SUNSET'S EIGHTH MISSION TRIP TO HELENE
Today, June 14th, a team of 25.3 volunteers left Portland International Airport on their way to serve the islanders of Helene. They were easy to pick out in the airport crowd since they were wearing their fuchsia (looked like hot pink to me) colored mission trip T-shirts. This team is comprised of nineteen high school students who recently graduated, and six adult leaders. This team has already spend months working together to raise funds for this trip by working as servers at a men's retreat, writing support letters, staffing a golf tournament, doing yard work with RENT A YOUTH, and seeking a church wide special offering. In addition, all these volunteers were required to attend specials classes to learn practical ministry skills they will use while on this mission trip.
The presence of excitement and expectation was obvious on these faces and in their chatter. This group called Team Sunset is off on a God Adventure. They will be working at a local school, helping rehab an islander's home, providing VBS and sport camps, doing home visitations, sharing their testimonies in the local churches, rebuilding the only baseball court on the island, and helping to clean up the public spaces on the island. But these mission trips are far more that service projects, they are cross cultural experiences. Being in an islanders shanty house, see how they live, hearing their stories is unforgettable. This is also a time to build friendships with individuals who's lives are vastly different from our own.=2 0As volunteers, this groups of folks will be asked to put aside their American understandings of life and try to live every hour of each day as if Christ was living through them. For a moment in time, they will be challenged to full live beyond themselves.
Today, their Helene journey begins. For those of us who have served on the past seven trips, our journey continues as we pray for their needs and look forward to their emails. Let's pray that Team Sunset will serve with diligences and this trip will have a lasting impact in the lives of our island friends in Helene.
Oh yea, about that .3 volunteer. The team leaders, Scott and Allie Roth are expecting their first child. We are told December 25th is baby's date. Imagine that!
posted by Scott G. in Portland, Or 6/14/09
posted by Friends of Helene @ 10:45 AM
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