2011 Youth Mission Trip
Joplin, MO
July 23-31, 2011
Team Members:
Rachel Kopriva
Ashley Willms
Paige Burtness
Dustin Gamerl
Matt Tofte
Cathy Bancroft
Josh Schneider
Kristen Seehusen
Team Departing
Saturday, July 23
Had a great drive down to Joplin. We stopped about halfway down for lunch and found a Amish farmer selling goods nearby. We picked up some apple butter and strawberry jam to add to our breakfast stash. Also enjoyed a sweet Toffee Treat from there as well! We arrived in Joplin around 4:30pm and entered on the northeast side of town, the opposite side of the destruction. As we approached our host church, Byers Avenue Methodist Church in midtown, we could see just beyond as the destruction began. We met Pastor Max, and he shared many stories of survivors and personal experiences from the night of the storm, just two months and 1 day ago. We listened with grace. As the evening went on, we settled into our living quarters before heading out to find some dinner. We ate some local Mexican food and made a grocery list for the rest of our week. We drove around and took in some of the destruction… saw the hospital, several churches, and all the many homes that were destroyed… the vastness of the devastation began to settle in.
Broken Home
Sunday, July 24
Woke up this morning and enjoyed breakfast, devotions, quiet time, and some prayer time over the churches prayer/praise request list before worshipping at 10:45. We then went to St. Paul’s Methodist Church for worship, temporarily being held at Ozark Christian College. These two congregations are working together in the recovery. St. Paul’s sanctuary was destroyed and many of their families and homes were affected. Our new friend Chuck from St. Paul’s is coordinating projects for us! After church we went to St. Paul’s church, met a fellow bunkmate from Byers that we’ve now adopted as part of our team. Chris from Louisville, a former Marine and works for Fed Ex, came here on his own to spend a week of his vacation serving. We spent some time in the afternoon at a place called Misti’s mission. Misti set up a donation and distribution center in her front yard just 3 days after the tornado hit. (Check her out on Facebook! “Misti’s Mission”). Unfortunately, rain is expected so instead of helping to sort/organize, we draped tarps and secured things for the storm. Spent some more time after supper looking around, met Connalynne ( doing a project at her house tomorrow morning). We found the local high school that was destroyed and got some more intimate views into the surrounding neighborhoods… it’s difficult to imagine what these people living here have experienced with the storm itself and adjusting now to a “new normal”. We are constantly greeted with smiles and thankful hearts. Our prayer is that we can bring love and hope to those we meet as we strive to do our part to Restore Joplin!
At Misti's Mission
High School
Rain Moving In
Monday, July 25
Fell asleep last night to the sound of thunder and rain showers. Today it is somewhat more overcast and cooler. We began the day with an energizing trip to Waffle House and then off to project 1. We had met Connelaine the night before and spent some time clearing the side of her driveway—full of weeds, flashing, glass, and other random garbage. Her house is one of just a 3 that remain standing on her street. With that project done, we are now back at St. Paul’s, painting one office that is new in use as a result of the damaged and destructed areas of the building. Our friend Chris and Josh are set to help with a roofing project this afternoon. And because our morning project was done more quickly than expected our afternoon painting project is ahead of schedule as well. We will be assisting another gentleman with some needs in his home. So, we’ll see what we else we can do.
Tree Cross
Tuesday, July 26
Spent the latter part of yesterday afternoon cleaning up the yard of a neighbor we passed by after we finished our other project. Her home is kiddie-corner from the middle school. Her front yard was still covered in glass and brick parts, plus lots of other odds and ends of debris. We raked and bagged plus helping with some other small projects. Upon our return to Byers Avenue UMC, we cleaned up and had a nice evening of fellowship… our new friend Chris from Kentucky offered to prepare Fried Chicken and mashed potatoes. So, we all hung out in the kitchen, worshipped around the acoustic guitar and whipped up dinner… set a lovely formal family style dinner and enjoyed the evening together. Today we were off to St. Paul’s to meet Chuck. He had a new contact “Watered Garden” a local outreach ministry who hadrequested some help. They have been overwhelmed and overrun with donations. We organized and sorted Men’s Clothing, Mens, Women’s and Children’s shoes as well as blankets, bedspreads, and quilts. As this project wrapped up just after lunch, we ventured over to Carissa’s house. Another group serving with St. Paul’s had been working on fence repair and were ready to call it a day, so we jumped in to begin clean up in the yard. Worked hard for a couple hours and got the back yard picked up.
A highlight of the day was finally meeting Judy. We had spoken on the phone with her yesterday. Chuck had asked us to contact her and bring her a quilt from St. Pauls. We drove by her ‘home’ yesterday, which was an apartment building that had been destroyed; couldn’t believe the pile of rubble that was still there and that anyone had walked away from it. Many did not. But, as we met Judy today, we got to hear more of her story. She had laid in her tub when the tornado hit. Many of her family members (children and grandchildren) were spared in the storm as well at various locations. Although she had lost most of her belongings, she said again and again how she was just thankful to be alive! Her granddaughter’s house was lost as well, and she expecting her 1st baby in November. She said to us “The tornado was an act of nature but all the miracles of survival were an act of God”. AMEN!
Wednesday, July 27
Today we were greeted with more warmth and sun… apparently the high was to be about 105 – warmest day of the week. The guys went back to work on a roofing job in the morning. They worked with our friend Chris and a team of guys from O’Fallon, near St. Louis. Josh was up on the roof, but Matt and Dustin were runners and ladder assistants. They made great progress but the jobs not quite done, but will hopefully be completed tomorrow—starting early at 6am. As we were dropping off the guys, the ladies noticed a crew working down the block on a house demo; a crew from Cisco, Texas. The neighborhood we were in is called the “Red Zone”, the hardest hit. Over 500 homes were lost here. We stopped by to see if they needed help. They did! So, we spent all day working there. It was hot and super dirty… started off just pulling out boards, glass, and bricks… and after a front loader came thru and knocked down the main walls, foundation, and pushed it to the curb, we finished up with the detail work… all the way down to the dirt. It felt rewarding but at the same time, a real sense of sorrow hovered over our project. We were told the family has left Joplin and doesn’t plan to return. Thankfully they all survived, but the life and home they had is no more. Hard to imagine such a sudden change to our own lives…. and we hear story after story like this. The guys finished up the afternoon working on the fence at Carissa’s, where we had been working later yesterday afternoon cleaning up in her yard. She is a preschool teacher at St. Pauls. The yard fence had been damaged, so some of it had to be taken down, reset, and tomorrow they plan to rebuild it. Our showers never felt so good as we returned to Byers Avenue and we were blessed by two ladies from the church who made us dinner AND gave us ice cream! We then joined the St. Paul’s youth group for some fellowship, worship, and fun in the evening. Dustin and Ashley both met birthday buddies (sharing the same birthdays- cool!) As we reflected on the day, we all agreed how much more difficult it is to build up then it is to tear down – true in so many areas of life and faith.
Thursday, July 28
We began the day a team divided… the guys left at 6am to finish the roof project and the girls departed just after 7am and joined the St. Paul’s youth group for a morning project. We unloaded a semi-trailer of donations onto pallets at Joplin Family Worship Center and the guys finished the roof. We all returned to Byers Ave UMC for lunch. In the afternoon we set out to do yard clean up at an Association Pool – Rosedale. There is so much debris buried under the top layer of grass; on yard work projects we are especially surprised at the amount of glass and shingles that are uncovered. We raked the rest of the afternoon and really made a difference. Had the opportunity to meet a couple of the neighbors and hear their stories… one man rescued a little girl buried in the closet of a nearby apartment; both of her arms were broken and she was buried under the rubble. Each story of rescue or loss that we hear seems unimaginable and we struggle to find words to respond. We ended our night sharing dinner with our friend Chris and another group that is also staying at Byers Ave UMC.
Friday, July 29
Had a short night of sleep as we bid farewell to Rachel- heading home for a family reunion. Had a few small projects to wrap up… Went back to finish repairson the fence at Carissa’s; we had been there earlier in the week working on the yard and the fence. We also moved some furniture for a family displaced by the tornado. We returned to St. Pauls where we unloaded some pallets of volunteer supplies that had been delivered and then went to a nearby house to paint. Another group was already there and we joined in to complete painting in the kitchen, dining, living room, hallway, 2 bedrooms, closets and bathroom! We ate a very late lunch/early supper and cleaned up before heading to Restore Fest. This festival was a fundraiser for Joplin Tornado Relief and was held at outdoor bandshell. We arrived just before 7pm in time to hear Abandon, Hawk Nelson, Mandisa, and Mercy Me, which finished just after midnight. It was a long day on little sleep, but we continued to be thankful for our opportunity to serve and the blessing of an evening of music, worship, and fellowship!
Saturday, July 30
Awoke today with the reality that this is our last day in Joplin. Our morning assignment was to help with yard work for an older man named Bob. The roof of his home was blown off completely and had structural damage, so the plan is to build a home in the adjoining lot where another home was destroyed and has been removed. Our job was to remove remaining debris from the ditch and lot to prepare for a foundation to be laid. Bob’s wife is not in good health and through the tornado her health struggles have heightened. As we took a break before our last push of time serving, we sat with Bob as he cried and shared his struggles. We huddled near him for a group picture and prayed over him. What strength God gives and what peace we find in His presence through times of uncertainty. Many times throughout the week, we have discussed that our contribution though small is an opportunity to love others and that every small task we do is something that someone else won’t have to do. We have seen change in the homes and neighborhoods we have worked in this week but there is SOO SOO much left to do!! Our prayer is that the use of our hands and feet brings hope, just a part of the restoration process and long journey that lies ahead. Our time in Joplin has ended… but their journey of restoration continues and our journey of transformation continues as well.
Sunday, July 31
Late yesterday afternoon, we cleaned up, loaded up, and left Joplin. We spent the night about 30 minutes north in Lamar, MO at Lamar UMC. We were given the opportunity to share the dramas we learned during our discipleship training weekend during two worship services. It was such a joyful way to end our week, by sharing God’s messages of peace, freedom, and eternal life. As this mission comes to an end, we are challenged with the mission of continually living out our faith as God’s messengers “IN” the world without being tempted to become followers “OF” the world. Thank you for supporting us with your prayers and encouragement. Continue to lift us up as we seek to follow the Leader and not follow the crowd. To Him be the glory, forever and ever!
Kristen, Cathy, Josh, Paige, Ashley, Matthew, Rachel, and Dustin.
Please pray with & for…
Our Team:
- Travel Protection
- Unity among our Team members
- Spiritual growth
- Faith to embrace life "In" but not "of" the 'world'.
- Health & General Safety
- Clothe with Humility & compassion as God uses us
- Sensitivity & understanding as we serve others
- Spirit-led ministry
Outreach Projects & Ministry:
- Guidance as we seek to plan events with congregations
- Physical health & endurance
- Spiritual strength
- Softened hearts toward those we serve
- Openness & opportunities to develop encouraging relationships
- Effective Spirit-led ministry
- Protection from heat & unsafe working environment
- Encouragement & provision for families affected by destruction
- Financial provision for congregations to carry on their ministry
2010 Youth
Emily Willms,
Nick Frisbe, Matt Tofte, Austin Anderson, Dustin Gamerl,
Bailey Mumm,
Sarah Stephany, Courtney Sherwood, Josh Pannhoff.
Leadership Team:
Monday, June 14, 2010
Today, we left Clear Lake just after 8:30am. Our morning was a great start, full of getting to know each other more and entertaining conversation. We arrived close to Davenport at the I-80 truck stop for lunch. It’s been overcast so far, but no rain. We detoured around Davenport and then made our way toward Chicago. As we passed through Chicago the sun peaked through the clouds and, we encountered a bit of road construction that slowed us down a bit. We were also slowed down trying to navigate the confusing directions getting to the toll road. We finally made it, and after fueling up, we were again on our way. We passed through Indiana and after stopping at a toll road plaza for supper, we finally crossed the border into Ohio. Darkness arrived as what little sunshine we saw disappeared. We were thankful to arrive at 10:40pm ET. We were happily greeted at the church by the pastor and several congregation members… they were excited to see us! We all settled in and were off to dreamland about midnight.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Morning came quickly, but this energetic crew was excited for the day ahead! Following breakfast and a little time getting organized, we welcome the Advent Lutheran VBS kids and joined in the fun. Following an opening time of teaching and singing, we divided into 3 crews: Crafts, Games, and Set Up. Today’s VBS theme was “God’s word brings us comfort”; we were all able to make tiny pillows to remind of this promise. Very sweet! The set up crew hit the lawn out back and began to set up tents and clean up tables and benches for the evening cookout the congregation was hosting in honor of our stay. Our team spent the afternoon training; we looked inward and contemplated our faith and relationship with God. This included a team “walk n talk” down to Lake Erie, just a mile or so away. While there, we had a great discussion on our theme verse from Isaiah 61:1 “the Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on you. The Lord has anointed you to preach good news to the poor, to bind the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and release to the prisoners.” After cooling off by the lake, we had a nice walk back to the church and spent some time discussing prayer and exchanging prayer cards, which we will do throughout the trip. The team is bonding well! They have a great attitude and are excited to jump into whatever is in front of them. We had a fun time at the cookout in the evening: wonderful food, great fellowship, big game of ultimate Frisbee, campfire fun, and lots of bonding with the congregation. We were then blessed to be invited into several congregation members’ homes for our first shower since our departure! It was a joyful day for all.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Morning again came quickly after a long and full day, but we were surprised and blessed by the gift of muffins, cinnamon rolls, and fruit for our breakfast! Thanks to our little angel. J The team was still a little slow on the go, so after our morning prayer-time, we hit the lawn for a game of clothes pin tag to get us energized! It worked. We learned more new songs at opening, the kids played Duck-Duck “water”… the kids were happy to get wet. The sun finally came out - it’s going to be steamy today. We are so proud of the team and how they are selflessly giving of themselves to these children. Many have formed special relationships: Emily and Bailey are already planning to be pen-pals with two little sisters! The team is jumping in wherever needed, helping to lead the singing, counting change for the children’s offering, and other projects that come up. Lunch is coming soon, and there is talk of Beach time for our team and some of the VBS children this afternoon. We will wrap up our day with some teambuilding throughout the afternoon and evening and pack up in the morning as we head out to NYC! Our time at Advent Lutheran in Mentor, OH has been such a blessing. The team has been challenged to step out and serve. This “taste” of what is to come is exciting… we look forward to God’s journey ahead!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Last night ended with a teambuilding adventure, doing the WEB…. Although it took the team a few hours to get organized and focused, they worked well, communicating and developing a plan. Just 3 hours and 45 minutes later, they accomplished the task with a strong dependence on God through prayer and new sense of teamwork and accomplishment. In the morning, we left Advent Lutheran… it was a tough goodbye! We were welcomed like old friends and the team quickly grew a great heart for the congregation… and even the families of deer that lived in the neighborhood wandered closely to us and the church. But, we were off! We had beautiful traveling though Pennsylvania and only encountered brief stretches of road construction. Decided that I-80 East “everywhere” is under improvements this year… the ride home should have fewer obstacles. We arrived in New Jersey late afternoon and approached our entry to the city, the Holland Tunnel, which runs under the Hudson River. After we inched toward the tunnel in congested traffic, there were many comments regarding how much we love Iowa and our simple life. Nice to hear! J We were just 5 miles from our destination, but we spent nearly 90 minutes waiting to enter the tunnel…and then made quick time as we weaved our way through the neighborhoods of the southern Manhattan Island…. Tribeca, Soho, and then arrived at First Ukrainian Assembly of God Church in the East Village. Our church home is an old building with 20 foot high ceilings, or higher! It has amazing architecture… and lots of stairs! The girls are staying on the second floor, and the guys on the fourth… stairs only. We moved in and then set out to find a late night dinner at 9pm. The neighborhood is full of eateries and little shops – some decided to try out a Chinese spot and others found a lil’ pizza joint with pizza by the slice – huge! It was all tasty and gave us a literal taste of the diversity of the city. We walked around and navigated the area before heading in around 10pm. We were lulled to sleep by the traffic, sirens, voices of passersby, and songs of happy birthday echoing the streets.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Our morning started leisurely with a New York City bagel breakfast at 9am. After some info and orientation from the YWAM staff, we were off to our first trip on the subway and then a ride on the Staten Island ferry; from there we had a great view of all of the city, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. We enjoyed our sack lunches in Battery Park and then took the subway back to our base. Now our mission more officially begins. We split up into work groups to serve the Ukranian church for a few hours in the afternoon. Cleaning, sweeping, mopping, picking up garbage, vacuuming,...etc. The church home was formerly a bank, and built 150 years ago… in the 20s, when the bank fell, it became the Ukranian Church. So, they have a long history here. Later on in the day after enjoying some authentic Thai for supper,, we enjoyed a time of worship and bible study with the Ukranian youth group. It was powerful and encouraging. Our evening ended with a trip to a neighborhood yogurt shop… yogurt by the ounce. Let’s just say, some could have bought a gallon for the price they paid for a nice sized cup...it hit the spot and our day was complete!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Today, we had an awesome day of ministry planned for us… our team was split into two groups to serve The Father’s Heart (a food pantry) and the World Vision Storehouse. Neither group new quite what they were getting into. We split up after breakfast. The World Vision(WV) team took to the subway, and made their way to the Bronx. They found the massive WV building, met amazing people working, and discovered a highly organized ministry filled with unlimited resources to be shared. After capturing the vision of the ministry, the team went to work… mostly sorting sizes of donated clothing from the Dress barn and folding them to be distributed. Clothes came from various stores. In addition while there, Target delivered 8 semi-loads of notebooks. So cool…so many corporations are part of a movement to reach out to people in need. The team worked hard and could really get a sense of being part of something bigger; World Vision strives to provide for tangible needs by partnering with ministries and organizations that are on the front lines. The second team walked through the East Village neighborhood to the Father’s Heart. As they arrived, they were oriented to the heart and mission… to restore dignity and provide for those in need of food with the underlying mission of sharing our heavenly Father’s heart for each person. As we split into service areas, some on prayer team, serving meals, flyers to keep tables stocked, and some in various serving jobs in the kitchen, it was time to open the doors! With worship music playing and hands clapping people were welcomed in. A very busy but joyful 90 minutes later, we were cleaning up and sharing the joy of serving with our new sisters and brothers. We were able to serve 701 people! Amazing. We joined up with a Philadelphia area youth group afterwards and took leftovers to a nearby park and were able to distribute all of that as well. The two teams met up at Central Park later in the afternoon where we used sidewalk chalk art to share a message of God’s hope and love. We wrapped up with pizza in the park and after a nice walk, headed home on the subway.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father’s Day!!!! We were all thinking of our Dads, Grandpas, and other special men in our lives that we are thankful for. It was super hot today, somewhere between 94 and 97. Our day began with a trek to Brooklyn to worship at the Brooklyn Tabernacle; this is a non-denominational church housed in an old theater. People line up down the street and around the corner waiting for one of the 3 services on Sunday. We attended the 12:00 service; two hours of amazing worship led by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and a wonderful message about keeping our eyes focused on things of the eternal instead of the temporary of this world. We enjoyed lunch at a local park in Brooklyn and enjoyed a long walk back over the Brooklyn Bridge. There is a pedestrian walk that is actually above the road. It took a good half hour to walk across…and what an amazing view we had of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, again. We then entered into a time of prayer walks through lower Manhattan, praying for various issues there: As we walked by the Stock Exchange we prayed for the more than 8000 individuals just in that area who have lost jobs in the last year. At an area park where there has been some disturbance by an anti-white group, we prayed they would recognize God’s love and hear the message of hope. We also prayed for issues surrounding a new Muslim mosque being built in Lower Manhattan. Finally, we made our way to the site of the World Trade Center Towers where we prayed for continued healing and peace for families of victims and smooth paths as the new tower and memorial are built. As well, asking for growing stability for businesses re-entering this area, and anything else God placed on our hearts. We returned to our host church for a Latin dinner of chicken, rice and beans. After all the walking and emotional out-pouring in prayer, we had a relaxing evening enjoying ice cream sandwiches and some crazy team bonding times!
Monday, June 21, 2010
The Team’s morning was off to an early start… we finished breakfast and had some Prayer Station orientation. We’ve been waiting for this ministry opportunity. Prayer Stations involve, setting up a table with a banner announcing “Prayer Station” with each team member is clothed in a red pullover apron. The team is split into flyers, who hand out info sheets half a block before the station in two directions, and the rest of the team is around the station, available to pray with anyone who stops. It’s not an overt operation. We simply make ourselves available to anyone who decides to stop. Today we set up in the Bronx at an intersection of 5 roads nicknamed ‘the Hub’. (kinda’ cool!) Here we set up on two corners in two teams. Over the 3 hours we were there, the team prayed for more than 100 people… it’s hard to count. We were busy in conversation and prayed over requests varying from healing, to job seeking, incarcerated family members, hope, and the list goes on. It’s a largely Latin (Puerto Rican) and African American population. This is an area where they return often to offer prayer, and we encountered some people who thanked us for prayer they received weeks ago… obviously not from our team, but from the Prayer Station Ministry. So, that was very cool! By mid afternoon we packed up and made our way to a local park to play a little bit…. Open water fountains to cool off, more sidewalk chalk fun, and basketball were some of the entertainment. We returned to church and had awesome Italian take out for dinner and were off for ice cream to bring a final cool to another hot day! God has been good and faithful to grow our team in our prayer lives. We are still sharing prayer cards daily with our team members and continue to add ‘others’ to our prayer cards as we encounter hearts in need. Tomorrow we will have some time of discipleship within our team, an afternoon of outreach in Alphabet City, and then outreach on the NYU campus, which is just a few blocks away. Looking forward to what God will show us, teach us, and be at work through us.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
This day began a bit differently after breakfast. The guys and girls were split up for different activities. The girls remained at the church and spent time with Ange (from YWAM) talking about Identity. Ange is leading a 10 day camp for girls in NYC called Reflection that will address image, identity, and worth from the world’s standard versus Biblical perspective. She shared her testimony and God’s heart and our identity in Him with the gals. It was an encouraging time for the girls; make up, dressing well, and our physical beauty were not condemned but our perspective on them was addressed. She ended by sharing make up tips and did many of the girl’s make up, for fun! The guys spent some time at a local park, after doing some garbage pick up, they also spent time discussing worth and image. We all met up for lunch and then walked to a low income neighborhood called Alphabet City where we spent time just playing with kids in the park. The guys got schooled in basketball and many of the girls played 4-square and did chalk art. From there we walked across town for dinner at Johnny Rockets--- that was an experience. After the wait-staff did a few dance numbers and we’d all finished our burgers and fries, our team joined in the dance fun to Stayin Alive! It certainly livened up the place; many patrons were videoing and taking pictures! After a subway ride, we arrived at the NYU campus where we met up with some student’s that are part of their Intervarsity Ministry. We had planned to do chalk art to invite the incoming freshman on campus to ministry activities and offer “free prayer”, something they do regularly. However, soon after we met up and dispersed, the clouds opened up and a down pour began. So, after waiting out the down pour, we regrouped and spent some time worshiping and offering ‘free prayer’ in the park near the NYU tower. It was a long but encouraging day! God has been faithful to give us energy and pour into us as we serve Him this week.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Today was our last day of ministry. In the morning, we loaded up for Prayer Stations… we were off to Harlem. We spent about 4 hours offering prayer again on alternate corners of the block. We continue to be amazed that people willingly come forward… we see the brokenness and captivity so many experience through hurts, health issues, provision struggles, and on and on. We are reminded that all of us carry hurts and experiences within that at some point may have separated us from God. What an opportunity we have had to stand in the gap, intercede, for so many hurting hearts. It was another hot hot day. Temps have been in the 90s all week long! God has cared for us and we have had no problems with anyone on the team suffering from the heat—other than the usual. Mid-afternoon, we made our way to Times Square. Here, the team had a lil’ time to adventure in the area and then accepted a challenge… the 5 Dollar Challenge. Each team member took $5 of their own money and had to find a way to bless a random person. They came up with some creative ways…you’ll have to ask about their stories! We had dinner at the Dallas BBQ and spent the rest of the evening at Rockefeller Center enjoying the view. It’s hard to imagine our time here is coming to an end. It has been a transforming, challenging, and life-giving week for the team.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Well, today we are off. First……we must celebrate Joshua’s BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! We are spending a few hours just hanging out in our neighborhood, maybe making our way down to SoHo. Grabbing lunch, and then we will head out about 2pm. We are staying in SnowShoe, PA tonight; and the word is that the youth director is making us supper. It’s a short 4-6 hour drive, depending on traffic… A nice beginning to our long trip home. Friday we will drive all the way to Dubuque, IA; probably arrive quite late. Then we will have some team time Saturday morning before arriving home in the afternoon. Can’t wait to see you all and share about our experiences. Hope you will join us on Tuesday evening for our time of sharing and Celebration! Thank you for your prayers and support as we prepared and throughout our mission in NYC!