Atlanta Mission Trip - Day 3

Fan for the un-air-conditioned room- $30.00

Water bottle so as not to get dehydrated and faint- $5.99

Cough drops, cold medicine, tissues, and breathe-right strips- $34.00

Deck of cards for playing endless games of “speed” to control boredom- $3.00

Snacks to keep us energized- $12.00

Spending a week with our friends serving the Lord- PRICELESS

LOVE,

Meg, Mary, and Adair

Atlanta Mission Trip Day 2

Hello! This is Adair reporting for the Atlanta mission team on Tuesday afternoon. We have all enjoyed our second day here serving in different areas. My team, “Sydney”, worked at a garden center this morning Caitlyn, Mr. Foss and I, the so-called “athletic team”, dug a total of five two-foot deep holes in the ground and proceeded to put posts into them. Thankfully, there was a nice breeze and a light sprinkle of rain so we weren’t as hot today. We enjoyed a nice lunch consisting of ham and turkey or peanut butter and jelly wraps, some chips, and a fruit cup on the way to our second location painting more of the house we started yesterday.

With the cooler weather, the painting wasn’t as tiring and tedious as the previous day. I spent the day on a ladder painting the crevasses created by the grout between the bricks. Most of the group then headed off to the showers while Catherine, Caitlyn, and I searched furiously for a Starbucks or other internet hot spot. We tried McDonald’s, but discovered some problems, and afterwards found it at our shower location.

Upon return to our host church, we departed for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. museum, which was quite interesting. We watched a movie and looked around at different exhibits. When we arrived back at the church, we prepared for Taco Tuesday! It was quite delicious, I have to say. Now we’re all just hanging out, playing cards, listening to someone play the guitar, others screaming the words to the songs he plays, and in a while we will be getting ready for Club. Meg is doing the devotional tonight for our church, after which we will all sleep happily in our new sort-of air conditioned room (we got a window unit today! Woot woot).

Yesterday evening we went to centennial park. We ate ice cream, which was yummy, and watched the kids play in the fountain. Meg and I went in for a while, but then she escaped while I was stuck inside for like 5 minutes. It felt longer, too… it was kinda funny, I have to say. I also beat Morgan three times in the card game of war. Hahah.

I’m getting over my cold now, thanks to the CVS down the street, and we’re getting used to the heat. Maybe. Meg just won the card game of “speed” against Morgan for about the 17^th time. Now we’re going to play Uno! Yay!

Pray for us on all of our missions! Thanks!

Adair Tigert

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This is Catherine, one of the counselors on the trip;

I’m literally writing this blog entry under my fleece blanket way after lights out because I just can’t sleep for the joy I’m feeling from this trip! These kids are FANTASTIC. Parents, congregants: be proud of our Youth. They have been a living example this week of Jesus in us. Dave Sippel remarked tonight at our church group meeting that he is amazed each time he takes a trip with our group how truly exemplary our kids are. And this week, they are showing this to the world as well…well at least this little piece of Atlanta anyway.

I watch them THINKING about the work they are doing for their fellow man here in Atlanta. The realizations and growth they are experiencing simply make me smile and fill with Joy! Our Youth are working with disadvantaged youth and children, the elderly and the underprivileged. They are meeting people very different, and amazingly not so different from themselves. They are learning about hunger, and becoming inspired by the opportunities to alleviate it. They are helping organizations who live and work here in Atlanta to ease suffering and hardship. And they are doing it with smiles on their faces, eagerness in their steps, and a love for God that is inspiring in itself.

And they’re having a lot of fun!

All is well, and I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve on this trip. It has been an eye opening experience. I always knew these were an amazing group of kids – and yet they still surprise me by their stellar behavior – but now I have the opportunity to watch them realize what a difference they can make in this world of ours! Quite something.

Praise the Lord and all God’s gifts! Especially the gift of our youth!

For the latest pics, please visit our facebook album by clicking here

Atlanta Mission Trip - Day 1

Hello this is Katie McCormick reporting from the field. We are currently in Atlanta aka Hotlanta, Ga. So far we have met the staff, they are some pretty cool people and they are super nice which is always good. We have also spent our first night in a room with about 15 girls and its pretty tight with no a.c.!!!! Can you believe it, well if it’s for the work of God then I guess we can handle it. We have also spent a lot of time chillin’ out with our friends and making new friends for instance I was cleaning the Kitchen last night after dinner (you can probably find pictures some where) and I met this really cool kid from Ohio his name is Ryan. I also met another Ryan and Ria they are from Ohio too.

As crazy as it might seem when we woke up this morning I was freezing!!! I don’t know how you can get cold in a room that does not have air conditioning in this middle of June but whatever. So we had breakfast and I found out that one of my best friends Jessica Judd was on my team I was very excited at that point. So after breakfast we had devotion and I went outside I was sitting across from a street, but I have to say that place seemed really beautiful to me.

So my crew and I found out that we would be going to a food bank in the morning and to work on a house in the afternoon. So we got to the food bank and found out that we wouldn’t be doing any work we were just going to learn about what they did and what there goals were as a community. Now for any teenager being inside just listening to someone speak about something you probably know about may seem good because you might not have to pay attention, but I gained a lot of knowledge from that place it was awesome.

The next place we went to was a persons house that needed to be painted so we got started as soon as possible and I am proud to say that we are half way done but I don’t think we will be done tomorrow.

Thanks for reading! ^_-

Hey everyone! This is Caitlyn and Morgan. We just finished eating a delicious dinner consisting of pasta, alfredo, chicken, broccoli, garlic bread, fruit, and salad. Today was a LONG day. It’s pretty hot where we are sleeping. However, they got an air conditioning unit in our room so it should be a little bit better tonight. =] Of course, we are the only two that didn’t bring an air mattress so we are sleeping on the ground, oh well, we’ll live!!!!!

We just got back from Centennial Park. We ate (ice cream!), played in the park, took lots of pictures, raced (Mary won!), and watched people play in the fountain. When we got back we got a little time to rest and a snack before “club” (a time of worship, a lesson for the day and a few fun activities and skits.) After club we went to small groups with our own individual youth groups. Now we are getting ready for bed and just found out that they are putting ANOTHER A.C. unit in our room =] =] yay! So we are super tired so we are going to get ready for bed. Good Night! Oh yeah… Cozart’s and McNeel’s, WE MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU!!!!

For more photos, click here

Okay to start out this is Jessica Judd and I get to type the first Blog that I’m writing on the way to Atlanta, so, yay me! So the car ride there is fun so far. Me and Taylor have been fighting over the front seat, gum, goldfish, and that she bite me. (But don’t worry we are still friends.) It’s about 1 now and were STILL in the car but, we are in Georgia! We stopped at Wendy’s for lunch and we ate food there and it was good! Okay and now Taylor wants to type so here we go.

Now this is Taylor, I must admit the car ride is really fun. Like Jessica said we fought over silly stuff and Jessica was whining over stupid things, LOL. I’m super dee doper excited about being in Atlanta and spending time with everyone. The only thing I’m bummed about is not being able to use my hairdryer and straitener. But I’ll get over it. Today is also father’s day and I said “hello” to my daddy cuz I didn’t get to see him today.

And yeah that was Taylor the getting annoying person next to me but, yeah what ever. Ummm we’re just getting ready to leave again from the rest stop for another like two hours of driving together in the Cars. We’re starting to get a little bit bored, but we’ll live and we’ve also noticed that Dave drives fast and that we keep losing him in front of us but we always catch up soon or later! And we finally found a way to entertain us by having Morgan read Taylor’s book out loud so yeah it’s about a girl who got dumped by some guy cause she lost her “lucky” shirt!! So yes now we’re having story time yay!! And I would like to give out a shout out to my mom: “I love u and Paul tell Tigger and holly I said hi!!<33”.

Jessica Judd (& Taylor Hastings)

Just a note to parents:

1. Dave doesn't drive fast, never went more than 4 miles above speed limit at all times!
2. Pictures coming soon. Stay tuned!

- The Blogmaster!

Welcome to Hyde Park Youth Ministry Blog

Welcome to our blog. The Youth Ministry of Hyde Park United Methodist Church celebrates the love of Christ, and is eager to be his hands and feet in the world. We will begin blogging by keeping you up to date on the first of two week long mission trips we are taking this summer. The first begins this Saturday, June 17th when we head to Atlanta with twelve students from 8th - 11th grade.

We head to Atlanta with a group Covenant we designed collaboratively which states:

We, the Atlanta youth mission team of HPUMC, commit to:

• Sharing what we already know about God’s love, and be open to learning more.
• Building positive relationships.
• Working together in a positive servant’s attitude.
• Seek, spread, and understand God’s will.

“We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”. Phil. 4:13

We covet your prayers as we enter the mission field!