Just a quick update to let you all know we made it back safe! If you are in the area tomorrow evening, join us at 6:00pm at church as the group shares the many stories from the past week. Thanks for all of the prayers and support. We had a wonderful mission trip!

Every year we have one main fun event during our mission trip. This year, we went to Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN. Yes, you read that right! Our fun event was an amusement/water park themed around holidays in Santa's town. We all enjoyed a fun day of waterslides and roller coasters with copious amounts of free drinks and sunscreen. We are now relaxing in the hotel and looking forward to being home tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for praying for us during this trip. Please continue to pray for safe travels.

--The (insert synonym for fatigued here) Leaders

Our mission for the week was to complete the deck and ramp. We arrived at the work site for the last level of our mission. The week had finally caught up to us and our energy bar was low. But, we were determined to get the ramp finished. Despite multiple obstacles preventing us from completing our mission such as warped and wet wood, limited resources, and broken weather controls, with lots of water breaks, nailing, drilling and team work we were able to finish before time ran out. The look on the home owners face when we finished was all the award that was needed. It made all of the sweat, heat, and disagreements worth it.

After showers, we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch before heading to bowl in Superman's home town. Feeling like bowling balls ourselves from all the delicious fried food, we still managed to knock down a few pins.

Our last Chapel of the week focused on counting the cost. It was a powerful service which closed with a symbolic walk to the cross. It was a night many of us will be reflecting on for a while.

Tomorrow we check out and head out to our fun day. Please pray for safe travels as we begin the journey home.

-the gamer girls

Today was hot. The heat index was 116 degrees. This means you go outside and you get saw dust on you and it never leaves because it is full of sweat and suntan lotion. We are thankful the showers have removable heads.

Even through the heat we were able to get much accomplished. We broke into teams as we worked toward getting the ramp completed. We are hoping to get it done tomorrow. Our leader Zach was proud of our work ethic because we actually did what we were supposed to do. Which, according to him, is unusual.

Today's devotion was fruits of the spirit. We could see all of the fruits play out during our day. Zach even gave us a banger of a song and a fancy little dance.

We learned today that we've got spirit, how 'bout you?

--The hydrated boys

Today we worked building a ramp, porch railing, and attaching lattice to a local resident's house. It was challenging working on a project that was started by the group before us with limited tools and extreme heat. However, we were blessed by our water and popsicle breaks. To help beat the heat, we purchased bandanas with the intention of soaking them in cold water to wear around our necks to keep us cool. Instead, each of us found our own unique bandana style. We enjoyed talking to the woman who lived at the home and hearing her story. We were inspired by her faith and reliance on God.

The theme for the day was centered on love. We really felt the personal connection we were able to make at the work site helped us to relate to the lesson on love.

--Roots

Today we went to Mayfield where the tornado tore through the town in December. We were shocked by the devastation still present. We worked on a site where a brick house collapsed in on itself and we helped clear away the bricks and debris. We worked with 2 other groups since it was such a large project. Although we cleared a large part, there is still much to do.

We learned to abide in God during our devotional today. This is the first lesson in our weeklong study of discipleship, and we are excited to see how we can put this lesson to use this week.

They call it "Kentucky Sticky" here, please pray for us as we are out in the heat each day.

--Roots

After a 7 hour drive we have arrived safely to our site. Josh did an excellent job driving even during the times of heavy rain. We are excited to begin this week but nervous at the same time. There are about 160 people and 12 showers - you do the math on how this is going to work. Other than that we know God will use this uncomfortable experience to show us more and more how to rely solely on him for what we need. Tomorrow we head to do tornado clean-up. I'm sure we will have lots of stories to share. For now, please pray for our safety and for the introverts of our group as there is very little privacy and alone time.

--The Roots Team

We arrived back to the church at 7:00pm this evening. We can't wait to share the details of the trip with you all tomorrow (Sunday) night at 6:00!

--The Leaders (tired but blessed)

After a long 2 hour car ride, we arrived in Ohiopyle. We enjoyed a quick lunch and short hike before heading to the Water Water Rafting place. We suited up and ventured out. The day was filled excitement and a little bit of chaos. We are excited to share our rigorous adventures with you. We made it back to camp, found some dinner, and then spent some time celebrating our seniors. It's hard to believe we return home tomorrow.

--The Girls

Today we spent our devotion, chapel, and group time discussing trust. Ironically, the night before, we learned that trusting in our leaders to not lock their bedroom door was a bad idea. Micah and Jared had to go through the bedroom window to unlock their door. We still aren't sure why it took them both to do the job.

Our work site today was working at the house of a church member of Center City Church where we had spent our week. We shoveled rocks and gravel out of his yard after a big flood. His appreciation for what we had done really touched our hearts. After lunch at our favorite gas station, we went spelunking through a deep cave and exploring the creek and ridge above. Our chapel time this evening focused on the story of Jesus walking on water. We discussed how Peter took his eyes off Jesus and worried about the wind instead of the Son. We are looking forward to our fun event tomorrow.

--The Boys (With the Frozen Skittles Vibe)