Mission Serve Blog
Latest Updates from Mission ServePuerto Rico Week 1 – Tuesday
Happy Tuesday from beautiful Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico!
Today was our second day on worksites. Our participants were up bright and early, pumped to work as they have adjusted to the early take off to sites! Everyone loaded into their vans with smiles on their faces ready to work and serve this community.
A lot of work has already been accomplished so far. We have a church to clean and fix electrically, many roofs to build, interiors to fix up and more. The work needed is abundant but our students have not let up! They are working so hard to complete their projects and it is only Tuesday!
Tonight was the concert of prayer. This is a great opportunity for our students to be in worship and prayer with God, one on one and also in fellowship. The reverent atmosphere tonight was amazing and you could truly feel God’s presence. As our work load grows, bumps come in the road, or we are just tired; it is nice to know that we have a Christian community to pick us up and help us keep going. Tonight was a wonderful reminder of that.
Tomorrow will be a half work day and then our squads return early. After lunch, they get to do some exploring of Puerto Rico with their youth groups. It is going to be an awesome day! This off-time is something our participants have surely earned!
Thank you all for your support and prayers that you have sent to this community and to our students. Please continue your prayers and sending ServeMail to show them how much you care!
Hope you all had a blessed and beautiful Tuesday.
Your Summer Staff,
Olivia and Justin
Birmingham – Monday
Yay for Monday!
The workweek has begun! Each of our squads spent today starting the progress of replacing the roof on four homes. I can’t wait to go to the worksites to see the changes being done on these homes!
Tonight, our awesome band led us in worship, including one of my personal favorite songs, “Death Was Arrested”. The song reminded me that God can take hold of even the darkest of circumstances and grant freedom to the chained. This ministry shows you how dark some people’s lives are, whether that is through the condition of the house you are working on or the condition of the neighborhood you are working in. Either way, you are given the opportunity to show the people you are serving the love and humility of Christ, a love and humility that can shine a light through whatever darkness the people witnessing your service are facing.
After worship, our wonderful speaker, Justin, spoke on putting others first. He shared scripture from Galatians 5:13-15, which talks about how we are called to be free and to use that freedom to serve one another through love. He also taught on John 13:1-17, the passage about the night Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. Justin stated, “What is going to lead people to want to have a relationship with Jesus is when somebody shows them what it looks like to follow Jesus.” This passage in John shows us how Jesus lived-humbly in submission to all those He came in contact with. We were challenged to look around and see what we can do to serve those around us and to put others first, no matter how big or small. I pray we all take this message to heart and allow God to use us in whatever way He sees fit this week and beyond once this project is over.
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
Washington, D.C. – Monday
Hi again from Washington, D.C.
Today was our first day on worksites! This morning after a yummy breakfast, we have our Great Sendoff. We sent all our squads off with excitement and encouraging words from our PC, Callie Freeman!
We have 9 squads total and one of them is a ministry site! For the first half of the day, we had rain, rain & rain. After lunch time, our squads were able to start some work but because of the rain they didn’t get as much done as they wanted. We hope to have a very productive day tomorrow! After the squads returned from the day, everyone got showers and ate dinner together.
Our Speaker tonight spoke on the opposite of fear: Trust. In Matthew 14:22-36, Peter trusted Jesus and walked on the water to him. Peter trusted the Lord through the storm that he was going through. At any given moment in time, you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm or you’re about to head into a storm but you just don’t know it yet. Isaiah 43:2 says that Jesus will always be with you & we have to trust him that he is there. When we learn to trust Jesus, we notice how incredibly faithful God is & others notice our faith (trust) and ask us about it. This week, our participants have such a huge opportunity to share their faith in the community, which is why Rich ended the night by daring us to trust throughout the rest of the week and even after the project is over.
We finished out our night with lots of sales table purchases, card games and new relationships! Please pray for all our squads as they head out to their sites tomorrow and keep praying for a successful week ahead. Also, don’t forget to send ServeMail.
Your Summer Staff,
Jack & Jordan
Walterboro – Monday
Today, the participants were up bright and early to start their days working on homes in the Walterboro area. There are sixteen squads this week: one of the squads are working on a paint job, two squad are working on roofing projects, nine squads are building wheelchair ramps, and three squads are doing Backyard Bible Clubs and yard work. All of the squads were very productive and came back to the church tired, but safe and smiling! Be sure to support your participant by sending them ServeMail!
After the squads rested and cleaned up, we all gathered together for a time of worship. Tonight, Pastor Trey read from Matthew 14:22-33. He talked about Peter walking on water and getting out of our comfort zones. We cannot let our comfort zones define our relationship with God. His message was a great reminder to start the work week.
After worship, our students had great talks in their youth group devotional time and played games in the fellowship hall and gym. It is really cool to see new friendships form and grow in this environment. Tomorrow, the squads head back out to the sites and are ready to continue to serve!
Movin’ along,
Jenna & Sam
Rockingham Co. – Monday
Welcome back! It has been a full and fun day. We started off our busy work week with a fantastic Great Send Off! Our squads had incredible signs and props as they departed for job sites this morning.
Yesterday we challenged them to see which squad could have the most fun and elaborate exit. This resulted in a tie. Scoring the highest in the decorative category was the Mike squad who decorated their van to resemble a Mike & Ike candy box! They even went above and beyond and threw actual Mike & Ike’s as they left! In the production category, the team from Alpha pretended to be trapped in the back of their van and RAN out after being release. It was a hysterical exit. All of our squads did a spectacular job!
Our squads finally got to get down to business today and Construction Captains returned this afternoon very happy with the progress that they made. There were several reports of students being daring and opening up with their new friends. Several were bold enough to share their testimonies and even prayer over the group during worksite devotions. How incredible!
Tonight in our time of worship, Brandon posed the question of what we are to do when storms come our way. He read from Matthew 14 and highlighted how despite the storms that arise, Jesus has overcome them. Additionally, Brandon emphasized the idea that as we weather more and more storms, we are able to draw closer and closer to our Savior. Finally, he closed our time by daring participants to share what the storms are in their lives right now during Large Group Devotions.
It’s been a long, humid day and we are all eager to rest and be rejuvenated for another exhilarating day tomorrow! Please continue praying that God’s provision would be upon us and that we would each be bold enough to share the love of Jesus to everyone that we come in contact with in the days to come.
Lastly, DON’T FORGET to send in your ServeMail. We love hearing from our friends and family so please send in some mail.
That’s all for today. We look forward to sharing all the details from Tuesday really soon.
Blessings,
Jackson & Alexis
Puerto Rico Week 1 – Monday
Buenos from Juana Díaz!
Today was the first day on worksites!!! We began our morning with the Great Send-off which consisted of gathering together in prayer lead by our local pastor Victor. After his prayer all of our squads got pumped up and headed off to their sites!
Our worksites are spread all throughout Juana Díaz and two are in a neighboring city named Ponce. We are looking forward to the impact that our students are making in this community and the impact that this community is making on us!
Tonight, Jared spoke about faith and exactly what it means. Faith is letting go and letting God take full control on your life. He said the answer to growing our faith is found in Hebrews 12:1-2 where we are directed to “throw off” sin that hinders our relationship and fix our eyes upon Jesus.
Tomorrow our squads hangout for another day on their worksites. They are super excited to continue their work week and grow their friendships with each other and their homeowners!
Please continue to pray for this community and our participants this week. Also, show your support through sending ServeMail!
Hope you all had a blessed Monday.
Your Summer Staffers,
Olivia and Justin
Birmingham – Sunday
Happy Sunday!
Today marks day one of the Birmingham project! Each of our churches arrived safely this afternoon, making for a great day of getting to meet all of the participants. Each participant met their squad after worship and learned about the house they will be working on this week. You can see the friendships that have already begun forming!
Tonight, our speaker, Justin, dared us to step out & serve and to out serve each other. He talked about when Jesus saw Simon and Andrew fishing in Matthew 4:18-20, when Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”, and they immediately got up and followed Him. Justin followed the passage with this: “Be bold. Drop your net and follow Him. Take that step to believe. For His glory, not yours.” He also made a point to remind us that we are part of a team and this week and its responsibilities is not on just one person. The power of God doesn’t rest on one single person. What an amazing reminder to start this week off with. We are never in it alone, and this week is a great way to share the load and spread the love.
Tomorrow each squad will take on their houses, stepping out into the Birmingham community to witness through the work they will all be doing. Please pray for beautiful weather, safety, and opportunities to be the light of Jesus to those around each work site. I can’t wait to see what this week has in store for everyone at this project, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
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
Puerto Rick Week 1 – Sunday
Hola from day two in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico!
Today has been a Sunday full of blessings. This morning our youth groups split up and went to four different local churches. These churches were so welcoming to our groups and fed them after worship. The youth groups that visited the church who is allowing us to use their facilities for worship all week actually brought food and served the church members. We love the servant hearts in this community and in our students!
In the afternoon our participants got to meet their squads and assign leadership roles. We have a total of 14 squads which means there are 14 houses getting impacted this week. God is so amazing!
After supper, Jared spoke on the most radical thing Jesus did in the Bible. He pointed out that at the Last Supper Jesus could have said anything to the disciples as His parting words, but Jesus made a point to focus on being a servant to others. Jesus desires for all of His disciples to be servants to everyone and love everyone. This message was great as we go out into this community, we can remember to truly love people and try to help the best we can.
Tomorrow our squads will head out for their first day on their worksite. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin their journey for this week. Also, please keep this community in your prayers as well.
You can continue showing your love and support to each participant by sending ServeMail too! Hope you all had a wonderful Sunday!
Your Summer Staff,
Olivia and Justin
Walterboro – Sunday
Welcome back!
It is Sunday in Walterboro and we are already having a blast! We started off the day by attending 18 local churches in the surrounding area. The community has been extremely supportive and welcoming. Each squad was served a delicious meal, the vast majority being fried chicken, and encouraged by how dedicated these churches are to the mission we are carrying out this week. These churches will also be delivering lunches to the squads each day. We are so grateful!
This afternoon consisted of many important activities. After church, the squads visited their worksites and met a few of their homeowners. It was a great bonding experience for all of the participants.
In the evening, Speaker Trey centered his message around Galatians 5:13-14 and challenged us by asking us how we will use the freedom that we have in Christ. This week, we have the perfect opportunity to love and serve others and he ended our time together by daring us to do so. Trey set a great example by washing the feet of one of the participants from his home church. Later, participants were asked to write on a large paper their goals for the week and what they want to see God do.
We finished the evening with lots of basketball and volleyball being played in the gym, devotions with church groups, and much action at the Mission Serve promo table. The real work begins tomorrow and we are thrilled.
Please continue to pray for our project that everyone will be safe and that we all share the love of Christ this week with the community.
Also, don’t forget to write ServeMail to out participants.
Sending love,
Jenna & Sam
Rockingham Co. – Sunday
Hey, it is Sunday fun day! Wake up music was initiated today, and participants were already eating breakfast at 7am. There was much excitement in the gym as participants began meeting the friends that they would be working with this week! We have 18 different squads working on all kinds of projects such as roofs, flooring, decks, and more!
Each squad thoroughly enjoyed visiting their host church. The churches welcomed us all to the community and were very grateful for the work they will be doing. There were several reports of phenomenal lunches that were also provided by the churches! We look forward to seeing what the serve each squad over the course of the week.
In the afternoon after returning to the facility, there was much prep going on among the squads as they prepare for tomorrows Great Send off! It should be interesting and we look forward to sharing pictures and videos with you via social media!
During our time of worship, the band led us in several songs and Brandon’s message emphasized a basic understanding of what it is like to live the life that Jesus calls us to. He read from Galatians 5:13-14 as well as a passage from John 13. In order to solidify the idea that Jesus was the ultimate servant we had each Group Leader wash the feet of the students.
Tomorrow we hit the ground running with our construction projects and could not be more thrilled! Please be sure to pray for safety and nice weather as the participants work hard on their assigned jobs.
Don’t forget, we love receiving your ServeMail so please send it our way!
Check back here tomorrow for more information on all the action taking place here in Rockingham County.
Stay cool out there,
Jackson & Alexis
