2018 Mission Trip Day 2

We woke up this morning to beautiful weather with lots of sunshine and lower than normal temperatures.  The students loaded onto the bus and shipped off to the local high school for much needed showers before breakfast.  The men of Christ St. Paul’s cooked a wonderful meal for us and their congregation with eggs, bacon, turkey sausage biscuits and of course grits (we are in the south!).  After breakfast we attended the 10:00 am service at Christ St. Paul’s and then it was off to Charleston.  The students really look forward to their time in Charleston with the fabulous food, history and unique shops.  We returned to the church around 7:15pm and had a light snack with free time until we gathered for spiritual formation around 8:00pm.  Tonight we revisited our baptismal covenant and looked at the first four questions that are asked of us.  The students broke out into their small groups for more in depth discussion and then it was time for the nightly slide show.  Lights out at 11:00 so that everyone can be well rested for our first day on our new work site tomorrow!

Mission Trip 2018 Our First Day

We have arrived and the adventure begins!  St. James' and St. Paul's students and adults reunited for another year of hard work and spiritual growth.  It was wonderful to see the many familiar faces as well as all the new folks.  After we arrived the students unloaded the bus and claimed bed space in the parish hall that will be theirs for the next week.   More important space close to an electrical socket!  Then it was off to Wide Awake Park to see the beautiful water and give the kitchen staff time to prepare dinner.  We returned back to Christ St. Paul's to a wonderful dinner of baked chicken, potatoes, broccoli and salad with monster bars for dessert.  Thank you kitchen staff YUM!!!  After dinner it was time to get to know the rules for the week and get to know each other a little better.  Everyone introduced themselves and their favorite vacation place and then broke out into their small groups.  Our spiritual theme for this week is to focus on God's purpose for us and how we can embrace it.  Students are challenged to explore God's influence in their life and how they are making choices and decisions.  We look forward to a wonderful week filled with new experiences and time of fellowship.