June 25

Tonight at 3 am (Saturday morning) my Teen & Tween will be leaving for South Dakota on a mission trip with their youth group. This is a 21 hour trip. There are 20 people going and they are taking 2 (15) fifteen passenger vans.

They should get into Sioux City, Iowa sometime tomorrow evening around 9pm. They will stay in a hotle for the night to get some rest. They will get up early Sunday morning and make it to Rapid City, SD by about 4pm. They will be staying just outside of Rapid City near an Indian Reservation.

They will start out bright and early Monday morning on the Indian Reservation. During the morning hours they will be helping to run a Vacation Bible School program. Their group is responsible for the snack, crafts and testimonials for the week. In the afternoon and early evening hours they will be helping to repair homes on the reservation.

The last few times that Teen has gone away there has been a death in the family. During the last missions trip that he went on in 2007 his great-grandfather passed away. I contacted the youth leader and they didn't tell him, but they made it home in time for Teen to make it to the second visitation and services.

There have been two other trips that he went on and someone passed away as well. This is a constant burden in the back of his mind any time he goes on a trip.

As we were joking around last evening, I said I was going to cry when they leave. He said to me 'Just don't break my heart when I get back home'. I felt sick remembering how many times he has come home all excited from a trip only for Hubby and I to have to sit down and tell him that someone died.

So if you would all do me a favor and pray this week, first of all for traveling mercies and safety. And second for not only the health of those on the trip but for the health and safety of those left behind. And lastly for peace for the boyz as they travel, knowing that they are doing God's work and that what ever does happen back here at home, we'll get through it one step at a time.

Stacy