"This was just a great trip for me. It will hold a special place in my heart as it was kind of the end of a chapter for the Crash, with Ty being done and myself on the way out as interim whatever for the Crash. It was a great summation of my hearts desire: to see young people passionately serving each other and those in the global church. There is nothing greater than to see those you have served get what you've been trying to get across to them and to see them practically playing that out in their lives and encouraging that same in those around them. Amen and amen." -Jeremy Fong, staff member
"I think the most memorable part for me was sitting by the creek and singing worship. But the most amazing part of it was the fact that people would sit with me and join in worship. That was my favorite part of Kentucky." -Ryan McDonald
"Throughout the trip I saw the classic example of how "iron sharpens iron." From Proverbs 27:17. Although I've heard this before I never experienced it in real life as much as I did in Kentucky. Everyone at my work sight encouraged one another which all helped us accomplish our goals. Whenever I would feel like giving up on something or thought my work wasn't good enough, someone was always there instilling confidence in me and telling me how great of a job I was doing.
Another lesson I learned was that I can’t do everything by myself. Having worked in construction before, I thought going into this trip I would just do most of the work myself because it would probably be done better and more efficiently than someone who’s never had experience. Obviously, I was wrong. I needed someone there to help me. I couldn’t do it all on my own. That’s when I felt God speak to me. Lately I have been asking God what I should do with my life and what college I should attend. The problem was I thought I could do it on my own. I didn’t think I would need my parent’s advice and knowledge. I was wrong yet again. God puts people in your life to help you answer the hard questions and I didn’t see it. Thanks to this trip I have learned so much more about what it means to be a Christian." -Ben Globke
"What I loved about Kentucky was the bond everyone had with each other. Everyone seemed to be getting along well with others and it was really cool seeing that. Also i love the time of worship we had each night, just a simple guitar a voices makes worship so good and wonderful. Most of all i loved helping the two familys. I love how just a couple of ordinary kids will give up their break to help people in need for God's glory! The trip made me want to go out and help others in need more often." -Danny LaBelle
"I loved how easily we all got along, our whole team clicked right away. It was really cool that we could be doing the boring work like picking up trash on the side of the road but still be having a great time because we loved being with each other." -Lauren Nagle
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Impressions
It's been a few weeks since our team traveled down to Kentucky. We all learned countless things on this trip, but instead of me just mentioning what I learned, I thought it would be a good idea to let everyone say their thoughts.
"I learned about how holding onto the past can affect your future. My first workday in Kentucky was spent mostly sitting around not wanting to do anything for fear of screwing it up. I think the most I did was cut a piece of metal off of another piece of metal. The next day, Jason, one of the leaders of a smaller group from a different church, handed me a giant power saw and told me to go destroy the bathroom. And I was like...What? So I went into the bathroom and completely destroyed the bathtub. Correctly. And from that moment on, I was able to put in my full effort of work. So that night, during debrief, I was thinking to myself. "Why couldn't you just work like you did today? Why were you so afraid of failure?" And throughout the rest of the week, I slowly began to realize that it was because I had failed in so many other areas of life, that I didn't want to add to the list. I've had people do things to me, and I've also done things to myself, but the past is the past. God has forgiven me and the people that hurt me, so there's no point in continuing to let those things dictate my life. Going on Kentucky helped me to see that despite my thinking that all was forgiven, I was still holding onto a lot of stuff. I spent an entire night lying in bed without sleep, thinking of every last thing that still bothered me. And when I thought of something, I would immediately give it up to God. The feeling of cleansing the next morning was amazing; it felt like 50 pounds had literally been lifted off of me. Kentucky, despite not being a "Jamaica" or any other international missions trip, is still ranked up there as one of the trips that influenced me the most. "
---Isaac Butler
"I learned to have joy in serving people who needed."
---Ade Olaniran
More to come!
"I learned about how holding onto the past can affect your future. My first workday in Kentucky was spent mostly sitting around not wanting to do anything for fear of screwing it up. I think the most I did was cut a piece of metal off of another piece of metal. The next day, Jason, one of the leaders of a smaller group from a different church, handed me a giant power saw and told me to go destroy the bathroom. And I was like...What? So I went into the bathroom and completely destroyed the bathtub. Correctly. And from that moment on, I was able to put in my full effort of work. So that night, during debrief, I was thinking to myself. "Why couldn't you just work like you did today? Why were you so afraid of failure?" And throughout the rest of the week, I slowly began to realize that it was because I had failed in so many other areas of life, that I didn't want to add to the list. I've had people do things to me, and I've also done things to myself, but the past is the past. God has forgiven me and the people that hurt me, so there's no point in continuing to let those things dictate my life. Going on Kentucky helped me to see that despite my thinking that all was forgiven, I was still holding onto a lot of stuff. I spent an entire night lying in bed without sleep, thinking of every last thing that still bothered me. And when I thought of something, I would immediately give it up to God. The feeling of cleansing the next morning was amazing; it felt like 50 pounds had literally been lifted off of me. Kentucky, despite not being a "Jamaica" or any other international missions trip, is still ranked up there as one of the trips that influenced me the most. "
---Isaac Butler
"I learned to have joy in serving people who needed."
---Ade Olaniran
More to come!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, AND Tuesday!
First off, let me apologize for not having an update ready for you sooner.
After a long day of traveling Saturday (and throwing donuts, marshmallows, and mysterious brown goo out the window of our vans), we arrived safely at Beulah Bible Camp in Frenchburg, Kentucky. The vans were a bit crusty with food remnants sticking reluctantly to the windshield, windows, and the front grill, but a good time was had by all. After our bags were unpacked and our stomachs were filled, our group split up into our four work teams to conquer the aisles of the biggest grocery store in town--Walmart. For those of you who don't know, Saturday was the night before Easter, and probably not the best night to grocery shop. But, we survived.
We woke up Sunday morning to attend a worship service that was quite unlike what you may have experienced back at Highland Park Baptist. Filled with country songs and lots of warm welcomes, we were given an incredible opportunity to worship our risen King with other believers from the local community. For the rest of the day, we simply hung out with our teams and did some fun team-building activities. Right before dinner, a few of us went to scope out the work-sites and meet the families that we would be helping.
The first site to which we went was a twenty minute drive deep into the hills. We pulled up and were warmly welcomed by an elderly lady and a young boy named Shelby. The woman's husband suffers from Alzheimer's and spent most of his time simply sitting on the couch. They had a leaky roof, and our project was to replace the roof, put on new siding, and install a new floor and a new ceiling in a damaged room.
At the next site, we met a middle-aged woman named Anita whose house also had some leaking problems. Our goal was to put on a new roof, new siding, and to take out the entire ceiling and insulation in one of the rooms. Some black mold had developed and the beams across the ceiling were rotting and moldy.
On Monday, our group split into two and went to each of the work sites. Teams two and three went to the first site and tackled a large portion of the siding and roofing. Teams one and four headed over to the second site and ripped out the ceiling in the moldy room and put up some siding. Everything was set to prepare for a productive second day.
On Tuesday, the groups again went to their work sites and worked a solid day. The first teams added a couple more tasks to their list and began to remove an old, deteriorating bath tub to make way for a new one that will come later in the week. They also removed and installed the back door which proved to be a bigger job than expected as it had to be re-framed. The roofing was completed, and the siding is close behind. Also, the team began work on the new floor inside the addition and will also be completing that in a couple of days. The second group had an equally productive day with a roof completed and walls mostly sided. The ceiling is completely ripped out and a few of the beams have been replaced with freshly-cut, mold-free lumber. We are confident that all of Anita's needs will be met within the next couple of days.
In addition to our 34 person team, we have been very fortunate to have Jason Sewell join us this week. Jason is another youth pastor, and good friend of Ty's, from the metro Detroit area. He has spoken for the Crash during retreats in the past. He has done this trip for many years, and is very familiar with the area, what needs to be done, and how to do it. He also brought two of his high school students, Chad and John, down with him. The three of them have been a huge asset to our team, and we've had a great time getting to know them.
Also, on Monday, Ty and Jason Sewell went to visit the family that we did the most work for on our last Kentucky trip. Hoping that there would be a few more projects that we could do for them, they drove out to the Trent's house. The first thing they saw were beautifully sided walls and the door that was freshly painted two years ago. Everything that we installed and repaired in their home was still in great shape, and they were overwhelmed with excitement at seeing Ty and Jason once again. They welcomed them with huge hugs and told them that there was nothing that they needed. It was encouraging to hear that the work that was done a couple years back was still enough to bring them joy and contentment.
Here we are Tuesday night, all very encouraged and humbled by the week so far. The people that we are helping have continued to express their genuine gratitude, and have told us multiple times how much this means to them, and it is very apparent that this was a very real need for them that God has given us the opportunity to meet. I think it's safe to say that we're all looking forward to an amazing second half of the week, watching everything come together, while we also continue to form relationships with these families and encourage them in any way we can.
Thanks for keeping up with us, and we hope to have more updates, including videos, later!
In Him,
Crash Kentucky 2010 Team
After a long day of traveling Saturday (and throwing donuts, marshmallows, and mysterious brown goo out the window of our vans), we arrived safely at Beulah Bible Camp in Frenchburg, Kentucky. The vans were a bit crusty with food remnants sticking reluctantly to the windshield, windows, and the front grill, but a good time was had by all. After our bags were unpacked and our stomachs were filled, our group split up into our four work teams to conquer the aisles of the biggest grocery store in town--Walmart. For those of you who don't know, Saturday was the night before Easter, and probably not the best night to grocery shop. But, we survived.
We woke up Sunday morning to attend a worship service that was quite unlike what you may have experienced back at Highland Park Baptist. Filled with country songs and lots of warm welcomes, we were given an incredible opportunity to worship our risen King with other believers from the local community. For the rest of the day, we simply hung out with our teams and did some fun team-building activities. Right before dinner, a few of us went to scope out the work-sites and meet the families that we would be helping.
The first site to which we went was a twenty minute drive deep into the hills. We pulled up and were warmly welcomed by an elderly lady and a young boy named Shelby. The woman's husband suffers from Alzheimer's and spent most of his time simply sitting on the couch. They had a leaky roof, and our project was to replace the roof, put on new siding, and install a new floor and a new ceiling in a damaged room.
At the next site, we met a middle-aged woman named Anita whose house also had some leaking problems. Our goal was to put on a new roof, new siding, and to take out the entire ceiling and insulation in one of the rooms. Some black mold had developed and the beams across the ceiling were rotting and moldy.
On Monday, our group split into two and went to each of the work sites. Teams two and three went to the first site and tackled a large portion of the siding and roofing. Teams one and four headed over to the second site and ripped out the ceiling in the moldy room and put up some siding. Everything was set to prepare for a productive second day.
On Tuesday, the groups again went to their work sites and worked a solid day. The first teams added a couple more tasks to their list and began to remove an old, deteriorating bath tub to make way for a new one that will come later in the week. They also removed and installed the back door which proved to be a bigger job than expected as it had to be re-framed. The roofing was completed, and the siding is close behind. Also, the team began work on the new floor inside the addition and will also be completing that in a couple of days. The second group had an equally productive day with a roof completed and walls mostly sided. The ceiling is completely ripped out and a few of the beams have been replaced with freshly-cut, mold-free lumber. We are confident that all of Anita's needs will be met within the next couple of days.
In addition to our 34 person team, we have been very fortunate to have Jason Sewell join us this week. Jason is another youth pastor, and good friend of Ty's, from the metro Detroit area. He has spoken for the Crash during retreats in the past. He has done this trip for many years, and is very familiar with the area, what needs to be done, and how to do it. He also brought two of his high school students, Chad and John, down with him. The three of them have been a huge asset to our team, and we've had a great time getting to know them.
Also, on Monday, Ty and Jason Sewell went to visit the family that we did the most work for on our last Kentucky trip. Hoping that there would be a few more projects that we could do for them, they drove out to the Trent's house. The first thing they saw were beautifully sided walls and the door that was freshly painted two years ago. Everything that we installed and repaired in their home was still in great shape, and they were overwhelmed with excitement at seeing Ty and Jason once again. They welcomed them with huge hugs and told them that there was nothing that they needed. It was encouraging to hear that the work that was done a couple years back was still enough to bring them joy and contentment.
Here we are Tuesday night, all very encouraged and humbled by the week so far. The people that we are helping have continued to express their genuine gratitude, and have told us multiple times how much this means to them, and it is very apparent that this was a very real need for them that God has given us the opportunity to meet. I think it's safe to say that we're all looking forward to an amazing second half of the week, watching everything come together, while we also continue to form relationships with these families and encourage them in any way we can.
Thanks for keeping up with us, and we hope to have more updates, including videos, later!
In Him,
Crash Kentucky 2010 Team
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
T Minus 10 Hours
In roughly ten hours, our whole team will be loading our packed bags and roofing tools into three fifteen-passenger vans to begin our long journey down to Kentucky. We have an eight-hour drive ahead of us, so I am currently in the process of burning CDs, finding puzzle books, and refreshing my memory on some quality knock-knock jokes. Our whole team is excited for the upcoming week, and I know that it will be both a humbling and encouraging experience to see God work in our lives and in the lives of the families we will serve. Our team will keep you updated daily through this blog, and if all goes well, we should be able to post video updates so you too can experience Menifee County, KY.
While our team will be the ones physically at work in this area, you too can have a huge impact. I humbly ask that you would keep us in your prayers over the next week. We would love a trip that is free of injury and illness, but more importantly, we want to be effective representives of Christ. Please ask God: to move in unmistakable ways in the lives of the people we will be meeting, to provide weather that won't hinder us from the construction projects we have planned, to move in our hearts so that we won't get in the way of His plans for this week, and to simply use us in any way He desires, even if that means bad weather, discomfort, or illness. Our sole purpose is to serve Him.
Thank you for your prayers and all your support! Check here tomorrow evening for updates!
In Christ,
the Kentucky Missions Team.
While our team will be the ones physically at work in this area, you too can have a huge impact. I humbly ask that you would keep us in your prayers over the next week. We would love a trip that is free of injury and illness, but more importantly, we want to be effective representives of Christ. Please ask God: to move in unmistakable ways in the lives of the people we will be meeting, to provide weather that won't hinder us from the construction projects we have planned, to move in our hearts so that we won't get in the way of His plans for this week, and to simply use us in any way He desires, even if that means bad weather, discomfort, or illness. Our sole purpose is to serve Him.
Thank you for your prayers and all your support! Check here tomorrow evening for updates!
In Christ,
the Kentucky Missions Team.
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