Our Team

In one of the first planning meetings we had for this trip, Johnny and I discussed the type of leaders we needed on this trips. We ended up with a group of leaders who have far exceeded our expectations. They are doing a phenomenal job. Let me tell you a little about them.

• Carole Marzke - Team Mom - She brings a great parent perspective to our team. Students know that she is there to help them and they look up to her. She is cheering on our students as if they were her children.
• Dave Payumo - Parking Director - Dave has stepped up his game this year. He has a gift for building relationships and encouraging students. He keeps the laughter level high and models what it means to be passionate in serving Christ.
• Chris Infalt - Queen of Lunches - Chris knows details. She has this amazing ability to think of the tiniest area that needs attention. She pushes our students to look beyond the service and look for what God is doing in every situation.
• Isaac Tyson - Assistant Director of Security - Isaac is a solid leader. This is the second mission trip he has with our student ministry and he leads as if he has been doing it forever. He connects well with our students and challenges them to press on with all that they have.
• Tara Willis - Support Captain - It has been a little while since Tara has had the opportunity to come on a student ministry mission trip, but you would never know. She brings her camp and mission trip experiences to encourage our students. She is the one on the team who is right there at the right time when something that needs to be done.
• Jeremy Law - Director of Security - When Jeremy is on a mission, he means business. He speaks our students language. He is teaching our students to always do things to the best of their ability. He wraps valuable life lessons into everything we do. And leads the team that protects me from the ambush of water guns.

I've never been part of a team that works together like this one. We mesh together so well that we finish each others sentences. Our leaders are modeling what it means to follow Christ and serve as a team. Our students are picking up on that and starting to do the same. It is beautiful.

God is faithful. He is taking us to places we didn't think were possible on this trip.

TODAY IS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!!!!

Their Home

We walked below the Michigan Avenue bridge and found flocks of pigeons trying to escape the rain. The cement slabs were covered in bird droppings and feathers. If you've ever been around bird flocks you know the smell that permeated the air. At the very end of the block, where the distance from the ground to the bridge was the shortest, was the home of three men and a women. I don't know how long they've lived there but it has been long enough to make it their own.

Daniella and Thomas shared a bed made of large sheet of cardboard. Daniella is pregnant. I'm not sure how far along she is but I'm guessing about five or six months. Next to their bedroom was another large sheet of cardboard that Dave and Jermaine shared. Their bedroom had two foot high walls made of cardboard to help protect them from the wind and birds. They were kind enough to let us join them in their home, long enough to share some lunch and pray with them. They didn't share much of their story other than their desire to get off the streets. Dave didn't seem to care too much if he got off the streets he just wanted to have peace.

I walked away wondering more about their story. How would Daniella be able to take care of her child? Will she end up delivering the baby there in the home under the bridge. As we got closer to the intersection the light from the street helped me see more clearly the effects of living among birds. My mind immediately thought, "That is disgusting!" And in the same breath I reminded myself I just called these friendly peoples' home disgusting.

It might not look like a house, but it is a home...their home.

Other People Matter...

Hey friends, Sarah here. I've been reading The Worn Out Woman with my accountability partner and there was a sentence that caught my attention. It reminded me what our focus is this summer as we travel to Chicago.

"Everywhere we go people are longing to feel that they are special because someone told them so." (pg 103)

This is what we are all about. We are going to Chicago to show people they are special and they have value. The book of Ephesians, Paul talks about how God's secret plan has been revealed. His plan is that every person can be a part of His kingdom if they chose to accept the gift. Think about that...EVERYBODY in the world can be part of God's family. Some people aren't part of the family because they have never had the chance to hear the good news, especially that they matter.

Later on in the book I've been ready the author writes,

"I'll always remember that moment when God let me be a part of His surprise." (pg 105)

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy about how thankful we should be that God has chosen us to be a part of his plan. I am so thankful he allowing each of us to be a part of the team who will show the people of Chicago that there is a God that loves them. I am so excited to see what he has in store for us.

"How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him. Oh how kind and gracious the Lord was! He filled me completely with faith and the love of Christ Jesus!"

1 Timothy 1:12 & 14