Rush Mission Trip

Friday (Day7)

2010-07-30T21:55:00.001-07:00

We have made it to our last day of our trip. Today has been a full day. We went to the Grand Canyon today. What an awesome sight to see. Only a God like ours could create something so majestic. The kids had a great time rock climbing and taking pictures that look like they were about to go over the edge! Parents don't freak out when you see the pictures they really were safe and we really were watching them!! It was a really nice way to end our week.
Tonight we are in Phoenix getting ready to eat pizza and have our final "living room" session. You will have to ask your kids what that is. As far as I am concerned it's one of the things that make our trips so valuable. It's one of the things they remember. So, ask them about it.
Tomorrow we board a plane and head back home, but none of us will come back like we left. I think your teens will come home with new attitudes and a greater appreciation for the kind of lives they are so blessed to live. Ask them about the children they met. ask them how this week has changed their life. They will tell you and it will warm your hearts as much as it has mine as they have shared this week what an impact this trip has had on them. Give them some grace if they are grouchy when they get home we haven't had a lot of sleep. But when you get a moment set down with them and say tell how this changed you. Get you kleenex ready because they probably won't be able to do it with dry eyes, and neither will you.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to share Christ with a hurting, broken nation.

Thursday (Day 6)

2010-07-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

Well today we left the reservation with a lot of reservations. It was hard to say goodbye to those kids we have spent a week with not knowing if we will ever see them again and not knowing how their lives will be. One thing we have figured out is that we all have it very good and we live in bubble that insulates us from the real world. These kids deal everyday with things that we take for granted. Like a place to sleep, food to eat and will I live another day. Pray for us was the request from one of the teens who has come and hung out with us all week. I will never forget the hugs from these kids. They were so desperate and needed. You can bet Im going to hug my kids differently than I did before. I realize hugs really a are basic need in life.
We finished sports camp today with over 20 of the children praying the sinners prayer. One little boy ran up to me and said I got Jesus in my heart now. He was grinning form ear to ear. I pray that seed that's been planted will grow into a young man of God.
Three young men named Sean, Jerold, and Ken have hung out with us all week. They have had a great time with our group and even today after we left have been sending messages to us. Sean will be going to Bible college in St. Peter Mo. so we have invited him to come and spend some weekends with us in Quincy. He's a great young man with a heart to serve the Lord. Jerold is very quiet and it's hard to know what all is going on in his head. He tends be represent most of the guys. Very quiet and humble. Ken is a very typical young Apache. He is 16 and just got divorced. He was married at 15. A big problem among the tribe. Parents give no direction and kids just grow up way to fast. The good news is he is working really hard to turn his life around and live for Jesus. we won't forget these young men and will pray for them often.
We are going to bed tonight in Flagstaff and will go to the Grand Canyon in the morning. will give you our last update tomorrow night. We look forward to seeing every one on Sunday.

Wednesday (Day 5)

2010-07-28T23:56:00.001-07:00

Today has been a very full day here in White River. We had about twice as many kids today as yesterday. Along with twice as many kids comes twice as many problems. Our kids really had their hands full today! These kids just want to be loved on and sometimes they will work at getting your attention by being a little ornery!! lol
We learned something today that explains so much about what we have observed. these people just walk through their day as if they have no future. They are very down trodden and most of them wont lift their heads when they talk to you. They are stuck here and they see no hope for anything better. To think about the future isn't a concept they grasp. In fact the thing we learned today is that the word tomorrow doesn't translate into Apache. It explains the blank faces we see each day. They need to know there is a hope that they can have and it comes from knowing Jesus.
After lunch today we took advantage of a break in the rainstorms to go on a trip to prayer mountain. It is right in the middle of the valley and from the top you can see several of the towns that make up the reservation. It made quite an impact on the teens as we stood in a circle on top of the mountain and prayed for these people. Powerful time in our day today. Tonight our worship team did the service. They were incredible. The best I have ever heard them and the annointing that was on them was awesome. They moved to a new level tonight. what a privilege to be there when that happened. this will be a day they will remember. Randi Reinhard had an awesome experience tonight with one of the Apache ladies. She gave her a beautiful necklace and told her she new she was coming here to minster because she had seen her in a dream. It had a green butterfly on it and she told her it was her favorite color and she did that so she would never forget her. I don't think she will! It's going to be hard to leave tomorrow but we are looking forward to coming home.

Tuesday (Day 4)

2010-07-27T21:01:00.001-07:00

Today has been another great day here in Arizona. We had a bigger crowd at Mega Sports Camp today and we are looking forward to an even bigger crowd tomorrow. It"s really neat to see our guys running around with a little Apache boy on their shoulders and the little girls sitting on the laps of our young ladies. We have given alot of hugs and the kids here long for that. Chad and I have both had a hard time keeping the tears back today. We have some great teenagers.
It is the monsoon season so once again it rained today. We were supposed to put in a chain link fence today but the rain filled in our holes once again. So we spent our day working in the church.
Chad has kind of had a rough day. It started this morning when he was out picking up children and backed into another car. Then this afternoon he was picking up after the boys in the bathroom he stood up hit his head and put a big old gash in his melon! Tonight we spent about an hour worshiping with the youth from the church here. Our team will be leading worship in the service tomorrow night. Pray for them as they lead the youth into God's presence. Been a really enjoyable evening. We are looking forward to coming home but it'll be hard to leave here. These are awesome people who love the Lord. They have a joy even in the middle of a very difficult economic time. Unemployment is at an unbelievable 82%. Tithes at the church here has went down by 60% but they have all their bills paid and are seeing an increase in attendees as people are looking for answers to life's difficult times. Well I am closing out for tonight because I need to get to bed I am going to be a year older when I get up in the morning.

Monday (Day3)

2010-07-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

hey everyone its been awesome this is liz theres alot been going on here. Mega sports was astonishing. We met alot of new people they have been very kind to us. I have had such amazing time to day chat to you all later....

hey its olivia! I have had alot of fun so far.We have met alot of great people.Mega sports Camp has been hard work but very fun ! !!!!

Hey! This is Kaleen and I am having a great time. I got to try a pickle with kool-aid powder on it. Talk about sour.... Mega Sports camp was fun and hard work....

Hi Mommy! There is a LOT of flies here. A LOT. I love you.
P.S. It's Marisa

Hey! It's Emily! It has been A LOT of fun here! There are so many cute little kids here!
P.S. Pickles and kool-aid are awesome! and i just killed a fly!

heyy guys its allison! im having a good time, but these dang flies are killing me! people are so very nice here and very polite. love and miss yall!

hey its christian so yeah its 11:20pm and me chad curtis and chris just got back from burger king and it was amazing!!!!

It's getting late and we have had a very busy day. I am so proud of all of our young people. They have stepped up to the plate and done an awesome job. The boys worked outside today in the rain weed eating, mowing and picking up trash from the property. Tomorrow they are going to dig post holes for a new chain link fence that we will be installing. The girls cleaned the whole kitchen today including all of the cabinets. They baked cookies for our snack for sports camp and cleaned all of the bathrooms and activity center. They did a great job. Chad and I have been working all afternoon installing a new door in one of the bathrooms. Not been an easy task since we had to install a bigger door than was there which meant taking out drywall and 2by 4's.
We had a good turnout for our first day on camp and everyone did a great job. Tonight Pastor Robert came and spoke to the group about how God brought him to this place. Great night interacting with him. We loaded up in the van and went to tour the teen pregnancy center and their youth center. The girls are going to go work at the center one afternoon this week. This is going to be a trip they will remember for a lifetime.

Day 2 (Sunday)

2010-07-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday Service was ASTONISHING. There was at least 200 people in the service. The Director of BGMC: David Boyd and his wife Mary Boyd were here speaking this morning it was a very interesting service. Pastor Randy spoke in the evening service and the youth did the worship for tonight's service.
This afternoon some of us went to the grocery store to purchase all of our food for the week. We were able to buy our groceries for less than we had planned for. PTL!
We start our Mega Sports Camp program in the morning at 9:00 a.m. so it's an early up day for everyone.
Tomorrow afternoon we will be working here at the church digging post holes for a chain link fence, cleaning inside the church as well as weed eating and mowing the property. there is more work to do than we will ever be able to accomplish. The church is in major need of repair and cleaning.
We met quite a few of the church members today and have had several of the youth stop in to visit. It's great to meet brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Pray for the people here they are in very desperate financial situations. Here on the reservation the unemployment rate is at 86%. It has affected the church greatly when a big part of the congregation is without work. Lots of people at the alter today praying for answers to their situations. Well we are eating pizza and then hitting the sleeping bags. We will fill you in on tomorrow when it gets here!!

Day 1

2010-07-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

well every one is getting ready. It going be fun Waking up at 2 in the morning. We can't wait what God has in stored for us. Pray for for a safe trip getting there.

One Way, One God, One Love