Mission Trip to Asia 2007, VBS 2008, VBS 2009, VBS 2010, Mission Trip 2011, VBS 2012

Jameson

Hello, my name is Jameson.  I have an older brother and an older sister.  I live with my mom and dad.  I enjoy swimming, playing baseball and basketball, and riding my bike.  I also like learning about history, especially the Civil War, and have been to Gettysburg 3 times.

I received Christ as my Savior in 5^th grade with Mrs. E.  We prayed together and I asked Jesus to be my Savior.  I have always been taught that He was my Savior and I knew He died for my sins but I had never really asked Him to be my Savior.  Doing this changed my life – it meant so much to me.  We read John 3:16.

Some ways I cultivate my relationship with Christ is mainly through reading His words – the Bible, which I do at night.  I also read devotions every night and pray with my mom and dad in my room.  I have gone to church since I was a baby and started Sunday School when I was 2 ½ years old.  I have attended youth retreats sponsored by my church.  I am currently going through confirmation training on Wednesday’s and still attend Sunday School on Sunday mornings after the 8:30 a.m. church service.  This summer I will be attending confirmation camp at Augustana College.  On Fridays I attend a youth group at another church with my friends from school.  Lastly, I think I cultivate my relationship with Christ by treating people the way I want to be treated.

I am praying for my friend from church who I have attended Sunday School with since we were 3 years old.  He told me last year that he doubted that there was a God.  I don’t know how this happened and was shocked.  I shared my belief in God with him and have been praying for him ever since.  He is also going through confirmation training, so maybe my prayers have helped.

I would like to go on this mission trip for several reasons.  They include helping other people learn about God, growing in my own faith, and Christian walk by doing this.  I also want to gain confidence in myself and I feel safe with Mr. and Mrs. E and can learn from them.  My goals are to share God’s love with others and learn how to witness to people with confidence.  This will be my first mission trip.

 

Alli

Hi!  My name is Alli and I love to be with my friends!  I do a lot of things for fun.  Some of these things are Sing, Jet Ski, Water Tube, Scrapbook, and Talk.  I also love sports!  There are four boys in my family, Dad and three brothers.  There are two girls, besides me, in my family, Mom and my sister.  My first and only pet is my Maltese, Cody!  I will be going to Minooka Community High School next year for high school.  I attend Harvest Baptist Church in Oswego.  I was saved when I was three years old.  My mom and dad prayed with me.  My favorite verse is Ecclesiastes 7:20 “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”  This is my favorite verse because it reminds me that when I mess up, I’m not the only one who messes up.  I try to do my devotions at least once a day, either in the morning or at night.  I pray consistently.  I go to my youth group almost every week and I sing on the worship team there.  On last year’s mission trip, Mikaela and I were able to lead three children to THE LORD.  This was an incredible experience!  Ever since I have been able to understand I have praying for my Nana & Papa’s salvation.  In this trip, I expect to learn how to deal with kids better.  And I have always wanted to go on a mission trip.  Last year I was able to go on the mission trip with the Elechicon family.  That was so cool!  I love serving God with my friends!

Jacob

My name is Jacob.  I enjoy going to Michigan to kayak and ride ATV’s.  I like mostly anything dealing with Star Wars.  I also enjoy reading and playing video games on the PS2.  When I was in preschool, I started a Lutheran school in Joliet.  The school (along with my parents) introduced me to God.  When, I was in fourth grade, my parents felt that God directed us to TCS.  During Mrs. Laning’s Bible classes, I started to realize that I need to have a relationship with Jesus.  One of the questions in our Bible book was how we felt when we had accepted Christ into our lives.  This is when I decided to invite Jesus into my heart.  After that, though I was wondering where the Bible said how to accept Christ as our Savior.  I finally found Romans 10:9-10.  “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  I have shared with a friend my weaknesses of my faith specifically not being able to trust God about one certain thing.  I was comforted when he said he would pray for me, and he has been there for me since.  Many people in my family are not saved.  I have prayed for my grandma, aunt, and uncle who has had many problems with his pancreas.  I want to go on this mission trip because my food allergies hold me back.  I feel comfortable with the E’s handling the food.  Whenever my church has had a mission trip my family never knew soon enough to make arrangements with the food.  I feel that my faith is now ready for this and that this will strengthen my faith even more for high school.  I hope to make my relationship with God better and learn to open up to other people and kids.  I have not participated in other missions trips because of my allergies.

Hannah

My name is Hannah.  I’m in 8^th grade.  I love playing sports and hanging out with my friends.  I’m involved in volleyball, cheer, and softball.  I will be attending Minooka Community High School next year.  I have fabulous parents.  I have three younger sisters.  I was raised in a strong Christian home and accepted Christ in kindergarten.  Since then I have grown and developed a personal relationship with my Lord.  I believe I am a sinner and need a Savior.  I also believe that Christ Jesus died and rose again to save me from my sins.  Romans 3:23-24 states, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  In order to grow closer to God I study His Word.  I’m involved in many classes at my church.  As for my devotional life, I try to read a devotional every day, but sometimes it is pushed to the side.  That is one of my struggles, and I am working to overcome it and make time for God every day.  I strongly believe in praying without ceasing.  In order to cultivate a healthy relationship one needs to communicate.  I try to keep Christ very involved in my everyday life.  I also attend my youth group faithfully and try others every once in a while.  I’ve also been given the honor of sharing the gospel message with children last year on the mission trip.  In addition to sharing the gospel, I continually pray for the children I got to know through VBS.  I also pray for the salvation of my neighbors.  I look forward to this mission trip not only to spend time with friends, but also to strengthen my walk with the Lord.  I hope to reach many lives through this trip and bring many new members to the church.  I have gone on two previous mission trips.  One to Oakville, Iowa, to help with flood relief with my church, and also one to Eldora, Iowa, which we are planning to do again this year.  In conclusion, I am excited and looking forward to this year’s mission trip.

 

 

 

Claire

My name is Claire.  I am in the 8^th grade.  I have two older sisters and a dog named Lacy.  I’ve been going to Trinity Christian since I was in kindergarten.  I accepted Christ in my heart in 5^th grade when I asked Him to show me He was there and would take care of me.  I felt His hand pick me up and then I prayed to Him to come in my heart.  I do not have one specific verse that is the basis of my faith but rather what God has done for me and the whole Bible.  I attend Grace Point church and most Fridays I try to go to the Good Shepherd youth group with my friends.  Since all my friends are Christians I have not had the chance to help witness to nonbelievers.  Since this is my first mission trip I hope that I will be able to strengthen my relationship with God and the others that I am going with.  I am also hoping that I will be able to lead some kids to the Lord.  But most importantly I hope this trip will show me how strong I am in my faith and how willing I will be able talk and share it with others.

Nathan

Hi, my name is Nathan and I am 1 on 8 individual students that will be attending the VBS Ministry in Iowa this year.  I love playing basketball, soccer, and volleyball, baseball, football, well really anything that has the word ball in it, or even more so any sport that can be played.  I have many hobbies.  But when it comes down to getting active I’m there.  Some interests that I like are simply plain and simple.  I love being with God all the time.  I go through a lot with my mom and school, and there are many reasons but those are kind of personal so will not mention them here.  I will simply ask for prayer.  I have 2 sisters, and a mom and a dad, a dog, a snake, and a bunny.  I am the eldest.  I have lived in Illinois for most of my life but in 4^th grade we moved to Indiana and then moved back again later in that same year.  Some events surrounding my experience of when I received Christ as my Savior are pretty much like anyone else.  I received Christ as my Savior in kindergarten after my teacher Mrs. Landsue taught us a song about John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”  At first the verse puzzled me and me being too young to understand I came to my parents for advice, and that’s when everything changed for me.  Right then and there I knew that I needed someone to save me from my sins, so that same night I bent down on my knees and prayed for God’s forgiveness.  Which He gave me and will always have till the day I die.  Some ways that I cultivate my relationship with God is by simply relying on Him every day and giving Him the praise He deserves.  I will admit I could do a lot more with my devotions and prayer life.  I should rely more on God than other people and when I have a problem I need to pray about it more.  But even though I’m not perfect I still believe God will help me in some amazing way.  I am very much so involved in my youth group but I also think I could be a little more responsive to the pastor’s sermons.  One time after a simple Sunday after church I walked out confident, feeling that I could take on the world so I called up a friend of mine and asked if there was anything he wanted to talk about.  His exact words were “I am lost.”  At first I thought he really was lost literally but then I figured he was upset and confuse so I called him back and simply said I’ll pray for you.  Even though he didn’t come to know Christ I still got a big reminder that God still loves him.  And this same person I have been praying for ever since that day.  I want to go on this mission trip for many reasons 3 in particular.  1^st I think it would be a spiritual journey that will not only stretch my faith but encourage it also.  2^nd I think I could reach to the kids more because I have good relationship with many kids because I am sweet to them and I love them with all my heart.  And lastly I think I could be a benefit to the community by spreading the Word of God through my work.  My goals are simply to get people an idea of how much God really loves him.  I have been to a couple of missions trips but one in specific was that I was part of the same team of VBS kids last year that went to Iowa and it was life changing experience.  I hope to relive this time after time.  This is why I want to be part of this specific VBS team.  GOD BLESS!!!

Mikaela

            Hi! My name is Mikaela. I am 15 years old and I go to Christ Lutheran Academy. I play basketball, volleyball, and run in track. I like to do things that keep my active or things that are crafty.

            I was three years old when I was saved. I was at walking with my mom and asked her if I died, would I go to Heaven. She told me no because I wasn’t saved. Later, mom and I sat at home and talked about it. I don’t really remember ay of the Bible verses that we talked about except for John 3:16 and John 1:1. That day, I asked the Lord to come into my life and save me from my sins. Seven years later, when I was 10, my friend, mom, and I were giving prayer requests when this thought came into my head: Did I really know what I was doing when I was saved at 3 years old? I had this feeling that I had to make sure that I was saved so I talked to mom about it. I said I remembered the day I was saved vaguely and I didn’t know what to do. We talked and then I reaffirmed my faith that night. I can firmly say that yes, I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as my one and only Savior.

            I currently go to Harvest Baptist Church in Oswego, Illinois where I learn about Christ and grow closer to Him. I am involved in a small group from my youth group. We get together about once a month. My family and I do family devotions every day at the beginning of our morning.

            Not everyone at my current school has the same values that I do. Therefore, when I do something that seems strange to them, they usually ask why I do or don’t do that certain activity. I tell them that my family and I have values that do not allow me to do the activity. Then, I usually give reasons why we have the values and give Biblical support to back up the value. Also, at my school, there is a girl who says she does not believe in anything. She says she is not an atheist, but she has no faith in Christ. My friends and I have talked to her about it, but she still refuses to believe. She thanks us for sharing and just walks away. We pray for her salvation some day.

            I want to go on this mission trip so that I can strengthen my relationship with God. Last year, after the trip I felt so close to God. However, as time passed, that feeling gradually went away. I still have a relationship with Christ, but it is not as strong as I would like it to be. Also, I have seen the effects last year’s mission trip gave to my Grandparents’ church. Some of the kids from VBS last year continued to go to church even after VBS was finished. My friend and I were also able to witness a few of the kids we taught get saved. That was a wonderful experience. I want to be able to help my Grandparents’ church again and share the Gospel with even more kids and their families.

            I have been involved in some other mission trips. Last year’s VBS is one of them. Also, my family and I traveled to Asia for a mission trip my seventh grade summer.

            I can’t wait to see what God has planned for me on this trip!

 

Trent

Hello, my name is Trent.  My family includes dad, mom, my brother, and me.  My hobbies are watching TV, playing on the computer, reading, singing, acting, a little bit of drawing, and a little bit of tennis.  I’m interested in music, history, drama, cars, and natural disasters.

When I accepted Christ, I was only 3 years old.  We were driving on I-80 going east, and my mom saw our current church.  She started to think about going, but didn’t go at first.  Later on, in early 1999, an outreach from our church came to our subdivision.  Some members came up to the door and gave us some information about the church.  Finally, in April 1999, my mom put me in the back seat of the car and we drove off to church.  That day I accepted Christ because I found out how much He loved me and because I found out about heaven and hell.

M devotional life is strong.  Each day, I start out singing a song to God.  Then I read the daily devotional that my pastor made for this year, find a quote that jumped out at me, and apply it to my life.  My prayer life could stand some improvement.  I do pray for people and different situations, but I’m just getting into a personal prayer time.  I’m involved in a group at my church called JSOP, or Junior School of Performance.   I also help lead worship for kids in the Children’s church.

One time, I was over at my neighbor’s house, my neighbor’s cousins came over.  I knew that my neighbors went to church, but I wasn’t sure if their cousins went.  I asked one of them if they went to church.  They said that they used to go, but stopped because it was boring.  It didn’t go farther than that.

Another time, I went on a mission trip with my church.  One day we held an outreach in a drug rehab center.  One young man near me wanted to become a Christian.  I was able to pray with him, and he received Christ as His personal Savior.

I want to go on this mission trip because I want to spread God’s love with other people.  I also want to go on this mission trip because from past experiences, it is hard work but it is also a lot of fun being part of the outreaches.

I have gone on one other mission trip.  My church went down to Reynosa, Mexico in late February 2007, and I was privileged enough to go on it.  I was a lot of work and fun at the same time.