Wednesday, September 19, 2007

2008 Dates

Can you believe we already have the trip dates and training set for the 2008 trip?
June 15-22

December 5 Missions Trip Informational Meeting for potential staff, students, and parents (Applications, Prices, Schedules, etc.) – 6:00 PM in Room 275

January 4 Applications due to Student Ministry Offices
January 6 Chicago Interviews – 8:00-1:00 in the Student Ministries Offices
January 9 Chicago Interviews – 8:30-10:00 PM in Wooddale CafĂ©

January 27 Chicago Meeting #1 4:00-6:30 PM w/ Parent Update 5:30-6:30 p.m. (274)
February 10 Chicago Meeting #2 4:00-6:30 PM
February 17 Chicago Meeting #3 4:00-6:30 PM

February 29-March 1 Retreat

March 9 Chicago Meeting #4 4:00-6:30 PM w/ Parent Update 5:30-6:30 p.m.
April 20 Chicago Meeting #5 4:00-6:30 PM
May 4 Chicago Meeting #6 4:00-6:30 PM w/ Parent Update 5:30-6:30 p.m.
June 1 Chicago Meeting #7 4:00-6:30 PM
June 8 Chicago Meeting #8 4:00 - 6:30 PM
June 13 Chicago Send-Off in 170 from 7-8 PM

Meetings are in 283/285 unless noted

Thursday, June 28, 2007

We're Home!




Wow. What a trip! It's amazing how God can work in such a short amount of time. It's also amazing how we are so moved and so clearly see Him when we're taken away from everything--our iPods, TV, movies, friends, jobs, etc. That's exactly what happened to our team as we served in Chicago! God opened our eyes to not only the people of Chicago, but to the people of the world! Did you know there are 200 nationalities worldwide and 140 are represented in Chicago? God is truly bring the world to our doorsteps! But not just in Chicago, there are people here in Eden Prairie too! I hope that our mission trip didn't end when we got back to EP, but I hope our real mission trip now begins as we see our community and its people through the eyes of God! Continue to pray for our students, Chicago, Sunshine, and for the leaders God is calling for next year! It truly was a blessing to have these students on our trip. Each is so special and unique. God is using each one for a great purpose! Thank you!!

--Kim Olson

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Work, Work and more Work!


Hey Friends!

Today was a very intence day of cleaning brick, garbage duty, and just overall construction work on houses in the community. It was an exausting day but a productive one! We also got to take a trip down to the DuSable Museum, a museum of African American History. It was a very educational experience and the students had a great time. After that we had some down time where we were able to find and open area with statues that made for some great picture oppertunities (even spelling out "JESUS" with our bodies :).
After our down time we headed to the Sunshine Gospel Missions building and ran a VBS. This was the 1st VBS to be run here and it was a great experience. They call their VBS "Summer Blast" and we were pretty much in charge of running all the different stations and just hanging out with the kids. The students absolutly LOVED getting to know the neighborhood kids! We ended the day with a taco dinner, good stuff! :)
Tomorrow will be kind of a "touristy" day as we visit Little India and some of the other sights around Chicago.
Thank you all so much for your continued prayers. Some prayer requests to keep in mind are health and saftey for the entire group. Pray for the attitude of the overall group that everyone stays positive. Finally pray for the students to gain a sense of prespective of grace as we continue to work in these struggling neighborhoods.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Our First Day of Ministry

Today we spent all day in China Town and served at the Pui Tak center in the heart of china town. We served by teaching english and helping to get the new chinese immigrants assimilated. Then we did a scavenger hunt out of the China Town Plaza. We got to serve with the Pui Tak center doing various ministry projects including physical labor, administrative help, and cleaning. Then we got to have dinner at one of the restaurants in China Town. At night we came back to the church we're staying at and we had a wind-down and debriefing session after the day. Tommorrow we will start helping out working on someone's house and then we will be going to a museum and then beginning DBS at night. Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Please write to us on our blog too, we would really love to hear from you!

Yeah!...we're here

We made it to Chicago, we had a great travel and were only a half hour late. Traffic from O'Hare into the city was fantastic and really a huge blessing. We picked up the students from the airport, their flights were delayed but we still made good time which was also a huge blessing. We are staying at the Ellis Avenue Church which is inside an old mansion. We have the place to ourselves all week and are spread out over the whole place. It is in a neighborhood that is home to many famous poiticians and atheletes. It is right near the U of Chicago campus. There are many staircases and rooms, but no air conditioning, but luckily we found some fans which we are very thankful for. Tommorrow we start our first work project and will be working very hard. Our leader is awesome and we have been very blessed by Him. He knows the city very well and obviously has a heart for the city. One thing that he told us was that out of the 200 nationalities in the world, 140 are represented in Chicago: "The world is coming to Chicago." We would really love and appreciate your prayers and we ask that you continue to pray for safety, endurance, and effectiveness in ministry.

By His Grace
For His Glory

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Last Minute Info!

Hey Students, Family and Friends!

We are only days away from heading out of the Twin Cities and heading into Chicago! I hope you're as exited as I am for this trip! It's going to be an amazing experience and an awesome chance to serve and glorify God in the city. Keep praying for us!

Here are some last minute updates: Our send-off service takes place this Friday, June 15 from 7-8pm in the Hillside Rooms. Anyone is welcome to attend the service. Students do NOT need to bring their luggage to the send-off service.

Sunday, everyone will be wearing their green t-shirts and attending the 9am service. We'll meet in the Cafe and head to service together. Then we'll go to the ten:fifteen srhi service. Bring your luggage with to this service hour! Immediately after the ten:fifteen service we will load the vans. At that time, you can run and grab lunch or bring a sack lunch-either way we want to be leaving the parking lot at noon! Students are welcome to pack small carry-on bags for snacks, drinks, and games. All valuables are asked to stay at home (cell phones, iPods, cd players, etc.). Remember space is tight so pack light!

Also bring $5 for transportation on our Fun Day, $10-15 for snacks/drink along the way (optional), and $20-30 for spending (optional). Please don't bring more than $50 with! Remember to pack your money away in two different places! Don't forget to bring something small for your prayer partner too!

Here are some extra items you may want to consider packing: ear plugs, sunglasses, hair binders, head bands, travel sized items, travel games.

We are so excited for this trip and believe God is going to do some really amazing things during it! If you have questions while we're gone, please contact the Student Ministries office at 952.944.8360 and ask to speak to one our interns, Jeremy and Anna. I've left emergency contact information with them, and distributed the same info at our last parent meeting. Check back here often for updates during the week!

By His Grace.
For His Glory.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Blog On!

Welcome to the offical blog for Wooddale Church's Senior High Urban Missions Trip! Check out how we're serving in urban communities, how students are experiencing the trip, and what God's doing in our lives and in the lives of the people we're working with! Continue to pray for us, and continue checking back to see what's going on!

Thanks!