The theme for today was "Restored." We recapped the past two days and were remembered that sin pulls us away from our relationship with God, but Jesus pursues us to restore that relationship. We also talked about how the best way we can point others to this restored relationship with God is through seeking to repair our own relationships with others.
More blurbs from the youth about their experiences coming your way! We switched mission sites today, so those who were doing Kids Club switched over to work projects, and those doing work projects the first two days now moved to Kids Club.
Kids Club:
Today was my first day at kids club. It was very fun. There were only 6 kids at Kids Club. I ran the arts and crafts station with 5 other people. It was nice to just sit in the shade all day. We sang songs and some of the other kids did a skit about how Jesus loves everyone. Before we plays games, everyone played Red Light, Green Light. All in all, I really enjoyed Kids Club.
-Grace Keaton
Work Projects:
Today, our fun group named Optimus Prime, went to Vic's house to pick up where the group yesterday left off. Our job was to paint the second coat on the entire house. We finished almost the whole house in the time we had. Everyone had a lot of fun together. We learned that holding a ladder for someone is, 1) a very hot job, and 2) a bonding experience. I met some new people and talked with people I already knew. All of us were covered in paint afterwards. But we had lots of fun and we were all happy to help.
-Anastasia Bidne
Evening Activity:
After we helped with dinner prep, we all went to the park. For dinner, we had Domino's Pizza. I ate more than I've ever eaten since we've been in Idaho. After dinner, Emilee (one of the YouthWorks staff) invited a lady from the Nez Perce Tribe. She talked about the history about Lewis and Clark and conflicts between the Nez Perce people. Lots about people had questions, so she was there for about 45 minutes. After she left, we had club (evening worship) outside. It was hard to hear because Zach was slapping the mosquitoes off him every two seconds. It was getting dark when we let. I really had fun going on trails and finding a river.
-Grace Keaton
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Nez Perce Tuesday: "Pursued"
Hello again! Today we continued to explore how we are desired by God, and revisited our brokenness from yesterday. We were reminded of the fact that, even through our brokenness, Jesus still places incredible value on each of us. By seeing our worth, He pursues us to have a relationship with Him. Everyone has something to offer and we can pursue others with the same love with which Jesus pursues us. We looked at the story of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7) and examined how amazing it is when we stray away from the herd, God still searches for us, brings us back, and rejoices in our return.
Each crew went back to the same type of mission site, and I asked a student from each crew to write about their experience today. Enjoy!
Kids Club:
Kids Club today was a ton of fun! We started off the morning by going to the Idaho Food Bank and moved almost TEN THOUSAND pounds of food. Some people were moving zucchini, other people bagged tons o cereal, and others sorted canned and packaged foods into separate food groups. After that, we went back to the church and ate lunch. We were at the food bank for about an hour, so that left two or three hours to play with the kids. We started off with some songs like Father Abraham. Then we played games, did crafts, and read the Bible. I feel like everybody is very in touch with God here and are having a blast. Tomorrow is a new day though, so I expect new experiences to occur.
-Ben Thunselle
Work Projects:
Today we went to a man named Vic's house to paint the outside. At first, I had a blast, but after about ten minutes, the heat got to me. Now it was probably in the lower nineties, but we continued working through the heat. We got a lot done, and by lunch we were so hot and sweaty but still continued. When we were done it looked great! We were relieved we had finished and left in hopes that the owner would be happy with it.
-Zach Taylor
Evening Activity:
This evening our team (Maggie, Grace, Anastasia, TJ, Ben, Simon, Zach, Taryn, and Mike) went with the rest of the group to the Wolf Conservation and Research Center in Winchester, Idaho. Despite not seeing any wolves, sightings of deer, turkeys, and a variety of birds were reported.
It was also reported that stinging nettle was on the prowl, perhaps even stalking Simon... More to follow.
We learned that a coyote and a wolf can cross-breed; that they have a predator instinct that will last about 15 minutes during a hunt; and that alphas, omegas, and subordinates are all different kinds of members in the pack.
-Simon Stephens
Note from Taryn:
These kids are amazing. That's all. :)
Each crew went back to the same type of mission site, and I asked a student from each crew to write about their experience today. Enjoy!
Kids Club:
Kids Club today was a ton of fun! We started off the morning by going to the Idaho Food Bank and moved almost TEN THOUSAND pounds of food. Some people were moving zucchini, other people bagged tons o cereal, and others sorted canned and packaged foods into separate food groups. After that, we went back to the church and ate lunch. We were at the food bank for about an hour, so that left two or three hours to play with the kids. We started off with some songs like Father Abraham. Then we played games, did crafts, and read the Bible. I feel like everybody is very in touch with God here and are having a blast. Tomorrow is a new day though, so I expect new experiences to occur.
-Ben Thunselle
Work Projects:
Today we went to a man named Vic's house to paint the outside. At first, I had a blast, but after about ten minutes, the heat got to me. Now it was probably in the lower nineties, but we continued working through the heat. We got a lot done, and by lunch we were so hot and sweaty but still continued. When we were done it looked great! We were relieved we had finished and left in hopes that the owner would be happy with it.
-Zach Taylor
Evening Activity:
This evening our team (Maggie, Grace, Anastasia, TJ, Ben, Simon, Zach, Taryn, and Mike) went with the rest of the group to the Wolf Conservation and Research Center in Winchester, Idaho. Despite not seeing any wolves, sightings of deer, turkeys, and a variety of birds were reported.
It was also reported that stinging nettle was on the prowl, perhaps even stalking Simon... More to follow.
We learned that a coyote and a wolf can cross-breed; that they have a predator instinct that will last about 15 minutes during a hunt; and that alphas, omegas, and subordinates are all different kinds of members in the pack.
-Simon Stephens
Note from Taryn:
These kids are amazing. That's all. :)
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Nez Perce Monday: "Broken"
Today was our first full day at the Nez Perce mission site. Our group was split into two groups to do two different types of service work. Half of us planned "Kids Club," a VBS-style day camp for the children of the community, and half of us did work projects. I asked a student from each group to write a little bit about their experiences from the day. Here's what they said!
Kids Club:
I had an exciting day in Kids Club today. I really made a connection with one of the kids; his name was Quinton and we went through all the stations together, we played "Duck Duck Goose", and read princess books, and made paper princesses at the art station. Quinton was four years old and it was a great experience to connect with and play with him today in Kids Club.
-Maggie Thunselle
Work Projects:
Today we went out and did some yard work in front of the church that we are staying at, the Lapwai Assembly of God Church. It was hot and we had over 15 gallons of water to drink. And we shoveled SIX TONS of rock (Note from Taryn: not an exaggeration!!!). It took six hours and ten people to do it. The hot wind and the sun would not go away. At the end of the day, I was tired but it was all worth it. And it looked good.
-TJ Huntley
Note from Taryn:
The theme from today was "Brokenness." In our conversations and devotional time, we explored what the brokenness is and where God is through it. Today we were reminded that all of us have been broken because of sin. And as we seek to help others in the places they are lost, Jesus wants us to remember our own sin. Understanding that we are just as broken as other people on different walks helps us to approach service and loving others with a humble attitude. When we see that we are no better than anyone else, we are able to share the love of Jesus and be the hands and feet of Christ in all that we do.
I am super excited to say that we are now a group of 9! Anastasia flew into the Lewiston airport at midnight and we are so excited she is now here and able to share in this experience with us! God is doing some amazing things in our group and I'm loving all the wonderfully positive comments I'm receiving from other adult leaders and the YouthWorks staff about our group. I keep hearing from them how sweet, kind, hard-working, and positive the youth from our group are. Be proud of the great work these young'uns are doing! I'm constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be working with this fantastic group and I love watching them grow.
Stay tuned for updates about Tuesday!
Blessings,
Taryn
Kids Club:
I had an exciting day in Kids Club today. I really made a connection with one of the kids; his name was Quinton and we went through all the stations together, we played "Duck Duck Goose", and read princess books, and made paper princesses at the art station. Quinton was four years old and it was a great experience to connect with and play with him today in Kids Club.
-Maggie Thunselle
Work Projects:
Today we went out and did some yard work in front of the church that we are staying at, the Lapwai Assembly of God Church. It was hot and we had over 15 gallons of water to drink. And we shoveled SIX TONS of rock (Note from Taryn: not an exaggeration!!!). It took six hours and ten people to do it. The hot wind and the sun would not go away. At the end of the day, I was tired but it was all worth it. And it looked good.
-TJ Huntley
Note from Taryn:
The theme from today was "Brokenness." In our conversations and devotional time, we explored what the brokenness is and where God is through it. Today we were reminded that all of us have been broken because of sin. And as we seek to help others in the places they are lost, Jesus wants us to remember our own sin. Understanding that we are just as broken as other people on different walks helps us to approach service and loving others with a humble attitude. When we see that we are no better than anyone else, we are able to share the love of Jesus and be the hands and feet of Christ in all that we do.
I am super excited to say that we are now a group of 9! Anastasia flew into the Lewiston airport at midnight and we are so excited she is now here and able to share in this experience with us! God is doing some amazing things in our group and I'm loving all the wonderfully positive comments I'm receiving from other adult leaders and the YouthWorks staff about our group. I keep hearing from them how sweet, kind, hard-working, and positive the youth from our group are. Be proud of the great work these young'uns are doing! I'm constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be working with this fantastic group and I love watching them grow.
Stay tuned for updates about Tuesday!
Blessings,
Taryn
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Summer 2013 Officially Under Way! -- Nez Perce Day 1
Hello friends! After a few hectic days, roster changes and two "Shoot! We gotta turn around!" moments, we are finally in Lapwai, Idaho about to start our week of service in the Nez Perce Reservation.
The drive was quiet. Almost too quiet... But everyone was in great spirits and we were all so excited to get there! I think I reached "Ultimate Jason Mraz" by the end of the drive, but a little drive through Pullman (home of my Alma Mater, go cougs!) made my heart sing (minus the booing from Ben...).
As soon as we got to the Lapwai Assembly of God Church, we were greeted by a bunch of youth and adults, with exuberant waves and smiles on their faces. They had no idea who we are or where we come from, but what they do know is that we are all here with a common purpose: to be the hands and feet of Christ in the Nez Perce community.
The theme for this week is "Undesirable." As we talked, we are reminded of the fact that we all come from different places, different families, different social statuses, and are on different stages of our faith journey. What's so amazing is that Jesus loves us and desires us all the same, no matter who we are or what we are all about. We read the story of Zaccheus, and we were reminded that Jesus still saw him as desirable, despite his past. We all have our Zaccheus moments, yet Jesus still loves us. As we go through this week, we are called to share that unconditional love to those we meet in the words we speak and the things we do.
I'll wrap this up with something I heard on my very first YouthWorks trip as a high school freshman way back in 2003:
For some reason, this piece of advice has always resonated with me. Being pushed out of your comfort zone can be scary. But these students are about to see how true this can be. These students aren't just being pushed out of their comfort zone, they're long-jumping out of it. And I'm so excited to see how they grow over this week. Mike and I are so blessed to be here as witnesses to such an amazing experience with these crazy, lovable kids!
Tomorrow, one member of our group participating in Kids Club and one member of our group participating in work projects will each write a blurb about what they experience.
Please continue to pray for us through this week, and thank you for your continued support of our youth and these trips!
The drive was quiet. Almost too quiet... But everyone was in great spirits and we were all so excited to get there! I think I reached "Ultimate Jason Mraz" by the end of the drive, but a little drive through Pullman (home of my Alma Mater, go cougs!) made my heart sing (minus the booing from Ben...).
As soon as we got to the Lapwai Assembly of God Church, we were greeted by a bunch of youth and adults, with exuberant waves and smiles on their faces. They had no idea who we are or where we come from, but what they do know is that we are all here with a common purpose: to be the hands and feet of Christ in the Nez Perce community.
The theme for this week is "
I'll wrap this up with something I heard on my very first YouthWorks trip as a high school freshman way back in 2003:
When you are pushed outside of your comfort zone, that is where you find growth.
For some reason, this piece of advice has always resonated with me. Being pushed out of your comfort zone can be scary. But these students are about to see how true this can be. These students aren't just being pushed out of their comfort zone, they're long-jumping out of it. And I'm so excited to see how they grow over this week. Mike and I are so blessed to be here as witnesses to such an amazing experience with these crazy, lovable kids!
Tomorrow, one member of our group participating in Kids Club and one member of our group participating in work projects will each write a blurb about what they experience.
Please continue to pray for us through this week, and thank you for your continued support of our youth and these trips!
Blessings,
Taryn Hauglie
Director of Youth Ministries
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