Mission Serve Blog
Latest Updates from Mission ServePuerto Rico Week 1 – Thursday
Happy Thursday from Juana Díaz!
Today was back-to-normal work day for all of our squads. They woke up, had breakfast, and piled in their vans to go to their worksites. They have all worked super hard to ensure that they can get their projects done tomorrow!
Tonight, Jared talked about being the body of Christ. We each have to do our part, but together with God we can accomplish amazing, powerful things–things we could never accomplish on our own. Our goal should be to find what God wants for our lives and how we fit into his Kingdom and then strive to be the best version of that. Working solely for His glory and His kingdom, leading people to Him.
Our participants are preparing for their last full workday tomorrow. They have seen these houses through from beginning to end and have worked hard to create new homes for the people of Juana Díaz. Tomorrow will be a hard goodbye to our homeowners. However, it is exciting that most homeowners have promised to come to our last worship service! What a great day it will be tomorrow!
We pray you have all had a blessed Thursday. We also ask that you continue to keep Juana Díaz in your prayers as well as our participants. Don’t forget, you can show your support by sending ServeMail!
Your Summer Staffers,
Olivia and Justin
Puerto Rico Week 1 – Wednesday
Hello from Juana Díaz!
Today was our half work day/half off day! Our participants worked super hard on their sites up until lunch. After lunch on their worksites, everyone headed back to the church to get ready for their activities with their youth groups.
All participants truly earned this time off! Some youth groups went to the rainforest, beach, snorkeling, Old San Juan, and more. It was a great work day and a great fun day. The fellowship with their personal youth groups is also very important which is why it was such a needed day. Everyone said they had a blast!
Tomorrow will be back to the grind of another regular workday. Each squad so excited to continue working on their projects and get their site finished! Some sites will finish tomorrow and move on to helping more sites.
Please continue to pray for our groups as they work hard to complete their projects. Also, don’t forget you can show your love and support through sending ServeMail. Hope you all had as exciting of a Wednesday as we did!
Your Summer Staff,
Olivia and Justin
Birmingham – Wednesday
Happy Half-Day Off!
Today our squads only worked half a day, but that didn’t keep them from making some awesome progress on each of their roofs! I spent some time this morning visiting each of the work sites and it was so amazing to see the work that had already been completed! Some of our squads are fully expecting to finish their roofs early tomorrow!
Please be praying that the weather will stay in working conditions! According to the forecast, it looks like we’ll be receiving thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and most of, if not all day, Friday. It would be so great if each of the roofs being worked on this week could be completed before this project ends!
Tonight, we did not have a worship service, as all of our participants took the afternoon and evening to spend time with their separate youth groups off the church campus. One church went to the mall, one went to the movies, and others explored the city!
Thank you so much for your continued support of this project! Please continue to pray for the work being done and the people being reached this week!
Don’t forget to send your friends and family attending the project here in Birmingham this week a word of prayer or encouragement through ServeMail!
Your Summer Staff,
Madi & Chad
Walterboro – Wednesday
Happy Wednesday!
Today, our squads got up and worked on their construction sites for half a day. It was a beautiful day in Walterboro with the sunny shining and lower temperatures. The crews were able to still get a lot of work done and continued to share the gospel with the homeowners and other residents.
After returning from sites, the squads have the afternoon off to go explore Walterboro and the surrounding area. Some churches visited the downtown Charleston and others went to the Edisto Beach. All the participants had fun on their half day and retuned to the beach safe and sound. Thank God for the safe travels and full smiles.
Tomorrow, the squad are ready to return to their sites for another great day of work! Be sure to send them encouragement through ServeMail!
Probably Taking a Nap,
Jenna & Sam
Rockingham Co. – Wednesday
Guess what day it is! Half day! We had a full morning of work and fun in the sun. There were several reports of people saying how fantastic their worksite devotions were and even how they got to spend lots of time with the locals. We love opportunities to share the gospel in the local community.
Around 1 PM the participants arrived at the facility to prepare for an afternoon off. We had several groups do fun water activities such as tubing down a river and even spending time at the pool. Other groups decided to relax by going to a shopping mall or even seeing a movie. It feels great to be rejuvenated and head into the second half of the work week.
Thursday appears to be a very promising day as we have a lot of fun things prepared. The participants will return to their job site energized with hopes of finishing their projects early to assist with other projects that we would love to complete. Please pray for clear skies and safety as we embark on a great day
Also time is almost up to send ServeMail so please do so TODAY!
Serving together,
Jackson & Alexis
Washington, DC – Wednesday
Wednesday = Free day here in Washington!
We were not out on the worksites today because our participants got a full free day to explore our Nation’s Capital! All our church groups went out to see the amazing monuments and museums. They took tours and made some new memories, what a great way to spend this awesome Wednesday. We will be back on the worksite tomorrow morning, bright and early! Everyone is super excited to finish up their projects. Please continue to keep everyone in your prayers as we finish out the week.
Check back in tomorrow for some more updates and don’t forget to send us some ServeMail!
Your Summer Staff,
Jack & Jordan
Rockingham Co. – Tuesday
It is a terrific Tuesday in Rockingham County. We experienced lovely weather today and were blessed by cool temperatures and a canopy of clouds! This allowed the work to be easier, and more to be accomplished.
Our First Aid Coordinator, Ashley Enterline, has been faithful in visiting each of the sites to not only check in and see how the participants are doing, but also to bring a sweet treat. Popsicles! It has made for a nice and refreshing break on the job sites.
Several squads have reported back in the afternoon say that they have had several positive encounters with the surrounding neighbors and others within the community. We all have been so encouraged by this news and appreciate the people who live in Rockingham County!
Last night, we experienced the concert of prayer. Brandon and the band led and incredible service that was centered around the commission that we have and surrendering the things that hinder that commission. There was a much needed time of surrender, and it was evident that the Holy Spirit was moving. The following devotion times were filled with much conversation and authenticity.
Tomorrow will be fun day full surprises and much needed rest. Our churches will head out around 2pm for an afternoon of fun! We look forward to sharing the details with you later. Enjoy your day, and don’t forget, there is still time to send in ServeMail. We love reading it.
Work hard, play hard
Jackson & Alexis
Birmingham – Tuesday
Another day, another shingle! HAPPY TUESDAY!
Our four roofing squads made it through day two! All came back with words of a productive day. Even more, one squad came back and reported that they had the opportunity to be led in prayer by their homeowner! What a blessing this squad and homeowner are to each other!
Tonight, we held our Concert of Prayer. Led by our worship team and speaker, we worshiped through song, prayer, and the reading of scripture. Our speaker, Justin, dared us to accept God’s commission for our lives and he challenged us to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God. It was a sweet time of experiencing the Holy Spirit and spending time at the feet of Jesus. This night is always such a blessing to me, and God never fails to show Himself to me and speak to my heart. I pray every person in the room tonight can take something away from what was presented to us and that they are able to say they had encounter with Christ in a sweet way that they’ve never experienced before.
Today was hot and exhausting for those on worksites, but tomorrow brings a half-day of work for everyone involved in this project! Hopefully everyone gets a restful afternoon to rejuvenate their energy so they can finish strong!
Thank you so much for your encouragement, prayer, and support of this project and all those involved! Please continue to pray for good weather, healthy participants, safety, and opportunities to share Jesus with those around us!
Don’t forget to send your friends and family attending the project here in Birmingham this week a word of prayer or encouragement through ServeMail!
Your Summer Staff,
Madi & Chad
Walterboro – Tuesday
It’s Terrific Tuesday!
This morning, our squads went out to work on their houses bright and early. They were eager to keep working and making a difference. The squads continued to work on the 13 houses and 3 community sites and build relationships with the homeowners. The Fire and Rescue Team in Walterboro also delivered popsicles to the sites today. It started to rain in the afternoon and the crews returned a little earlier, getting some expected but appreciated rest.
After dinner, we were treated to a guest speaker, Chris Wells. Chris spoke about making time alone with God a priority, living what we say we believe, and sharing our faith. It was a fun, but deep message to hear. Later, the participants were treated to a night of fun and games and youth groups from local churches joined in the fun. The kids played cornhole and ultimate frisbee, had an obstacle course, had archery lessons, and had the chance to dunk our own summer staffer, Sam in a dunk tank. There was also shaved ice and cotton candy served by Squealin’ Sow Catering. It was an amazing night and the participants had so much fun.
Tomorrow, the squads have a half day. They will work on houses in the morning and have the afternoon off to enjoy Charleston and Edisto Beach and other local sites. Pray for safe travels and fun adventures!
Make sure to keep support everyone at the project by sending them ServeMail. Participants and leaders alike love to see a sweet message of support!
Truckin’ on a Tuesday,
Jenna & Sam
Washington, D.C. – Tuesday
Hey, Hey it’s Tuesday!!
What a wonderful day it was! Bright and early, our squads were up and out on the worksites. With the rain hitting us yesterday, everyone was very excited and eager to keep working hard and making a difference today.
Both our band and speaker were out and about visiting worksite this afternoon, taking a sweet treat to all our participants. What a great surprise! Also, we had many homeowners out today, talking and telling stories with our students.
Tonight during worship, we focused on the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman and how Jesus went to places that others wouldn’t and valued those that others wouldn’t. Our speaker dared us to embrace those that are different from us and to meet their needs in Jesus’ name and for His sake. It was a powerful time of worship and the Lord worked in mighty ways.
Tomorrow we have a full free day so all our participants are able to go out and explore our Nations Capital. Everyone is so excited and cannot wait to go to the monuments and museums and memorials. Oh my! Please pray for a safe time for everyone and even that we may have opportunities to share our story with whomever we come in contact with.
Also, continue to pray for a great rest of the week and that we can finish strong. Don’t forget to send some encouraging ServeMail to our students!
Check back later for some more updates!
Your Summer Staff,
Jack & Jordan
