MCC Youth

Mystery Mission Trip Day 2

2011-06-23T20:47:00.001-07:00

Mystery Mission Trip Day 2: We got to Raytown Christian Church (Raytown, MO) late Wednesday. This morning we made breakfast and then headed off for our morning work with Frontporch Alliance in Kansas City and spent the afternoon at Harvester's Food Bank. We have sleepy kids and sleepy adults but will sleep well knowing that we've served well.

The kids are having a great time with the youth from FCC Zanesville, OH and are looking forward to the next few days.

Mystery Mission Trip 2011 Info

2011-06-19T07:34:00.001-07:00

Mystery Mission Trip 2011 Info·

Be at the church and ready to leave at 4:00pm on Wednesday , June 22, 2011

· Come with your best attitude, ready and willing to serve God, have fun, make new friends, and reconnect with old friends.

· Please bring:

1. Sleeping Bag/Pillow

2. Air Bed/Something soft to sleep on

3. Toiletries

4. Towel

5. Water Bottle

6. Work Clothes for 3 days (please do not bring your nice clothes/shoes. Bring something that you don’t mind getting yucky)

7. One set of nice clothes/shoes

8. Sunscreen

9. Bug Spray

· If you are planning to bring cell phone/ipod/whatever, please do so with the knowledge that we are taking this trip with the intention of serving others and building community in our group. There will be times that it is appropriate to use electronics and times when it is not. Please use your equipment respectfully and at appropriate times.

· We plan to be back at the church in the evening on Sunday, June 26th. We will call parents approximately one hour prior to our arrival so they may plan accordingly for pick up.

Home!

2010-06-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, we didn't arrive home at the planned time. Unfortunately we took about a 3 hour detour somewhere in Missouri which meant we arrived home at about 1:00am Monday morning. (Note to self: Do not rely on electronic devices for navigational purposes. There is a reason people still use paper maps. They don't need batteries or a wireless signal!)

What a week! I am exceedingly proud of our young people. They are kind, hard working, smart, funny, and wonderful to be around. Thank you to all parents for sharing your children with us this week. I'm sure they will spend most of the day today sleeping, I know Brian and I will!

I will spend this week putting together a short video of our trip to show in both worship services next week. For now, however, I'm going to take a nap!

Heading Home!

2010-06-27T05:04:00.000-07:00

What a week! We have painted, cleaned, packed, sliced and moved our way through numerous work projects. We have met new friend, solved clues, learned how to work together to create edible meals, and have had fun together.

Yesterday we spent some time at a water park to cool off and many of us are now sunburned. Our sunburned selves will be worshipping with First Christian Church in Paducah, KY this morning before one final lunch with our new friends from FCC Zanesville, OH. We hope to be home between 9-10pm tonight! Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts while on this venture.

Day 4

2010-06-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day! We spent the day helping a day camp with underprivileged kids at Noble Park in Paducah, KY. We ran a carnival for the kids and took them fishing. What a great experience as our kids got to feel the love and appreciation of the kids they spent the day with. Last night the kids were rewarded with a short trip to the McCracken County Fair. We were scheduled to do some garbage pick up along the river but were unable due to our car troubles. Our hope is to get that done today.

Random Act of Kindness Breakfast

2010-06-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

This morning we completed aour annual random act of kindness meal. Our groups paid the bill for two unsuspecting tables and provided our waitress with a generous tip. When quesţioned we just shared that we are spending our trip sharing God's love in lots of different ways. IHOP Paducah...done.

Arrival!

2010-06-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

We have arrived at our destination in Paducah, Ky!

Our base camp for the next few days will be First Christian Church Paducah.

The kids were surprised (for the most part) to find another youth group from FCC Zanesville, OH who is also, coincidentally, on a Mystery Mission Trip! They will be joining us for the remainder of the trip.

Last night, the first challenge as a new, larger group was to blindly select one aisle in a grocery store and cook dinner for another team. It was an interesting dinner with some successes and some...well, let's just say that ramen noodles will never taste the same.

We're off for a random act of kindness breakfast!

More pictures later!

Back on Track

2010-06-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Turns out our detour in Mt. Pleasant was due to a faulty alternator. Thanks to the kindness of Dave at D&D Automotive we are back on the road and good to go! Next stop: Missouri!

Unexpected Day 1 - The final chapter

2010-06-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

As we were nearing Mt. Pleasant, IA the church van began experiencing mechanical difficulties. Evenutally it quit working all together.
We all pulled over on Interstate 380 and weighed our options.

Our first goal: Get off the highway.

Special Thanks to the Super 8 in Mt. Pleasant, IA for giving us a fantastic rate and allowing us to stay. D&D Automotive towed the church van and has promised to fix whatever is wrong and get us back on the road as early as possible in the morning. The good news is that we are all safe and tomorrow is a new day.

Unexpected Day 1 Part 4

2010-06-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Pulling weeds and painting a fence at Judy Loney's house. She has been sick for a long time and appreciated the help!

Unexpected Day 1 Part 3

2010-06-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

Delivering FLY Lunches

An Unpected Day 1 Part 2

2010-06-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

We posed for pictures before taking off.

Mission 1 found us packing F.L.Y lunches for children in Marion Cares

An Unexpected Mystery Mission Day 1

2010-06-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

We got off to a rainy beginning.

Parents came to bid us a fond farewell.

We took lots of pictures.

The trailer was packed and ready to go.

Mission Trip - What to Bring

2010-06-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all! The Mission Trip is rapidly approaching! Please meet at the church at 9:00am on Wednesday, June 23 (Please come dressed ready to work). We will return to Marion late in the evening on June 27th and will call parents when we are approaching so rides can be arranged. If you haven't paid your trip fee yet (and are intending to pay) please get it to Melanie ASAP.

What to Bring:

** Three Days Worth of Clothes you don't mind getting yucky

** Two or Three Regular Outfits

** One nice outfit

**Pajamas

** Tennis Shoes you don't mind getting yucky

** Small Airbed

** Sleeping Bag or Sheets & Blanket and Pillow

** Toiletries (Including bug spray and sunscreen)

** Appropriate Swimsuit and Towel

** No more than $30 spending money

** Books, Paper, Pens, Magazines (whatever you need to occupy yourself in the car)

** Water Bottle with your name on it

** Your best attitude and willingness to help and serve others

Please do not bring:

** Cell phones (youth will be able to use mine to call home and you may call me if you need to contact your child. My number is 312-545-0641 or you may call Brian at 319-329-9314. This helps to build community and relationships on the trip.)

** Lots of Money

** Anything that you are afraid of losing

**IMPORTANT**

Please remember, luggage space is limited. Pack as compactly as you can.

Camp & Mission Trip Registration

2010-04-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Camp & Mission Trip Registration forms are due now. As in now, not yesterday, not tomorrow - now!

You can download the camp registration form here.

You can download the Mystery Mission Trip registration form here.

Reminder: Mystery Mission trip, completed grades 6-12, June 23-27, 2010. Cost $100. Financial Assistance Available.

Last Day!

2009-08-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

We're heading home today, but first we are going to a church unlike any the kids have ever known. We will be attending Liberation Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in St. Louis, MO for their Hip Hop Service. Can't wait to see what it's like!

After the service we will be heading home and will probably arrive around supper time. See ya soon!

2009-08-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

Day of Fun at Six Flags St. Louis!

2009-08-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

Day 3 Schedule

After two days of hard work - day 3 features fun & relaxation.

7:00am – Wake up & Shower

10:00am – Leave for Six Flags, St. Louis

4:00pm – Leave Six Flags, St. Louis

5:00pm – Arrive Comfort Inn & Suites Chesterfield

6:00pm – Supper

7:00pm – Hang out & Swimming

10:30pm - Lights Out

2009-08-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Classic shots from the Mystery Mission Trip

Brian's had it. You'd think he could find somewhere more comfortable than the floor though. Nighty night!

Pure luxury! Webster Groves Christian Church provided us with free lodging, cots, mattresses and showers! Heaven on Earth!

Poor Megan - doing homework on the mission trip!

So far the boys have outperformed the girls by about 10-1 in the kitchen duties. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

2009-08-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

Figuring out how much "kindness" to bestow on others at the "Random Act of Kindness" Lunch

The Mystery Mission Clue Book. Never leave a location without it!

Packaging pasta at the Food Bank - we look great in hairnets and gloves!

Day 2 Recap

2009-08-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

It is night 2 on our Mystery Mission Trip. Today was a very long day filled with lots of travel, three mission stops, & a lot of tired people. (Kids and adults) We left Macon, MO at 7:00am and traveled to Columbia, MO. Our first stop was Woodhaven where we heard a presentation on their ministry and spent the morning landscaping two of their resident's homes. For lunch we had our "Random Act of Kindness Lunch" where we ate at a restaurant and offered to pay for a strangers lunch before our own. The kids were very frugal with their orders so they were able to give out extra random acts of kindness by blessing the waiters with generous and unexpected tips. This was very big of the kids since they could have kept the money for themselves.

We spent the afternoon at the Central Missouri Food Bank where we packaged bulk pasta into portions for over 6,000 people. Exhausting work, but rewarding. We are now at Webster Groves Christian Church in St. Louis, MO for the night. The kids have cooked a delicious meal of hot dogs and Doritos. (again, their choice) I bought some cherries, blueberries, and watermelon as a surprise for the kids - gotta get some nutrition in there somewhere!

I have a feeling the kids will be asleep earlier tonight - they are exhausted! Who knows what tomorrow will bring?!?!?

Orientation at Woodhaven.

The whole gang before heading out for the morning.

Landscaping is hard but rewarding work. The residents are developmentally disabled so they can't do it themselves.

2009-08-07T04:15:00.001-07:00

So here we are in day two of Mystery Mission Trip 2009.

Last night we had a wonderful time with our friends from Macon, MO who held a BBQ and Boating party. A great time was had by all and many of our kids & adults got to go tubing for the first time. Awesome!

We woke up bright and early this morning (5:00am - yes, parents all the kids are up and moving!) and the kids are busy cooking a breakfast of eggs, bacon, & toast. (Their choice. The last challenge yesterday gave them $40 for breakfast and everything had to be fresh - nothing in a box or can. They only spend $21!)

Here is our schedule for the day:

August 7th -

6:00am – Wake up & Breakfast at FCC Macon, MO

7:00am – Leave for NBA Woodhaven, Columbia, MO

8:00am – Arrive @ Mission Site - Woodhaven, Columbia, MO

11:00am – Lunch, Columbia, MO

1:00pm – Arrive @ Mission Site – Central Missouri Food Bank

5:00pm – Leave Food Bank for supper challenge

6:00pm – Leave Columbia, MO for St. Louis, MO

8:30pm – Arrive Webster Groves Christian Church, St. Louis, MO

11:30pm – Lights out @Webster Groves Christian Church

We appreciate your prayers as we go out to serve in God's world today.

Melanie

2009-08-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Macon, MO - staying here tonight.

Testing out the pews in Macon, MO

Sunset in Missouri on night #1.

2009-08-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

Making FLY lunches at First United Methodist Church in Marion, IA

Our whole group on the first mission stop of the trip.

FLY lunches ready for delivery.

At Culver-Stockton College in Canton, MO trying to identify campus buildings for Clue #6.

2009-08-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Mystery Mission Trip 2009! Be sure to check back often for updates on where we are and what we're doing. Because technology has advanced to the point where the kids have phones & ipods on them which they could use to check the schedule to see what's next, I will only be posting bits of our trip at a time.

So for now - here is our schedule for the next few hours! Check back often for pictures and updates of our journey!

9:00am – Meet at MCC
10:00am – Prepare FLY lunches for Marion Cares @ FUMC, Marion, IA
12:30pm – Arrive Mt. Pleasant, IA for lunch
2:30pm – Arrive Culver-Stockton College, Canton MO
5:30pm – Arrive FCC Macon, MO – drop off luggage

2009-08-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

The MCC ladies taking off for General Assembly in Indianapolis. More pictures to follow.

Summer Trips Info

2009-07-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

Youth Trips Info

Hello all! I hope you are having a fantastic summer break! We have youth trips coming up - below you will find information regarding the

General Assembly trip and the Mystery Mission Trip. If you have any

questions please contact me ASAP. (In case you were wondering, yes it is too late to cancel unless you have died, are severely injured,

or are in jail. :-)

Melanie

____________________________________________________

General Assembly

(Cassie D, Sammie D, Lexi G, Althea, Megan, Melanie)

Schedule: Wednesday July 29—meet at church at 6:00am

Stop for lunch—arrive at Camp Camby at 4:00pm http://www.campcamby.com/

General Assembly—Thursday—Sunday

Arrive back at MCC—Sunday, August 2nd—evening (will call when approaching)

What to bring: One pair of nice clothes and one pair of “work” clothes for each day. Money for food and souvenirs. Sleeping bag—pillow– towels—toiletries—camera

____________________________________________________________________

Mystery Mission Trip

(Cassie D, Avery D, Sammie D, Lexi G, Alexis D, Elliott K, Joseph D, Drew V, Brian, Melanie, Althea, Lynn, Ian (?)

Schedule: Meet at the church at 9:00 am on Thursday, August 6.

We will return to the church mid-afternoon on Sunday, August 9.

(We will call when we are approaching)

What to bring: A pair of work clothes and a pair of regular clothes for each day.

Sleeping bag, air mattress, toiletries, & towels, spending money for souvenirs, camera.

Keep up with us! Check www.marionchristianyouth.blogspot.com for updates,

pictures, and information while we are away!

Camp Registrations are now Past Due!

2009-04-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

Get your camp registrations in to Melanie ASAP! Download camp registrations and find info at http://www.uppermidwestcc.org/ministries_camp.html.

~~ALSO~~

Please turn in registrations for the General Assembly & Mystery Mission Trip. These trips are in danger of being canceled if we don't get more participants registered.

Lift Up Your Voice!

2009-01-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

On the first Sunday's of the month beginning in February be ready for some fun singing along with the elementary Sunday school children, as well as, listening to their wonderful voices as we all praise God together during fellowship time. Some of the tunes will be familiar classics to you and the children may ask you to help them sing along. Please support our youth during this praise time of ten minutes prior to Sunday school dismissal.

2009-01-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

Holy Express Sunday School Announcement-

Happy New Year and Welcome Back to your HOLY EXPRESS SUNDAY SCHOOL!

We have many exciting lessons for your children in 2009! We continue our learning with the story of Jacob's ladder, Leah and Rachel, the parable of talents, and the wise and foolish builders. The children will be involved in crafts, games, music, art and making ice-cream in a bag. Be sure to be here each Sunday for all the learning and fun!

Don't forget to bring your Bible, offering and learn those memory verses! You can earn Wollars for bringing your Bible and stickers for learning your memory verses. You will receive a prize if you are in attendance and can say your memory verse for each rotation. We had one person this fall earn a gift certificate for free bowling time with the family! WOW how neat is that! Everyone has a new start and can earn a prize for attendance and verses learned for January though Mid-March!

The memory verses are as follows:

1/4 & 1/11 - Genesis 28:16b - Then he thought, "The Lord is certainly in this place. And I didn't even know it."

1/18 & 1/25 - 1 Corinthians 13:7 - "Love always protects. It always trust. It always hopes. It never gives up."

2/1 & 2/8 - James 1:17a - "Every good and perfect gift is from God."

2/15 & 2/22 - James 1:22 "Be doers of the word, not hearers only."

3/15 - 3/22 - John 20:31 - "These are written down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. If you believe this, you will have life because you belong to him."

You can practice looking these verses up in your Bible and saying them to your parents!
Let's meet at the Holy Express Depot each Sunday for lots of fun!

-Christian Education Ministry Team

2009 Plans Announced!

2009-01-11T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some dates and events to put on your calendar!

Junior Retreat (Grades 3-5) April 24-26
Christian Conference Center
Registration Forms can be found here http://www.uppermidwestcc.org/FormsBrochures/Youthstuff/2009%20Events/JUNIOR_CHIRHO_RETREAT_FORM_09.pdf
Cost: $30.00
Registration is due to Melanie by April 1st. Financing available if needed, just let Melanie know.

Chi Rho Retreat (Grades 6-8) May 1-3
Christian Conference Center
Registration Forms can be found here http://www.uppermidwestcc.org/FormsBrochures/Youthstuff/2009%20Events/JUNIOR_CHIRHO_RETREAT_FORM_09.pdf
Cost: $30.00
Registration is due to Melanie by April 7th. Financing available if needed, just let Melanie know.

Vacation Bible School - June 7-11
5:30-8:00 pm
Theme: To Be Announced
Volunteers needed! Mark your calendars now!

July 27-Aug. 3 - General Assembly (Indianapolis, IN)
All ages welcome! Youth - meet new friends and reconnect with ICYF friends!
Children & Youth: $100.00
Adults: $150.00
(Does not cover food for the week)
Please contact Melanie if you would like to attend.

Aug. 6-9 - Mystery Mission Trip
Where are we going? We're not telling but we can guarantee that we will have fun and serve others at the same time!
Cost: $50
Registration forms available soon.
Adults: Chaperones and drivers needs. Mark your calendars and contact Melanie if interested.

Camp Dates will be released soon!

Home!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

After an eventful flight from LAX (which included an unexpected landing in Kansas City & 1 piece of lost luggage) we arrived safely at our St. Peters, MO hotel at 4:00 this morning. We let the kids sleep until 9 or so and left St. Louis at 10:30. Our very sleepy crew of travelers arrived at MCC at 3:30 this afternoon. We are a tired but fulfilled group and very thankful for our experience.

Leving Chapman

2008-07-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

We are on a school bus heading from Chapman to LAX. Our kids have had a wonderful time and made some really wonderful, life-long friends. Believe it or not our kids sat in over two hours of worship each day and really enjoyed it.

Our flight will leave at 6:20 pm and we will arrive in St. Louis at 12:30 AM.

See you tomorrow!

Melanie

Chapman University

2008-07-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not updating sooner, things have been crazy here. Yesterday we took our kids and the group from Macon, MO to Laguna Beach between our mission experience and the ICYF Assembly. It was great fun except that San lost his glasses in the surf. Dave was kind enough to take on "Project Buy Sam New Glasses" last night. Yay! So we got settled into our dorm late last night and now we are in a flurry of ICYF activity. Most of our kids are still spending their time with the kids from Macon and Lexington who we were with on our mission experience. We have more feature groups this afternoon with family groups to follow. Tonight there is a luau on the schedule. I'm sure they will love that.

Miss you all!

One more picture...

2008-07-23T19:08:00.003-07:00

Hanging out at Downey Memorial Christian Church in Downey, CA

more pictures

2008-07-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Andy & Grant on the shuttle from the parking lot to the St. Louis Airport

2008-07-23T19:00:00.001-07:00

Althea getting through security in St. Louis. Not fun with metal joints... poor Althea.

Leaving Downey

2008-07-23T18:58:00.001-07:00

We finished up our mission work at the Eastmont Community Center today and were treated to a wonderful meal by one of the two Hispanic congregations that are housed at Downey Memorial Christian Church. Tomorrow morning we will be picked up by school bus and taken to Chapman University in Orange, CA. The ICYF assembly doesn't begin until 6 pm so we will likely spend our afternoon at Downtown Disney.

Eastmont Community Center

2008-07-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

After finally getting to sleep last night we were treated to a wonderful breakfast at the church this morning. We are now at the Eastmont Community Center in East LA and will be here until 4:00 pm

pictures

2008-07-20T18:52:00.001-07:00

http://m.flickr.com/photo.gne?id=2686629277&

We're Here!!

2008-07-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

The flight to LA was smooth and we all arrived safe and sound. After a very crowded school bus ride we are at Downey Memorial Christian Church waiting on some more groups. Dinner will be in an hour and we are HUNGRY because even though the clocks say it is 5:00 our stomachs say that it is 7:00.

In St. Louis...

2008-07-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

waiting on our flight...

FLIGHT CHANGES!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

I got a message from the travel agent yesterday that our flights had been changed. (I had wondered if they would, we booked a long time ago and lots of flights have been eliminated since them)

Anyway - our new flight plan is as follows:

20Jul08 12:55pm Sunday
Air Alaska Airlines Flight# 1153 Class:K
From: St Louis Intl MO, USA 20Jul08 12:55pm Sunday
To: Los Angeles CA, USA 20Jul08 02:45pm Sunday
Meal: FOOD TO PURCHASE Equip: McDonnell Douglas MD Status: Confirmed
Stops: 0

OPERATED BY AMERICAN AIRLINES
Depart - STL TERMINAL M
Arrive - LAX TERMINAL 4
Alaska Airlines locator: HRNKVX

Class of Service: Coach
Flight Duration: 3 hour(s) and 50 minutes

27Jul08 06:20pm Sunday
Air Alaska Airlines Flight# 1110 Class:K
From: Los Angeles CA, USA 27Jul08 06:20pm Sunday
To: St Louis Intl MO, USA 27Jul08 11:55pm Sunday
Meal: FOOD TO PURCHASE Equip: McDonnell Douglas MD Status: Confirmed
Stops: 0

OPERATED BY AMERICAN AIRLINES
Depart - LAX TERMINAL 4
Arrive - STL TERMINAL M
Alaska Airlines locator: HRNKVX

Class of Service: Coach
Flight Duration: 3 hour(s) and 35 minutes

I am concerned about making it to St. Louis in time for our flight. I would like to LEAVE MCC at 6:00 AM so we won't be sitting in St. Louis waiting for hours until there are 9 open seats on a later flight. I know it's early. You'll have lots of time to sleep in the van or on the plane.

I'm excited! Hope you are too!

Melanie

5 Days and Counting...

2008-07-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

5 Days until CYF takes off for California!

Our itinerary will be:

Our itinerary is as follows:
7/20 - 6:30 AM: Leave MCC
7/20 - Noon: Arrive St. Louis Airport
7/20 - 1:20 PM: Alaska Airlines Flight 1885 from STL-LAX
7/20 - 3:10 PM (CA time): Arrive LAX
7/20 - 4:30 PM: ICYF transportation to Eastmont Community Center in Los
Angeles, CA (mission site) http://www.eastmontcc.org/
7/20 - 7/24 9:00 AM - Mission Experience at Eastmont Community Center
7/24 Noon - 7/27 Noon - ICYF Assembly, Chapman University, Orange, CA
7/27 - 1:30 ICYF transportation to LAX Airport
7/27 - 5:05 PM - Alaska Airlines Flight 1110 from LAX - STL
7/27 - 10:35 PM - arrive in St. Louis
7/27 - Stay at Ramada Inn, St. Peters, MO
7/28 - 10:00 AM: Leave St. Peters, MO
7/28 - approx. 2:30 PM - Arrive at MCC

Things to pack:

* Government issued id (they won't let you on the plane without it)
* Something to do in the car/plane
* Money for food while traveling and souvenirs (I'd recommend $50, if you need assistance with this please let me know ASAP)
* Closed toe shoes for mission work
* Long pants for mission work
* Towel
* Clothes/Toiletries for the week
* Your Bible
* Swimsuit
* Sweatshirt or Jacket for chilly nights

Notice - We were planning to meet at the church at 7:00 AM on Sunday, June 20th. This has been changed. We will now plan to meet at 6:00 AM on Sunday. I know, I know. It is really early, but we don't want to miss our flight out of St. Louis.