Matt Day: Mission Accomplished!

This mission trip was very different from past mission trips in the sense that we were not directly seeing and helping the people as much as on previous trips. On the first night we were asked what we expected to accomplish over this mission trip, and my answer was to help at least one person for the better.But when I did finally come face to face with a homeless man to hand him a lunch we had made, I realized why we were there. That single moment made the trip worth it because I knew I helped someone for the better. Hebrews 13:15-16 says, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of the lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased". I do believe God can be pleased by our work in Washington D.C. I accomplished my goal, and I'm sure everyone else accomplished theirs. MATT

Emily Ghianni: WOW!

Wow, this week has been so powerful in so many ways. I don't even know where to start. Monday, we wnet to help a woman garden, and to get there that meant we had to go through the "hood," and we did that before we even went sightseeing. So, I see that as an opportunity to remember that D.C. isnt just for touring and sightseeing. There is a whole other side to D.C. and just being introduced to it first really opened my eyes so that when we went sightseeing, I still couldn't help thinking, wow, we saw the real D.C. but the tourists have no idea. This whole week really showed me how great our youth group is. They go above and beyond. I loved every single opportunity given to me to learn and see more. This mission trip is my last one and I am proud of that. EMILY

Will Emerson: Friday

Today we went to Jimmy T's Place for breakfast and it was delicious. Then we visisted the Air & Space Smithsonian and that was interesting. Then we took a tour of the Capitol and the House of Representatives Gallery. That was very cool and I saw a statue of my great, great, great, great, great grandfather, John Sevier. After that we walked to lunch and then we went to see the White House, front and back. Mrs Jodi got a distant picture of Barrack Obama in a Hawaian shirt. That was cool. Then we ate dinner and went back to the William Penn House. When we got back, we had a very, very emotional devotion led by Madison.  WILL

Matthew Morris: Tank tops+D.C.+Capitol building+seeing the President= kind of a big deal

The time is currently 11:09 pm eastern time. I am blogging about one of the best, most tiring, yet refreshing 6 days of my life. First of, all jokes aside, Washington DC is one of the most amazing, breath taking, awe inspiring cities on the face of the planet. I <3 D.C. I can not tell you how many times my breath has been taken away by this place. Walking through the Capitol building, stepping into the dome... I got chills. You never know, one day I may just be working there. But thats not the reason why I trekked 13 hours up north and came to this place. The reason I came here was to help out the unnoticed, the forgotten, the "useless" men and women of this city. The people of Wards 7 and 8 that no tourists come to see. This mission trip, to me, was striving to achieve small goals for the greater good of the city, Whether that be through helping out neighborhoods via rejuvenating city gardens, feeding and assisting the homeless by selling their papers, or playing a game of football with the kids of the projects. All of these tasks were not met with smiles galore however. It doesnt take too many hours of gardening to sap your will to help people, or walking miles on end to sell papers bright and early in the morning really shortens tempers. But it doesnt take too long when you see smiles on people's faces, or laughter of a bunch of kids to revitalize you tenfold and keep you going. On tuesday I got too meet a 22 year old man named Jabrelle. He is a visitor at the McKenna center for troubled men, he goes to meetings to help him deal with his alcoholism ( he is currently 6 months sober). He really opened up to me and we talked about sports, and video games, and food. He was a great guy and I wish him all the best in his sobriety. Thursday was personally great for me. The work that we did with selling newspapers and helping kids was great. Going to a Mexican restaurant and ordering virgin margaritas with the guys was fun as well. But the best part of the day for me was carrying out the devotional that night. I got to share with the group my favorite bible verse Ps. 27:1-2 and just say what that meant to me and it just felt good to share God's love through my interpretation with other people. And now today, Friday quite a good day as well. Others may not have loved the Capitol building as much as me but I've wanted to get into law and eventually politics for as long as I can remember. So today being in the building where a lot of it all happens meant a lot too me. On a side note just walking around all the monuments and all the buildings I just wanted to chant "USA USA USA", this city brings out the American patriot in me I guess. Oh and Thursday me, Lucas, and Jack bought matching tank tops and wore them today and it was funny seeing all the stares. Thats about it.. I got to meet up with my cousin Jack Revelle so that was pretty sweet. Its pretty late and I'm tired so I gotta go to bed, believe I have more to say but time constraints are dragging me away. Its also late so if my grammar is off please refrain from chastising me. Thats all! MATTHEW

Lucas Trujillo: Can't come up with a creative enough title so it's just going to be..YOUTH ROCKS D.C. MISSION TRIP 2011 WOOHOO

Hey Y'all! It's the last night and I am finally blogging. I always wait to blog last so that I have plenty of things to say. Smart right? Yeah, I know. Well today, we went site seeing and "the bros" (Matthew, Jack and I) all wore pink tank tops into our country's Capitol, the National Air and Space Smithsonian and the White House, which by the way I must mention that we witnessed the Obama family plus other political officers have a nice dinner on the back porch of the White House. That was really cool because not everyone gets to see the President somewhere else other than a T.V. screen. But enough about today, Yesterday was the best! First, we helped our homeless friend David earn 120$ selling newspapers on nearly every corner of Pennsylvania Ave. That was super exciting yet also super frustrating. Lets just say D.C. is not the South. After that, we played with kids, which if you didn't already know, kids are my thing. The men played football with the boys in the parking lot, while the ladies let the girls braid their hair. Aww, how cute. Just the joy it brought me seeing the smiles on those kids faces is greater than anything I can ever ask for. Then we had to say bye to Carolyn, our tour guide & the Bros's "dream girl" according to Jay. That was heart breaking....  But seriously, heart breaking. Well, its getting late so I am going to start packing, I have a big day ahead of me. I love buses. The key to long bus rides is to bring your tooth brush and brush them every two hours, it make you feel like a new you every time! Crazy right? Well now I'm really rambling, I'm going to bed. Goodnight. I will see all of y'all tomorrow night! LUCAS

Ashley Day: Awesome Mission Trip Experiences!!

Hey youth parents or friends!!! I just want to let you all know how awesome this week has been. Of course, that's not surprising-everything we do is so much fun. But I feel like this week the youth has gotten so much closer, both to each other and God, and serving the world. The first three day we were weeding, which did get a little frustrating at times. We sometimes complained that the weeds would just grow back, or after a while the trash we picked up would only reappear. But in the end we all came to realize that the people and the community needed this job done, and we were helping out the individual people so much. Yesterday was definitely my favorite though. We started out selling newspapers with the homeless people on the streets of Washington. That also got aggravating because of the amount of people that would just walk by and pretend to answer the phone or simply ignore us, or even give us mean looks. We didn't get very many people to buy our papers, but the ones that did made a huge difference in the people we were selling them for's lives.Later that day we went to an after school program called Little Friends for Peace, and we got to play with children that are being brought up in a rough and violent neighborhood. It was a wonderful thing to see the lovely smiles on all of their faces, and how attached they got to us in such a short amount of time. This whole week has been such a great experience and we all have such awesome memories now. Tonight at devotion we all realized how close our senior girls are to leaving, and there was definitely a lot of tears. We all love them so much and we're going to miss them on these awesome mission trips!! ASHLEY

Jim Garrett: First Mission Trip for Me

Hi,  I am Jim,
  Today we ate breakfast at Jimmy T's. Then we got on the subway to the museum of Air and Space. After that we when to the Capitol. Then we had a long walk to get to the old postal service office were we ate lunch. Then we took pictures at the front of the White House. JIM

Youth ROCKS DC: More Video - Day 4!!

Colleen Winslow: Mission Trip 2011

This has been such an amazing and powerful week. We have done so many different things and worked with all sorts of people, and along the way our group has pulled together and has done whatever was asked. I was brought so much joy yesterday when we worked with kids that lived in a community housing project. I met a three year old girl named Faith who had so much love in her that I could hardly believe it. She couldn't stop smiling or laughing, so naturally, neither could I. I was so sad to have to leave her and I'm even sadder to leave this place where our youth group has become so close. I'm so thankful that I was able to be a part of this week, and I can't wait for what future mission trips have in store for us! COLLEEN

Kathryn Capps: Best End of Mission Trip EVER!

Today was the last day of my final mission trip! Today we toured the Air and Space Museum, the State Capitol, and visited the White House! It was so fun, but kind of tiring. The week included a lot of walking to get to our destinations. Despite the walking, we made the best of our situations. Tonight, we reflected on the rest of the week with conflicting emotions. Some were frustrated, some happy with the work that was accomplished. I felt a mix of both. I feel so blessed to be in D.C. with my best friends to spread the Words and Actions of Christ. I feel conflicted to leave the William Penn House, knowing the memories that were made. Although I know that the actions that were made by our Youth Group will somehow make a difference to someone in the D.C. area.
Happy Friday!!
Kathryn!

Maegan Neufeldt: Friday

I had a ton of fun this week!!  It went by really quickly.  My favorite part of the week was probably Monday.  I enjoyed pulling weeds.  I don't know why.  This doesn't mean I will be willing to pull weeds at home.  Sorry mom!  Seeing the Capitol today was kind of cool.  It was annoying though because we kept getting yelled at for walking the wrong way or getting in the way.  It was obvious that we are from out of town.  I'm sad that my last mission trip is over.  I'll miss everyone!! MAEGAN

Stephanie Capps: Friday!

Today was wonderful! I love every other day this week, getting top help people and make a difference, but today we got to go sight seeing! We went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the White House, and we got to go INSIDE the Capitol! It was AMAZING. I loved getting to see all the history around D.C. and hear about our amazing country. Going through this city makes you proud to be an American, especially when you get to do it with such a wonderful group of people. The best part, though, happened when we were at the White House. We saw the president! He was chillin' out on his balcony, and even though the snippy police men made us leave, Mrs. Jodie still managed to get a stalkerish picture of Obama!! He was wearing a multicolored Hawaiian shirt too...casual Friday at the White House? Today was a wonderful way to end my last mission trip ( :( ) with these people I love so much. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 STEPHANIE

Zoe Neufeldt: Today!

Today we started out the day by helping sell Street Sense, which is a newspaper written partially by the homeless. The homeless go out on the streets and sell the newspapers, keeping all the profits that they made. When we first started selling the papers it was very hard to not get discouraged by all the people that just passed by without giving a second glance, it made us all really realize that even if you are unable to donate you can always be polite and friendly. This afternoon we got to help out with with an organization called Little Friends for Peace, there we got to hangout with some the kids in the neighborhood. The kids were very friendly, the girls I hung out with played with my hair the whole time. It was so fun, definitely my favorite day of the mission trip so far! ZOE

Davey Peppers: Day of D.C.-The 4th One

The day is Thursday, the 16th of June, 2011 if you didn't know that already. So far, I have to say, I think this is my favorite day of the week so far. The day was very hectic, very insane, and very fun. We woke up early that morning, and then headed on the Metro. The metro took us to a part of D.C. where we helped out with homeless people selling a newspaper for one dollar, called Street Sense. If you're ever in Washington D,C., I highly recommend picking one up. Anyway, I was with Clarke and Joe, and we stood out there for two-and-a-half hours selling papers. Overall, we did make a good bit of money. And at around 12:30, we ate lunch. Nothing really exciting about that. Free refills, that was pretty exciting, I guess. Anyway, after that, the adventure kept on going on. We took the Metro to a center for helping children who have problems at home and are underprivileged, and we all got to play with them. Two of them beat me with Frisbees. More likely than not, footage of that incident will be put on the blog. Well, once we had our sad good-bye with the kids, we headed off to the Arlington National Cemetery. To be completely honest, it felt kind of morbid and sad. Anyway, we walked around D.C. for a little bit, and then we ate at a very nice Mexican restaurant. After that, we came back to the William Penn House. And now I'm here blogging, and there's really no more to talk about since nothing else has happened yet today. So bye everybody! DAVEY

Youth ROCKS DC: More Video - Day 3!!

Ryan Lipe: Today

Hey so ya I am in DC woohoo.  So today we went around some park thingy and picked up trash.  It made me realize how much trash and littering goes on in this world.  Then after lunch we went and gave sandwiches to the homeless in a different park.  We went to some frozen yogurt place and ate some ya you get it.  Then a guy came and talked about how the young should not get into drugs and all that.  Sooo ya pretty much it. well bye RYAN

Madison Rush: The Little Things Matter Too

Hello All,
Can I just say Washington D.C. is beautiful!! It is gorgeous and the weather is even better! We started work with weeding then yesterday I did more weeding and today I did more weeding along with picking up trash and handing sandwiches out to the homeless. I can honestly say this mission trip is wonderful, but I have for sure heard the frustration with many of the youth on how little work we have done. When I was sitting there thinking I was like this: "Okay take a chill pill". We go on mission trips to serve to the best of ability, and to do what they want us to do. God always has a plan for everything, and I know the weeding and the picking up trash will show up maybe in a week, but we have to think that the little things matter too. It is a beautiful thing to see the people in the neighborhood pass, and give you looks of appreciation. It helps keep you going, but when you know your work might show back up it is hard to have the motivation to keep tracking, but we did it! The thing is we all need to look at the little things as much as an impact as the bigger. The little things matter just as much as the bigger and without both we would not have a reason to come. This group is the most inspirational and amazing group of young adults I have ever experienced. I love them dearly, and they teach me things consistently thru everything we do. But we all need to look at the bigger picture, and see that no matter what we do, big or small, a lot or a little, all of it is for God, and to serve him the way he wants us to. We have had an wonderful time, and our group has progressed in bonding. I love this group and have had the up most pleasure to be able to serve with them since 7th grade! Next year is defiantly going to suck without them to be honest. I hope you know that all your love,support, and prayers is SOO appreciated! Thank you for everything and gotta say this youth group is pretty special....they can defiantly do Gods work amazingly! MADISON

Katie Wattenbarger: The Bigger Picture

We got started working pretty early today. Right after breakfast we worked together to make sack lunches that we would later hand out to the homeless. But before delivering the meals, we all worked with a non profit organization called Groundwork Anacostia, which is dedicated to renewing and restoring distressed neighborhoods through environmental projects and programs. We picked up trash along a park trail and picked weeds along the newly graveled path. We also learned about some of the other projects Groundwork Anacostia is doing to beautify Washington D.C.
     We left Groundwork and headed to a park where many homeless reside during the day. We had been out in the sun all morning picking up trash and weeding, and even though we were all exhausted, we delivered all of the lunches we made with a smile on our faces. The men and women were so thankful for what we were doing, and vocally expressed their appreciation. One man commended us on "doing God's work." His statement really opened my eyes to the bigger picture. This morning, picking up trash and weeding didn't seem like a big deal; I didn't feel like I was making a difference. But that man helped me see that I was showing God's love through my actions- no matter how small those actions may seem to me. KATIE

Clarke Allen: Wedensday

Today was mainly filled of work and new adventure. It started off with a trash pick up, which led to a long series of weeding. At one point a group of seven, and I was included, had a whole bed area that we had to clear out. Overall the weeding experience went good, even though we almost dehydrated. Our youth group then sat down and ate our made lunches together. During that time period I rolled down a very big hill and it really hurt but I survived. After the first project we took are boxes of lunches to the homeless park and it was a good experience. we got to have some good conversations with nice men. Then came the trek to the yogurt shop which was miserable. when we got there I learned a very important lesson: classic yogurt is not vanilla but tart.
A good day ended with an important talk about the "hood" part of D.C. The story taught good lessons and made us realize how we are lucky. The mission trip is going good. CLARKE

Youth ROCKS DC: Check Out Day 1 and 2 Video!!

Jay McCulley: God created tear ducts to cleanse the soul

Today has been a GREAT day.  We ventured to the Father McKenna center, which is a shelter for men.  We had a great morning.  The day started with a presentation by Tom the center director about the history of the center and its purpose.  We then met Gary who worked for the center as a counselor but was originally brought to the center by his own drug and alcohol abuse.  The part that stuck most to me is when he spoke of his relationship with his son who would often times step in between he and his wife when they were fighting.  As a father it really made me think about times when adults argue without the thought of who might be listening.  I then had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Houstus, one of the gentlemen at the shelter.  He has been clean for 19 months and comes to the shelter once a week for refreshment and revival.  I shared with him that many times that is how I feel on Sundays when I go to church.  It is a chance for me to refresh and "come clean". 

On another note........Happy Anniversary Renee! JAY

Jack Emerson: Experiences in DC

I am enjoying this mission trip so far, and the city of Washington, DC. Today, Tuesday, the second official day of mission work on our trip, about a third of the group went to a men's shelter, and the rest of the group went to help out in a community garden. I was in the group that went to to shelter, and I must say that I had a great time. At this shelter, homeless or poor men are given counseling (for many of them are recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, etc.) and a lunch. First coming into the shelter, I didn't feel very welcome for some reason, but this feeling soon went away as I got to know the stories behind some of these guys. Many of them had gone through some pretty rough experiences in their past. One man named Gary told us his incredible story of his drug addiction and finding a way out. That really opened up my eyes to what had happened to some of them. I got to talk one-on-one with a man named George Letmore, a 58-year old man originally from Trinidad & Tobago. His reassuring sense of humor and unforgettable smile widened my eyes even more to this shelter and its purpose. Even after what this man had gone through with alcohol problems, he was able to stay happy and positive, and that just kind of gives me hope. I wouldn't mind going back to that shelter. It let me see the true side of homelessness and poverty not only in DC, but all over the US. JACK

Devin Rush: FUN DAY

Today we went to a shelter for men. We learned a lot about the center and heard a success story of one of the formerly homeless and addicted man who now works for the center. We met some of the homeless men that were there that today and got to know them. I met Carl. He was really quiet and to himself and said he liked being alone because he could do good soul searching that way.  He was really caring and sweet and I could tell he really enjoyed having us there. After we visited we served them lunch and ate with them.Some of the men seemed just like an everyday person or someone you would pass while shopping in the mall but they all had these crazy pasts you couldn't even dream of. But overall it was a fabulous day! DEVIN

Sarah Day: First Day in D.C. :)

 

Hey friends and family back home!
First of all thank you so much for your prayers and support, we all are so glad to know we have a wonderful church family at home rooting for us!
After we left church yesterday we were all so excited to be going to D.C. and have a good time! When we got here though, we realized the amount of need that there is in a community like this. Today we worked with an organization that helped provide fresh produce to the area through a community gardening center. It is really neat for them to have a place like that because some areas surrounding D.C. have a food desert, or an area without grocery stores. In their garden they have access to healthy foods for their family. It also helps to teach people how to garden, and today we really learned a lot. When we showed up we were all a little hesitant about getting our hands dirty, but as soon as we were told what to do our Brenthaven spirit kicked in and we got to work. In case you don't know how Youth ROCKS works, when we are given a task to do we do not only get it done, but we get it done fast. In no time at all we had easily finished her first task for us, and began to go on to things she hadn't even thought we could get done. In the end we ended up leaving early because there wasn't much left for us to do. Long story short, it was really easy to see God working through us today, because even though we were all hot and dirty and tired and hungry, we pushed through and were laughing and having a good time together the whole time. I am so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful youth group and I'm even more lucky to have such a great family back home! Thank you all for supporting us!
With love,

Sarah Day

Miguel Trujillo: Today

Today was a great day. We helped this lady plant all of her plants in like a record time. I thought it was really fun because my dad is a landscaper and landscaping is pretty fun. I learned how to plant and the names of these really cool plants. I could tell that today was a really good day because the lady was really happy when we left. She also said that we worked really good that we all got along well. I think that it is really neat that in DC they have gardens to grow food for people that dont have the money to buy it from the store or other places. It is a great program that should be spread into places that have similar characteristics. Today was a great day and I am very excited for the days to come.. MIGUEL

Joe Ghianni: Planting a garden of course...

Today, June 13th, 2011, was the first day of work for the mission trip here in Washington D.C. First we stayed in Virginia to sleep over the night, courtesy of Pastor John Leggett. The hills are very nice in the morning in Virginia! On Monday we headed to Washingon D.C. We are currently staying at the William Penn Quaker House. For our first days of work we helped tend to a garden that needed some care. We did a lot of garden work in a short amount of time. We planted tomatoes and other plants as well as pulled weeds out of the flower beds. We were in a so called "rough part of town". A police officer even reminded us, that we were in a rough part of town, and even seemed a little confused as to why we were in this part of town, which was to plant gardens of course. We then took the subway back to the William Penn House, not the "Pen House". I found our venture through this part of town to be quite interesting and almost everbody was friendly. Many of which even offered one of our trip participants a bottle of water, when they seemed to have needed one. I got most out of today that even if you are in the roughest neighborhoods, there are still good people who live there. I also learned that God will be with you, no matter what the circumstances. JOE

Emily Petersen: Life's a garden, ya gotta dig it!

No matter how much my feet hurt, no matter how hot it is, & how much dirt I had under my fingernails, I kept going. It doesn't matter to me when I'm working for God. I wanna spread the love of Jesus Christ to not just my youth group but people around the world. Today, I smiled & waved at someone but they didn't wave back & I kept walking. But no matter if the person waves back or not, at least I tried to be nice & that's all that matters. You never know what they may be going through to make them act the way the do. But it inspirses me to keep smiling & waving because that's just another way of me showing God's love for everyone. It's been a unforgettable first day. & I got to ride the Metro for the first time & I thought it was SO cool :) k, bye. EMILY P

Kristin Wattenbarger: Gardening

Today, we woke up at about 7:30 and finally got here to Washington DC. The first thing we did when we got here was get all of our stuff into our rooms at William Penn House. Then we met Caroline, and she is going to help us the rest of the week. Telling us what we're going to be doing. Today, we went to a community garden. We pulled weeds, planted tomatoes, & squash & beans, & all these other vegetables. Momma would be so proud of me! I pulled weeds! Then after we were done pulling weeds, and what not, we went to the Union Station. It's kinda like a mall, and a food place, so you can shop & eat! It was really cool, and fun! Hopefully the rest of the week will be just as fun as today! KRISTIN

Youth ROCKS is Ready to SERVE!!

Once again this year, you will be able to follow the Youth ROCKS summer mission trip crew (30 strong!) as they invade Washington D.C. ready to serve and love all who they meet along the way!!

Please visit http://www.youthrocksdc.blogspot.com/ for daily updates from the youth and the chaperones, as well as pictures from the 2011 mission trip.

The group will be travelling and serving from Sunday June 12 – Saturday June 18th and would love to share their adventures with their supportive church family and friends back home via their blog.

So, bookmark this site now and visit it often next week to share in the journey!