Well right now I’m sitting in a Panera Bread in Cincinnati waiting for the bus to get fixed.  We’re supposed to be getting close to River Oaks…but still in Cincinnati. After an hour or so on the phone God provided a mechanic to fix the bus and the was able to get the part we needed.  It wasn’t easy, but they got it. Now to wait…while the students are throwing a frisbee around and walking around in Target I’m trying to finish things up for my message tomorrow at River Oaks.  Yeah, not the ideal situation, but God will provide.  He always does and always will in His timing.  None of this was a surprise to Him, so now we continue to trust and control what we can and leave the rest to Him. He’s more than able.So if you get this anytime on Saturday, say a little prayer for us.  If it’s this afternoon, pray that the bus will get fixed soon.  If it’s this evening, pray that it doesn’t break down again.  If it’s late this evening, pray that we get some good rest tonight.

Thanks!

T

This week has been an amazing experience. Our youth group team has been able to work together so well and share so much with each other. We have been growing closer and closer to each other this week and I couldn’t imagine one of the people on our team not being here. We each have added something to the group and each of us has had an opinion this week.

It is amazing to see the people walking by the shelter and yelling “good job”, or “this looks awesome”. So many people have asked us, “Are they getting paid for this”. When we respond by saying that we are just volunteering, they are amazed and are just so curious why. Also, it is so cute to watch the children walk by and ask, “Why are you painting?” So many young children have done this. One of the children asked Logan Miller this question and his response was, “To make it look pretty.” It was so sweet to see the little boy just start to giggle and the little guy had a huge smile on his face when Logan and he were done talking.

Something that I have learned this week is that if you flash a smile people will flash a smile back and if you flash a frown, people will respond with a frown and negativity. This week has taught us all so much! We are so blessed to live where we live and have what we have. God has blessed all of us by being here this week to help these people. This week is a week that I will not forget!

By: Megan Wietstock

This week we’ve done many fun things for others. The biggest thing we did is paint a dull wall. Doing this brought up many different opinions because some liked the wall the way it was but most people liked the wall, even the man I signed to thought so.

As a group we have done many things together but the best thing we have done was bringing hope into others lives…and have fun doing it too. I liked how every day we went to paint someone else appreciated our work and it felt great to have fun while helping others. I also liked being able to meet new people who go to our church.

People who skip this trip are missing out big time!

By: Nathan Scheetz

Check that out – yeah I definitely can’t do that.

Way to go Hailey!

Just this morning a man came up to Dave’s wife and me and he began talking about how nice of a job we were doing! Then he went on to say that he is in a bible study on Wednesdays. He said that he really enjoys it and he said it is a great group of guys. Chris Boehner and I both knew he was a follower of Christ. He began to tell us a story in the bible about Zacchaeus the tree climber. After he told the story he said that “Jesus forgave him so Zacchaeus was saved no matter what!” Many of the people in his study didn’t understand this very well. Chris said, “Yes, yes, Jesus forgives everyone and wants everyone’s love! It’s a free gift; you just have to accept it!” This is a very very true statement. God always forgives. Jesus did the suffering for all of us, so we can have eternal life! It’s just up to you to accept it!

By: Logan Miller

Being able to participate in the efforts of this wonderful organization has been a real blessing for my team and me this week. We’ve been painting the outside walls of a soup kitchen, and the reactions from the locals have been varied. Some really appreciate what we’re doing, while others think it’s a waste of time.  It’s been very interesting to see how people react to us ‘invading’ there territory.

One incident that really stood out to me occurred on Wednesday, our second work day. One of the homeless men that had come for lunch was deaf, and Nathan, a boy on our team, was able to communicate with him using sign-language. The scene was so touching that (and I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this) it moved our leader Dave to tears. The man asked simple questions about whether or not we were getting paid, told us what he thought of our choice of color, and just had a nice conversation. I think that this occurrence just goes to show that the people that come here are regular people like us, and what we are doing is really worthwhile. I’m sure that this experience will change our lives forever.

By: Lindsey Stout

This past Monday 0ur JH (Junior High) students left River Oaks to go on a mission trip to  Cincinnati.  By the way, this is the first time in 4 years that I’m not leading this trip (thanks to our JH Pastor Dave Boehner), but I still get to be a part of it.  I arrived in Cincinnati last night with Karissa and the kids.  In about 30 minutes or so I’m going to meet up with the students and serve with them.  I’m pretty excited to hear how things are going and want to get a few of them to share some stories with you.  So stay tuned.

Beyond serving with them, one of the main reasons I came to Cincinnati is because I’m going to take all the new 9th graders out to dinner and begin talking to them about the next 4 years.  I want to challenge them to use these very (more…)