Today we visited the city and visited many different sights and and smelled many different smells. It was an awesome experience for all as we got relax a little bit, but we did do A TON of walking. We started with trip up the Space Needle and enjoyed an amazing view of the city on a very clear day. After eating lunch, we enjoyed hanging out by a huge water fountain and some of the youth either decided or were dared to run through the water fountain. We then took a monorail (train) further into the city and split up into groups. Some of the different things that groups experienced with the famous Pikes Market, shopping, Niketown, Gameworks, and many other things. It was a fun time in the city, but many of us are very tired and are napping right now. Tonight, after we eat dinner, we are heading to a SURPRISE destanation for the youth. It should be a fun time.... more to come later on the surprise.

Prayer Requests:

-For processing and understanding the many things we have learned and experienced on the trip.
-For good sleep, as some have been very tired the last few days.
-Travel as we continue to move around the city and expereince different things.
-For the hike tomorrow, as we reflect on the trip, and experience God in a new way for this trip.
-For God to continue to bless us on the trip and for the youth and leaders to bring what they have learned and experienced back to Holland and live their lives as servarts of God.

Here are just a few pictures from the trip so far. We will post more once we arrive back to Holland. The first picture is Brian Turnbull during a discussion with the youth group. The second one is a picture of one of the many gardens around the city of Seattle. This is one garden that we worked at throughout the week. The 3rd picture is one of the many many games we have made up throughout the week. This was a "human bowling" game we made up. ALOT of fun games have been made up throughout the trip. The next picture is Kristin striking a pose during one of the days we worked in the garden. The last picture is some of the "garalla art" our group made and hang up around the city. We used trash we picked up around city and made it into tempory art to promote people to think about their lives and the people around them. We will have many more pictures to come!

Contrasts.

A city with the highest concentration of millionaires versus a high number of homeless, including many teens. A large "church" building that holds "The Center for Spiritual Living" that is inclusive to all spiritual beliefs versus a small "House" that is home to a small group of Christ followers trying to love others as the one true God wants us to love. A small coffee shop called the "Green Bean" that is operated by a church, and provides a place for community between Christians and people walking by on the street versus businesses that exist for profit. A church back home that functions out of a building versus various church plants in Seattle that have no building, but function in neighborhoods, on the street, in community centers, in parks, in a coffee shop, in a teen homeless shelter, and wherever there are people. The concept of church involvement versus community involvement. 16 individual students, with some as friends leaving Michigan versus 1 group in Seattle, interacting, laughing, experiencing, listening, praying, and playing crazy games of kick ball. June, the rainy season of Seattle versus day 5 and counting, not a cloud in the sky, sunny and beautiful, for an experience that is 90 percent outside.

God is good.......

This is not your typical mission trip. This is an trip where we are experiencing, walking, seeing, listening, questioning, and discussing. Yesterday was a great experience of listening to 3 people explain to us their worldview and belief in each person having their own spiritual belief, and there being no one true way or one true God. We listened, asked questions, and struggled with their beliefs versus our beliefs. Last night, we were led by Brian and Betsy, first in an overview of beliefs, and then in the topic of how we love others, how we share what we know of the one true God with others, and how we love others as Christ loves them. God really blessed this day and the discussions that we had.

Today we did some volunteer work for some local businesses and the local Boys and Girls Club. We then had an afternoon of relaxing time at a beautiful park overlooking the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. In the late afternoon, we met with the pastor of the Emmaus Road church plant and served food at the homeless teen building. A great day of experiences.

I can't tell you enough what a great group of kids we are blessed to be a part of on this trip. Each person on this trip has a personality that adds to this group, and we are privileged to be able to experience this trip with each of them, and watch God work within this group. Thank you for allowing us to spend the week with your kids and to experience God in a different way with them. Thank you for praying for all of us.

Keith

Center for Spiritual Living

Ok, so today we went to Brian and Betsy's neighborhood of Redgewood/Revenna/Roosevelt. We went to their house and got to see where the "small house" settings are located at. It was really a cool experience to that and see where our missionaries from HHCRC are living. After that, we went to The Center for Spiritual Living. We were shown around by thier teen director and 2 of the students from their Youth Group. The Center for Spiritual Living has a Humanistic world-view. It was really good for our students to see another world view. Brian and Betsy then talked about how those kinds of people are the people that they are ministering to. Many of the people that are in their neighorhood are of this "faith." This was an amazing expirerence for the kids as they got to use thier faith in action. They were challenged and streched, but it was a good expierence.

This afternoon we went and picked up trash around an area where there are people who live in their cars. There was alot of nasty, icky, smelly trash to be picked up and the students did it with out any complaining! We are so blessed to have a group of students like this! They are amazing and are learning alot this week!


Prayer Requests:
-Praise God for the weather thus far--NO Rain YET!
-Hefty has been a bit sick, so pray that he feels better
-Community within our group
-energy to make it through each day!
-Brian and Betsy as they lead us through the rest of the week
Thanks!

"What are you doing here" "When will it end?"

Well, since this is the official first blog post of the 2009 mission trip, for those of you that don't know we have arrived and God has been blessing us with many great sights, sounds, and smells.

So far this is what we have done on this trip. Yesterday we started off by going to church at Sanctuary in Greenwood. This service was very neat, but extremely different than HHCRC. Driving from the service we spontaneously stopped and visited the Freemont Market. While at the Market, we were challegened to look for things that were different from Holland. There were many, many things! Seattle is a very different culture. After this experience we went kayaking on Lake Union. This was an incredible experience for leaders and students alike. We kayaked for about 2 1/2 hours without anyone falling in. However, many students and leaders come home soaking wet. We will leave this for another story, at another time. During the evening we spent time with the youth group of the church we are staying at. We hung out in a local park, played many crazy games and ate great food. We ended the night with small groups and great discussion.

Today, Monday, we went to the area of South Union. We were led through the city by Pastor Tim Sorrens, the Pastor of Dust Church. They have about 10-11 people who attend there on a regular basis. While on our walk, we stopped at The Center for Wooden Boats, and we were greeted by a man named Dave who chatted with us alittle. Tim then challenged us to think of ways that the Dust church could connect people in the community. In this South Union area, there are many different types of people, and his dream is to connect them all. We brainstormed for a bit. Then, a group of about 8 guys went and helped a guys move. While they were doing that, the rest of us went and picked up trash that was around the area to make some "gorilla art." For those of you who are un-sure of what this is, you take trash around the street and create it into a message to place back around the city. For example, Trisha found a little glove, and wrote on it, "Have you been a helping hand?" We then went and placed those things back around the city, so people could think about the thought-provoking things that we written on them. It was a neat expierence.

Thanks for all your prayers! The students have been AWESOME! We are so blessed to have the group that we do :) The weather has been great, we are safe, and enjoying our week so far!