Preteen Mission Trip 2016

The first night we went shopping at Aldi. The kids got to spend the money we had brought with us to donate to the food pantry.

Lunch spot on Lake Michigan

Jelly Belly Factory

Day off lake

Serving breakfast

9 square

Malayna picked up garbage on our lunch break

Simmons Island Beach

Leaders

Kaylee and I had the opportunity to go on our church's preteen mission trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin.  We brought 10 preteens and 4 adult sponsors with us. We stayed at a large church/school in one of the classrooms. We ate our meals at the school, other than our lunch which we packed and took with us to our job sites. We had morning and evening devotions together with all the groups and team devotions with our smaller groups. Our group had a lot of good discussions. In our free time, the kids loved to play 9 square, which was setup in the gym. We played lots and lots of 9 square.

Our church group was divided into two teams. Kaylee and I were on two different teams. Kaylee's team leaders were Pastor Kim and Darcy. Kaylee served along side her friends: Lily Ford, Addison Christiansen,  Anna Lai, and Bryton Grimm; at a local senior center. The seniors came to the center to socialize, play bingo and do crafts. The kids had a chance to participate in the games and crafts, as well as, work in the garden and do some small painting projects. Kaylee was challenged to remember that God created all people unique and precious. She enjoyed her time at the senior center.

My team consisted of: Neil Grimm, my co-sponsor; Maddie Hodgins, Malayna, Jillian Christiansen, Rachel, and Laci McHenry. We spent the week serving in a local food pantry. On Monday and Wednesday, we had the opportunity to help the customers shop. Our job was to make sure they knew what they were allowed to have and took the right quantity. We also were in charge of bagging their groceries and assisting them to their vehicles. I had the opportunity to pray with several of the customers. One lady was battling cancer and another lady was pregnant and having pains while we were shopping together. On Tuesday and Thursday, we had the opportunity to sort through donated items and restock the shelves. Honestly, we enjoyed our time at the food pantry so much that several of us want to try and find a place to volunteer back home.  I was challenged during the week to be bold.

Our food pantry was just a few minutes away from Lake Michigan, so everyday we took our lunches and had a picnic at the lake. Lake Michigan holds a special place in my heart, so this was definitely a highlight for me and my team. We loved it so much that we convinced the other group to join us after volunteering on day. The kids loved playing in the sand, collecting rocks, and swimming. It was a great memory.

We had one free day, which our two teams spent together. We toured the local Jelly Belly Factory, went out for some yummy pizza, and went to a beach for the afternoon. We enjoyed swimming and playing some Newcomb, one of Kaylee's favorite games. Newcomb is played on a volleyball court, but instead of bumping the ball, you try to catch the ball. If you drop it, you are out. It is pretty fun! We had a great day relaxing together.

One of the challenges for the week were the showers. They were locker room style, meaning that all but two were open without individual shower curtains. The kids wore their swim suits while showering, unless they were one of the lucky two who got the individual showers. The showers were also the kind where you pushed a button, the water come out briefly and then shuts off abruptly. By abruptly I mean, 8 seconds later. Lets just say, we don't miss the showers, but if that was the roughest part of our mission trip I'd say we did pretty well!

Kaylee and I both had a great time on the mission trip. Our groups bonded over the six days we were together. We enjoyed serving others. We are truly blessed and enjoyed blessing others.