9 Nov- Access 218

This Sunday we were treated to a worship band from Jacksonville FL. They Call themselves Access 218, and they rocked the house. Our youth who was there enjoyed them very much.

We put on our first fundraiser after the service, a Good Shepherd Pie luncheon. Jesse and I made 4 huge pans of Shepherds Pie and 16 Sweet potato pies, we also served salad and dirinks. Our youth served about 125 people dinner and desert. They really earned their money.

We would like to take a moment here to thank God for putting it on the heart of one of our congregation families to make a donation to our youth in the ammount of $1000.00. That makes a huge dent toward our fundraising goal for Mission Trio 2009!!

Thanks to all the youth who worked so hard, the parents who supported us and our pastors and their families who made today so very amazing!!!

Jesse and I would also like to say how impressed we are with your young men and women who pour their hearts in to everything they do. You should all be proud to call them yours.

Operation Christmas Child

OK So on Sunday, Nov 2nd we had a special guest at church. Her name was Tanya, a russian girl who grew up in a poverty stricken home with abusive parents. Her life seemed hopless until she was sent, at age 9, to live in an orphanage. Things from there turned out to be the old cliche' "out of the frying pan, into the fire." She was constantly told that no one will ever love her, and she'll never be anything worthwhile. Then she recieved a shoebox. This shoebox was filled with toys and a letter from someone she never met saying "We love you." Tanya is now 24 years old and going to be on Good Morning America talking about how Operation Christmas Child, and something as simple as the words "I LOVE YOU" can change a life.

So for youth group this Thursday, we decided to change some lives. Each youth was given a shoebox and we all went together to the dollar store to fill them. The care that each of these kids put into filling their shoebox was indescribable. SO much love and affection for children they will never meet, all packed into a tiny shoebox.

They did SUCH a good job in fact, the woman from our church who is in charge of Operation Chrismas Child, Jamie Irvin, asked us to do some more, with the donations she recieved from our church. HOW COOL IS THAT?!!!