Trinity Evangelical Trip Blog Pre-Trip

If you have been blessed this week and would like to be a part of helping make these kinds of trips available to more people, you might want to consider becoming a prayer or financial partner of The Center for Short Term Missions . . . or take advantage of one of our fundraisers.

For more information, email us at bob@shorttermtrips.org. It has been such a joy to serve the Lord together this week.

Thanks again for choosing to use your time to be a light for Him in Kermit, WV.

In His Love, Bob and Lauren Wright

Well, as this blog is being written camp is ending. The next few hours will be difficult to say the least. Friends are saying good bye to each other maybe never seeing each other again.

We encouraged your team to continue to pray for those they met this week. Do everything you can to help them do this once they return home. Prayer is the single most powerful tool we have in caring for our new friends. Please don't ever stop.

We were unable to have a videographer with us this week to document the trip. I wish it would have worked out. This team would have been an excellent example for all teams as well as being an excellent representation of our Savior.

Thank You Trinity! Thank You Jesus!

This morning was a busy morning as the team made more progress on their work projects. The decking project will be completed tomorrow. The deck sealing project was completed. And the sink replacement project is all but done. Just a few finishing touches are needed. Your team has even decided to identify and tackle a project or two that weren't even on the list. They have worked with joy and care. It has been a pleasure to observe.

Camp was also busy with 39 children from the community. Your team is really connecting with them and growing in relationship. Debriefing was dominated by conversation on how much the team has enjoyed working with the kids and how hard it will be to leave them.

Please pray for your team as they continue to process the work the Lord is doing in and through your them. Please pray for your team as they continue to prepare for their return home. Please pray for your team that they would continue to put the work needed into their walk with the Lord. Please praise the Lord with us for all the work this team has put into becoming more like Jesus.

Today the team was able to make alot of progress on many of their projects. The deck they have been working on is completely cleaned and almost completely sealed.

The new railings and steps leading to a mobile home will be completed soon.

And one of the two new vanities for the church restrooms is complete.

38 Children joined us at camp today and your team enjoyed every minute. They really have connected well with the kids. Getting to know them and praying for them. Already your team is talking about how hard it will be to let these children go when they leave.

Please pray with us that God will continue to care for those we've met after we are gone. Pray for this local church that they would welcome these connections in the community with open arms. Please pray that God would protect them in, what is many times, a dangerous environment. Please pray that they would lean on our God making Him their God.

Praise the Lord for a fantastic trip and a fantastic team. They have been so wonderful to work with. They have served with energy, joy and without complaining. They seem to have wonderful unity with an appreciation for their leaders.

After spending about 85 minutes in quiet time with the Lord the team jumped into their day of ministry. One team started replacing a set of steps leading into a mobile home. Another team continued the process of cleaning the deck around the dorm getting it ready for sealing. Two other teams went to the car wash to continue that ministry. They had some fantastic opportunities to connect people with Jenny's Creek Church as well as some opportunities to share the gospel. This team has also been a motivation to some in the area to do the same type of minstry to reach their neighbors. One gentleman took a picture of the team in action and said that this would be a great outreach for his church to do.

Thirty eight children attended kids camp today. They had a day full of fun, friendship and hearing from God's word. The team seemed to have story after story of their day with the children. Two members of your team shared about how they spent the day with a child who is blind. They were able to guide him through the day continually being impressed with how well he did with the activities. He even did better in a game than the two teens working with him. What a blessing they gave this child by giving a day of Godly attention to him.

Your team continues to process God working in their lifes as well. Please pray that our debriefing times would continue to be a time of seeing how God is working. Please pray that they would continue to worship Him in some wonderful ways. And please pray that they would continue to grow closer to Him.

Ministry hit full speed today. Two teams went to two local car washes with the intention of connecting those we met to the churches we are serving with. The teams did a fantastic job cleaning cars and representing our Savior. One gentlemen was so pleased that he went and purchased 2 cases of soda, a bag of ice and a cooler for the kids to enjoy a drink. While we did our best to refuse donations we still received $36. This money went to the snack shop to help provide free drinks and snacks for the kids.
One lady was so touched by her converstion with one of the kids that she said she would visit Jenny's Creek Church soon.

Work projects are also underway here at the church. Buildings are having moss washed off them, a deck is being cleaned and sealed, a old backstop has been removed and 44 solid cinderblocks have been relocated to storage.

The first day of camp brought 32 kids from the community. The leadership of this group has done a great job empowering the teens to lead this camp. And the teens are doing a fantastic job. There was even a 30 minute period during the camp where the leaders were able to have a meeting while the teens led the camp without incident.

Please pray for each team member as they continue to pursue the goals the Lord created for them the first night that they left home for this trip. Please pray for the leaders of this ministry as they partner with the parents of these students to help them accomplish these goals. Please pray for the parents of these students that the Lord would give them the grace and the love and the wisdom to lead their children to a likeness in Jesus.

Hi Everyone,
Thank you again for checking in on your team. I need to say that it has been a wonderful blessing already working with this group. They have done well at loving each other and serving this community.

The team started their day by spending about 30 minutes in quiet time. Our focus was on praying the scripture which is our key verse for the week, Psalm 86:11. It was wonderful to hear so many talk about how the spent the entire time praying. Many shared how the Lord really directed their thoughts once they sat down to focus on Him. Praise the Lord.

From there the team spent the rest of the day participating in 3 church services. One at Jenny's Creek Church and 2 at Stepptown Baptist Church. They did a fantastic job. Everyone was touched as members of the team shared their powerful testimonies and discussed why they were in West Virginia this week. One lady even told us that she was moved to tears at how the touch of the Lord was evident in the teens lifes.

A fair amount of time was also spent in preparing for the upcoming week of ministry. Please pray that this team will have the energy and the focus that they need to see God working. And pray that the Lord would continue to empower the words that so many students and leaders are sharing during our debriefing. Already they are seeing God in new ways. We would love to see that continue.

Hey Everyone,
It has already been so exciting to see so many of you checking the blog. Thank you for caring about your team and wanting to keep in touch with them.

I just wanted to pass on a quick note to you lettng you know that as this blog is being written your team is in worship. We had plans to discuss the trip but the Lord clearly had another idea.

How exciting to know that the beginning steps of this trip are steps that are focused on our Lord and praising His name.

Please pray that this submission to His ways would mark every part of this trip. That each of us would seek Him and His plans first and foremost.

Thank you so much for checking your teams trip blog. Daily entries are tentatively scheduled to start the first evening of the trip. Please check back for the first entry.
Also, we would love for you to add your comments to the team throughout the trip. Just click the "COMMENT" tab to leave your prayers and encouragements.
We look forward to keeping you in touch with your team in West Virginia.