Day 3 and Day 4.. Power of evil, power of Christ

It's been a very hectic two days. As most of you know, we were involved in a fender bender on Wednesday night. While I was very depressed, things worked out in the end. The teens really bonded over the bad experience and while this is extremely stressful for me, the teens learned a lot about each other and God over the experience.

Tonight was a big reflection night. There were 4 different stations where they reflected though fleshly needs/spiritual things, looking through a certain passage to find a verse that stood out to them and highlighting, praying for certain people, and a reflection of growth.

The teens got a lot of it tonight and also had a time of sharing. As a group, we have grown a lot closer to each other these past two days. The final full day is coming up and I pray that we get a lot out of our mission sites tomorrow. It is with great pleasure to tell you guys that the site leaders have been bragging on our Teens. They are always so willing and able to help out and I am extremely proud of how they handled themselves this week. For most this is not only the first camp they've gone to, but the first mission trip as well. This is encouraging as we start to make the next step towards having the teens be more outspoken of their faith.

Lastly, I do want to express my appreciation to those that were very encouraging by sending me emails after the incident happened. I felt extremely bad that I put your kids through all of this, but am very happy of how they turned a bad situation into a good one.

Thanks
Pastor Shane

And here we go (Part 2)

Today the group of students finally made it to their ministry site. They really seemed to have enjoy being on missions and working with the homeless and or children. I have also heard a lot of good reports from their site leaders as well. I am pretty proud of how the students have adjusted and handled themselves. They seem to really enjoy doing what they do.

Today's message was on Knowing it, as in knowing the gospel which comes from Romans 3:21-26. It is very important to know what the gospel is and it was a great sermon to remind them of what Jesus did for us. Combine that with the fact that they are working with a lot of homeless and underprivileged family and they are starting to learn what it means to take things for granted. I hope that they will be able to remember these lessons when they return home.

Prayers for tomorrow, we are having a different schedule and will go to downtown Philly to hangout a bit. Pray for continued energy and for a good day tomorrow as well.
Prayers that the Teens will continue to grow and use their faith

And here we go (Part 2)

Today the group of students finally made it to their ministry site. They really seemed to have enjoy being on missions and working with the homeless and or children. I have also heard a lot of good reports from their site leaders as well. I am pretty proud of how the students have adjusted and handled themselves. They seem to really enjoy doing what they do.

Today's message was on Knowing it, as in knowing the gospel which comes from Romans 3:21-26. It is very important to know what the gospel is and it was a great sermon to remind them of what Jesus did for us. Combine that with the fact that they are working with a lot of homeless and underprivileged family and they are starting to learn what it means to take things for granted. I hope that they will be able to remember these lessons when they return home.

Prayers for tomorrow, we are having a different schedule and will go to downtown Philly to hangout a bit. Pray for continued energy and for a good day tomorrow as well.
Prayers that the Teens will continue to grow and use their faith

We are here (Day 1)

It's surreal how we are all here now. The teens slept on the van for most of the way, and were a bit groggy when they awoke when we got there. The site leaders there quickly dragged them out of the van and did some games with them while I did registration.

Afterwards they unpacked their stuff and went over to dinner. After dinner we had opening celebration which is basically loud worship. We sang a lot of familiar songs but we were in the front row so it was especially loud (if your kids come back with a hearing deficit, I am so sorry...)

Soon after, the kids were split into different groups for their track times. Some got placed with the Children's track which is teaching VBS materials, some got placed into PCY (the painting, construction, and yard work track,) and some got placed into the homeless ones. While I felt a bit bad for those that didn't want homeless, God will use them in great ways this week. This is a great missions opportunity and I hope it carries on home.

Prayers that the kids will open up a lot more this camp. They started out being pretty stoic, but was dancing by the time the night ended (SORRY didn't get a picture... I will try my hardest next time.)

Prayers also for me as well. I did not stop at all today until just now and felt a little lightheaded a couple of times throughout the day (during camp, not driving... Don't worry.) Just a small sign that I am over exhausted.

Thank you for reading and continuing to support!
- Pastor Shane

PreCamp

Greetings to those that will be those that are following along with the blog to get (I hope) daily updates. Here you will read about those that are going, see pictures (if I figure out the format,) hear what we go through, and pray for those that will be seeking throughout camp.

There are a few sites that they will go where they will be doing mission work. First is PCY or Painting, Yardwork, and Construction. Here they will do manual work through Habitat for Humanity or other churches, schools and families and individuals. They will be encouraged to share the love of Christ with people that they are working for and encounter through their work.

Second is probably the most popular and that is Game and Recreation. Here they will be able to use their athletic ability and willing hearts to share the gospel through sportsmanship and Christ-like attitudes. They will be in community centers, or children's center/homes where they will focus more on relational evangelism through intentional conversations.

Third is Children's ministry, which involves working with children in a variety of setting including VBS, Day camps and other types of clubs with children. This will provide students with the opportunity to teach and lead children through Bible stories, games, crafts and music.

Fourth is through social ministry, where they go to handicap centers, nursing homes, food banks to meet the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of people.

Last is the Homeless ministry which is an exclusive to the Philadelphia Mfuge. Here they will minister to the homeless population and visit shelters and build relationships through serving meals and leading games with children and other adults.

In the afternoon, they will have free time and in the evening, they will focus on the theme of camp, which is Unashamed deriving from Romans 1:16-17: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.” The Teens will learn how to Know it, to Embrace it, to Live it, and to Share it. I am personally very excited for this theme!

Keep an eye out for the various updates! I will send this through email and also other social media as well!
Help us by praying and keeping our eyes on Christ

Thanks
Pastor Shane

P.S. Contact information is as follows
Pastor Shane Tu: 304-382-5715
Girls Chaperones - Lucy Yang: 240-447-6578, Anna Yang: 301-919-1736