Hey gang, It’s been another day with another storm here at Passways Camp. This time we thought ahead and made it to our worship spot before the storm hit. We hung out and played “Apples to Apples” while we waited. After worship we headed out to Baskin Robbins/Dunkin Donuts for a little church time together. So essentially we gave 30 kids a lot of sugar at 9 oclock at night. What were we thinking?!?!?!

Anyways. Today’s thought comes from Carrie John. Mollie asked her the following question: “What have you learned today?

Carrie responded: “Sometimes the best feeling in the world is to feel normal in an abnormal situation. Today we went to a homeless shelter to hep serve lunch and do other odd jobs. Some of us cleaned up trash outside. A normal person wouldn’t let trash gather around outside in their yard. So, we made an attempt to help these homeless people feel as normal as possible.”

That is amazing. I hope that we can all strive to help those who don’t necessarily have a normal life.

Thanks for reading!

Jon

By the way, you can catch pictures at:  http://picasaweb.google.com/HRBCPhotos/PassWays2008

We are still having a blast at passways and continuing to learn about how we can be like Jesus and transform our world. We had an interesting night last night as some pretty severe storms came through the area and threatened to take out the power. But after they passed we loaded some vans and went and worshiped God. Talk about seeing God’s power and love at the same time! Today I’ve invited Hunter Stone to share his thoughts about the trip. Here ya go Hunter:

“Hey. This week we have been learning about the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). These were goals created at the start of the millennium by the U.N. to address global problems such as poverty, education, and health. Each day in bible study we have looked at a specific goal and the problems that it addresses. Today we looked at the goal of universal education and explained the story of Jonah. After studying Jonah’s initial disobedience, being slapped in the face by God (through the means of a whale), and eventually following God’s plan,  I came to a realization.  When an opportunity presents itself, you might as well take it. God will make sure it happens anyways. So if a situation ever presents itself to you (including but not limited to the MDG’s) just go for it because you never know when a whale is waiting around the corner to eat you.”

Thanks Hunter. Be sure to check back for more pictures and stories!

Jon

Well we are here! We actually got here on Sunday but it took me a while to get hooked up to the internet.  Everyone is excited to be here and having a great time so far.  The theme of Passways is Countdown 5,4,3,2,1. We are looking at the Millenium Development Goals. The MDG’s were created by the U.N. back around the year 2000 in order to combat several problems that face the world today. These problems include extreme poverty, lack of health care, child mortality rates, lack of education, …etc. As we go through the week we are  looking at the examples of how Jesus cared for others and how we should use that model in our lives to make a difference in this world. Yesterday, the students begin thinking about how much they consume as the camp taught about how close to 1 billion people live on $1 a day or less. I ask that you continue to pray for us as our hearts are shaped by what we learn and that we will be able to be a voice for change in the world.

Now that I’ve found internet (it is tricky to find sometimes) please check back for more regular updates as we get students to share the trip from their perspectives.

in Him,

Jon

The PassWays Team

Tired Chaperones!

Fun on the Farm