McDonald Road Youth Mission Trip

We are all home safe and sound now. I think everyone's prayers really helped. No one was seriously hurt, and everyone had an awesome time. We left Holbrook early Tuesday morning and drove all day and all night. We had fun talking and watching movies. The next morning (is 4:00 AM morning?) we were awakened at a gas station. We were forced out of the bus so it could be refilled and everyone (sleep)walked into the gas station. Pastor Dave cheered us all up by singing the good morning song to us. Most of us never fully awoke and went back to sleep. The next morning, we were in Tennessee. We stopped at a McDonald's and got breakfast then played in the playground (there weren't any kids in it). Then we continued driving. We finally arrived at the McDonald Road church at around 1:00 PM. Thank you everyone for praying for us. God was with us, and we can't wait to go back next year.

Monday we went skiing. It was fun! Most of us had never skied before and we had a great time. The girls skied and most of the guys snowboarded. For some people it was easy to pick up the skiing technique, but for others it was harder. Elizabeth Smith fell down and twisted her ankle, but thankfully she is alright. She was walking within an hour of her fall. The ski resort we went to was nice and there were some good slopes. The weather was amazing and some people were out skiing in short sleeve shirts! Tomorrow we are leaving sometime in the morning. Pray for us as we come home. We should be home Wednesday. Thanks!

Sunday we are going to the Grand Canyon all day. We packed sack lunches and suppers for the trip, and we will be taking pictures and having a great time. Today we had church at the Holbrook church here on campus. Some of our group sang special music. Then after lunch we went to the petrified forest and took pictures. The scenery was AMAZING. Hopefully we will get some pictures uploaded from the petrified forest. We also saw the Native American petroglyphs and some of the group climbed the sandstone hills. Today was a great day and we can't wait until tomorrow. Keep praying!

I just wanted to let the parents in on what we will be doing tomorrow. (Yes, I am still up). At 6:00 a.m. several trip members plan to go for an early morning hike. They want to photograph a good sunrise and maybe pick up some petrified wood pieces. After that we will eat a yummy breakfast and then go to the Holbrook Church. Afterward we will join them for potluck (we are providing spaghetti, bread, peas and salad). In the afternoon we will head out for a trip to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. After that we will return and roast hot dogs and make smores over a fire (for which Heather Peel and Elizabeth Leffew spent the afternoon sawing scrap lumber). Anyway. You've heard what we plan to do. Now, let's see if it actually goes as planned! Pastor Dave

Wrapping things up here.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we worked. And worked some more. We were kept busy from 9 AM to 3:30 PM shoveling rocks, nailing boards, painting, fixing windows, sawing boards, and more. We stopped for a short break at lunchtime then continued working. The wind was very strong. With no trees to stop the wind, dust flew in everyone's faces and blinded then momentarily. Thursday was a nice day with very little wind. When we were done working we had about an hour to relax and clean up. Then it was off to supper and then the Week of Prayer meetings. The children were really opening up. They talked and sat with us at meals. Everyone was having a great time! Wednesday we stopped work at noon and after lunch, went to a rock store where we could buy petrified wood, polished rocks, and other similar souvenirs. We continued driving and stopped on the side of the road to hunt for pieces of petrified wood. Almost everyone found a piece. It was very cold and windy so we stopped for only a few minutes. Then we stopped at a hotel. This hotel wasn't an ordinary hotel. It was a tepee hotel! People could stay in a tepee overnight to experience what the Native Americans lived in long ago. We stopped and took pictures, then went back to the Holbrook Indian School and relaxed the rest of the day. This week has been great! Thank you for all your prayers.

Monday we drove almost all day. We went through New Mexico from Texas and finally arrived in Holbrook, Arizona at around 5 PM. It was really nice there. The land was flat with bushes and shrubs. There weren't many trees. There was a nice little breeze. We ate supper at the cafeteria after getting settled into the dorms. That night we held the first day of the Week of Prayer. There is a Week of Prayer for the younger kids and another one for the older high school teenagers. Pastor Cook is the leader for the younger children and Girean Miller is the leader for the high school teens. The children were quiet at first and didn't talk much but they soon began to adjust and started talking and laughing. At the end of the night everyone had met at least one new person.

It was a long and eventful day. We left this morning at 5:00 AM, as some of you might remember (quite well in fact). Pastor Fuller prayed for us before we left. Then we were off. Almost everyone went back to sleep, considering it was still quite early. At around 6:30 AM, people started waking up and talking. We ate breakfast in the bus. After a few hours, we skedaddled our way into Arkansas without any troubles. For lunch we ate pizza from Pizza Hut. Soon, we came to Oklahoma. Some of us watched the movie "Bolt". Some people read, some preferred to sleep, others played card games and talked. For supper we stopped at Walmart and got food there. Then we drove into Texas. It was dark by then. Now it's 10:23 PM here. For y'all back home (catch my accent) it's 11:23 PM. We are in Amarillo, Texas at the Drury Hotel. It has been a long day today. But thankfully God was with us and we had no troubles. Thank you everyone for all the prayers.