The ROSEBUD EXPERIENCE

There are going to be many posts about my experience at Rosebud 2009 and possibly even information from the past years as well. This year was my sixth year going, but let me start from the beginning.
Each year the youth group takes a mission trip to South Dakota, Indian Reservation. This year was the biggest group yet of 75 youth and leaders. An experience I will never forget. I should put some pictures up, but I don't have any at the moment. You'll just have to check them out on facebook. I have so many stories to share but let me have this first post be just about the mission idea.

We continue to go back because the lives that have been changed by Jesus Christ. They are starting to become a warmer group of people and the children are seeing us love on them. Love that has never been shown to them. And this area of love is when we share the love of Jesus to them. Unconditional love is what they desire, something they dont see everyday (compared to us). They need to learn the basics of living, because they have no other way of knowing. They have parents that could really careless what they were doing. (So instead of complaining about the 'early' curfew, I encourage you to thank your parents for blessing you with the ability to know how much they love and care for you!) Many of the parents there don't care when we take their kids from their house for the day. Their parents never ask questions in concern of their children. BUT the questions we do have from the families there relate to the reason we are there. They might not care what their kids are doing but they wonder why we are even there. So we open up and tell them. It's wonderful to see how some families are slowly being changed by seeing how natural it is to love and Where it comes from.
While most parents are busy in things that are not common where we live, we are giving the children food, fun, and love! We call it Kid's Club but it actually looks like a layed back VBS. By the end of the day you have face paint all over your body, wet clothes from water balloons, sweat everywhere, bracelets on your wrist, and a tight squeeze from a dear child who loves you. You can't help but smile and get excited for the next day to come back and start all over loving on those kids! The last day is obviously the hardest. In a later post I'll talk about my last day experience from this year. But now, just know that I tear up just thinking about the Last Day.

I am blessed to go to the town called Ideal. The towns the leaders choose from for missions are: White River, Ideal, or Winner. I have definitely built many relationships with the kids there, it would be hard to think of going to any other town. We continue on going each year because the children remember us by name! The "church van" (as they call it) pulls up and they all come running down the street to greet us. I'll get into more details later about this, but one special girl (Alicia-a picture of her is on my page) told me that she knows we come in June....so she waits everyday and watches (the street among the fields) for the church van to come! What a blessing this young girl is to my heart! She encourages me to keep on going and to be strong! Patience is so important. And to have a seven year old give you a small glimpse of what that is like, it's the most incredible feelings of emotion you will ever experience.

And that's just some of the reasons why I am taking the time to post my experiences from the mission trip!

Internet Judgements (What can we do as believers?)

I have so many updates that are needed to get out in the open right now. But today I'm going to open up an issue that has crossed my path. Feel free to give your input.

When people state their opinion for others to see, what is the purpose? To give others the benefit of learning more about it or to bash those who are doing the things that the person is speaking against? Sometimes I wonder if we are judging people without even noticing. I pray as Christians that we don't state our opinions on things for any reason but to glorify God. It hurts me to read things from believers that do more than just give a wake up call, but I've been hearing things that have offended others. It's my passion to change that. I don't want my blog or my facebook to show anything that could hurt anyone over issues that are not necessarily wrong or unrighteous in God's eyes. Sometimes that can mean just by how it is shown or published. I want my blog and facebook to show things of what I believe and why I believe it.

So this is where you all come in. Please feel free to tell me what you think of what I let others read. Do you feel judged when you read it? Do you think I am telling you not to do something that is not an issue that is unBiblical?