2015 MTrip Day 5 (Sarah H. & Emily)

Day 5: Thursday, July 23, 2015

Today in my group, after a french toast breakfast, we headed out to Castella's for our last day of work. As usual I went to greet her in the morning and watch some old game shows. I always enjoy watching the smile appear on Castella's face as we come in to talk to her. We worked really hard today, probably put in the most effort. We stayed until we got the job done which was probably until 4:30. We were so determined to finish the porch and when we did she was so happy. It was really sweet when she prayed for us. When we got back, all the local kids, teens, and parents were there as well for the cook out and performance from the little kids. We ate good hamburgers and watermelon outside with everyone and then had to clean kitchen and bathroom (ew). The little kids showed off their dance moves and then there was basketball games to watch and ice cream to eat and shirts to buy. We ended the night with a quick jam sesh and got ready for the early morning the next day!

-Sarah Hart

Today we all woke up early and my group hurried to the Powells house to finish our project. We came to find that our helper Joe was already there, which was a great surprise. Most of us stayed to finish up the floor, and some of us went to Debbie Powell's sister's house to wash more siding. At around 2 we said our goodbyes, took pictures and went back to the school. When we got back, we had a cookout with great burgers that Ted made. It was our chore day, so we cleaned up after dinner, and we cleaned the gross bathroom. We watched a performance the little kids from the community set up, and then had ice cream. Some of the people in our group participated in the 3v3 basketball tournament, and everyone watched. One group lost in the first group, and the other got in second place. We ended the night late with a quick group worship before we went straight to bed!

-Emily Bourgeois

2015 MTrip Day 4 (Sarah S. & Lauren)

Day 4: Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Today my group was split up doing all kinds of things around Debbie's house and her neighbors. We finished painting a room for her, we are almost done fixing her kitchen floor that was sinking and washing her neighbors siding. After a long day at work we headed up to miracle mountain which was absolutely beautiful. We roasted hot dogs for dinner and had a blast playing capture the flag with other youth groups (we won three times in a row). We had a nice service overlooking the mountain side and then s'mores to end the night.

~Sarah Stephenson

Today after breakfast and devotional time, my group started and finished repairing Castella's front porch by hammering in new boards. While a part of the group was working on that another  to be small group put together the new stairs for the back porch. Also, two or three people would keep Castella company inside, enjoying 80's game shows. After returning from the worksites and having some free time, we all headed to Miracle Mountain which revealed to have breathtaking views, especially with the sunset. We roasted hotdogs for dinner, played frisbee and capture the flag, and just hung out. We had a different worship session than the other days where we got a little time to just relax and think in the gorgeous setting of the mountaintop. When it got dark we came back to the school for a short group recap and meeting to end the day.

~ Lauren Koch

2015 MTrip Day 3 (Lydia, Owen, Max and Christian)

Day 3: Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Today the group that is working on Castella's house with the unreliable porch got right to work cutting the wood that will soon make up the new one. We all split into groups that learned how to and used the saws, hammers, and electric drills. When one or a few of us did not have a job to do or finished a job, we went into the house and chatted with the homeowner. While at times we may not have had a hammer and nail in our hand, we were still building a relationship with Castella and breaking boundaries formed by society. It has only been the second day working at her house and we have all immersed ourselves into a world we have never known by getting to know someone who knows it better than anyone else. By the end of the day we had the steps that would lead up to the porch measured and cut and had constructed the deck for it. We were also given a blessing today with overcast and light rain for most of the work day which kept us cool. Today our team didn't just divide and work, we divided and composed the pieces that will later come together to form a gift from God delivered by our power to another child of God.

~Lydia Blakely

My group went to a neighbor of the lady we were helping and scrubbed her siding.

~Owen Molloy

My group had some issues because the lady's house was too small so we did three different things, we painted her house and scrubbed her neighbor's house so we could all help God in different ways.

-Max Smith

My group picked up a bunch of trash on the side of a river and the garbage ranged from nasty sweatshirts to bottle caps.

~Christian Touchton

2015 MTrip Day 2 (Connor & Sam)

Day 2: Monday, July 20, 2015

Today we split into two groups to do work. One group went to a house where the kitchen floor was sinking and the other went to a house to rebuild a deck. My group had the kitchen floor project. We had some difficulty today, the biggest one being that when we got to the work site the owner didn't want us to fix her floor. She was under the impression that the contractor would be there to review our work. So after learning that we weren't going to start the floor today we decided talk with and get to know the owner and her friend Nick. We really got to know the people and we bonded as a group a lot. After talking for a while we decided to pick up trash around the river. We are very excited to start on the floor tomorrow.

~Connor Barash

My group went to a house with an unreliable porch. We spent the first half of the day demolishing the porch, running into some possibly poison oak in the process. We also set up a game plan for the new porch; which we will be working on the rest of the week. After lunch, we headed back to the school and got set up for kid's club. Although we were attempting a scheduled day filled with games, an arts & crafts project, a skit, and a snack; we were lucky enough to be with a group of kids that went with the flow. We did a little bit of everything. The kids were very loud and energetic, but I think (and hope) they enjoyed themselves. We had trouble earning their attention at first; but by the end of the time we had together, I think we had them pretty much under control. We're excited to get back to the home tomorrow and start building the porch!

-Sam Bourgeois

2015 MTrip Day 1 (Dana)

Day 1: Sunday, July 19, 2015

Today we met at Cana at 6:30 in the morning to drive to West Virginia for our 2015 mission trip. The STAGE group will be here until Friday when we leave for white water rafting and then will be going on to a church in Ohio where we will bevstaying overnight. We are doing mission work like helping repair a ramp and stairs and also replacing a sinking kitchen floor and helping with the kids club on Monday. The drive through Ohio was fine, but once we hit the first toll booth in West Virginia, it started to get a bit rough. At the toll booth the Prince of Glory (POG) van and the enterprise car got through with no trouble, but the luggage car stalled out because of a busted fuel pump and had to be towed. So as this is going on the enterprise car waited right after the toll booth but the POG thought everything was good and drove for two miles before pulling off of the highway. So the people in the POG got out and waited for around half an hour and hung out, played frisbee, and climbed up the side of a rocky hill. So once the enterprise and the luggage car (on a tow truck) caught up to the POG, we got the necessary clothing we needed for tomorrow and got back into the vans as Mr. Ted went to stay in a hotel and get the car fixed. We then stopped about 2-3 hours later when the enterprise van thought the had a flat tire. It got fixed and we left the 7/11 to go get dinner at Dairy Queen. We then finally got to the school we were staying at around 8. So what was supposed to be an 8 hour drive turned into a twelve and a half hour drive instead. I am very excited to be on the trip this year as its my first and although it's supposed to be in the mid 80's all week, I know I will have a great time, have fun, help and meet new people, and hopefully bond with everyone in STAGE 2.

~Dana R. (13)

P.S. Mom and Dad I know probably won't read this until you get back but, please be super safe and have fun on your trip and don't get eaten by a bear. I love and miss you so much! See you Saturday.