Today was packed with time to spend with kids as it was Jr. High day at Lighthouse. We had kids with us from 10am when the first activity started until just after 9pm when we finally wrapped things up for the evening.
The morning started with a few hours of floor hockey and was followed by an afternoon of basketball. In the evening, we separated the church into "Girls Only" and "Boys Only" zones. The boys did some skateboarding in the gym while the girls had a manicure and movie night.
The ladies on our team put a lot of effort into preparing for the evening. We purchased and prepared snacks (including popcorn for the movie, of course), set up a comfortable place for movie watching and prepped our manicure and friendship bracelet tables. We had an awesome time eating and chatting with the girls while we painted their nails and taught them how to make friendship bracelets.
At one point, a few Jr. High girls were hesitant about coming in for a manicure and were hanging around outside the church. It was awesome to see some of the ladies on our team go outside to bring them some popcorn and to chat with them. It wasn't long before they were convinced to come in for a manicure and it was really encouraging to see how much our connection with these kids can make a difference!
The guys had an opportunity to build some really meaningful relationships with boys they had met earlier in the week. At our team meeting this evening, a few guys on the team commented on how they saw some boys at skateboarding who they remember inviting out to today's events on one of our flyer delivery days. It was awesome to see the fruits of our flyer deliveries earlier this week!
Tomorrow will be bittersweet; we are looking forward to another day of planting seeds but will have a hard time saying goodbye to the team from Erin who has joined us this week.
More from us tomorrow...
Showing posts with label glace bay NS. Show all posts
At our team meeting this evening, we were talking about how this has been the trip that hasn't gone as planned but that has been awesome anyway! Today, our day off, was certainly no exception.
We drove the two and a half hours to Cheticamp only to discover that our whale watching tour had been cancelled due to rough water. We were disappointed, but decided to continue our adventures for the day and drive the rest of the Cabot Trail, stopping at various lookouts and going for a swim at the base of a small (but freezing cold!) waterfall along the way.
Driving through Cape Breton Highlands National Park was absolutely breathtaking! I'm sure we saw some of the best views in Nova Scotia today and perhaps even in Canada! We could have easily spent a week exploring the park.
Just as the rain and fog were picking up we stopped for dinner at a local restaurant overlooking the ocean that came highly recommended by some locals. It lived up to its reputation and some of us even tried some Nova Scotia seafood!
By the time the day was done, we had covered about 440km of winding highland roads. (And we did get a boat ride after all because our drive home included a small ferry crossing!) Not only was it incredible to see parts of Canada that many on the team had never seen before but it was also awesome to have this time to continue to connect as a team.
It's hard to believe that we are more than halfway through our time here at this point. Some of us are already talking about how we are going to miss this place!
More from us tomorrow...
Much of today was spent preparing for tonight's Jr. High event. We prepared craft supplies, handed out flyers to promote the event to neighbourhood kids and even popped some popcorn. In our minds, this event was likely going to look quite similar to the Middle School events that we're used to at PORTICO. However, Pastor Dave says something along the lines of, "We really never know what to expect here until it's actually happening." We certainly realized this as well tonight as a smaller turnout meant we had to change some of our plans.
Even though things didn't quite go as planned, we still believe God was able to plant seeds in the lives of the kids who came tonight. After our team meeting this evening, one of the prayer groups prayed that students would leave feeling as if they had been loved by Jesus. As we welcome and accept them, we believe that He is working through us.
Another highlight of the day was trying grilled cheese sandwiches (our lunch) with pancake syrup on the side. We're not sure if this is a Cape Breton thing or a Glace Bay thing or if we have all just been missing out for most of our lives but those of us who took the plunge were pleasantly surprised!
Our meals, including the grilled cheese sandwich adventure, are provided by Harvest House, a local community outreach kitchen that is supported by various churches in the area and serves meals to those in need. We have been blown away by the compassion and kindness of the staff as they have served us so far this week.Keep checking the blog.
More from us tomorrow...
Although we are still awaiting final details, things are really coming together and it’s hard to believe we are leaving in a few short weeks. Relationships are being built, much appreciated donations are coming in and flights are booked.
We met with the team from Erin, ON for the first time last week and are looking forward to other opportunities to connect with them before we leave.
Students have also finished their classes for the summer and have been spending some of their time this week memorizing scripture verses as part of their “homework.”
We are also looking forward to our team’s commissioning this week. Please continue to pray with us. We appreciate your prayers and are thankful for the difference they are making for our team.
How you can pray…
- God’s continued provision for finances.
- Continued unity amongst the members of our team.
- Safety and health while traveling.
- Lighthouse Church in Glace Bay, NS.
- Final details for our itinerary and the people we will be serving.
This Sunday, July 10, both of our missions teams, Eagle's Cove and Glace Bay will be commissioned before they leave on their missions in both of our Worship Services (9:15 & 11:15 am).
This is our opportunity to not only see the teams, but also pray for the members and the missions they are going on.
Whether you have a family member or friend going, or if you don't know any of them, we can all join together to pray for the teams, their missions, and those lives that they are going to serve.
See you Sunday!
For our trip to Glace Bay this summer, we have teamed up with a church from Erin ON, led by Josh Black. Together we will serve the community of Glace Bay, Lighthouse Church and Real Missions. Between the two teams there will be 16 of us. In the coming weeks we will have a finalized schedule and will be able to provide more specific prayer needs for events we will be a part of.
As the end of school approaches, deadlines to book flights, rent vehicles and all sorts of other things are coming up fast. Students are working hard at handing out support letters and raising the necessary funds to make the trip happen. As well, students have been completing "homework" each week. This week they are asking friends and relatives to partner with them in prayer for the trip. Since you are reading this, hopefully, you can partner with us in prayer as well. Some current prayer needs include:
- God's provision for finances to make the trip happen.
- Unity amongst our team.
- Safety for traveling.
- That both our team and the Erin church will bond well.
This summer we have the awesome opportunity of serving alongside Lighthouse Church in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. Our team consists of ten students and two leaders. At the beginning of May we went away for our missions boot camp. It was an awesome experience as we got to know one another better and bond as a team.
Here are some key prayer points for our team:
- Pray for team unity that we would exemplify the body of Christ as we minister.
- Pray for students are who are entering their exams and finishing up the school year.
- Pray for safety as we travel.
It's that time of year again! Time when we begin looking to the hot, lazy days of summer, and figuring out what we're going to do with our time off.
At PORTICO, with one of our three core values being Serving Christ's mission in the world, we believe that there are few things that one could do better with their down time than to reach out and serve our world. To help facilitate this value, we have three missions opportunities coming up this summer.
Eagle's Cove Team | July 17—23, 2011
We are returning to Eagle’s Cove again this year to help staff their junior camp. We get to have fun with children from the Nishnawbe Aski First Nations. We will with paintball, archery, canoeing, crafts, swimming and climbing, as well as present the Gospel through morning small groups, chapel messages and skits, worship and cabin devotions. Approximate cost: $650/person
Glace Bay NS Team | July 30—August 7, 2011
{Student Ministries} While in Glace Bay we will be partnering with Lighthouse Church of Cape Breton and Real Missions. Our team will focus on outreaches in the church’s skate park, at the local beach, as well as assisting in the local children’s camp and native ministries. Approximate cost: $1250/person
For more information on these Serve opportunities, contact us.
