Turning black and white

Yesterday and today, our group worked in the Garage. The garage job is unbelievable to me because yesterday we were the first ones to start working in the garage so we had to move all the old items, or “treasures” as Mark liked to call them, because of all the stuff we uncovered (including old clothing, records, hats, fridges, sinks, and more). After moving all of the old furniture, I used a very shaky, old latter as others used a scaffolding to chip off the paint already on the ceiling while more people chipped off the paint on the walls. I had a lot of fun chipping the paint off the ceiling, even though its not a very exciting job I guess compared to VBS or something, but I guess no matter what I enjoy doing the Lord’s work =).

God really gave me the strength to keep going even when I was tired, and time really flew. Even though God made my hands strong enough to keep chipping away the paint, the downside was that I managed to get several (over 10) splinters in which the next day Lorin had to remove all of them (or most of them) with a needle and tweezers. In the end though I realized it was all worth it, I mean I don’t regret working in the garage. Today we did some more chipping, my hands bandaged for protection, and we started priming the room. In the process, people have loved to tease me about how dirty I got. Some say I changed nationalities, with black dirt/dust all over my face from the dust on the ceiling lights, and white priming paint all over my body and clothes. Good ting I don’t mind getting a little dirty! The reason why I enjoy the garage is because I can really see that all of my hard work pay off, even when our team wanted to give up we kept going and the garage looks great, and I then believe that it’s truly worth it. I’ve also had some great bonding time with our team with all the joking and fun that we make out of it. I’ve made some new friends, and connected more with previous ones, and am learning more and more every day and this experience is really awesome. My first missions trip is going well!

-Kayla Staubi

Interacting with the children of Newark

Hey everyone, this is Amanda Aguzzi. Today I finally got to leave the building we are staying in. We all went to a park where we got to talk and interact with the people of Newark. We began with a big group prayer and from there I went straight to play with the children. I had rolls of stickers as bracelets which the children loved. Most of the children I spoke to spoke Spanish so it was a little difficult but I was able to understand them. I had an immediate connection with the children.

After the park, we walked around the city of Newark handing out flyers for VBS. I have been praying that God will use me completely and give me the words I need when talking to the people of Newark. God definitely answered my prayers today. As we walked throughout Newark it was easy for me to approach and talk to the children. I also felt strangely comfortable despite the huge crime rate. I found it surprising that the people in Newark were very open to us. They loved hearing what we were doing and asked to hear more.

Today was a great day. I saw God work in so many ways because of our prayer and faith. Tomorrow we have a ton of activities lined up for us to do.  My group will be doing the first day of VBS. Hopefully I will see some of the kids that I met today. I cannot wait for God to use me more!