Brothers' Keeper 2008 Trip Report

Posted on Tue, Aug 5, 2008:

One Week of Mission Fun

Brothers’ Keepers Report                       

On Sunday, July 20, eight youth, three adults, and one pastor departed for Parchment Valley, near Ripley, WV,  to attend Brothers’ Keepers 2008.  It was the first time for many of us on this mission. 

Upon arrival, we began mingling with members from other churches as they were arriving. You could already feel God’s presence.   We met at 5:30 for dinner, then went to Hill Hall to attend worship service at 7:30.    Snacks were provided in the gym as they were every night.

The last event of the evening took place around the campfire.   We sang and had prayer before returning to our dorms for the night. Matthew 25:40 was our Bible verse for the week. 

            We had prayer at the cross every morning at 7:45 before going to breakfast. We left for our work sites at 8:30 am and returned between 2:30 and 3:00 pm.   Some crews worked till 3:30.

            I was on a paint crew which consisted of six youth and two adults. I knew none of them until that day, but by lunch time it was like we had known each other forever.   Lunch was provided off-site each day. The first day was Taco Bell, second day was Wendy’s, third day was Subway, and the fourth day was McDonald’s. 

By the end of the first day, everyone had a story to tell – some funny and some really funny. 

These kids and adults really worked hard those four days. The temperatures were in the 90”s, and they were on roof tops, painting and tarring roofs. No complaints! We talked with the home owners as we worked on their homes. We gave them a Bible and a framed picture of our group with all our names on it. We invited them to attend the closing ceremony that was held on Thursday evening. They were very appreciative of the work that these youth had done. Some even cried. It touched the hearts of both youth and adults to know that in some way we had made a difference in their lives. 

I was asked by several different individuals how we got our pastor to come to Brothers’ Keepers because they couldn’t get their pastors to attend. Pastor Ken is remarkable with our youth. He participated in the scavenger hunt with them and attended campfire every night with us. He even took all of us to an Italian restaurant on Wednesday night.

Thank you Pastor Ken and First Baptist Church for giving us the opportunity to experience such a rewarding mission. 

Will I go back next year? Absolutely!!

 
Submitted by Deanna Clark

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