Arkorado 3.0 - Returning Home

We've missed many days of updates on the blog due to all the great, but exhausting, work we've been doing this year. It has been another amazing year in Arkansas where God has touched us and this community in amazing and transformative ways. Tomorrow we begin our last leg of driving from Oklahoma City to First Pres Colorado Springs. And due to the lack of updates make note of asking these team members to tell you about this wonderful people :: Kenny and Sarah Shaw, Rubye and Leroy Emerson, Cindy And Don Smith, Justin, Jason Martin, Charles Graham, Sandra and Alana, Jason Curtis and the Deer camp, and many other amazing people in McGehee! Also ask them about our final night together at the Oklahoma City Memorial Garden.

Blessed to be a part of these students journey with Christ! Thank you for entrusting us with their care and well-being. Pray for our remaining journey tomorrow! We shall see you all soon.

-Scott

Arkorado 3.0 - Day 3

Another fabulous day today here in McGehee! We celebrated the sabbath well today with food and fellowship! This morning kicked off the festivities with a potluck style nreakfast with the McGehee folks. After that we joined them for church where our own Nate Stratman and a few of our students took parts in contributing to the experience. From there we prepared for our evening activity - the grand ice cream social. The change this year is that we made our own ice cream. Seems like a simple event but like one of our awesome students observed - us being here and McGehee FPC providing the space and vision for this evening allowed for many different people from different walks of life to gather under the same room that really wouldn't happen at other times of the year. We spent time laughing, encouraging and experiencing life here in the south. We even got to see some of our friends from the Methodist church and our friends from the Vera Llyod home.  It really was a great way to start off our work week which begins bright and early tomorrow morning at 5:40am. On that note good night for now.

-Scott

Again, be sure to check out pictures and follow us on www.instagram.com/hsmfirstpres or on Facebook.

Arkorado 3.0 - Day 2

Day 2 started of great! Jack, our contact at First Presbyterian Church Oklahoma City, spent the morning visiting with us as we prepared for the rest of our drive. Before we left he gave us a your of their beautiful church filled with gorgeous stained glass windows. Pray prayers of thanksgiving over this church that have transformed their entire basement into a space for teams from around the country that are providing disaster relief in OK or that are passing through like us. It truly is awesome to see the body of Christ coming together like this - even over a simple thing like an overnight stop - it allows our youth the chance to see what other churches are doing in the kingdom! AWESOME!

After Jack saw us off we hit the road for our remaing 6 or so hour drive. And it was uneventful, which is great! Means no flat tires or anything of the like. On the great note - kids were filed with excitement that we would be arriving in McGehee later that evening and finally get the chance to see these people that we have been talking about for months.

When we arrived safely in McGehee we went straight to the Lucky's house who opened up their home to these stir crazy teens for swimming, tennis, and a place to get their first taste of southern fried chicken...mmm mmm good! On an added bonus, Zach's birthday is today! COS and McGehee combined together in celebration for his special day. Our college and Ark friends got a cake and Zach's parents sent some fun bday celebration gifts. Just was awesome to see a family singing together that spreads across state lines. If this coming together over a bday is signs of what is to come, then I couldn't be more excited for this week!!!!

More to come! For Zach's bday pic check out our instagram account http://www.instagram.com/hsmfirstpres

-Scott

Arkorado 3.0 - Day 1

Our first travel day went off without a hitch. A great first day of breaking down walls with strangers your sharing a very small can with for 9 hours does the trick!  Roads were clear and made good time for a stop at our favorite OKC mall for dinner and a little shopping. Thankful for the hospitality here at First Presbyterian Church of Oklahoma City for opening up their space to us! Even have real beds!!!! That was a wonderfully surprise!  That's all for now - tomorrow we make are way down to the great town of McGehee, Arkansas! So excited!!!