This week was full of amazing memories, and personally, I made so many new friendships. I spent a lot of time at Family Promise, helping to organize, assemble furniture, and clean their building. One day, I even got to help out at a thrift shop, organizing their space. These trips are always so much fun, getting to meet new people, hear their stories, play games with the group (even when things get a little crazy and cause arguments…), and most importantly, helping people and

Today for our mission work we went to the Karm Shelter. First, we went out to the courtyard and gave our snacks and waters to everyone. During this time we got to talk to many different people who told us about their stories. One thing that stood out to me while talking was hearing that they were putting their trust in God to guide them. Next we went upstairs to do the same thing in the women’s wing. We then put prayer cards on each bed. After that we served lunch and had our

Today we went to a KARM shelter that holds a lot of homeless men and women. We were able to help with the mulch and glue it together and clean it up a little. We washed the walls to make them less dusty. We were also able to help out with serving food, this was very meaningful because a lot of people were telling us “God Bless You” and we were able to feed a lot of people and there was a lot of food to be able to make sure everyone was full.

We traveled to a thrift shop that was set to be closing down in 2 weeks and needed much help clearing out inventory. We filled a 30 yard dumpster to the brim and then some. By the grace of God a nearby car was NOT hit by a flying futon frame. We also helped pack up a massive order the store had gotten. Lastly we had a full tractor trailer full of yunk that needed taking care of and busted through it. After all this we had dinner and worship and decided the best way to celebra

KARM & Family Promise Today we started the morning with breakfast before heading to our worksite, Family Promise, an organization that provides housing and support for families as they work to get back on their feet. When we got there, we met two little boys, Zander and Gracin, who were so sweet and full of energy. Emma and I spent the day organizing a storage closet full of donations while Zach, Connell, Gigi, and Stephanie took apart old beds and built new ones. We were t

At approximately 7 am this morning 10 youth and 4 adult leaders departed the JMPC parking lot towards the great state of Tennessee Stephanie led us in a prayer with the students, leaders, and parents, and we loaded our Mercedes 15 passenger sprinter van and headed out with Steve at the helm towards Knoxville. Our West Virginia total drive time rounded to a solid 3 hours after which we sailed on through Virginia and finally into Tennessee. The trip totaled to about 8 hour

Scripture Luke 24:13-35 13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of the

Scripture Psalm 143 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. 5 I remember the days of old; I think about all your deeds; I meditate on the

Scripture John 13:36-38 36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times. Devotion The Rev. Minh Phuong Towner ’13 “God’s Sustaining Grace” Have yo

Scripture Mark 14:12-25 12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 13 So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with

Scripture Mark 12:1-11 1 Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went away. 2 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and

Scripture Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.6 The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.8 The Lord wi

Scripture Psalm 42 1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival

Scripture 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 13 But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and therefore we also speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and will present us with you in his presence. 15 Indeed, everything is for your sake, so that grace, when it has extended to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 So we do no

Scripture Mark 10:32-45 32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the gentiles; 34 they will mock him and sp

Scripture Exodus 7:25-8:19 25 Seven days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile. 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. 3 The river shall swarm with frogs; they shall come up into your palace, into your bedchamber and your bed, and into the houses of your officials and of your people, and into your ovens and

Scripture Psalm 51 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions.2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother c

Scripture Amos 5:6-15 6 Seek the LORD and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.7 Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground! 8 The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea ,and pours them out on the surface of the earth ,the LORD is his name,9 who makes destr

Scripture Mark 9:30-41 30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. 33 Then they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing abou

Scripture Romans 12:1-21 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more