Driving through Atlanta, GA :-)

We have left Tennessee and are on our way home!

Day 7 - Friday

Good-bye Youthworks.

At youthworks we do more before 8:30 AM then most people do all day. Friday morning we got up early, packed our bags, collected our happy fun notes, ate some breakfast, cleaned the buildings, loaded the vans and waved good-bye to Logan, WV. It was a long day of driving with lots of sleeping (not by the adult leaders), story-telling about the week, and of course singing along to songs at the top of our lungs. The scenery was beautiful and the cell phone service was awful :). LOVE those mountains!

After a quick stop at First Lutheran Church in Chattanooga, we made our way to their camp, located on a beautiful lake. Thanks for Pastor Abel's mom and dad (who live in Chattanooga) we enjoyed a WONDERFUL fried chicken dinner (complete with biscuits, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, mac and cheese, and green beans.) Then we had a couple hours of free time to swim in the lake, call home, and play some pingpong.

Friday was a great day for all of us to start the process of “re-entering the real world.” We spent lots of time talking one on one, in vans, and in family groups about what it will mean to go home and be different. How will we convey to others just what we experienced? How will we bring home and continue to grow our newly strengthened relationship with Jesus? How will we be the person that each of us know understands that God has made us to be?

Pray for us as we continue to download the week and prepare for our journey home.

Beautiful morning for white water rafting!

We've arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee!

Goodbye Logan! On our way to Tennessee for a couple days of relaxation and white water rafting. :-)

Day 6 - Thursday

Good evening to all of our loyal followers who have been watching us for the week. We have had many "highs" and many "lows". We had lots of family group bonding time and lots of friends getting to know each other better than we thought we could. We got to know people we didn't know before and saw kids and even adults do things we didn't know they could. There were many different situations that occurred throughout the week from active kids to trying to do a work project with not quite the right tools. But as we sit here reflecting on the last few days we have spent in Logan with the different people from a very different place than what we are used to it is very difficult to even try and say that God doesn't have a plan. He clearly put every kid here for a reason and some of the best parts were watching that moment when the kids realized what the reason was for them to be here on this trip. Today from the work project side of things......the kids in more than one group were wanting to give up their free time (which involves them showering) just to be able to get more done. Just wanting to get that one last project done or that second coat of paint on the wall. Throughout the week in work projects the kids just kept working harder and harder. The kids club today sounded like it went pretty well from various reports heard around the hallways. They had games going on and extra unexpected bonding time with some of the kids from the town.
This evenings dinner was a community cookout with burgers and hot dogs. Kids from the kids club came out and even some other folks from the town came in and everyone was able to relax and chat or play four square and just have some fun.
The night ended with a great "club" experience with some crazy awesome singing and great messages and group bonding. Some are having a hard time with us leaving tomorrow morning cause they feel there is so much more we could do here, but have started to realize that it's not about getting stuff done but about a much bigger picture.
We are leaving in the morning and making our way to Chattanooga, TN and would very greatly appreciate prayers for safe travels. But for now we say goodnight and sweet dreams.

Day 5 - Wednesday

Another long fun day in Logan! Today was day three of Kids Club, and our youth were blessed enough to strengthen their bonds with local children and begin to feel like they're really connecting with the town. Work crews began wrapping up projects and setting up for the final day at the sites. In particular the Justice crew, who has been painting and cleaning the small home of a local disabled woman, has planned to surprise the homeowner with small red accents to turn the newly-painted kitchen and dining room into her perfectly decorated dream home. We are excited to finish up our projects in town, but will miss this place and these people incredibly. Thanks again for all your support and prayers as we continue growing and learning.

Day 4 - Tuesday

Country roads, take me home
to the place I belong:
West Virginia!

Today we got to work and explore the area around Logan, WV. The Kids Club crew started the morning by heading over to the local nursing home to sing and visit with the residents. The crew then returned to our home for the week to run the day's Kids Club, where students made friendship bracelets, played basketball, and so much more. The four work crews returned to their sites for day 2, which was full of activity. Some youth dug ditches, some scraped paint, some painted, and some watched Price Is Right with residents. After a full day of work and fun, we headed out to the nearby town of Delbarton (where Sr. Youth went on a mission trip with YouthWorks five years ago) for an evening of dancing to bluegrass music at the Delbarton Opry House. We line-danced and two-stepped the night away then enjoyed a fun music-filled drive through mountain roads back home to Logan.

West Virginia, mountain momma,
take me home, country roads.

Morning devotion on Isaiah 58 6-12. Now to spend the day serving Logan. :)

Good morning from the running crew and from the "love" group who is on breakfast duty this morning.....waffles!!!!

Day 3 - Monday

Today was our first day of working in the town of Logan. Today's theme and everything we've experienced so far has led us to ask, what is normal? For us Floridians, steep hills, small towns, and trains filled with coal are not at all normal, but for the citizens of Logan, Orlando's humidity, flat land, and omnipresent tourists are completely foreign. A lot of us are experiencing this part of the country for the first time, and are learning these new perspectives. Another question: Is Christianity normal? Here with 70 other St. Lukers, prayer and devotions and singing praise songs are the norm. But Logan has given us a glimpse of the rest of the world where a relationship with Christ is not automatic. Today we painted, planned, farmed, played, built, and sang, and spent our first day here in fellowship with eachother and the locals. This week we hope to continue strengthening these relationships as well as the one each of us has with God. Please pray for our journey, as we continue with service projects and the VBS-like program called Kids' Club, and please pray for the wonderful people of Logan, West Virginia, as they help us redefine our sense of "normal."

Refreshing dip in the pool at Chief Logan State Park after a long first day on the work sites. Time for dinner then nighttime worship and Bible study! :)

Lunch time on the work sites! Some great time for fellowship before getting back on the job.

Day 2 - Sunday (arrival in Logan)

We've made it to Logan, West Virginia! After a couple hours of driving down curvy, winding mountain roads, we found the small town where we'll be serving for the week. The five YouthWorks staff workers met us at the entrance to the large brick building overlooking the town where we are staying, and got youth and mentors alike very excited for the week ahead. Tomorrow marks our first day of service projects! Some of us will be running a VBS program called Kids Club, and others will be doing various projects around town such as building a wheelchair ramp, painting fences, and putting up drywall. For some of us this is our first service trip, and for others it's the last of our high school youth experience. We're ready and excited to see what God has in store for us in Logan, and thankful for all who have supported us and allowed us this wonderful opportunity. Goodnight, everyone!

Oh winding West Virginia roads...

Day 2 - Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone! We've just left our gracious hosts at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Charlotte, North Carolina for our destination of Logan, West Virginia. This morning we enjoyed an amazing home-cooked breakfast of muffins, fruit, and breakfast casserole, then gathered our belongings and cleaned up around the church campus. We attended service at our host church, and experienced a service unlike what we're used to. This LCMS church service was contemporary and very relaxed, and we got to enjoy seeing every age group represented in the sanctuary, as well as a group of African refugees and about a dozen deaf church-goers who were watching the beautiful signing of an interpreter. Please pray for the people of Resurrection Lutheran and the wonderful ministry they are committed to.

Now it's almost time for lunch as we cross the border into Virginia. Do you think Logan, WV is ready for us?? :)

Virginia-bound this afternoon. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!

Good morning, Oviedo! We've just woken up here at Resurrection Lutheran to the smell of homemade breakfast! What a great way to start travel day 2. West

We've arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina! Time for skits, songs, and devotion, then bed. Thanks so much to Resurection Lutheran Church for hosting all of us!

Arrived in charlotte NC at ressurection church. Pizza and salad dinner and are settling in with our luggage slash getting ready for a fun evening!!

Finally crossing through South Carolina, but the "cool clan in AJs van" couldn't go without grabbing fresh Georgia peaches!

See you all on Saturday morning at 6:30 am!

Summer Mission 2011--Logan, West Virginia

It's almost time for us to hit the road and begin one of those weeks that we'll remember for years to come. Please pray for our youth and adults as they set off to serve God and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ in the little town called Logan, West Virginia (and every rest stop in between!)

Here are a few facts about Logan...

-- The population of Logan is 1,505

--The population has declined 6.9% since 2000

--The median family income in Logan is $27,284 compared to $37,060 statewide.

--28.2% of persons over age 25 do not have a high school diploma

-- 20.7% of the population live below the poverty line

Tell me about Logan.

The breathtaking Appalachian Mountains, extending from Georgia to Maine, are scattered with many rural towns, including Logan, West Virginia. Logan, located in the southern part of the state—less than one hour from Charleston—is home to a population of 1,505 people. Visitors can hike, swim or picnic at the 4,000-acre Chief Logan State Park, or walk along the banks of the Guyandotte River. Logan was named in honor of the famous Mingo Indian, Chief Logan. Chief Logan befriended white people until his family was among a group of people killed by white settlers; after that event, he was an important leader for the Natives in defending their land and rights while fighting white settlers. After a bloody and violent period between the two conflicting groups, white settlers permanently moved into the area forming the city of Logan in 1824. This region prospered during the World War II era through a sustained demand for coal, timber and agriculture products. However, improved technology in coal mining and greater competitiveness of alternative fuels eventually reduced the need for labor in the mining industry. Today, jobs are scarce and over 20 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, including nearly 30 percent of those under age 18. Because of the terrain in Logan, many of the homes and trailers also are in need of repair due to flooding.

Students will spend four days working with children or four days doing house painting and may also serve with local ministries in the area.