High School Mission Trip Blog

Posted by: Charlie
After church on Sunday, we helped throwing a block party at the Dream Center. The center is an old warehouse in a bad crime section of Sanford. They reach out to kids and families to “make dreams come true.” They also share the gospel with them. We helped with a cookout (hot dogs and hamburgers) and played basketball, dodgeball, jump rope, and football, and did crafts and face painting with the kids. It was awesome! Some of the girls helped the kids make salvation bracelets and a couple of them prayed with us!! Later in the day I was holding a little girl named Nadella while we did jumprope since she was too little to play by herself. She was really cute and she fell asleep in my arms. All the girls thought that was really sweet!

Posted by: Nick
The trip has been pretty “rad”! It started at the HEART center where we saw a cat ripping apart a squirrel, a dead snake that some people swore was moving, and four dead bunnies that were born and froze during the night, not to mention the blazing cold weather (like my oxymoron?) This new place, First Baptist Church of Oviedo is pretty spiffy. The Dixie Stampede was fun. Overall, this trip has been amazing. It’s been really fun being with all my class… before, to be honest, I thought my class was annoying and I really didn’t want to go on the trip. But I’ve had a blast with everyone and everyone’s been getting along. I’ve had an awesome time and the leaders have been amazing: Mrs. Wenzel, Miss Fisher, Mr. Smith and my own Daddy. I’m the one who always complains that I don’t like teachers, but I’ve had special moments with all of these leaders. I learned how amazing they all are. And I LOVE my class. Every person in it is amazing. As I sit here writing, everyone is talking and laughing, and I have finally realized for the first time in my life how blessed I am. God is good. And I’m so blessed. If there is one thing I will always remember from this trip… well, make that two things: 1) I beat Mr. Smith in every game of pool we played:-o and 2) how blessed I am. I hope and pray I don’t go back to my normal “Bocaey" self.

Posted by: Jennie
Today was Islands of Adventure! And amazingly, this is where I really discovered the power of prayer! Emily and Steph B. were waiting in line for Dueling Dragons when Emily underwent one of her unique panic attacks that she gets before she goes on roller coasters (even though she now loves them:) After a little bit, they decided to ask God to give her peace. And it worked! After that, Torie, Stephanie, Emily, and I were waiting in line for the front row of Dueling Dragons when Emily experienced another one of her “attacks”! We all gathered in a circle and prayed, and it was amazing to see the peaceful expression that took over Emily’s face. She knew that she was in God’s hands, and she and the rest of us had a great time.

Posted by: Miss Fisher
Although the HEART center made us aware of the financial, physical and spiritual needs of people overseas, yesterday’s experience at the Dream Center was a good eye-opener to the poverty and problems right in our own backyard. The block party we helped with was well attended, and I think the kids really had fun (both ours and theirs:-) In fact, everyone was having such a good time that the party lasted about an hour longer than originally scheduled! God’s really given the Dream Center’s founders a vision for helping the community both spiritually and materially in ways that were exciting to see. Last night’s sharing time reflected the emotional and spiritual impact that the trip has had on students. It was encouraging to see God moving and working in the lives of the kids as they thought about and processed the different parts of the trip. Please pray that God continues to use this trip and the truths students learned from it to strengthen the freshman class in their walk with Him and their relationships with each other. Please pray that the effects are not lost when we return to the routine of normal life.

The luxury of third world bathroom facilities... a covered hole in the ground!!!!















Amy B. and her crew working on breakfast... yes, it was edible!














Kelsey and Brenna building trust on the ropes course as teammates spot them.












Emily, Dylan, Paige, and Brittanie work weaving at HEART's loom making a purse!














Group devotions at HEART, led by Mrs. Wenzel with the assistant of soon-to-be-world-famous guitarists Chase and Steven.









NOTE: This blog was written Saturday night, but due to technical challenges, we weren’t able to post it until Sunday morning.

Posted by: Tori
The AIM missionary really impacted me, and I think it would be awesome to actually go to Africa and be able to tell people about my experiences one day.

Posted by: Tyler
Hi!

Posted by: Stephanie C.
I had lunch with missionaries at the Scott Home (an assisted living facility within AIM) and it was such a blessing to be able to talk to the people. I really appreciated them telling me about their lives in Africa. Maybe one day, I’ll become a missionary too! But whether I become a missionary or not, it will definitely help me pray for them better.

Posted by: Miss Fisher
Ahhhh… we’re weary! This morning we finished off our time at H.E.A.R.T (which stands for Hunger Education and Resources Training, if you were curious) and only got on the road a half hour late. From there we traveled on to AIM (African Inland Mission) retirement community. What a blessing! We were divided up into groups of two, three, or four and actually ate lunch in the homes of retired missionaries, most of whom had been in Africa for more than twenty-five years. We heard some really neat stories of God’s work and blessing on these folks and their heart for spreading the gospel to lands where Christ is hardly known. After lunch we traveled on up to Oveida, got settled in the church where we’re crashing, and rode off for the Dixie Stampede. Yeehaw!!!! The show was fun, only a couple of minor spills, and now we’re back at the church winding things down toward bedtime… pool, playing air hockey, laughing during a game of Apples for Apples, snacking, strumming the guitar, and falling asleep. And we’re all super thankful for warm showers! Thanks for all the prayers you’ve been sending up on our behalf. It’s definitely been chilly, but no frost bite so far! Other than that, God’s been very gracious to give us smooth sailing. Please pray for us tomorrow as we head to the Dream Center, especially that God would give us boldness with the gospel and big hearts for people we wouldn’t normally hang out with.

Miss Fisher called in this brief report .... Although it was cold last night, the H.E.A.R.T. Institute provided blankets and the freshmen were comfortable. They have safely arrived at their second location, First Baptist Church of Oviedo. They will not be able to get online to blog tonight, but plan to do so tomorrow.

Posted by: Brenna and Kelsey
Today, we woke up at 6:30 and got ready to do our morning chores. Our group started off by picking weeds and such. Then the bell which summons us to our tasks led us toward breakfast, which was eggs, toast, grits, and fruit. After we ate, it was time for us to do our daily work. Our group began by cleaning the dishes. We got off easy, though, and got to juice the oranges instead. Well, anyway, we finished that and got free time, daily devotions, feeding goats, chickens, and bunnies, and then we did the ropes course which was quite fun. Dinner consisted of hot dogs that we cooked ourselves over the fire and smores!

Posted by: Tori
The best part about today was feeding the animals! The baby goats were so cute! We also fed bunnies and chickens and collected eggs from the hens (we had some of them for breakfast too!) Hope the rest of the trip is as fun as today!

Posted by: Chase
This is one of the coolest experiences I think any person could have. The many things we do and see at the heart Institute and it being like a third world country is completely enriching. I hope God works through everyone life, including mine, cause I know my life has already been changed!!! Sleeping is not cool (Tyler adds that this place is nice by day, but night is really inconvenient) but even so, it’s still awesome!!!

Posted by: Will, Ryan, and Dylan
Today during our free time we caught a snake (don’t worry moms and dads, it was only a nonpoisonous black racer) and we played with it. Then we thought it was dead, so we were like, “Oh, NO!!!” but he was alive, and we were happy and we named him Ephram. We fed the goats today too, and they almost trampled usJ This morning Rusty the cat ate a squirrel in front of our cabin and it was really gross! Tonight’s cookout was really good and we had smores.

Posted by: Miss Fisher
Today we city kids learned that roosters do not only crow at sunrise, but usually begin their morning cockadoodledooing around 4:30. After we cooked breakfast (yes, moms your boys were in the kitchen!) we started off into our labs. We pulled weeds, fed animals, did some team building at the ropes course, and learned about third world food and water struggles. The statistics about poverty and hunger in third world countries are staggering to most of us. To drive the point home, the H.E.A.R.T. Institute arranged for us to have a Rich Man/Poor Man dinner. Since two thirds of the world lives in poverty, two thirds of us were labeled poor and were given a small cup of chicken broth and a small chunk of bread. The fortunate third were served a lovely meal of spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, chocolate cake and the beverage of their choice. It seemed so unfair! But the point was made. And then cool things started to happen. Someone from the rich people’s table ran over and gave her salad to the folks at the poor person’s table! And then someone else ran her cake over. And someone else followed with his garlic bread…. I’ll leave you to wonder what happened next… ask your kids when they get home. Suffice it to say, I think we all got the point. We’re the rich folks in the world… the poor folks are out there even if we don’t see them eating at the next table. What are we doing about it? And when you take it to a spiritual level, it’s even more convicting. Those of you reading this message tonight might take a moment to pray for us. We’re going to have a sharing time around the campfire around 8:00 to talk about the events of the day… and by the way, God totally answered your prayers for beautiful weather!!! PS Sorry there aren’t any pictures yet. Lord willing we’ll be able to send some tomorrow.

The freshmen class woke up to find the weather in Lake Wales sunny and cool. They started their day by picking oranges and then squeezing them for their breakfast juice. After breakfast the students were then divided up to do chores such as picking cabbages, weeding the garden, doing dishes and working on the shower (which some decided by the looks of it, they would rather not use). Later in the morning they were going to do a ropes course, weave at the loom, take a hunger education class or even milk a goat. Lunch was going to be given in a "rich" man/ "poor" man style; which meant some would be served in abundance and others given a meager portion. Students would then have the opportunity to see how people in some countries are able to survive with very little and of course given the option of sharing. Please pray for our students as the facilities are a bit rustic and very different from home.

Posted by: Piage, Britt, and Katy
We arrived today around 4:00, and unfortunately it was raining... but we got our cabins and they're pretty cool. The bathrooms are... let's just say DIFFERENT! It's basically a hole in the ground. But dinner was really yummy! After dinner we split up into different groups and accomplished different tasks. We can't wait until tomorrow when we get to milk goats and do some other interesting things!

Posted by: Tyler
The ride wasn't bad... Mr. Smith can sure make a u-turn! This place is truly third world... picture Compton without the low riders:) Lisa made friends with patches the dog too!

Posted by: Miss Fisher
Well, we arrived to a drizzle, but that certainly didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm. We unloaded the bus and divided up into our cabins... they weren't inhabited... except by the occasional lizard and dead bug! Visiting the bathroom was certainly an adventure. Basically an outhouse type shack with a hole and a bucket of water to flush with. An innovative sink is a spigot outside where a stocking foot hangs with soap in it (a third world soap dispenser!) And when we explored the showers (concrete buildings with a bucket in the roof that has holes in the bottom allowing water to fall through) some folks seemed to be questioning the pressing need of personal hygene. Dinner was great... we definitely won't be starving here in third world village... they even had homemade chocolate chip cookies:) After dinner, we divided up for chores... washing dishes, wiping tables, feeding the chickens... you know, just like at home! And now it's dark.... really dark.... no street lights... so we're carrying around our lanterns and flashlights and having great fun chasing/surprising each other in the dark. Some of the more squeamish among us have found the number of frogs a bit disturbing... and we found a large snake skin which I found disturbing. Well, I've gotta run to devotions.

Prayer requests:
1. That the weather would improve a little... we're really thankful for the cool air, but the rain has hampered our activities a bit.
2. Please pray that God would help us to be a family with each other, as this is for many their first mission trip and time away from home.

Posted by: Mrs. Wilson

After loading the bus, final instructions, and a word of prayer, a very excited group of 9th graders pulled out of the high school at 11:33 am. They've already shown great attitudes of working together and flexibility as the schedule has already changed. Please pray for Mr. Smith as he drives the bus, for the other chaperones (Mr. Harper, Mrs. Wenzel, and Miss Fisher) and of course for our student missionaries.

Posted by: Miss Fisher :)

Now that the sophomores have left on their trip, excitement level among the freshmen is definitely growing as we prepare for our own departure on Thursday. Please pray for us as we embark on this fun learning, growing, and serving experience! Keep checking in here for additional updates.