drive to bring home Kenny and Diamond. Seeing the city at night is truly breathtaking, although you see the beautiful downtown, full of stores and lights you also see the neighborhoods less than a mile away with houses nearly ready to collapse. The difference in the areas is mind-blowing and heartbreaking to me, but I believe with time, care, and proper attention the difference could be lessened. 

    If you would told me 2 weeks ago that I have absolutely fallen in love with Detroit I would call you crazy. This trip has led me to grow exponentially spiritually as well as emotionally and I would not change this opportunity for anything. 

Thank you for taking the time to follow along with us! 

-Ellie Wolthuizen

Detroits got Talent

Hello, and good whatever time you're reading this at to you.

    Today was another eventful day in our time here in Detroit, but before I talk about Detroit, I have a message for a certain someone back home. Today, June 20th, is my sister Maren’s birthday, and I want to wish her a VERY happy birthday! (even if it is a belated one by the time you read this). You'll be getting your permit here soon which I hope you enjoy, and always remember to change out your blinker fluid. Anyways, I hope you had a very happy and blessed day doing something that you enjoy.

    This morning I was able to get an extra 30 minutes of sleep. Now this may not seem like a lot, but it felt nice. Breakfast this morning was really good, as per usual with Mrs. Lori's cooking. After breakfast and a slightly changed up morning schedule, it was time for devos. We're studying 1 Peter, and are getting further into chapter 1. The conversations that we're having about it are deep, and I'm looking forward to the conversations that we are going to have in our next 3 days here. 

    After we finished our devos, we put our bibles and devotional books away and got ready to go serve and spread God's word and the gospel, Yesterday, I prayer walked the neighborhood around the Detroit Love building, and while we did end up praying for the community and buildings in the neighborhood, we didn't end up being able to pray for anyone that was out and about, as people were just being kind of closed in and not wanting to talk. Today, I prayer walked Cass Park, which is an area that is impoverished and has a decent amount of homeless people living in and around it. We ended up talking to a lot of people, and ended up praying for most of them. The really cool God moment of the day though was when I got back to the building. When we got back and started talking with other groups, I found out that the group prayer walking the local neighborhood ended up praying and talking to a lot of people. Last night, I made sure to pray that people would be more open and willing to talk to us, and to see that prayer answered the next day was really cool to see. 

    Before VBS we ate lunch, got prepped for VBS, and most of us took small little naps, and then it was time for VBS, or Big A. I am actually really enjoying Big A, and playing basketball or football with the children that come. Yesterday there was a lot of basketball playing, but today, as soon as I walked in to the building, on of the kids saw a football in the bag and wanted to throw around the football, so that's what we ended up doing. 2/3 of my group members that were here on Monday, weren't here today, so Ashley and I's groups ended up merging together. The game got me completely winded, and the craft was complicated, but I liked it. I think one of the phenomenal things about Big A is seeing how God is loving on the children through us. It's something that I haven't really ever seen before, and it's something that is really cool to see. 

    The taco Tuesday tacos were some of the best tacos I've had in a while, and if I could eat those for every meal until we leave, I would. The game that we played tonight after supper was an interesting one. We split up into two groups, and each came up with an act for an impromptu talent show, Detroits got Talent. Our group came up with a skit that re-enacted the very eventful day that was Sunday. Now, I'm pretty sure that the final verdict was that everyone won, but in my opinion, my group's skit was way better. 

    This is my first time going to Detroit, so I really didn't know what to expect, and have kind of just been going with the flow, but I'm starting to really like it. I came here to see God in action, and to help grow my relationship in Christ, both of which have happened, and are continuing to happen. I'm starting to really love what we're doing here and I'm enjoying it, and looking forward to it more and more each and every day. 

Thank you for taking the time to read the giant essay I've written

- Tyler Wallin