Bilingual Church in Lynden by Ashley Cushman | June 4, 2023 1:45 PM
The team started the day off with a church service in Lynden that was preached in Spanish, translated to English, and it was completely filled with the Holy Spirit no matter which language!
Western Washington University Prayer Walkby Ben Rhodes | June 5, 2023 1:52 PM
After church the team went to Western Washington University to participate in a prayer walk. We divided into multiple teams and all went separate ways praying over anything we saw, noticed, heard and observed as well as praying for the students and faculty of this university. This was an amazing opportunity for the team to practice observing and talking to God about what they observed. It was awesome to hear afterwards all the different amazing things that were prayed over!
All the Way up a Mountain! by Ben Rhodes | June 5, 2023 5:38 PM
After a delicious lunch provided by our host church, we wanted to go explore the beauty of God’s creation here in Bellingham. We went on a hike up to Fragrance Lake. The view was absolutely stunning. Some went for a swim and we all got a great workout in! It was so amazing to see how uniquely and beautifully God has created every single inch of this world!
The Gospel as seen in Romansby Ben Rhodes | June 5, 2023 5:56 PM
Last night after a delicious dinner also provided by our amazing host church we went into our first nightly devotional. We started off by talking about our own personal call as followers of Christ which is displayed in Matthew 28:18-20. In this photo we can see all the team closing their eyes as they listen to the song “How Could They Know” by MBL Worship. After listening to this song we then dove into Romans 1:1-6 where Paul gives us a quick full overview of the true Gospel. After a deeper explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we went into a time of evangelism training. We asked all the students to pair up with a partner and walk through a scenario where there’re to do their best to turn a jar of pickles in the grocery store into sharing the Gospel with someone. It was so awesome to see how creative each person was with their genius ways of using pickles to bring the Good News to the people!
Let the Work Begin! by Ben Rhodes | June 5, 2023 5:59 PM
As we started our work week we were tasked with two big jobs this week. The first one (as seen below) is to de-root a whole bunch of blackberry bushes. This is a difficult and thankless job for sure. These kids have done such a great job and are working extremely hard!
Big Jobs!by Ben Rhodes | June 5, 2023 6:02 PM
The second big job we’ve been asked to help with is removing the old carpet in the churches sanctuary and prepare the space to lay down a new floor, which will be another job we do this week. Theses kids knocked out de-flooring this whole room in just 4 hours! Such great work from all of them!
New Friends! by Ben Rhodes | June 5, 2023 6:03 PM
As we were working outside we stumbled upon a bunnies burrow with 3 baby bunnies! They were so cute and we did our best to return them to their homes and keep them as safe as possible.
YoungLife Youth Group!by Ben Rhodes | June 7, 2023 12:40 AM
After a long hard day of work the team had the honor of joining a local youth group for the night. We attended a YoungLife youth group meeting. We met lots of awesome new friends, ate some pizza, made some s’mores and heard a message about Jairus’ daughter being raised from the dead. (Mark 5:21)
Day 2 of Work Begins! by Ben Rhodes | June 7, 2023 12:42 AM
As we continued all of our hard work we had a team of students load up a whole trailer full of yard waste to be composted. Over 500 lbs of yard waste so far!
We got the Power!!by Ben Rhodes | June 7, 2023 12:44 AM
Here we can see some of the team using power tools to cut back all the blackberry bushes that follow down the hill. They got so much space cleared and it looks amazing!
Clearing it out! by Ben Rhodes | June 7, 2023 1:36 AM
As the team continues to work tirelessly to clear out all the yard waste from the blackberry bushes the area continues to look better and better by the minute.
Books, Books, Books, and more Books!by Ben Rhodes | June 7, 2023 1:39 AM
One of the jobs we were asked to help with was clearing out a library full of old books. As you can see, there’s a whole lot of them. The team all worked together while taking a break from the sun to clear out the library in just a few minutes!
Bonfire and Worshipby Ben Rhodes | June 7, 2023 1:42 AM
To close off our long hard day of work the youth pastor of the local church, Diego, came and led us in a time of worship. We had a great time singing some beautiful songs as well as learning some fun dance moves to go with them! Afterwards, one of our PPM trip leaders, Ashley, led us in a devotional. Ashley shared with us the Roman Road to Salvation. A walk through the book of Romans looking at different pieces of scripture to see truly where our salvation comes from.
Final Day of Work! by Ben Rhodes | June 8, 2023 12:37 AM
To start our final day of work the team grabbed all the tools we’d been using all week and took an awesome photo in front of the work they’ve done.
Clean up Day! by Ben Rhodes | June 8, 2023 12:42 AM
As we bring our work week to a close, it’s time to clean up all that we’ve done. This week the team pulled hundreds of feet of blackberry bushes and with that comes a lot of yard waste. Here you can see the team working together to load up the trailer and prepare it for our first of many dump runs.
First of many Dump Runs! by Ben Rhodes | June 8, 2023 12:45 AM
One of the jobs we were also asked to help with was picking up a bunch of shingles that had been left in the church field by another company. We loaded up the pickup and made our first dump run. We loaded then unloaded over 1,700lbs of shingles!
So much Yard Waste!by Ben Rhodes | June 8, 2023 12:48 AM
As we continue our clean up we had to then unload it all out of the trailer. Each load was over 1,500lbs of yard waste that was composted. Hard work and helping the earth stay green!
We’re Done!by Ben Rhodes | June 8, 2023 12:51 AM
After 3 long, hard, hot, and sweaty days, we’re done with the work! After all the hard work, then loading and dumping everything at its respective locations, the team moved over 9,000lbs of garbage and yard waste! So amazing! They’ve helped this church so much and set them up for a beautiful future for their congregation. Great work team!
Certificate of Appreciation from the Churchby Ben Rhodes | June 8, 2023 12:56 AM
After all the hard work this week the church wanted to thank everyone on the team. They presented to every member on the team a certificate of appreciation to let everyone know that the work they’ve done has truly made a difference. Thank you so much Community Baptist Church of Bellingham for this special token of appreciation. It’s been an absolute blessing serving you all!
Time to Relax!by Ben Rhodes | June 8, 2023 1:02 AM
After a long hard day and a great week of work the team winds down by hanging out outside, have a bonfire with s’mores, and hours on end of mafia. What a beautiful week it has been and what a great opportunity we’ve had to serve this community and get to see the beauty of Washington!
Deception Passby Ashley Cushman | June 8, 2023 2:56 PM
To start our recreation day we crossed over the bridge from the main one over to Widbey Island. The only way to cross over with your vehicle is via the Deception Pass Bridge. This bridge gives you some of the most beautiful views of the island and the water that leads to the Pudget Sound then into the Pacific Ocean. The team had an awesome time looking at the beautiful views and being in awe of the creation that God has given us!
Continue Your Impactby Praying Pelican Missions | June 9, 2023 11:57 PM
Dick’s Drive In! (Better than In N Out)by Ben Rhodes | June 12, 2023 3:21 PM
That’s right! After a day of adventures on Whitney Island and taking the ferry across over to the main land we stopped for lunch at Dick’s Drive In. Dick’s is the Seattle version of In N Out and the team said it was a close call but unfortunately it isn’t as good as In N Out :( We enjoyed some good food and got a chance to relax a little bit before we hit the city and did some more exploring of Seattle!
Pike Place Marketby Ben Rhodes | June 12, 2023 3:26 PM
Finally we’ve made it to Pike Place Market. We had some awesome time here to browse and see all the awesome markets, beautiful flowers, delicious food, and even catch some flying fish! The team had a great time exploring the variety of shops and vendors selling goods from all around the world!
Seattle Gum Wallby Ben Rhodes | June 12, 2023 3:28 PM
Of course the team had to stop by the iconic gum wall. But no way we could leave without putting our own gun on the wall. We all chewed up some gum, took it out and plopped it on the wall! Ewww! But so so cool and fun!
Goodbyes! by Ben Rhodes | June 12, 2023 3:32 PM
As the team leaves hugs are exchanges, goodbyes are said, and smiles are had. The team did such a great job, worked so hard, made a real change and grew deeper together. Great work to everyone for all the amazing work throughout the whole week!