Updating....finally....been busy!

Sorry we (meaning Jenn) haven't updated the blog in a few days. It's been wonderfully busy, we're tired, sore & dirty. We're blessed beyond imagination! None of us have spoken in complete sentences in a few days now, but we're so bonded that we don't have to. Tonight we have A LOT of great stories for you, so here we go......

On Tuesday night we did something that really put me out of my comfort zone. We were told that we were going to go on a "Prayer Walk". When I first was told this I though Jordan and Heath were crazy. They told us we would be going around and asking people if we could pray for them. Also we would be praying for anything in Portage County such as parks, stores, bowling alleys and whatever you feel like. So my group was assigned to Park Ridge and it was a super powerful experience. God surely showed up that night. I never thought that I could just pray for random strangers and feel very comfortable doing it. I know for sure I wouldn't have been able to do this if I wouldn't have been challenged by Jordan, Heath and all of the leaders. I was just so thankful that Jordan and Heath set up this wonderful activity.
~ Danny Novak

Before going on this trip, I wasn't extremely excited about going and I also didn't know very many people in our Youth Group. Missing a whole week of summer meant I would miss a lot of basketball games and other important things. I also didn't like the idea of being in a group with only people that I didn't know at all. After going on this trip, I am very happy that I went and would definitely do it again. Seeing how happy people get when our group did something for them was a great feeling. I also made a lot of friends just because we were with each other all the time. God definitely made this a great experience for me and also brought me closer to Him.
~ Cody Griffith

Before I went on this trip I was not very excited. I thought that we would go to the same site for a few days, work and then go home. Going on this trip also meant I would have to miss a week of baseball and some other things. But I am happy that I went because I have met new people at the camp we are staying at. The work is also fun, each day we go to a different site and we work with different people. At the end of the trip we are going to a Brewers game and to Six Flags. I have had a lot of fun on this trip and I want to go on the next one. God has made this a great trip and I feel like I am getting closer to Him.
~ Austin Franz

My group went out to the Harrison's on Wednesday, and was pretty afraid, to say the least, of using tools and making a fool out of myself. But with a little help and direction I was getting pretty handy with the power drill. The whole time working there made me feel awesome because I've always wanted to learn how to use power tools and I got the quick hands-on tutorial on a missions trip. Later that night was the carnival and I wasn't exactly looking forward to it after working at the Harrison's. But as soon as I took the kids around the carnival, I lightened up so much & got so into the kids that I was actually sad to see them go. What also amazed me is that we apparently didn't have a huge turn-out of kids but I never noticed. Everyone seemed to be playing with another kid or helping out another person with theirs. Seeing the kids & parents reaction to everything we did was amazing and it was cool to see God working through all of us, giving us energy & a lot of patience to spend the night with kids that were never even met before. The whole day was extraordinary and allowed me to see how much this trip has been blessed, as well as how it has and still will change me.
~Q

First, coming on this trip, I knew only 4 of the 10 total on our team. Well, 5 if you include me, I was a little unsure of how it was going to be, but on day 1 when we did construction at the Slacks. We threw down all the walls we had up between ourselves and really bonded as a team. I am having an awesome time working with everyone and seeing my whole team grow in their faith as the week presses on. I have seen everyone step out of their comfort zone and do things. My first impression would tell me they couldn't. It's been a great experience for me being here. We are all so thankful for your prayers because they have done wonders for us on this trip.
~ Emma Williams

Yesterday we went to the kids carnival. It was really fun I got to watch a kid named John Jr. and his uncle and cousin. We went kayaking and played games. I think I learned to be more nice to people I don't know.
~Nick Jacobson

This is my first missions trip. I met a lot of new people. PPC showed me how to be more patient with other people. Even though this week has been tiring and hard work, I've enjoyed myself and my team members. The most important thing that happened to me this week was the "Prayer Walk". I found that you can love others before you even get to know them. I learned that even when you feel that your prayers aren't going far or impacting people they really are. Prayer is one of the most important things you can do for someone.
~ Trista Zimbauer

The highlight of my week so far has been the children's carnival where I had the opportunity to hang out with a boy named Andrew who has Autism. He loves the jokes on the Laffy-Taffy he won as prizes. He reminded me to find joy in the little things in life.
~ Colleen Reid

This missions trip is by far different from any other that I have been on. It is different because we are always moving to a new site everyday. But even though we were moving around I felt we had a big impact on the community. I think that when we are moving around, more people can see us which means that we could effect more people I think this has been great. My favorite part of the missions trip was the "Prayer Walk". For me I could really feel God that night. But the funniest thing that happened was this morning. PJ was taking out a sink and water started shooting everywhere from a pipe he disconnected. It was so funny! But it's been GREAT!
~ Christian Rindahl

First coming here I was pretty excited. I wanted to do some work for the community that I live in. I also wanted to grow in my relationship with God. I thought it was really neat how God made us feel like one big family. Coming into this trip I wasn't really good friends with too many people. I mean I knew them but we never really talked much. But through the course of the week I got closer to everyone and I'm really good friends with them all. I hope this trip impacts the people we help as much as it has me.
~ Brennan Nelson

Alright, sorry it’s been so long, but our focus has been on the people of Portage County, not on Blogspot (right… we’ll stick with that…) No, but seriously. It’s been amazing to see how we can help people around our community and see the difference we’re making. Our kayak and carnival event was a huge success and we had excellent conversations with some of the many people who came through Mead Park. Duty calls, so I must cut this off here. God bless!
~ Noah Whitford

So on Thursday morning we played rummy at High-Rise Manor with a nice lady named Linda Carol. It was so fun to just do something fun and relaxing, compared to what we’ve been doing. :] I have grown with my team and really really enjoyed spending time with these amazing people and talking with them. All these little things are part of a bigger picture. God works in amazing ways, and I hope that we touched peoples lives today.
~ Jasmine Markley

Not all of our experiences have gone smoothly. Yesterday (Wednesday) Me, Kelly Jung, and Bitsy Hess were working at Riverside along with our group. One of the jobs they had for us was to fill up a dump truck with mulch from rapids. We stopped to fill up on gas, and found out our tailgate had fallen off. This was the first unfortunate event of many. Throughout our day we had our tarp and a pitch fork almost fly off on the highway, we got detoured by a acid spill, we took TT instead of DD which lead us to Waupaca county, and locked the boys lunch in the Durango. But we were able to find the good in the situations, and just laughed it off. It was a great lesson in flexibility and patience.
~ Hannah Galbraith

Just a quick note from a leader...your kids are amazing! Thank you for the honor of allowing us to serve alongside of them. They have taught us humility, grace, patience & love.