Henderson Settlement Update

HUMC sent a team of 16 short term missionaries to Henderson Settlement in Frakes, KY July 8-12. The team worked on two separate projects during the week. Project 1 was to build the other half of a room addition that we built during the 2010 mission trip. Project 2 was building a shed in TN. Here is a picture of project 1 being finished by the team working at Henderson Settlement during the week of July 23-27.

Day 5 SonRise National Park VBS

The theme for the final day of SonRise National Park VBS was True Hope. The bible story was about Paul and Silas singing and praising God in prison. In spite of their circumstances, their true hope was in Jesus.


We made dirt buddies in crafts to remind us that we should stick together and help each other. The animal for the day was the caribou. Caribou were created to travel in herds. God created us to travel together as well. Sometimes we forget that Jesus is always with us, especially when we're hurt or sad. So God has given us friends in our churches to help us remember that Jesus loves us, He is always with us and always helps us.

 We all enjoyed "Snowballs" (ice cream) topped with chocolate & sprinkles during snack time. The snack ladies did a great job of helping us keep up our energy. We had some yummy snacks at SonRise National Park this week.

Each family went home with a CD of all the VBS songs. If you pass a car with children in the back seat  singing, waving their arms, clapping their hands, and wiggling in their seats, it's likely they're listening to "Cool, Cool Summer" or "God Will Meet All Your Needs".


This year's VBS offering will support area food pantries. Throughout the week, we were encouraged to fill a tent with items that cannot be purchased at the food bank, such as laundry detergent, paper towels and toothpaste. Monetary donations were also accepted.

Day 4 SonRise National Park VBS

True Love was the theme for Wednesday night's activities.  We had very enthusiastic, praise-filled worship, played fun games, made cross sun-catchers in crafts, and had popcorn for our snack. In the skit, one of the contestants on True Nature Survivor sacrificed her 1st place prize so that another player could win the prize and fulfill a life-long wish.

We talked about Jesus' great love for all of us; that He died in our place so that we can be forgiven for our sin and live forever with him in heaven. We discussed what the Christian faith is all about and we rejoiced with one 6th grader who prayed with her adult leader and asked Jesus to be Lord of her life.  During the closing assembly, we all had an opportunity to pray and ask Jesus into our hearts. Even though there was a more serious tone during the evening, we still had lots of fun & laughter, singing & celebrating God's love. To quote one first grader, "We come to VBS because it's sooo cool."
    
     "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." 1 John 3:16

Getting ready for sled relay races

Pastor Steve & Quinn telling a bible story

God will meet all your needs

Day 3 SonRise National Park VBS

Tuesday evening we focused on relying on God's word to help us obey God. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He used God's word to resist. We learned that when we're tempted, we also can rely on Scripture to resist temptation. Jesus gives us True Power.

In the skit, the 3 contestants of True Nature Survivor were all tempted to cheat in order to win last night's competition. The true winner was the one who came in last place but resisted the temptation to cheat.

During crafts, the children talked about all the things that they carry around in their school bags and what things they would carry in a back pack if they went on a hike. We also sometimes carry things we can't see--like anger, jealousy, sin and unforgiveness. We all agreed that we already carry enough heavy stuff around every day, so we shouldn't carry all the extra bad stuff. We decorated back packs to help us remember that Jesus gives us true power to resist temptation.

The children had a great time at games with the giant parachute and surfboard races. There was also some super soakers to keep everyone cool(er). "It is Written" is a really cool song we learned to remind us to depend on God's word. We also discovered that we have some very good dancers in our group. Even our adult group leaders got into the competition.

"God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out."

                                                                                1 Corinthians 10:13

Day 2 of SonRise National Park VBS

Day 1 of SonRise National Park VBS focused on True Peace. The children learned that Jesus is always with them and will always help them and give them peace in every circumstance. 

Day 2 was based on the SonRise National Park VBS foundational verse-- Philippians 4:19.  "My God will supply all your need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." The children learned that God takes care of them and provides all that they need. We are getting to know the players in the daily skits and have had fun watching them compete in the game show "True Nature Survivor". Everyone loves the music and is having a great time learning new songs and dance moves to go with them. Plus fun games, yummy snacks, interactive bible stories & cool crafts make for lots of fun & smiles. 

Creativity is messy

Our nests were warm, safe, and strong. 

Mon. Night snack--Trail Mix

VBS Props

HUMC has some talented artists who have devoted many hours to painting props for VBS.

Decorating for SonRise National Park VBS

Preparations for SonRise National Park are in full swing during this week before VBS begins. The decorations and props crew have been working hard to transform HUMC into a national park.

Day 5 Henderson Settlement Mission Trip

This morning, following vespers service and breakfast, we cleaned up Hope House, packed up our gear and headed home. It rained all the way through Kentucky, but as soon as we reached Southern Indiana, the rain stopped. We were hoping to bring some much needed rain home with us. We so appreciate the HUMC home team for your support and prayers. Be it ever so hot & dry, there's no place like home. 

Taylor was our go-to guy

The Marys with Juanita

Pastor Steve and  Jamey before acquiring a power saw

Just hammering in the rain

Aubry trying to stay dry

MJ taking a moment to be silly

TN is Kudzu country

Day 4 HUMC Mission Trip

 We're having another rainy day in Frakes, KY. Sure wish we could send some to Central Illinois. The crew working on Project #1 finished around 1:00 and went to TN to help team #2 finish the shed project.

 There is a library, sewing room, food pantry, day camp, thrift store and other community outreach services located in the Henderson Settlement Opportunity Center. Several of our group have worked in the building this week.  Helping the full-time employees clean and organize enables them to better serve the clients who depend on Henderson's services.

 We are hoping to finish both projects by the end of the day today and head for Homer by noon on Friday. We look forward to sharing some of our experiences with you on Sunday. Please pray for safe travel.

Day 3 of HUMC Mission Trip

Today is our break day. However, both work teams went to their respective sites for the morning. After lunch, some of us went to Cumberland Gap for an afternoon of hiking and exploring this beautiful area in the Appalachian Mts. Others went to Middlesboro.

Last evening we were entertained by Stone Mountain, a wonderful Bluegrass/Gospel group. Everyone enjoyed the clapping, foot stomping mountain music.

Below are pictures of work site #2, where the crew is building a shed for an older lady. As you can see, kudzu vines dominate the landscape.

Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to upload and post pictures onto the blog.

Day 2 Tues. July 10, 2012

It is pouring rain at Henderson Settlement this morning, so we all dug out our rain ponchos before going to vespers service and breakfast. Both work projects made great progress yesterday. Project 1 crew are working on the other half of  the room addition that our missionaries put up 2 years ago. The crew working on Project 2 are rebuilding a shed located about 30 min. from the Settlement just over the TN border. 3 of our group worked in the Opportunity Center where Henderson's Thrift Store, Library, Sewing Room and Food Pantry are housed. There were lots of opportunities to help the full time employees catch up.

After dinner, some of our group stayed in the meeting center for an informational talk on Henderson's outreach and ministries. Others played the game 10,000. Judging by the noise from the dining room, the game was very competitive.

Both work crews will be going out to the sites today regardless of the rain. Please pray for their safety. Above are photos of project 1. Tomorrow I will post photos of project 2.

Day 1 Monday, July 9, 2012

We made it to Henderson Settlement safe and sound. We are staying on site at Hope House, which is very nice--8 bedrooms, kitchen, dining room and front porch with a swing. After unpacking the trucks & vans, and settling into our rooms, we made the hike up hill to the meeting center where we attended the orientation meeting. We gathered with church groups from all over the US--Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and 3 groups from Illinois! After the meeting we enjoyed a rousing game of Catch Phrase, followed by a group  devotional time.

This morning's devotional was held on Vesper Hill. Our group is standing by the 3 crosses, which was a HUMC project several years ago.

We're Off

Following a breakfast served by the missions committee, 16 short-term missionaries from HUMC left this morning for Henderson Settlement in Frakes, KY for a week long work camp. Please pray for the team as they travel and serve.