Our experience. Part two.

This was the first mission trip I've been on. I didn't really want to go at first but I have completely changed my view since going. The worship time and small groups has brought me closer to God. I feel like singing and interacting with others my age really helped. At my worksite, we painted a house and did yard work for a woman who attends Rosewood Church. One of the reasons we worked there was because her husband, Al, is not a believer, and through our work we helped bring him closer to God. All in all, I am very glad that I went on this trip, because I have been brought closer to God, met new friends and served others. - Jakob 

Hi! My name is Carissa Cheng and this was my first time helping to lead a YG mission trip. Serve was a wonderful experience. 150 kids and leaders from all over the country gelled into a group loving God and serving others together.  God was glorified. 

I had the privilege of serving with 10 kids and 4 leaders at Foley house, a transitional home for women recovering from drug addiction and their children. We did yard work and God opened doors for us to interact with the women living in the house. We were blessed by their stories. 

Although we came to serve, we were selflessly served by the congregation of Rosewood. In all, they had about 150 volunteers serving us, so we could serve their community. We were driven to showers, allowed in personal pools, served hot food, led in worship...and more. Their custodians cleaned endlessly. Our bathrooms stayed clean! A prayer warrior covered each small group in prayer. I was blessed by their service. 

Thank you for your support!

This week I (Janelle) had a very unexpected experience. When meeting with my worksite group for the first time on Sunday afternoon, all we knew was that we were going to fix up a house for a woman named Bertha. However, God had some different plans for us when we arrived at her house (which was a small house connected to a fifth wheeler) the next morning. We were met with an interesting challenge - how can we give everyone a job without breaking the roof or crowding the house? But of course God had an answer! While a few people were patching up the roof and others were tearing apart her floor, a few of us who were awkwardly standing outside were blessed with the presence of the neighborhood kids. We were able to play with them all week and learn more about Gods love through them.  By the end of the week it was clear that Gods plan was better than our own because while we were going to bless one person God allowed us to bless an entire neighborhood and receive blessings from them. 

Hi. My worksite this week was the Foley House in Bellflower. Thus house was were women could stay for 6 months to help them get rid of an addiction and help them get their lives together without drugs or alcohol. All of the women were so sweet and kind and welcoming. We mostly worked on their garden and spending time with the women's kids. There was a lot of dirt shoveling and some painting but it was all worth it because they were all so thankful. We also went to the park with them and the kids looked so happy. While staying at Rosewood church I met several new friends that were really kind and it was interesting asking them about what's it's like where they live. Going to Serve was an awesome experience and I would definitely do it again. - Lauren