Appalachia '11 begins!

I guess the official start date of Appalachia '11 was this past Saturday. At 10 am on a weekend morning, 13 youth and their parents gathered in the Westminster classroom of the church to begin the process of the Appalachia mission trip. What might look simple and routine on the surface is really not. The morning was spent discussing the Scriptural basis of our trip, their obligations to the trip and what is expected of them as missionaries. Simple and rountine? Yes and no. Yes in that we do this every year. No in that this is a vital part to building an effective mission team. 13 of WOARP youth have proclaimed that they want to spend a week away from home, sharing the love of Jesus with children in the Appalachian region. This sort of trip is vastly different from a Bonclarken retreat. At a retreat, the youth go to be served by the teaching, worship and seminars. On the mission trip, the youth go to serve others. They serve in the name and grace of Jesus Christ by teaching, leading and loving. They serve as a team. That is what we are focusing on this year - team. Not in an athletic sense ... but in a Biblical sense that we are the body of Christ - and the WOARP youth are going as the body of Christ to serve others. True leadership only comes when true humble service to Christ is practiced. Our youth need to be a team that understands this. That is why we started off this year's Appalachia trip with a mandatory meeting where we focused on teamwork.
What can we expect from this year's trip? We will be going back to Flatwoods UMC in Jonesville, VA to serve for that week. We will be staying at LMU as usual. We will be doing a lot of things we normally do. However, this year, by the grace of God, I am expecting to see a group of senior high youth transform into a solid team/body of Christ to share the Gospel in every lesson, word, interaction and hug. We need to pray that Christ would shape us into worthy servants of His Gospel. Pray with us and for us. Pray often that Appalachia would solely be for God's glory.
Keep checking back as I try and keep everyone updated on Appalachia!