High School Youth Mission Trip-Retreat

I received a wonderful email from Pastor Bill this week in which he recounted our high school youth's trip to Kentucky and Tennesse this past week. Once again, it makes me so proud to be part of such a wonderful church family that is ministering to teens so they can in turn show the love of Christ through their actions.

They began in Kentucky where in just 2 1/2 days they were able to split up into teams in order to: tear out water-stained drywall, seal a leaking roof and put up new paneling; work at the Outreach Center digging and installing a new drainage system; hand-sand drywall and paint the interior of a home; and build a 12' x 16' front porch and stairs for the rear of a home. In Pastor Bill's words, "I have never been more proud of our teens as I was watching them minister to families in need in Kentucky. Our youth were so determined to finish their projects that they gave up free time in order to keep working. One group even went back to work after their dinner break and worked until it got dark. Even on the day we were to pack up and leave for Tennessee, they chose to stay to finish what they had started. The owner of Cumberland Mountain Outreach broke into tears as she thanked our youth for getting the tasks completed. She explained that we were the last group for the summer and if we didn't finish, those projects would have had to stay like that until next year."

Pastor Bill also shared how the group of 40 that worked so hard in Kentucky were able to bond and see the Holy Spirit work during their time of devotions and relaxation on their whitewater rafting trip in Tennessee. "The Holy Spirit moved and we began sharing with one another. Our teens opened up and decided they wanted their chains broken and wanted to come clean on things they had hidden deep inside them. I saw them rally around each other and many new friendships were made." Praise God for the work He is doing in our teens' lives!