2008 Servant Event Stories
|
Many thanks to Jason, Jessica,
Joshua, and Kristen, our summer assistants!!! |
There is nothing
more fulfilling than to tell the world about what God has done.
If your group is not listed here, please send us some pictures and
an article of how God used you during your week, and I will
quickly add it.
--Stephen Heimer,
the
website guy
Send your articles and pictures to sheimer@ylm.org |
- July 26-Aug 2: Blessed Savior Lutheran Church, O'Fallon, IL
- July 19-26: Detroit, MI
-
July 12-19: Living Savior Lutheran, Tualatin, OR
- July 12-19: St. Paul Lutheran
Church, Des Peres, MO
- July 5-12: St. Peter Lutheran, Arlington Heights, IL, and Immanuel
Lutheran, Belvidere, IL
- July 5-12: Mount Calvary
Lutheran, Acton, MA
- June 28-July 5: St. Peter Lutheran, Richmond,
MI
-
June
28-July 5: Living Christ Lutheran, Chanhassen,
MN
- June 21-28: St. Paul’s Lutheran, Colombia, MO
- June 21-28: Fountain of Life Lutheran,
Tucson, AR
-
June 14-21: Trinity Lutheran, Centralia, IL |
- June 14-21: Jacksonville,
FL & University Lutheran Church, West Lafayette, IN
-
June 11-13:
Farmington, NM
-
June 7-14: Metro East
Lutheran H.S, Edwardsville, IL
-
June 7-14: Our Father Lutheran Church, Centennial, CO
-
June 7-14: Christ Lutheran Church, Denver, CO
- June 2-14:
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Cohasset, MN
-
June 1-7: Peace With Christ Lutheran, Ft. Collins, CO |
July 26-Aug 2: Blessed
Savior Lutheran Church, O'Fallon, IL
submitted by Dorinda Werner (DCE)
We just returned from a great
experience at Ysleta Lutheran Mission. If there’s anyone out
there that is considering a first-try at mission work, let me
encourage you to do it through YLM.
Two adults and four youth from
our church (Blessed Savior Lutheran Church in O’Fallon, IL) made
the 20 hour drive with an over-night stop at Zion Lutheran in
Abilene. From the minute we set foot on YLM’s property, we felt
at home and had the support and encouragement from the staff.
We also were blessed to meet and work with other youth and
adults from Vargas, MN and Pierre, South Dakota.
Our group went across the border
every day to lead a VBS from 9:30-11:30 AM at Cristo Rey
Lutheran Church in Juarez. Since most of us didn’t speak
Spanish, we used puppets and Spanish CD’s to help with leading
singing and telling Bible stories. Our youth found out quickly
that a SMILE crosses all language barriers and soon they had
many new friends who loved to play with them.
In the afternoons we worked
together to replace a roof which was in much need of repair.
The family was very gracious and thankful. They even prepared a
very nice meal for us one day. The YLM staff was helpful in
teaching us how to do things we’ve never done before…ie roofing,
tarring etc.
Safety in Juarez was a concern of
ours before we participated in this mission trip, but we never
felt unsafe while we were there. We had God’s protection, and
the YLM staff did everything they could to make sure we were
safe. Besides working we did fun activities such as
bartering/shopping at the market in Juarez, going up the
mountain in El Paso to see a spectacular view of the cities, and
enjoying Mexican food and entertainment at Andales in El Paso.
Each morning and evening we
joined the other two groups for devotions. We all are very
thankful that we were able to participate in this Servant Event,
and hope God will make it possible for us to return next year.
To God be the glory.
If you have any questions (I know
I had many) feel free to contact me. Dorinda Werner
(618-632-2699) bslc.dce@sbcglobal.net
[list of SE stories]
July 19-26: Detroit, MI
Most of the members of a seven-person
group from Detroit, MI had been on mission trips before, so when they
made the decision to return to Ysleta they wanted do something besides a
medical clinic or house project. Because some had experience teaching,
they decided to offer ESL (English as a second language) classes in the
Anapra region of Juarez. The group stayed at San Lucas all week,
holding English classes in the morning and children’s games and crafts
in the early afternoon. They also walked the streets inviting people to
attend an evening Bible study, with the hope of reaching out to some of
the local men (who are notably absent at most church services.) While
no men ever attended the Bible studies, the group found themselves in a
good position to encourage the women of Anapra. They used the old
testament Deborah as an example of God using women to do great things,
hoping their words would be encouraging for the continuation of the
ministry.
[list of SE stories]
July 12-19: Living Savior
Lutheran, Tualatin, OR
After spending a week at the dorms in
Anapra, a group of 20 youth and their adult leaders from Living Savior
Lutheran in Tualatin, OR, decided that they much prefer it to staying at
Ysleta and traveling across the border every day. “You just have so
much more time to connect with the people, and you get a better feel for
the culture,” said one of the leaders. “The dorms at Ysleta would feel
like a hotel now!” This group made the most of their time and size by
splitting into groups and allowing everyone to experience something new
each day. Some of the members conducted a VBS (which averaged fifty
attendants daily) at San Lucas, while others divided to repair a total
of four roofs in the area. They also neared completion on the walls of
a house addition which will be a private room for the two pre-teen
daughters of a man named Javier.
[list of SE stories]
July 12-19: St. Paul, Des Peres,
MO
A group of 26 people from St. Paul
Lutheran Church in Des Peres, MO, conducted a VBS at Cristo Rey which
pulled in around 80 children daily. They also constructed a house near
the San Fransisco mission in Juarez, which proved to be quite a
challenge due to space constraints. Instead of the traditional 24 x 12
foot house, they adapted their materials to create a building of
approximately 13 x 19 feet, dimensions which required much more figuring
and cutting than normal. Despite these challenges, the group finished
on time, providing a house for a family of seven (soon to be eight!) who
will use their old 10 x 10 foot house as a kitchen from now on.
[list of SE stories]
July 5-12: St.
Peter Lutheran, Arlington Heights, IL, and Immanuel Lutheran,
Belvidere, IL
The night before
returning home, a man who had just completed his service in Mexico made
a point to express an impression that occurs quite often among servant
event workers. He spoke of the rough year he had been having at home.
“But this week,” he said, “has been the most restful week of my whole
year, even though we’ve been working really hard. It’s just given me so
much peace.” All of the members in his group of 15 people from two
churches in Illinois (St. Peter Lutheran in Arlington Heights and
Immanuel Lutheran in Belvidere) agreed that although they had seen their
share of setbacks, the work they did in Zaragosa was ultimately more
fulfilling than tiring. The group finished an addition to a house
(which would give the grandmother of the family living there her very
first personal room) easily in five days, and is making plans to bring
even more people back next summer.
[list of SE stories]
July 5-12: Mount
Calvary Lutheran, Acton, MA
By combining sheer
size with good work ethic, a first-time servant event group of young
people from Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Acton, MA was able to
complete two house additions and repair the roof of Panchis’s house in
only a week. At one of the housing sites they realized that the family
living there did not own a Bible and quickly supplied them one from the
church. The group, which stayed in Anapra, also conducted a VBS every
morning from 9:00 to 12:00, which gradually grew in attendance to reach
135 children by Friday, over a hundred of which are not regulars at San
Lucas.
[list of SE stories]
June 28-July 5:
St. Peter Lutheran, Richmond, MI
Though few had been on
a mission trip before, the 15 members of St. Peter Lutheran Church in
Richmond, MI, pulled together to complete an entire house in Anapra in a
little under four days. In their spare time they began assembling the
altar at San Lucas, and used the Bible to begin teaching English to
those who were interested. Many of the youth from St. Peter’s formed
friendships with the local teenagers and children, playing soccer and
spending time with them whenever they could. As something to remember
them by, several members of this creative group constructed a cross from
scraps of wood and decorated it with pieces of colored glass, intending
for it to be hung outside the house or even placed in a box somewhere.
However, when they presented the cross to the elderly couple who would
be living in the house, Juan and Maria promptly hung it opposite the
doorway, so that everyone who enters might be reminded of God’s presence
in their lives.
[list of SE stories]
June 28-July 5:
Living Christ Lutheran, Chanhassen, MN
A group of
9 youth and 3 adult leaders from Chanhassen, MN, stayed at YLM during
the week of June 28th to July 5th. The group
spent Monday and Tuesday in the Sparks colonias doing tiling, paneling,
and exterior painting for house #10. On Wednesday and Thursday they
traveled to Zaragosa to complete an unfinished house project for a newly
married couple at Santisima Trinidad. Finally, Friday morning was spent
giving a VBS to around 30 children at Cristo Rey. The group helped the
children make “faith” bracelets (bracelets with six beads, each
representing a different component of the Christian journey to heaven),
and bags for candy, pencils, stickers, and toothbrushes, which they
brought to distribute. They finished the morning by playing games,
taking pictures, and sharing their own lunches with anyone who wanted
some.
[list of SE stories]
June 21-28: St.
Paul’s Lutheran, Colombia, MO
During the
week of June 21 – 28 a servant event group from St. Paul’s Lutheran
Church in Colombia, Missouri traveled to Santisima Trinidad to build a
house – family style. The 16 member crew consisting of workers ranging
in age from 3 years to “old enough to be cute again,” did a wonderful
job including everyone in the construction. Each time a frame was
completed, the children were called over to nail on the siding, use a
chalk line, or carry materials, and throughout the week the adults made
a point to take breaks in order to encourage each other or help the kids
with crafts and games. The group also worked well through difficulties
like uneven concrete and a request that the house be built adjacent to
an existing shed, and they made sure to pray for the house and the newly
married couple that would live there before heading home.
[list of SE stories]
June
21-28: Fountain of Life Lutheran, Tucson, AR
At
twenty-two people, including mostly high school youth and their adult
leaders, the group from Fountain of Life Lutheran Church in Tucson,
Arizona, has been one of the largest to serve with Ysleta this summer.
The enthusiastic group often split up to maximize their productivity.
They tackled houses in the Sparks colonias on Monday through Wednesday,
replacing water-damaged paneling and tiles, painting exteriors, and
constructing awnings for windows. On Thursday and Friday, the group
traveled across the border to San Fransisco where they worked roofs for
Concha and one of her neighbors.
[list of SE stories]
June 14-21: Trinity
Lutheran, Centralia, IL
It is said here at Ysleta that we run on
miracles, but a little old fashioned muscle power never hurts either.
During the week of June 14-21 eleven young men ages 15-25 and two adult
leaders from Trinity Lutheran Church in Centralia, IL, arrived in El
Paso to do whatever was needed, including lots of manual labor. They
spent Monday and Tuesday constructing a 14x24 ft. porch roof on the
front of a house at the Martin Lutero mission site, which will be used
for weekly worship services and for granting the family some much needed
shade. Wednesday the group did a lot of roofing, completing the San
Francisco shelter and repairing both of the buildings at Santisima
Trinidad. On Thursday the group split, half finishing roofs and taking
inventory of needed jobs in Mexico, half doing tiling and exterior
painting at a home in the Sparks area near El Paso. Finally, the end of the week saw
the group going door to door and passing out Bibles in a community near Santisima Trinidad.
[list of SE stories]
June 14-21: Jacksonville,
FL & University Lutheran Church, West Lafayette, IN
A team sponsored by University Lutheran
Church in West Lafayette, Indiana, joined with other team members from
the Jacksonville, Florida area to conduct a medical clinic at the Martin
Lutero Mission in Juarez. Nurses triaged by family units and saw 136
individuals over 4 days, including a 2-year-old girl with 3rd
degree burns on her left hand. . Medications, vitamins, water bottles,
and health kits were distributed. While waiting to be seen, families
were provided with snacks, crafts, and activities to share the good news
of Jesus Christ.
[list of SE stories]
June 11-14: Farmington, NM
YLM was host
to unexpected guests on June 11th, when a group of middle
schoolers and their youth leader from Farmington, NM, called to ask
if they could be of any help. The group had been doing a servant
event for another church but had already finished their work and
needed more to do, so they set to work picking up trash, mowing,
trimming, and repainting the twelve white benches on the grounds.
The energetic group also helped fold laundry, dismantle irreparable
furniture (to fit them into the dumpster) and highlight helpful
verses in Bibles which would later be distributed to men staying at
the border patrol detention center.
June 7-14: Metro East
Lutheran High School in Edwardsville, IL
Despite knowing
little about construction, 10 students and 2 adults from Metro East
Lutheran High School in Edwardsville, IL, worked hard to complete a
house project in Anapra during the week of June 7-14. This
group spent the week in the dormitory in Anapra and to get a better
understanding of Mexican culture, visited the Juarez market and
visited children in a nearby orphanage. At the orphanage, the
servant event played with the children and gave them gifts of toys
and candy.
Metro East Lutheran High School built this home for Luis & his
family
[list of SE stories]
June 7-14: Our Father Lutheran
Church in Centennial, CO
Long
time servants from Our Father Lutheran Church in Centennial, CO, came
to Ysleta this June confident that they would do their work as well
and as quickly as possible. Four days later they had not only
completed a house at the Martin Lutero mission, but had also
installed insulation, painted the exterior siding, and prepared the
house for an awning addition. For the rest of their time at
Ysleta, the 10-person group helped finish another house at Anapra.
[list of SE stories]
June 7-14: Christ Lutheran
Church in Denver, CO
Equally needed for
the sake of preaching and teaching God's Word and offering programs
that reach out with the Gospel is the simple upkeep of facilities
here at the Ysleta Lutheran Mission in El Paso. Luckily,
groups like Christ Lutheran church from Denver, CO are willing to do
whatever tasks they can in order to enable the ministry here.
In June, the 11 members of this group split forces, some working on
house projects, the rest repairing swamp coolers and fixing problems
with electricity and plumbing.
[list of SE stories]
June 2-7: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in
Cohasset, MN
Thirteen members
from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Cohasset, MN built a home for a
family while they stayed in the San Lucas dormitory in Anapra the
week of June 2 - 7. The group was very eager to build a home and
had a wonderful time meeting the people in Anapra and doing craft
projects with the children who visited the work site. This group
considers it a gift and blessing to have been able to be used in
this way and are looking forward to coming back.
[list of SE stories]
June 1-7: Peace
With Christ Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, CO
24 workers
from Peace With Christ Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, CO,
participated in a variety of servant event activities from June 1-7.
Half of the group traveled to the mission San Francisco to conduct
its first-ever medical clinic at that location (and also the first
of the summer). The volunteers helped around 140 people over four
days, with patients ranging from 20 days to 83 years old. The rest
of the Peace with Christ servants stayed here in El Paso, working on
RV accommodations (including parking spaces and sewer, water, and
electric hookups) and replacing the suffering shingles of the
missionary institute with resilient red tin.
[list of SE stories]
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