Boston '07 Trip Blog
Team Members are:
Students: Graham Arnold, Autumn Berry, Sydney Bissonette, Ryan Black, Katie Boyer, DJ Coblentz, Jason Craig, Stephanie Cunningham, Ben DeShon, Kiersten Gamby, Bethany Hertrick,
Jesse Hufstetler, Dawn Landin, Craig Mellinger, Brittany Miller, Mike Murray, Kayla Piatt, Taylor Poe,
Alena Ruman, Zach Stahl, Julia Weaver, Liz Weiss, Gretchen Zarle
Leaders: John Berry, Tracy Coblentz, Joel Daniel Harris, Rose Landin, Jeff Prough,
Adam Speas, Hillary Stewart, Lydia Walkley
Friday, July 27th
Final Day Addendum:
Final Day Addendum:
A huge thank you to our many skilled & wonderful leaders who helped make this trip possible, taking time to hang out with your students and lead them through this week:
Lydia Walkley
John Berry
Rose Landin
Tracy Coblentz (who cooked all our food all week long!)
Jeff Prough (who did such a great job with our daily blog updates)
Adam Speas
Hillary Stewart
Thanks again for entrusting your students to us for the week and I hope that they take all of this and apply it for quite some time to come. It's our privilege to serve with you in raising these young men and women of God.
Joel Daniel Harris
Today was the final day before we depart Boston, MA for good old O-H-I-O! We really
desired for the students to be able to relax and get rewarded for the
work that they have done all week long. I always enjoy these days
because it gives us as leaders, a great opportunity to talk to the
students and see what they have learned over the week. It also gives
us a chance to hold the student accountable for the things they have
learned, and encourage them to not let this just be another week but to
allow it to saturate their life and soul. It is going to be an early
morning so I will give it over to the students so you can hear it from
them how the day of funny was!
Today was the coolest day of the week. I had so much fun. First we went
on a Duck Tour. In the tour, we got to see some of the history in
Boston and hear some interesting facts too. Then we split into are
groups and voted on what we wanted to do. My group decided to go to
Best Buy, then Cold Stone Creamery, and then to the beach. The walk to
the beach was very very long, my sandals where all sandy so it was
uncomfortable to, walk so I took them off and walked bare foot. Then
when I got back I realized I burnt my feet, after doing all that we
decided to stop an grab a few energy drinks for the early wake up in
the morning.
~Ryan Black
Today was our fun day and it was a lot of fun. We started out by going on a duck tour. It was a tour that you go around in a boat that has wheels. When the guide tells you to everyone in the boat quacks! We started out by learning what some of the buildings in Boston were, and then we actually went in a river thing and the car turned into a boat. After that we went to a place called the Tomb. We ate lunch there then we did this adventure thing where we had to complete mission things. It was kind of scary but a lot of fun. After that we did some shopping. It was a fury fun day and a very fun week!! See every one tomorrow!!
~K8E Boyer
Today was Friday our fun day. We got up at like 8ish and got ready. Then we did the best thing ever, a Duck tour, it was super duper fun. At first people were like were going in the water and I was like no. Then the tour started and our tour guide “Harley Davison” was so cool and funny. Then he drove the duck RV/van thingy all around and we saw Boston. Then he drove into the water I was scared that it was going to sink, but then it was really cool and fun and he let Kayla drive then I drove and I almost ran into a sail boat well…. It almost ran into me. Then Dawn drove and it was fun then we walked around for a while and ate lunch at the really cool place it was kind of like subway. Then at the place we ate at we had like a tour thing with mummies and it was scary and fun. Then we split up and some of us went swimming and shopping and stuff like that and it was my first time at the ocean and it was fun. We all came back and cleaned and having a meeting right now. So yes I am so glad we came to Boston we had a blast. It was super fun I am sad we have to leave.
~Julia =]
~Ryan Black
Today was our fun day and it was a lot of fun. We started out by going on a duck tour. It was a tour that you go around in a boat that has wheels. When the guide tells you to everyone in the boat quacks! We started out by learning what some of the buildings in Boston were, and then we actually went in a river thing and the car turned into a boat. After that we went to a place called the Tomb. We ate lunch there then we did this adventure thing where we had to complete mission things. It was kind of scary but a lot of fun. After that we did some shopping. It was a fury fun day and a very fun week!! See every one tomorrow!!
~K8E Boyer
Today was Friday our fun day. We got up at like 8ish and got ready. Then we did the best thing ever, a Duck tour, it was super duper fun. At first people were like were going in the water and I was like no. Then the tour started and our tour guide “Harley Davison” was so cool and funny. Then he drove the duck RV/van thingy all around and we saw Boston. Then he drove into the water I was scared that it was going to sink, but then it was really cool and fun and he let Kayla drive then I drove and I almost ran into a sail boat well…. It almost ran into me. Then Dawn drove and it was fun then we walked around for a while and ate lunch at the really cool place it was kind of like subway. Then at the place we ate at we had like a tour thing with mummies and it was scary and fun. Then we split up and some of us went swimming and shopping and stuff like that and it was my first time at the ocean and it was fun. We all came back and cleaned and having a meeting right now. So yes I am so glad we came to Boston we had a blast. It was super fun I am sad we have to leave.
~Julia =]
Thanks again for keeping up with the blog all week long, I hope
that you enjoyed the pictures and hearing from your children and other
students on the trip. It has been a pleasure being with these students
all week long and not only this year but last as well. You, as
parents, should be so proud of your student this is a solid group of
kids and I expect big things from them in the future.
Some important information you will need to know:
- We are leaving at 4:45am and will be arriving at the Airport at around 6:00am
- Our flight leaves at 8:15
- We arrive at Akron/Canton Airport at 10:21am flying Air Tran
- If the flight is at all delayed I will up date the hotline (330.315.5615)
- See you Saturday morning!
In His Grip,
Boston Team ‘07
Some important information you will need to know:
- We are leaving at 4:45am and will be arriving at the Airport at around 6:00am
- Our flight leaves at 8:15
- We arrive at Akron/Canton Airport at 10:21am flying Air Tran
- If the flight is at all delayed I will up date the hotline (330.315.5615)
- See you Saturday morning!
In His Grip,
Boston Team ‘07
Thursday, July 26th
It has been a long and tiring week, but we have accomplished out goal of showing God’s love to the people here in Boston. As you have read all week the lives of the students have been impacted in many different ways. Our prayer as a leadership team and I am sure as parents too, is that this wouldn’t stop. We desire for them to continue to learn and grow in Christ and live out the great commission on a daily basis. No its time once again to hear how this is happening right now!
Hello, today I got to go to a place called Cradles to Crayons. It was a lot of fun because I got to organize and dress dolls. I felt like I was a little girl playing with dolls. We went back to the Jubilee House and had lunch. Then we got to do a car wash It was a lot of fun!!! I got very wet. Then we went to a cook out and played with kids. We came back after that and watched a movie called Millions. It was different. So far I had a really fun week! And have had fun serving God at different ministries! Well I will be home soon!
~Sydney Bissonette
Hey everybody at home! So today we went to Cradles to Crayons. I got to work in the Lego section with Gretchen. We spent all three hours building a mega blocks set to make sure that it had all the parts. I felt like a little kid again! We went back to the Jubilee House around lunchtime and ate and chilled for a while. After that a couple of people went to the VBS while some went back to the Pilgrim Church to clean things up some more. The rest of us stayed back at the house to do the car wash. It was free, but donations were gladly accepted! I yelled my voice out trying to get people to come. Apparently not a lot of people respond to the word free!?! Anyways, After we overdid our goal by a couple of cars, we headed down to the park for a cookout since it was the last day of VBS, The cookout was so much fun and I discovered that I have quite an arm when it comes to throwing a football. We came back out around dark and watched the movie Millions. I have watched it before but I enjoyed watching it again. Well after our fun day off tomorrow we’re heading home! See yall in a couple of days!
~Liz Weiss
Today was a very relaxed day. The whole group started the day by waking up at 7 am eating breakfast and then going to work at Cradles 2 Crayons. We did a lot of random stuff such as making sure toys worked. I sorted out magnetic brail letters and numbers. After we did that we came back to the Jubilee House and had sandwiches for lunch for the 4th day in a row. Then my group and some other group went to VBS and played with kids. After that we came back to the Jubilee house and helped the other groups finish up with their carwash. After that we went to a picnic where I got beat into the ground playing football!!! We ate and we played some more and then we came back to the House and watched a movie. I wonder what the leaders have planned on mystery Friday…
~Zac Stahl
Send messages to the students
It has been a long and tiring week, but we have accomplished out goal of showing God’s love to the people here in Boston. As you have read all week the lives of the students have been impacted in many different ways. Our prayer as a leadership team and I am sure as parents too, is that this wouldn’t stop. We desire for them to continue to learn and grow in Christ and live out the great commission on a daily basis. No its time once again to hear how this is happening right now!
Hello, today I got to go to a place called Cradles to Crayons. It was a lot of fun because I got to organize and dress dolls. I felt like I was a little girl playing with dolls. We went back to the Jubilee House and had lunch. Then we got to do a car wash It was a lot of fun!!! I got very wet. Then we went to a cook out and played with kids. We came back after that and watched a movie called Millions. It was different. So far I had a really fun week! And have had fun serving God at different ministries! Well I will be home soon!
~Sydney Bissonette
Hey everybody at home! So today we went to Cradles to Crayons. I got to work in the Lego section with Gretchen. We spent all three hours building a mega blocks set to make sure that it had all the parts. I felt like a little kid again! We went back to the Jubilee House around lunchtime and ate and chilled for a while. After that a couple of people went to the VBS while some went back to the Pilgrim Church to clean things up some more. The rest of us stayed back at the house to do the car wash. It was free, but donations were gladly accepted! I yelled my voice out trying to get people to come. Apparently not a lot of people respond to the word free!?! Anyways, After we overdid our goal by a couple of cars, we headed down to the park for a cookout since it was the last day of VBS, The cookout was so much fun and I discovered that I have quite an arm when it comes to throwing a football. We came back out around dark and watched the movie Millions. I have watched it before but I enjoyed watching it again. Well after our fun day off tomorrow we’re heading home! See yall in a couple of days!
~Liz Weiss
Today was a very relaxed day. The whole group started the day by waking up at 7 am eating breakfast and then going to work at Cradles 2 Crayons. We did a lot of random stuff such as making sure toys worked. I sorted out magnetic brail letters and numbers. After we did that we came back to the Jubilee House and had sandwiches for lunch for the 4th day in a row. Then my group and some other group went to VBS and played with kids. After that we came back to the Jubilee house and helped the other groups finish up with their carwash. After that we went to a picnic where I got beat into the ground playing football!!! We ate and we played some more and then we came back to the House and watched a movie. I wonder what the leaders have planned on mystery Friday…
~Zac Stahl
Hey everyone! Today was one of the best days so far. The day began
with bagels and fruit smoothies, and then we were off to sort toys at
Cradles to Crayons. There we were divided into groups and assigned
different jobs. My group’s job was to match play sets with the people
and animals they belong with. After Cradles to Crayons, some of us went
to VBS in the park. It was our last day for VBS, and I think it was a
successful one. Then we came back to the house and helped finish up a
car wash. After that, we all went to the park again for a neighborhood
cookout. We ate some scrumptious food and played basketball, football,
kickball, and Frisbee. Finally to end our day, we watched a movie
outside called “Millions.” It was very confusing but interesting.
Tomorrow we are going to go sight seeing and do some other cool stuff.
~Bethany Hertrick
Even though out “work projects” are done doesn’t mean that we stop living a life centered on Christ. We will continue being servants tomorrow on our fun day. With all the hard work that the students have done this week Friday is a much-deserved day to just relax and enjoy their last day in Boston. Check back again for the final blog entry and hear what we did with the mystery day of fun!
In His Grip,
Boston Team ‘07
Even though out “work projects” are done doesn’t mean that we stop living a life centered on Christ. We will continue being servants tomorrow on our fun day. With all the hard work that the students have done this week Friday is a much-deserved day to just relax and enjoy their last day in Boston. Check back again for the final blog entry and hear what we did with the mystery day of fun!
In His Grip,
Boston Team ‘07
Wednesday, July 25th
This has been a great week, it never ceases to amaze me the drive that these students can have. Not to say there are times when they don’t want to work or even that they never complain, but they do whatever it takes to get the job done! Parents, you should be proud! Words and pictures can only begin to describe the many cool things that the students are doing here and with one more day of work to go I know for sure that they will finish strong! Now let here from the students.
Today in the morning some of us cleaned up a house for a widow who had just bought it. We trimmed bushes and trees, planted flowers, and pulled weeds. We worked on it all morning and then came back to the Jubilee House for lunch. After lunch I went to Vacation Bible School. Our relationships with the kids since the first day have really grown. They are more talkative and participate more in the lessons. We had a really great basketball game with the kids today, too. It was my favorite part of the trip so far at VBS today, after that we came back to the house and ate dinner, and now I’m blogging on this thing.
This has been a great week, it never ceases to amaze me the drive that these students can have. Not to say there are times when they don’t want to work or even that they never complain, but they do whatever it takes to get the job done! Parents, you should be proud! Words and pictures can only begin to describe the many cool things that the students are doing here and with one more day of work to go I know for sure that they will finish strong! Now let here from the students.
Today in the morning some of us cleaned up a house for a widow who had just bought it. We trimmed bushes and trees, planted flowers, and pulled weeds. We worked on it all morning and then came back to the Jubilee House for lunch. After lunch I went to Vacation Bible School. Our relationships with the kids since the first day have really grown. They are more talkative and participate more in the lessons. We had a really great basketball game with the kids today, too. It was my favorite part of the trip so far at VBS today, after that we came back to the house and ate dinner, and now I’m blogging on this thing.
-Autumn Berry
This morning was our sleep in day and we got up at 9:30. About an hour after that, we went to one of Sue’s (the manager of the Jubilee House) friend’s house and did a bunch of yard work. Like around 1 we came home and after a while everyone left to places that they had to be. My group, Mr. Berry, Craig, Mike, and I went to Rosie’s Place and served food. There were a lot of really nice people there and one of them helped us get home. Then, we went to Starbucks only find that it closed like five minutes prier to the time we got there. So then we took the sub home and now I’m here typing up this.
-Jason Craig
Greetings people of Ohio!!! This morning I was told we were going to be giving homeless people food and also that we were leaving really late in the morning. So, we cleaned up The Jubilee House (or “la casa de jubilee” as I’ve taken to calling it) while we were not occupied. Then we went to a place called starlight ministries and started orientation which was basically a lady named Jane showing us around their homeless shelter and explaining to us why people become homeless. After that we had about 4 hours to just walk around the city and grab a bite to eat (I had a gyro). Then at 7:00 we got to the church starlight ministries was meeting at and after a lot of talking, praying, and singing at the church with the group of people we were going to be doing this with (aka a chunk of our youth group plus some employees from starlight) we finally went out onto the street. I was the sandwich guy (bologna and mustard) and after I was done handing out sandwiches I told Jane I couldn’t find anybody to talk to so she told me to talk to a guy with a white beard near me. I started talking to him with an employee from starlight and a girl named alena (sorry if I spelled that wrong). He appeared to like being homeless due to all the free beer. The second guy I talked to was a guy in a wheelchair who wasn’t really homeless but he takes advantage of their services because apparently all he really has is an apartment and a computer. He is a real evangelist, and he told me to check out his website www.jerryhurley.com after he told me his story. The third guy I talked to was the son of two dead parents and that’s why he was homeless. He was cool though, and also really funny. All in all it beat digging cement out of the ground like we were doing before. See you Saturday!
-Jesse Hufstetler
Hello everyone! This morning we got to sleep in, one of my favorite parts of the day, then we gathered rocks and put them around gardens around the house. We left to go to the starlight ministries. We had a meeting around 1:30. We got out of there and went to do some sight seeing, it was neat then around 7:00 we got something to eat, me and my small group all split a huge cheese pizza and we headed for the meeting place of starlight ministries, we prayed for each other, sang, and shared scripture. After that we headed for the streets, to talk, give food, and give clothes to homeless. I was in the van handing out clothes. It was tough sometimes because they can be picky but I guess I would be too. I didn’t get to talk to a lot of people but I did get to talk to two. One was a lady who was upset because she had gained two pounds from not eating anything, another was a man who seemed he had one too many at happy hour. Most people laughed because he slurred all his words, spit a lot, and fell over quite a lot, I have to admit that I giggled too, but he really had a lot of problems. I guess he was beaten as a child and he didn’t have the money to get home. At the end we got in a circle and sang some more songs and prayed. He was protesting the whole time, he used “dirty words” a lot. Its hard work but its for God, See you all soon!
-Taylor Poe
Hi! Today we went to help a lady whose husband died to clean up her yard. It was a lot of work. Next we did VBS in the park. Then to end the day some of us went to Harvard. It was fun.
-DJ Coblentz
Hey – It is Tracy Coblentz – Hi to Joel & Zach & Dave!! We are having a great time – working hard and learning much about the city of Boston - This evening we learned we are probably not rich enough or smart enough to go to Harvard – haha – It is late so we will see you all Saturday – Thanks for your prayers
-Tracy
Well I can’t say it any better than that! I hope that you got a good laugh when reading some of the blog entries. And are enjoying the pictures too. There are only a few pictures today because once again we are unable to take pictures at a few of the places that we go. Thanks for all your prayers and you are missed and we can’t wait to come home to share more of the experiences and what we have learned here in Boston.
In His Grip
Boston Team ‘07
Tuesday, July 24th
Tuesday ended up being the toughest day so far. The moral for the most part was pretty down in the afternoon because of the early morning (6:30), the long travel, and HOT sun at the farm (which you will read about more later). I was even exhausted and ready for a nap by the afternoon, however we still had more work to do. The afternoon flew by with the students finding some reserves of energy and finishing strong, we even had time for a luau during the evening. Now its time to hang it over to the students, enjoy!
Today our whole group had the opportunity to go to a farm. While we were there, we pulled up a ton of weeds around strawberry bushes. It was really difficult, but in the end it really showed me to appreciate the food I eat and all the hard work that goes into giving it to me. Later, a small group of us got to go to the Boston Rescue Mission (Sydney, Gretchen, Jesse, Ben, Ryan, and leaders: Adam and Rose). For the first half, we served people who came in off the streets. Most of them were very appreciative. One guy even told Sydney, “God bless you.” I just thought that was really cool that he was homeless and hungry and probably not very happy, but he still trusted in God to provide for him. The second half, we served a group of people who lived there. They were people who had joined a program there because they had been drug addicts or in jail. We actually got to go and sit and eat with them. So, we got to talk to them. They were pretty appreciative and sweet people to talk to. I also learned that we are in New England…I’m not very good at geography. That was a random fact. But the trip so far has been a big learning and growing experience for me.
-Kiersten Gamby
Hey, today we started out at a farm and we got to pick weeds around strawberry plants, which was an adventure. I worked with Kiersten most of the time, which made it go a lot faster… I realized how hard it would be to actually work everyday, picking weeds, because it was pretty tiring after just a few hours. Later, I went with Tracy to get food and I helped with the dishes… the days seem to be going pretty slow at sometimes, but at the end of the day I feel like everything is flying by…love you guys…family, thanks for encouraging me with your letter.
~Stephanie Cunningham
So……..today the team went to Waltham Community Farm. I though it was pretty neat that the farm is taken care of by the community (CSA-Community Serviced Agriculture) as well as hired staff. Volunteers come in and pick crops and pull weeds and so on. Today, our team picked a ton of weeds in the strawberry bushes. It really made me realize that farming really isn’t all that easy. I always thought that it wasn’t that hard because there are tractors and different machines that can be used to make the job easier, faster, and more efficient. I’m really going to try to not take the foods we just pick up at the store, take home, then eat, for granted. Later today, I went to Pine Street Inn with my small group (Lydia, Julia, Liz, Don, and me.) We served dinner to the residents. We had a chance to eat with them and learn a little about them. It was a challenge for me to talk to them; I’m so shy and to talk to strangers without my mommy was very difficult! It was really sad because two of the people I talked to had a terrible day. One guy didn’t even like it at the house. It made me feel bad to see them so sad and lonely. After, we talked to one guy that worked there. He was awesome!!!! He didn’t have the greatest background. One night, I think about 12 years ago, God really changed his life; he got saved. He was really surprised to know that the people serving them were believers and trusted in God. He gave us a complete history of Pine Street Inn and gave us a mini-tour of the area. Our team has done an awesome job serving other people. This has really been a growing time for me. I’ve learned so much and have seen God throughout the day. Thanks for the letters!!
-Brittany Miller
Hey everyone. Today (as you’ve read) the team worked at a farm and other organizations. While the ‘farming experience’ was definitely cool and worth mentioning, I wanna talk about where my group was yesterday-The Boston Rescue Mission is a homeless shelter similar to the Haven of Rest. One major difference I saw, was that the BRM had a fairly small (fits about 60-70) dining room, the building itself was like, 7 stories tall. We got there early so my group got a pretty good tour of the whole building and it was really awesome. The thing that really hit me there….my group served 2 dinners. And I noticed how truly grateful so many of the people were just for one hot meal. Like, we’re so spoiled that we EXPECT 3 meals every single day, but we really take for granted really how fortunate we are. People that come to shelters such as the BRM are dependent on them because they don’t have a place they can call ‘home’. They don’t have a family that they can count on to feed and take care of them. We do-we have everything we need to live, along with so much more, and yet we still complain about the dumbest things like ‘oh I wanted DIET coke’ or ‘I wanted red not blue’. That really shows how spoiled we are as Americans. Sooo yeah just wanted to touch on that. Thanks to all my friends and family for all your letters, prayers, and support-This is a really awesome experience for me and I’m having a sweet time!
-Michael Murray
I think it’s pretty obvious the impact that this experience is having on the students. Many people that we come into contact with can’t understand why we have come so far to do the things that we have been and will continue to do. In fact it is so surprising that we even received a visit from the Metro Boston News (a free news paper for the public transportation in Boston) that did an article on our work here in the Boston area.
Once again please pray that we will finish strong and with a servants heart at all times, and finally for continued safety during our travels.
In His Grip,
Boston Team ‘07
Today our whole group had the opportunity to go to a farm. While we were there, we pulled up a ton of weeds around strawberry bushes. It was really difficult, but in the end it really showed me to appreciate the food I eat and all the hard work that goes into giving it to me. Later, a small group of us got to go to the Boston Rescue Mission (Sydney, Gretchen, Jesse, Ben, Ryan, and leaders: Adam and Rose). For the first half, we served people who came in off the streets. Most of them were very appreciative. One guy even told Sydney, “God bless you.” I just thought that was really cool that he was homeless and hungry and probably not very happy, but he still trusted in God to provide for him. The second half, we served a group of people who lived there. They were people who had joined a program there because they had been drug addicts or in jail. We actually got to go and sit and eat with them. So, we got to talk to them. They were pretty appreciative and sweet people to talk to. I also learned that we are in New England…I’m not very good at geography. That was a random fact. But the trip so far has been a big learning and growing experience for me.
-Kiersten Gamby
Hey, today we started out at a farm and we got to pick weeds around strawberry plants, which was an adventure. I worked with Kiersten most of the time, which made it go a lot faster… I realized how hard it would be to actually work everyday, picking weeds, because it was pretty tiring after just a few hours. Later, I went with Tracy to get food and I helped with the dishes… the days seem to be going pretty slow at sometimes, but at the end of the day I feel like everything is flying by…love you guys…family, thanks for encouraging me with your letter.
~Stephanie Cunningham
So……..today the team went to Waltham Community Farm. I though it was pretty neat that the farm is taken care of by the community (CSA-Community Serviced Agriculture) as well as hired staff. Volunteers come in and pick crops and pull weeds and so on. Today, our team picked a ton of weeds in the strawberry bushes. It really made me realize that farming really isn’t all that easy. I always thought that it wasn’t that hard because there are tractors and different machines that can be used to make the job easier, faster, and more efficient. I’m really going to try to not take the foods we just pick up at the store, take home, then eat, for granted. Later today, I went to Pine Street Inn with my small group (Lydia, Julia, Liz, Don, and me.) We served dinner to the residents. We had a chance to eat with them and learn a little about them. It was a challenge for me to talk to them; I’m so shy and to talk to strangers without my mommy was very difficult! It was really sad because two of the people I talked to had a terrible day. One guy didn’t even like it at the house. It made me feel bad to see them so sad and lonely. After, we talked to one guy that worked there. He was awesome!!!! He didn’t have the greatest background. One night, I think about 12 years ago, God really changed his life; he got saved. He was really surprised to know that the people serving them were believers and trusted in God. He gave us a complete history of Pine Street Inn and gave us a mini-tour of the area. Our team has done an awesome job serving other people. This has really been a growing time for me. I’ve learned so much and have seen God throughout the day. Thanks for the letters!!
-Brittany Miller
Hey everyone. Today (as you’ve read) the team worked at a farm and other organizations. While the ‘farming experience’ was definitely cool and worth mentioning, I wanna talk about where my group was yesterday-The Boston Rescue Mission is a homeless shelter similar to the Haven of Rest. One major difference I saw, was that the BRM had a fairly small (fits about 60-70) dining room, the building itself was like, 7 stories tall. We got there early so my group got a pretty good tour of the whole building and it was really awesome. The thing that really hit me there….my group served 2 dinners. And I noticed how truly grateful so many of the people were just for one hot meal. Like, we’re so spoiled that we EXPECT 3 meals every single day, but we really take for granted really how fortunate we are. People that come to shelters such as the BRM are dependent on them because they don’t have a place they can call ‘home’. They don’t have a family that they can count on to feed and take care of them. We do-we have everything we need to live, along with so much more, and yet we still complain about the dumbest things like ‘oh I wanted DIET coke’ or ‘I wanted red not blue’. That really shows how spoiled we are as Americans. Sooo yeah just wanted to touch on that. Thanks to all my friends and family for all your letters, prayers, and support-This is a really awesome experience for me and I’m having a sweet time!
-Michael Murray
I think it’s pretty obvious the impact that this experience is having on the students. Many people that we come into contact with can’t understand why we have come so far to do the things that we have been and will continue to do. In fact it is so surprising that we even received a visit from the Metro Boston News (a free news paper for the public transportation in Boston) that did an article on our work here in the Boston area.
Once again please pray that we will finish strong and with a servants heart at all times, and finally for continued safety during our travels.
In His Grip,
Boston Team ‘07
Monday, July 23rd
Today was the first full day of work and I tell you what the students are tired! However there has been no complaining from any of them, they just keep working regardless of condition (it rained today) or problems with equipment (mower didn’t work so well). It’s a really early morning tomorrow so I am just going to give it over to the students so that you can see first hand the things that the students are learning and doing in Boston.
Yo peeps from Boston! (that means hi from Boston MA) It’s Monday night and I just finished a day of working. First, a number of groups went it Pilgrim church to help clean up the out side of the church. I was assigned to the front of the building. Dad you’ll be proud of me, I used a trimmer and a lawn mower! (stop laughing). We also tore some ivory off of the church. While we were pulling, a photographer came by and started taking pictures. Tomorrow there will be an article in a Boston newspaper about our group and how we’re helping the city. After we ate lunch, my small group went to the Boston Rescue Mission to serve dinner. We worked in the kitchen from around 3 pm to around 6ish. When we finished, our group took a side trip to Starbucks for some energy. We drank in the Boston Commons and enjoyed the park. We then took the T home and we just finished our team meeting. That all for now, Cya l8ter (see you later ☺)
–Alena Ruman
Hey sup from Boston! Its Monday and today early in the morning we started our first day of working by going to Pilgrim Church and we helped make the place look very nice by pulling weeds, picking up trash, attempting to pull concrete slabs out of the ground in which in the end we ended up just tipping them over and burying them, we also mowed and weed whacked some areas, and we pulled down some I mean a lot of vines from the walls which were very large and we were working in the rain. But the most impressive thing that I saw today was when Adam (Leader) went on the latter with a weed whacker and whacked down some of the vines that were covering up the name of the church. But I think that the biggest thing that I got out of today was that we should be really grateful for EVERYTHING we have because there are a lot of people who don’t have what we have also that you can get a lot done with teamwork and determination.
PS. We served food at this home of problem (crazy) people and the one woman had an imaginary friend who I named Fred and it was really funny. Lol THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE ROCKS MY SOCKS OFF.
PSS. We are in the Boston Metro (a newspaper) for working at the church at first it was just a photographer who later asked us what we were doing here and where we were from and he was just so amazed by the whole thing that he called his editor and he wanted to write a whole article about it. Ta ta for now
–Kayla Piatt
Hello this letter is from Boston! It’s Monday night and I am really tired from washing dishes at a place called Roseis. I had so much fun washing the dishes putting them back then seeing them again a minute later. We also went to a church in downtown Boston and helped get weeds out and pump out cement for this church I got pretty dirty. I think this trip so far is fun even though the first day was crazy because my wheels broke on my suitcase so I had to role it on it’s two wheals for a long time. I love Boston it is such a cool place to be at and we see quite some intrusting “stuff”.
It gets pretty cold at night and I was cold last night because are room window is always open. We are staying at a house where a old band used to live, The New Kids on the Block . Well that’s all I have for now so that’s all. God bless my fellow Brother and Sisters in Christ Amen… Goodbye
-Graham Arnold
Hello From Boston! All of us have been having A SWEET time here in Boston. It’s the end of our first actual working day and most of us are pretty tired. I had a good time all day I met some pretty cool people. First we went to a church and did some general cleanup work just to make a better place for some of the homeless guys to come hang out. Then my group went to the Boston rescue mission and we served meals to some of the people there. It was cool to see how happy they were just to get a meal. I think everyone has seen someone, maybe put there nose up at some food that may not taste perfect, but the people that go there have some of the best manners I have seen and have the biggest smiles on there faces just to get a meal. Then Jason, Mike and I talked to one of the guys that lived and worked there, It was really cool how they were encouraging us not to do drugs or smoke. Then we left and I had my first Starbucks coffee. After this we went to the house, had our late night meeting, and then I typed this. Now I am going to bed.
-Craig Mellinger
Again thanks for your prayers, you are as much apart of this team as the students are because of the time you put into speaking with God for and with us. Enjoy the pictures from the day and check back again tomorrow for a continued look at our week. (Some places don’t allow for pictures to be taken so unfortunately the pictures are a bit limited today, sorry)
In His Grip
Boston Team ‘07
Sunday, July 22
We
just have completed out first full day in Boston and students are
already starting to see the many different ways the God works. Each
small group had the opportunity to go to a different church, which made
for very interesting discussions and questions from the students. It
is a privilege to be working with theses students for a second year in
a row and the additions to the team has been wonderful! Tomorrow we
begin our first day or work projects and VBS so please pray for that as
well as continual safety in travel and stamina. I now turn it over to
the students!
Hey everyone, I’m having a lot of fun here so far, it’s only been 2 days and I already have a lot of new jokes with my friends. This Sunday morning each group went to a different church, my group stayed here at the Jubilee House for their church service. It was only around 15 or 20 people in all but everyone was friendly and I liked the sermon they had. In the evening we went to a park and had dinner there and we basically just ran around and had fun doing different things. Well hope everyone in Ohio is doing well and still breathing. Hi mom and dad!
~Gretchen
Hey everyone, I’m having a lot of fun here so far, it’s only been 2 days and I already have a lot of new jokes with my friends. This Sunday morning each group went to a different church, my group stayed here at the Jubilee House for their church service. It was only around 15 or 20 people in all but everyone was friendly and I liked the sermon they had. In the evening we went to a park and had dinner there and we basically just ran around and had fun doing different things. Well hope everyone in Ohio is doing well and still breathing. Hi mom and dad!
~Gretchen
Hey y’all, It’s been a fun time so far in Boston. After a lot of
travel time yesterday, I woke up and traveled to Trinity Catholic
Church for a service. After that, we walked around downtown Boston for
a while. We returned to the Jubilee House and ate lunch and sat around
for a while. Then we went to evening service at Park Street church.
After that we went to the park and ate food and played games. Then we
came back. Lots of fun! Tomorrow we will work with kids at VBS.
That’s all for now.
-Ben
Hello people! Dawn here. Saturday’s flight was great and it was a lot of fun. When we got to the Jubilee House we got all of our stuff set up and sat around and talked for a while. Then we had pizza for supper and went to bed. Sunday morning I went to The Lion Of Judah church that is a Spanish church. We had little hand held translators so that we could understand what the preacher was saying. After we got back we sat around and played a couple of games before we had lunch. After a while we went and passed around flyers for the VBS. We went to Park St. church and then ate supper in the park. Before we ate we started playing some games and I was given the volleyball net to set up (scary thought) and I could not figure it out so my Mom and Taylor figured it out and we got it set up. We had McDonalds for supper and then took the subway back. The subway is so much fun to ride.
Over and Out,
Dawn ; )
-Ben
Hello people! Dawn here. Saturday’s flight was great and it was a lot of fun. When we got to the Jubilee House we got all of our stuff set up and sat around and talked for a while. Then we had pizza for supper and went to bed. Sunday morning I went to The Lion Of Judah church that is a Spanish church. We had little hand held translators so that we could understand what the preacher was saying. After we got back we sat around and played a couple of games before we had lunch. After a while we went and passed around flyers for the VBS. We went to Park St. church and then ate supper in the park. Before we ate we started playing some games and I was given the volleyball net to set up (scary thought) and I could not figure it out so my Mom and Taylor figured it out and we got it set up. We had McDonalds for supper and then took the subway back. The subway is so much fun to ride.
Over and Out,
Dawn ; )
As you can see they are enjoying themselves while serving and that is a good thing! I will not have the pictures up until tomorrow; there have been some tech difficulties tonight. I hope they are fixed soon! Check back tomorrow for more updates on the work that God is doing here in Boston.
In His Grip,
Boston Team ‘07
Send messages to the students
Saturday, July 21st
Good Evening, or Good Morning! (depending on when you read this) We arrived safely with no problems and are all settling in at the Jubilee house. The students have already gotten a big taste of city living. Using the public transportation with our luggage was a real experience. It allowed us to already have conversations with people who looked a bit perplexed at 23 8th graders loading and unloading at each T-station. If you can imagine this in your mind I am sure that you can only laugh at the idea! Everything ran smoothly and we are thankful for that! We are in the process of having a very very late dinner (10:00pm) and then heading to bed shortly after that. Please continue to pray for safety in travel and for the students to continually have servant’s hearts. Well the pizza is calling my name so that is all for Saturday. Keep checking back each day, as I will have different students blog about their experiences.
In His Grip
In His Grip
Boston Team ‘07
Send messages to the students