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Skadoosh or Phoenix Mission Trip, pt. 1
Driving 1200 miles to Buckeye, in NW Phoenix, with 21 people in 22 seats worth of vans was a daunting task to say the least…especially when the trip began with 450 miles of rain. We finally escaped the rain about 50 miles short of our first stop in Van Horn, TX. (It will never cease to amaze me that you can drive for 10 hours from Temple and still not get out of Texas.) We spent the night in a nice Ramada Limited (shout out!) and continued our adventure on Saturday. Even with the gaining of 2 hours, we still drove all day. It is unbelievable how mountains can drain the gas tank of a 15 passenger van pulling a trailer. I lost count of how many times we stopped for gas, but we made it and capped the day with some On The Border Tex-Mex (always a good ending to a day).
Sunday we awoke to beautiful weather and the excitement of worshiping with our new friends at The Church at Sun Valley. I absolutely loved walking to church that morning with our group (even if we did freak out a few of the neighbors). Our time of church in the “gymna-cafe-torium” was a special experience. Many of our students felt more like they were at a school award assembly than church. It was definitely healthy for all to experience church in a “different than the norm” way. We sang hymns differently and choruses we had never heard. We were challenged with the truth that there is a big difference between religion and relationship. In the end religion is about me (however much you couch your language in God) and relationship is about Jesus. It was a challenging message for our team. We had lunch at the Scott’s house and then the team went throughout the neighborhood passing out reminder flyers about the movie night and sports/crafts camp.
Christie and I received a special treat that afternoon. After church, Jennifer Bledsoe Hernandez and her husband Rich (recent Arizona transplants) joined us for lunch and the afternoon activities. For you old timers, you will remember Jennifer as an active and energizing member of CCBC. It was great to catch up and spend face time with old friends. God is good!a
Later Sunday afternoon some of the guys went over to the park to play basketball with guys from the church and community. It was great…no one was injured (as I get older that is the definition of a good time playing any sport). It truly was a beautiful day to be outside.
We had dinner (Sam’s makes a great pizza!) and then went to help set up for the movie night. What a great time! Our students helped serve popcorn from the movie theater styled popcorn machine and bottles of water. Mindy and Daniel Scott (my sister and brother-in-law and one of the pastor’s at the church) met many new faces from the community and the rest of us enjoyed Kung Fu Panda (skadoosh!) on a giant screen under the stars. Something so simple, yet what a great way to build bridges in the community and meet people where they are.
After a long day and still adjusting to the two hour time difference, we had a time of sharing and looking at what the Bible says about being a servant and then went to bed…the girls down the street at BJ’s and Woody’s and the boys in the upstairs air mattress dorm created at the Scott’s house.
A great first day of serving…
‘One Another’ in the Bible
Want to do some Bible reading on the computer? Here is a list of references for the One Another verses in the Bible. Our website gives scripture references links so that you can read each of these verses without even clicking a button. Hover your mouse over the verse and read. To put the verse in its context, you can press the button and go to the Bible site. It is worth the time. This depth of relationship is the church. Enjoy.
- Love one another
- Be in harmony with one another
- Submit to one another
- Don’t judge one another
- Accept one another
- Comfort one another
- Don’t lie to each other
- Greet one another
- Serve one another
- Don’t hate one another
- Pray for one another
- Wait for one another
- Don’t slander one another
- Speak the truth in love
- Forgive one another
- Bear with each other
- Don’t grumble against each other
- Encourage and build up each other
- Reconcile with one another
- Live in peace with each other
- Be patient with everyone
- Be kind to each other
- Spur one another on toward love and good deeds
- Don’t give up meeting together
- Confess your sins to each other
- Walk in the light to have fellowship with one another
- Be devoted to one another
- Honor one another above yourselves
- Be humble toward one another
- Offer hospitality to one another
- Instruct one another
- Teach one another
- Admonish one another
Wisconsin summary
Robert Knepp wrote about the Wisconsin trip. It will appear in the newsletter, but I wanted to post it here. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement along the way.
We began our trip early on Saturday morning as we flew out of Killeen at 8:30am. We had a short flight to Dallas and then a little bit longer trip from Dallas to Madison, Wisconsin. The flights were uneventful, which is what you look for in a good airplane trip with 12 people. The people that went on the trip were Kim and Caleb Reid, the Knepps and the Turners. The rest of the day one was spent getting settled in to our new “home” for the next week, the Big Red Barn. We were able to stay in an old dairy barn that has been converted into a great place to stay. The kids and the adults enjoyed exploring all of the rooms, hiding places and the giant spiral stair case that was inside of an old silo. We could not have found a better place to stay with this many people, God really provided us with a perfect place.
The next day was Sunday and we were able to get to the business that we were sent to do. Trey preached at the Campus Community Church and gave a great message about David and Goliath and how to stand up to the giants that we face in today’s world. Trey was able to preach in the morning and afternoon service as their church has just began a second service focused on their college ministry. After the morning worship, we were treated to some outstanding Korean food provided by the members of the church.
That afternoon we started the Network program which began the church member’s journey to finding their spiritual gifts, personal style and ministry passions. Trey started the program by giving them an overview as to why spiritual gift are important. I (Robert) completed the evening by telling them a little more about what the spiritual gifts are and getting them started on their personal spiritual gift inventory. The people were very receptive and were excited about what God had designed and equipped them to do.
Monday was a day of fun as we went about one hour north to a ski area called the Cascade Mountain. We spent the majority of the day going up and down the “magic carpet,” a moving side walk that took us to the top of the 80 foot hill. When we reached the top we would ride tubes as fast as possible back to the bottom. We had a great day of fun and relaxation.
Tuesday we were able to finish the Network program with the church members. We had two sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening. Both sessions went very well as Teresa, LeaAnn and Kim presented how the church members’ personal style can have a major impact on how you use your Spiritual gifts. Trey finished the last session by giving the people a general summary of the Network program and giving the people an opportunity to express what they had learned. He had the participants share what they felt that their spiritual gifts, personal style and mission passions are. This allowed the people a chance to see what area of ministry other people of the church might be interested in.
In the afternoon, DW Feaster, the Campus Community college minister took us on the campus of the University of Wisconsin and gave us a tour of the campus. While we were there, the student were on Spring Break, but we were able to get a feel for how liberal minded the campus is by the obscene writing that was on the sidewalk and the presence of alcohol all around.
Wednesday, we had another day of rest and celebrated Zachary’s birthday. In the evening, we had a fellowship at the Big Red Barn with about 15 of the members of the Campus Community Church. We were able to return some of the hospitality that they had shown to us. We had some good ol’ Texas tacos, salsa, guacamole, and cheese dip. Then we had a campfire and enjoyed smores under a perfectly clear Wisconsin sky. The evening was a great fellowship that was a great way to end our time with our new found friends from the Campus Community Church.
Thursday we took about a two and a half our drive north to an amazing retreat called Green Lake conference center, where they were having a conference called Empower. For the rest of Thursday and all of Friday we provided child care and teaching for several age groups so that the adults could enjoy worship and a conference centered around Phillipians 4:13. The people were very appreciative for the extra set of hands and the knowledgeable teachers that we were able to provide.
Friday night we drove home late in the evening as a nice rain snow mix began pouring out of the sky. It made for a beautiful yet challenging ride back to the barn where we would spend one more night.
Saturday we spent the day in and out of airports until our return late Saturday afternoon. As we look back on the experience, we see how God was able to use simple people like us to encourage and motivate more people in a distant land even if we never left the country. God also brought the three families closer together as we spent a week together working as one large family. Robert Knepp
Saturday in Madison
Would you believe that it is warmer in Madison, Wisconsin than it was this morning in Dallas? I didn’t think you would believe me, but it is. Still, while we were flying over and saw lakes still covered with ice that hasn’t quite thawed. Our team is staying in a place called the red barn located north west of Madison about 20 minutes. When you see the pictures, you will be jealous. Part of the team went to get groceries and others are dropping off luggage and getting set up for dinner. Since this is a family trip, the younger travelers are getting pretty tired. Our prayers are with you in church tomorrow, remember us as well.
North American Missionary Visit to Temple
D.W. Feaster made a Wednesday appearance at Canyon Creek on the 4th. He told about his church where I will be preaching Sunday 15th. He told about the difficult work in an area which is not too welcoming of the Christian message, especially among college students. The team will prayer walk UW-Madison and hope to find young men and women who can connect to Campus Community Church. Pray for us, D. W. Feaster, and pray for Pastor Mark Hong.