Saturday, July 9, 2011

Mission Trip Celebration

Please join us on Sunday, August 14, 2011, for our Mission Trip Celebration.  We will begin immediately following the 10:00 am service (approximately 11 am) and share what we experienced on this trip.  We will serve a lunch (approximately 11:30 am) that is just like the community cookout we served in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.  There is no cost for lunch, although a freewill offering will be received for lunch expenses.  Come and join us!

 

Saturday, July 2, 2011

HOME SWEET HOME!

We have concluded our trip and have arrived safely home in Fort Wayne.  Pish posh.  We had an awesome experience.  Thank you to the entire congregation of Trinity English Lutheran Church for making this trip possible.  We have more to share about what we experienced, what we learned, and how we have changed.  We hope to have an opportunity to share with those interested very soon!
We have enjoyed about an hour at OHare. We board our flight to Fort Wayne in about 10 minutes. See you soon!

Friday, July 1, 2011

So Much to Share...So Little Time!

We were so busy yesterday (Thursday) that I didn't have time to post anything.  Sorry about that.

I am posting some pictures from Wednesday evening first.  Now, I know this is one of those things that "you had to be there", but I wanted to share it with you anyway.  The staff asked for 4 volunteers.  Jason, Justin, and Christa immediately volunteered as did a student from the Texas group.  Once they were on stage, it was announced that they would be participating in a "dance off".  Both Jason and Justin hammed it up a bit.  Christa was hesitant...and the whole crowd cheered her name over and over.  She ended up doing an incredible dance!  You had to be there to fully appreciate it, but take a look at the pictures and I think you'll get a sense of it.

We finished up our work assignments on Thursday.  It was 106 degrees. We decided the quote of the day was from Delaney.  She commented that it was so hot that her mouth was sweating and her mouth has never sweat before!   One of the home owners whose home was being painted treated the work crew to Sno Cones from a truck that is located in downtown Pawhuska.  I ended up having to drive the crew (which included Jacque, Brent, and Jon) and had a great time with them.  I then took my crew (which included Ross, Justin, Jason, and Austin) and they enjoyed it as well.

My crew (along with Catherine and Meredith) visited at the Pawhuska Nursing Home in the morning to play Bingo with residents.  We ended up forming a choir and sang for the residents.  After our first song they found some hymnals for us and we ended up singing quite a few.

We enjoyed a community cookout Thursday evening.  Many of the people who we had served throughout the week came and joined us for dinner.  It was great for our youth to see how much the work they did was appreciated.  Marjoleine joined us for dinner as well.

Our closing worship time on Thursday evening was quite moving.  We had a footwashing service.

This morning we departed, spending the day at Big Splash Waterpark in Tulsa.  It was a great place to spend the day.  We had dinner tonight at Romano's Macaroni Grill.

Right now we are about to turn off the lights so that we can get some rest before our 7 am wake up time.  While everyone has had a wonderful time, we look forward to returning to Fort Wayne tomorrow.














Friday - Devotions - Return Different

Our focus for today is Luke 5:17-26:  "17One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; 19but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.20When he saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." 21Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, "Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 22When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 23Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Stand up and walk'? 24But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" — he said to the one who was paralyzed — "I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home." 25Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. 26Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen strange things today."


As we prepare to return to Fort Wayne tomorrow, we are returning as different people then when we left.  We are glorifying God because we have seen strange things.  We return differently in order to Be Different!