Everything New.

Everyone is feeling much more comfortable on the missions trip.
We are feeling much more comfortable at our work sites, where we continue to make more friends with the kids at the VBS and Boys and Girls Camps.
We are also feeling much more comfortable within our youth group. The past couple youth group devotions have been amazing. I am so overjoyed at the willingness to share within our group. It's a pleasure to see the natural leaders within our group stand up and open themselves up. The students that are looked up to are now willing to show their feelings and share with the group, which makes others more comfortable to share, too. We have really seen God working in the youth this week.
Our theme verse for the week is Revelation 21:5 "Look, I am making everything new." Tonight we really focused on being made new. We took time to really think about the amazing sacrifice that Jesus made for us. We are all so grateful that Jesus literally took our sins on himself. "By his wounds, we are healed." we talked about how Jesus didn't just take away our sins and sorrows, he took them onto himself. He hurt, because of us. After the session we took a long time of prayer together. During prayer many kids professed out loud their thankfulness for what Jesus has done in their lives. Jesus is making things new within each one of us. Whether that be a new commitment to him, a new perspective on what it means to be Christian, or a renewed passion for living for Him. Jesus makes everything new!

Last night we had the opportunity to go out as a youth group and have fun at Greatimes Family Fun Park. We went Putt-Putt golfing, GoKarting and played arcade games. It was a great break from the work we have been doing all week.
A few more photos:

Organized Chaos

We are working through an organization called Group Mission Trips on their "Week of Hope" program. There are three other youth groups here this week. One from traverse City, one from the Chicago area and another from IN.
All of us have been split up into 15 different "crews". Each crew has a few members from each youth group in it. Its fun because we meet new people while we do our work. Each crew gets a different work assignment, but a few crews go to the same locations. This week there are 5 different locations that crews will be working at:
1.Global Peace Initiative at Peaceful Grounds. This group is working to plant gardens where food will be grown and given back to the community in Indianapolis.
2. Lilly Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis, summer programming.
3. LeGore Boys and Girls Club I Indianapolis, summer programming.
4. Common Ground Church, working at a VBS called Kids Games of Indianapolis.
5. First Free Methodist Church, Kids Games of Indianapolis VBS.

I am part of crew number 9!! And both crew 8 and 9 are working at the Lilly Boys and Girls Club. It is so fun.

Today I got to meet a girl named Mackenzie. She is awesome. I love her smile. Mackenzie is 7 years old and attends PS 93. She is going into the second grade next year. She has an older brother who is nine, and lives with her mother and stepdad.
I got to talk to her about Jesus. She met Jesus at Bible School last summer. We talked about how much Jesus loves her and wants to be her friend.

Here's more photos: of Mackenzie and I, Lilly Boys and Girls Club, and the morning Rally at the Club, showing how many members there are!! Also a photo of Brian Ellis and his buddy Xavier, and Ariel and her friend Michelle.