MXP10-7.26.10

Monday

Today we went to the church for the morning meeting, where we talked about our assignments for the day and did morning devos. After that we went to the sites we were assigned to and did our work for the day. I worked at the Cowboy Church moving rocks and gravel to prepare for laying a new floor. After we finished we came to the host homes where we swam and played pool during the afternoon. We went back to the church and had dinner which was amazing. We then went to our kids camp at Summerville Homes. We did recreation, crafts, and a bible story. I did the lesson tonight on Elijah at Mount Horab. It was a great time and the kids had fun. They all said they couldn't wait until tomorrow. After that we went back to church for worship and a lesson taught by David Little. We are now at the host homes getting ready for bed. Thanks so much for praying for us. We are having an amazing week. We can't wait to share about all that God is doing.

Andrew Mackenzie

Announcement Video for 10.24.09

In case you missed sunday, check out the announcement video.

Video Announcements for 10-25-09 from Josh Britt on Vimeo.

Can't wait for this sunday when we start our new series. Promo is coming in just a few minutes.

Video Announcements-10.18.09

In case you missed it.

Video Announcements for 10-18-09 from Josh Britt on Vimeo.

Check out 72student.net for more details on various events.

New Series Starting This Weekend

We are starting a new series this weekend at rpm. You don't want to miss it. Everything kick off at 4:45pm. A rebel is what all believers should be. Every follower of Christ should love, live, and act like Jesus. The problem is that most people don't live any different which make them just like everyone else, not a rebel. This new series will help you embrace this idea of being a rebel. We will look at various rebels in scripture. If you have been a believer for a long time or have never known Christ before this will be a great series for you. Let's start the rebelution

Ways to Connect with Students for Leaders

Time outside the church with students can be one of the greatest times of relationship development. Josh Griffin on his blog this week had a guest blogger with some great ideas about how to connect with students outside of church. Parents can even use this to get involved in their student's lives. These 12 ways to connect are divided into three main categories, each category moving to a deeper level of relationship.

Ways to meet new kids and hang out with current youth group kids
1. Volunteer coach a sport at a local school – Coaching gives you a chance to meet dozens of kids. I had the opportunity to coach track this past Spring and I still have kids who call or text me for advice or just want to talk.
4. Tutor for free – Some schools have after school tutoring, volunteer for that in a subject you know well.

Connect and develop relationships with kids
5. Ride with a sports team to away games – Great idea from the guys over at YL Help
6. Help a student work on a project or hobby – Especially helpful during science fair season, or other big school projects. Participating in their personal hobbies are great ways to connect, too.

Disciple kids/transfer life skills to kids

11. Invite a student to help you lead a certain event, then evaluate it afterward – This is a great way to transfer leadership skills through hands-on learning. For example, I invited one kid to help me lead a video game night, asking him to consider “What do video games have to do with Jesus?” During our debrief time (which ended up going just as long as our video game time) we talked about video games as a means to build relationships and how relationships are key to evangelism and discipleship. I bet he learned more through that experience than any youth talk.

12. Be a student of God and invite a kid to learn with you – Pray with a kid, or listen to a sermon together, or read the Bible together. Be an avid learner and invite kids along to learn with you.

There are plenty of other ways to connect with kids. How are you planning to develop relationships with kids this new school year?

Nick Arnold is the youth pastor at New Hope Community Church in Sunland, CA. Hit up his blog at http://ministryallies.com and his Twitter @nickarnold.

Click Here to see the complete list. Tons of great ideas.

This Sunday at RPM & Fuel Groups

This sunday, August 16, we start a new series called: NEXT

This will be our first time back together on sunday nights. I hope you will come and invite a friend. It will be a great time to hang out and learn more about the one who made us. Doors open at 4:45pm. The snack shack will be back in full force with drinks, chips, and candy for purchase. We will have a new check in system up and ready to go. We will kick off with worship in the auditorium at 5:15pm and then head to fuel groups after that at around 7:15pm. If you bring a guest or you are a guest you get to go to the After Party. This will be a great time to get to know people without the pressure to share your deepest secrets and to find out more about 72students.net. Everything will end around 7pm. I really want to encourage you to come and bring a friend. It will be a great time as we kick the student ministry year.

Reason's to Come to the Parent.Student Connection

Reasons to Come to the Parent.Student Connection

• Free Food
• Great Conversation
• Find Out More Info about 72students
• Get the Inside Scoop
• Get to meet the fuel leaders
• Get to meet the other leaders
• Get to meet other parents and students
• Learn more about your student(s)
• Vision for the future
• Programming Info

If any of these interest you please come. No reservations necessary unless you need child care. Go to 72students.net to find out more.

Guatemala Highlight Video

I get pumped every time i watch this. So many memories! What's your greatest memory from Guatemala?

MX09 Guatemala - recap from Josh Britt on Vimeo.

More Trip Stats

With the help of others we thought of several other stats from our Guatemala trip. 

helped with feeding 250 children two different times at the feeding center in Yalu. 

handed out about a 1000 stickers and pieces of candy. 

Gave out dozens of doses of Immodium and dozens of bandaids.

Loved on tons of children at Hermano Pedro who wouldn't not haven't gotten out of their bed

took 27 and brought 27 back. 

It was amazing trip. We should have the highlight video later this week. 

Thanks so much for all the support. 

Guatemala Trip Stats

Trip Stats 

• 9 houses renovated in Yalu 
• One complete build in Cuidad Veija better known to us as the Kairos Construction project. 
  
• 10 students and adults who were sick at some point during the trip. (I won't mention their names or what the sickness was...t.m.i.)
  
• Served 500 Hotdogs at the block party at Yalu.
  
• Handed out over 500 pounds of food at Kairos School. Each family got a bag of food to take home after the family evening program. 
  
• Climbed Pacaya-a3 hour hike. Man were we out of breath. 15 of us made the climb. 12 went to a tour of a coffee plantation. 
• Four Block Parties/Family Programs-Yalu, Kairos, School in Cuidad Veija, Hermano Pedro.

Did I miss anything? I am sure there is more that I didn't think of. comment and we will add it to the list. 

Perspective from Yalu House Building

Video by Jan Owen

Gutemala Housebuilding in Yalu from Jan Owen on Vimeo.

Auto Mariscos! (aka guatemalan waterpark)-June 13

On Saturday we got the opportunity to take 15 orphans from Amor Del Nino to the Auto Mariscos, which translated to english means "auto seafood." Hmm something lost in translation there, but I think it leans more to the fun side of sea creatures than to the edible side. But the excitement and fun the kids were having was definitely not lost in translation. With almost the whole team there we were able to really treat the kids to a great day playing in the wave pool, the kiddie adventure area, and the slides, having a huge lunch for all of us, plus we got in a little relaxation of our own. A big thanks should go to Todd and Mike who went to Kairos School instead and finished out a build on a wall and desk for the computer room! Of course it was incredibly special for me to see to see all of Fernanda's little Amor Del Nino friends who she spent the second year of her life with having so much fun: Hannah, Jose, Adrianna, Gladys, Danni, Jaunito, Letty, Jenny... Barbi, Sheila and I fought over Shayla most of the day, I don't think she ever got put down, she was just too much fun. Sheila eventually won out and held Shayla all the way out to the bus even helping her get dried off and dressed. I am holding tight to the memory of Sheila holding Shayla before we left and their contentment and happiness together as part of the fun and love we all shared together at Auto Mariscos that day.

This trip has been an amazing blessing to me and my family. It has truly been like watching a dream turn into reality right in front of my face. I never would have thought that in less than a year from completing our adoptions and developing a heart for Guatemala that I would be a part of leading a team back to serve there. And to serve in such amazing and selfless ways. Thanks to everyone who sacrificed to go and to those who sacrificed to send us.

-Bill

Amor Del Nino Painting-June 12

At 7:45 we left to go to Amor Del Nino to help paint walls. A lot of us turned into blue and yellow smurfs. Afterwards we played with all of the kids and babies. we went to Cairos school for a Father's Day celebration. We had puppets, a drama, an evangelistic message and food. The kids did a power lab song, from last years VBS, and a song they made for their fathers. We got down-poured on for an hour. when we came back to the hotel, a few of us fell asleep, well i did, and a few went out to eat. It was a great day!

Emily McCoy

Make sure to check the pics page on 72students.net

Flooding in Antigua

At the end of the Father's Day program at Kairos School it began to rain. It rained so much while we were their that the streets of antigua started to flood. It was the beginning of the second great flood. We had to take an alternate route home because the main roads were flooded so bad. It was definitely another experience to add to the long list from guatemala. I wonder how Noah felt?

Hola Alabama

We Look Forward to Seeing all of our Friends and Family soon. Some students and adults may decide to stay. I hope everyone is cool with that.

hotdogs and hardwork

Hola from Guatemala! Yesterday was pretty incredible. I was with the group that went to Yalu. There were about 15 of us that went there and then we split up into 3 groups and worked on different houses. My group, consisting of Phil, Bill, Jessica, Bobby, and I, first went to a house that had just a little bit of stuff left. That one didn't take very long. After that we walked down this really big hill heading to the next site. I am not the most sure footed person but luckily all of us made it down ok. We were really excited when we saw the house we had to work on, because compared to the others that people were working on it was fairly simple. We had about 3 hours to work on it and got 2 of the 4 walls done. So hopefully that one will get finished up tomorrow. The other 2 groups both got about half way through their houses so I really hope that tomorrow there is enough time for them to all get done.

After the house building we walked over to the church for the block party that we were throwing for the community. That hill we had to carefully walk down earlier, yea we had to walk back up that. I am gonna blame the fact that all of us were out of breath when we reached the top on the altitude :). The block party was pretty awesome. We planned to do our puppets, our skit, a few songs, and then feed everyone. We were expecting a pretty good mix of people but mostly it was a lot of kids and a few women that showed up. We started out with singing. It turns out it paid off to down load the spanish songs that we were doing and listen to them on my ipod cause Jan was sick that day so Sue Ann called me over to help them sing. The kids seemed to like it and were clapping along with us. While the singing was going on we were also working on selling all the clothes we brought with us. We couldn't just give them away cause that would have created mass chaos so we sold every thing for 1 Q each and gave the proceeds back to the feeding center. After that the puppets performed all their songs. The kids really seemed to enjoy that also! After the puppets we did the skit "God's Love". We did this skit awhile back in church except this time the words were in Spanish. The message of the skit is really cool. It portrays people with their different problems, alcoholism, anger, lust, and abuse taking their problems to Jesus and Him washing them clean. It is a really powerful skit but I think it might have been a little over the kids heads. Hopefully some of the moms that were there got something out of it.

After we finished the skit Omar gave a message to the people. I am sure it was excellent, but I don't speak Spanish so I haven't a clue as to what he was saying. While he was giving the message we were working on setting up food to give out. We had hot dogs and chips. We brought 500 hot dogs, countless bags of chips, buns, and ketchup. It started out pretty well cause we already had some plates set up with everything on them but after those first ones went it was a little chaotic trying to get things ready for all the hungry kids. Poor Josh cooked 500 hot dogs with only a machete to flip them with. After awhile it started getting dark, but luckily Bill had a little helmet light so Josh was able to wear that to see the dogs. I am really hoping somebody got a picture of that cause it was pretty funny :).

So my job in our whole assembly line thing was tearing open the buns because some of them weren't precut. To anyone that thought I was crazy for going on a mission trip with acrylic nail, I just want to say that they really came in handy for getting those buns open :). When our lines were finally looking like they were getting a little smaller it started to rain. At first it wasn't bad, just a few sprinkles, and we were able to continue serving the food. Luckily it didn't start to pour until we were about done. We quickly gave out the rest of the dogs and saved the sound system from getting wet, so God was looking out for us.

The block party was a really amazing experience. If we would have thrown that party anywhere in the States, there definitely would have been at least something left over but there was not a scrap of food left. It really puts into perspective how blessed we are because we would have wined about not knowing what kind of meat was in the hot dogs or just simple little things like that, but these people just ate it all up. The bus drivers were trying to get us to hurry up and leave because they were worried about the road conditions, which didn't inspire us with much confidence, but luckily we made it back to the hotel safely.

This morning I decided to go to the coffee plantation instead of the volcano primarily because I am a good daughter and went to get my mommy her coffee but also because I really didn't want to be ready to go by 7 am to spend all day hiking :). The coffee plantation was really cool. The guide told us the history of coffee and then showed us all the different stages in the manufacturing process. It is pretty crazy. Six and a half pounds of freshly harvested beans only makes up 1 pound of the final product. While we were there the owner of the plantation was walking around and he talked to us some. I am betting it was pretty cool for Phil to discuss different roasting temperatures and stuff like that with someone who is a coffee master. All of us got to try some of the coffee, which was very yummy, and we all stocked up on the coffee.

After that we went to a monastery. It was pretty cool. This place was home to the first Catholic monk that they sent from Spain to Guatemala to evangelize. After that we went to a market, which of course I really enjoyed cause it's SHOPPING :). The rest of the afternoon our group spent just relaxing at the hotel and shopping a little more. Aside from all the sickness going around, this trip has been pretty awesome!

-Callie

check pics page to see updates on pictures. some video footage will be up soon as well.

Big Day

it' 8:34am here in antigua, guatemala and we are about to disembark on our trip to kairos school. yesterday in Yalu was a good day, we finished two houses fully and we're about 3/4 done with the third house. today we've planned to host a block party where we will be playing music and giving a puppet show. hopefully i will be one of the few to not get sick, anyways i'm off to go play my guitar for guatemalan kids at a public school. Everything is awesome here. I might just stay!

Alex Stampley

Make sure to check the pics page everyday.

Hailstorm!!!!!

hailstorm guatemalan style. It came up all of the sudden while we at Hermano Pedro. It was crazy. Very Loud!

Hope you Enjoyed!

Never Complain About Laundry

We will never complain about putting things in the dryer again. This was the biggest clothes line every. Laundry Amor Del Nino Style!



What do you think?