.entering debrief.

Well, we've successfully completed our mission week!

To catch you up....
On Thursday we got lost due to construction (when it says "local traffic only, no through road," it literally does end at a cliff) but eventually made it to a church along the lakeshore to do some gardening, decorate and sew more balls and beanbags, and do some street evangelism. It was a great day to experience both practical service and outreach evangelism types of ministry. We had a lot of fun with the team from Westside, too.

On Friday we did a free carwash and handed out posters and flyers for Westside's upcoming BBQ. It was awesome to see people's faces when they realized that "free" actually means free. We were able to tell them that because we have experienced God's love and grace freely, we want to share that with others and let them know that some things in life are free. Cool conversations, very happy and blessed people, and hopefully more connections that will continue to grow at the BBQ. The kids all have tons of fun stories about this afternoon, but you'll just have to wait to hear them in person!

On Saturday we went to an old folks home and sang a couple songs and did a play. Then we got to talk to them!! We all had some awesome conversations and had a great time with them. It was definitely one of the highlights of the week for everyone.
After that, we went over to a park where we gave out free lemonade, painted faces, made balloon animals, and did crafts, games, and sports with the kids. We had some great conversations and some walls were broken down as people responded to us being there just to offer them and their families a fun afternoon/evening.

On Sunday we went to our home churches for another great discussion, and then we went to Sue's for a BBQ and swimming! We had such a lovely afternoon spending time with each other, and it was a great way to close our ministry with Westside. That evening back at College Notre Dame we all had a celebration time where each group shared something from their experiences the past week. We all invited our host churches, as well as any random person we'd made a connection with during the week, and we were encouraged hearing about God's work this past week.

Monday and Tuesday are debrief days. We had some staff kick off our debrief this afternoon with a 2 hour group session, and it's been a good start. Tomorrow afternoon we'll meet as a team again as we prepare to return home. The morning and evening sessions are also very relevant for this, but it's nice to have a bit of a break in the afternoons!

We look forward to seeing you soon, and we thank you for your prayers! Please keep praying for us as we process all that God has taught us and prepare to adjust to the realities of life back home.