San Fran Recap Video

San Fran 2011 Rewind from Wooster Grace Students on Vimeo.

The best part

I had the honor of baptizing Erika in the hotel Pool Sunday Night! She has been in my small group for 3 years and is entering her Senior year! What an awesome close to an amazing trip!

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Cable Car Ride

We got to ride the cable cars after our time at China Beach. We were with Team Steve again, and it was a first for all of Hus, which was very cool!

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China Beach

The first stop on our sightseeing day was China Beach. What a beautiful place! Team Carol and Team Steve paired up and we met up with team Rachel and Team Mark. It was a wonderful Time! The view of the Golden Gate bridge was a little foggy, but still breathtaking. The kids loved climbing the rocks and our little monkey Jordan had this momma nervous! We had one student, Brandon, brave enough to swim a little, and he made sure he wasn't alone. He carried Josh into the water as well. We all shared a good laugh! Once Josh got out, he made a point to find Steve and share the love, but Steve got away!

We also enjoyed our sack lunch at the beach!

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Saturday Morning

Before we left Saturday morning for a day of sightseeing Nick shared with us and challenged us to stay on mission!

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Saying Goodbye

Tonight we had some time to wrap up the week and share what God has done in the lives of these students. K is yawning in this photo, not crying! It has been a long week :) We have really enjoyed getting to know our two YWAM leaders, Katie from Virginia and Tom from Britain. It was a blast hanging with them, and making poor Tom say things like" Harry Potter" that just cracked the kids up! The kids gave them a big (3 second) group hug after our meeting! GREAT TIMES!

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Love Feast

All week, while we were out ministering to the people we met, we were also inviting them to the Love Feast. Tonight was the meal and we had a great turn out and the students had a great time.

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Worship Time

Each morning we had worship/teaching time. It was a great time with all the groups that were here staying at YWAM this week.

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5000 Pounds

That's a big number! But that is roughly how many pounds of beans we weighed out in 1 pound bags yesterday at the San Francisco Food Bank. We took the Muni train, which was an adventure in itself, into town! We all made it with few problems! That is a task with 28 students, and maybe few directionally challenged adults :)

Once we were there we were given a little history and background of what they do, then we were sent in to the sorting room! The team did a great job and we had a blast. The gentleman that was helping us, whenever he wanted our attention, he would yell out O-H to which of course we would respond I-O and he would have a quiet room! It was really funny!

One more day at YWAM! Hard to believe! It has gone fast!

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brandon's world!

So having alot of fun here and wanting to stay longer. Changing every bit of my life and thoughts here. Love and miss everyone.

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Nessa's p.o.v. meeting Marvin

Hey! Today my street team had a great experience. We met a man obviously named Marvin-who had lived on the street for 50 years...wow!!! When we got on the topic of God, he denied that he was one of God's beloved. At that moment I felt the nudge of the holy spirit and grabbed my bible. I aimed to find the verse that says how we are God's prize...I ended up finding Romans 5:15: 'God's gift is different from Adam's sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But it was even more sure that God's grace would also come through one man. That man is Jesus Christ. God's gift of grace was more than enough for the whole world.' Then I said "You are God's beloved." As we went and bowed our heads to pray I glanced over at Marvin and saw a tear soak his jacket. My eyes began to tear up. I know that there was a deeper purpose than just friendliness to our conversation...it's a God thing. Friends and family, if you can spare a moment of your day please pray that we will carry this strength back to Ohio. Sharing the Gospel with friends back home will define the word challenge. By the way-I don't regret a single moment of san fran '11. Thank you for pushing us all to take a leap of faith. We have all seen tremendous change taking place in our hearts. I <3 you all!!! Nessa

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The church with their doors wide open!

This morning we were given free time to hit the streets of the Tenderloin. We had a wonderful conversation with Marvin and he encouraged us tremendously! I hope we can see him again! He is a chess player and I told him I was terrible and he promised to give me a lesson. As we continued to walk, Jordan suggested entering a church that's doors were wide open! As we did, I noticed the sign that said sleeping hours 6:30 AM - 11:30 AM and sure enough, the pews were packed! People laying everywhere. The sights, sounds and noises can put you on overload, but as we look around at this beautiful church, I am reminded of the beauty of each one of these people! The students have all taken their bibles and journals out, they are feeling it as well!

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Homeless Plunge and High Places

Today was another full day but Homeless plunge was the majority of it. We left YWAM at around 7:00 and could not come back until 3:00. Our team took off to hit various parks. We tracked up the hill...YIKES! We got a glimpse of The Golden Gate Bridge and right before Lumbars Street, Jordan wanted to walk through the park across the street, so we did. That is when we met Orion from the post below. God was tugging on our hearts!

After time with Orion, and some debriefing from it, we went to Lumbars Street and had some fun! Then we took off for the pier and beach areas. We spent a lot of time there, reflecting, journaling, and a special treat, I handed out a letter to each student that their parents secretly wrote. They all went off on their own for a while to reflect on life back home! We did a lot of walking, talking and connecting! We handed out a few lunches and really the time went pretty fast.

After a short time back at YWAM, we took off for High Places. We hiked back up the hill to Grace Cathedral for some teaching time from Nick, some time of reflection on what our" High Places" are. What is it we put as more important than God? What idol is it we worship Monday through Friday, before we come into church all happy and cheerful! After that, we went outside to reflect on that and I had the privilege of chatting with and praying for several of our young ladies, and I spent time praying for each student and what God was stirring in their lives! It was amazing! We spent time in worship as well, in the courtyard of the cathedral.

We got some photos of our students that recently graduated (at the fountain) and those that are upcoming Seniors! We have a great group and I am just praying for their leadership and encouragement of the underclassmen!

Tonight we spent some time as a street team having dessert and doing a little shopping followed by some very powerful time as a whole team encouraging and praying for each other!

I am exhausted again, so I am off to bed! Tomorrow will be more time on the streets meeting people and working in a local food bank! Thanks all for your prayers!

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Meeting Orion - Jordan, Michael, Nessa

We went to a dog park and came upon a man crying. We passed by but we felt the tap of the holy spirit and went back. We offered the man a sack lunch and asked his name, he said it was orion. We ended up talking to him about church and Jordan gave him his Bible because he said he would like one. Michael shared socks and his verse card with the man. He also read scripture for orion because he could not read. Nessa shared a token with an inscribed bible verse as well. The three of us offered prayer to him, which was gladly accepted. Hopefully he felt the presence of God-because I know we did. :)

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Day of Prayer

Sorry for no updates today on our day as a team, but it truly was jam packed with prayer, from beginning to end. I wont bore you with each detail but try to give you a quick overview!

This morning after breakfast and cleaning duties, we made a sack lunch to share on the streets today! We had some lesson/worship time from Steve of YWAM. His story was very powerful and I felt had a lot of similarities to my own! He shared from the Beatitudes and had the students captivated, which is a task! We are here with two other teams, so we number around 100 people! After that, we took off for various parts of the city. Our team, along with Steve Knights team and Mark Lehmans team, went to City Square, where there is the Art Institute of America along with many of the City buildings. We first shared our sack lunches with people and then we set up a prayer station and the students went around praying for people. Many were discouraged at first when people didn't want to be bothered. I encouraged them to keep trying, they did, and God put some awesome experiences in front of them.

We came back for a short time to debrief about our experiences with the rest of the team, then headed right back out! This time, we went out to pray over specific places in the city. Our street team went to Chinatown, North Beach (Little Italy) and Union Station. We got to see a lot of sights, and pray over areas of the city that have religion, but not an understanding of the power of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! Our team was able to grow closer to each other during this time, and the unity of the team was very evident. God is answering prayers! Thank you all for praying.

We came back from dinner and had some great time relaxing together, laughing, and again growing closer! Then we had dinner, and Erika, Nessa and I went out for dinner, and grabbed some Coldstone on the way back! Us "girls" had some great girl talk! I am so thankful for this Ministry God has burdened my heart with, and given me opportunities with!

After dinner we hit the streets with a jug of Hot Chocolate and shared on one of the toughest street, Turk. I will let one of the guys post tomorrow about that!

Before bed tonight, we were told we could not take showers, brush our teeth, eat breakfast, etc. Our Homeless Plunge began at around 10:00 tonight. We will be awoken around 6:00 given a sack lunch (to give away of course) and sent out. We will have bus fare, and will not be permitted to return to YWAM until 3:00 PM tomorrow. Parents, don't worry, we will eat (at shelters) and we will be headed to a safer section of town, really! I will certainly post more tomorrow!

Please pray for our time together tomorrow. While on the streets, I will be looking forward to deeper conversations with these students, learning what God is doing in their lives, what they believe Gods plans are for their future, and just growing closer to each of them! Looking forward to every moment of it!

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Nessa's Point-of-View

Hey to all y'all back in Ohio!!! Having a great time in san francisco. Its amazing how little things make such a big impact in peoples lives. After seeing so many hurting people its easier to go out of your comfort zone. People on the streets don't expect anything meaningful from you-and when they receive it are very appreciative. Its so powerful!!!! Today our street team had a prayer station and gave out sack lunches. Its easy to think that "I could never end up homeless. Psh!" ...but I can truly relate with most street inhabitants. Having an impact on the lives of others is so much better than anything I've ever received. Im so thankful and glad that I came on this mission trip!! :) be safe back home!! Ps: the plane trips were a ok. No prob for a first time flyer! And be prepared because you mite not recognize me when I get back. :) in a good way. I love you all! Talk to you soon!! <3 Nessa

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Erika's point-of-view

Well at first its rather difficult to walk up to a stranger and start a conversation but once you get the hang of it, its so much easier and it inspires you to keep spreading Gods love to more and more people. My first day I meet this man named jeffrey at saint anthonys church where they give out meals to homeless people and I was nervous to talk to him but once he opened up I felt comfortable talking to him. Jeffrey helped push me out of mt comfort zone which is my goal while im on this trip. Im so glad I meet jeffrey who is a painter who would rather do his set than have a place to live. So far this trip has been amazing and touched my heart already. Can't wait to see what else happens :)

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It's still Monday!

Yes, I think this has been the longest day of my life! It is now 9:30, which is 12:30 Ohio time, which means I have had about 5 hrs of sleep in the last 42 hrs or so! Have I mentioned I need my sleep, and I haven't had a shower in just about as long:) Disgusting, I know!

But what all happened today, makes up for it! Once we arrived in San Fran and road the B.A.R.T., then carried our luggage (well, I didn't carry mine, but I'll get to that!) SEVERAL blocks, we dropped it off at YWAM and hit the streets. It was about 1PM and we were not allowed in YWAM until 3:30. We hadn't eaten in far too long, so first order of business was lunch! We quickly set out for St. Anthony's, where we could get a free, warm lunch! Not so much because it was free, but to put ourselves righten front of those we came to serve! And that is what happened. The students grabbed their lunches and all went in search of an empty seat. I sat, had a few conversations, then Terrence sat with me. After several minutes of conversation, we invited him to our dinner hear Friday night! I hope to see him again!

Later in the day we did "Lost and Found" where we went out into the streets and had some questions about the city to help us engage those we met in conversations. While it took a while for our team to warm up, we ended our time with a great conversation with Tony. While he confessed to being a follower of Jesus, he also said he wasn't going to church, nor living a good life. We asked how we could be praying for him and he quickly brought up his daughter. He said he wants to start going to church so he can get her attending. We also met his friend Ray! Please pray for these three, that they would know what it means to be fully devoted to following Christ!

After our time out we had a debriefing. Many students talked about their first day but two comments stood out! One student said "Most christians are Luke warm, and the ones we consider over the top, that's how we should be!" Another said, people were telling them they were too young to be on the streets, it wasn't safe. It made her realize that these strangers on the street care for her, and she thought she was coming to care for them!

Please pray tomorrow as we go out and have prayer stations, have sack lunches with homeless in the park, and serve hot chocolate tomorrow night! Please also pray for E on the team who was not feeling well this evening!

Thanks all for your prayers!

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Flights to San Fran

I have had the privilege of flying a few times prior to this trip. I have flown for business, for pleasure, and even for a house hunting trip! But I knew this trip was going to be different! Twenty Eight students would make it different! Good different? Bad different? I wasn't sure, but I knew it would be different!

We got up at 2:00 AM as planned, and while not everyone was chipper; :) everyone was anxious to get moving! After a fun bus ride filled with a fun VBS Medley (did I mention Mr. Steve is with us?) we made it to the airport in plenty of time, checked in, passed through security with few concerns, and headed to our terminal. As we arrived, in a herd, you could see it on the other passengers faces!!! OH NO!!!! We met a gentleman at check in that we knew would be with us all the way to San Fran! He was very cordial but you could see some reservation in his eyes! Well I have to say, we won him over very quickly!

As the flight attendants began their routine, and all 35 of us joined in with them (OK, not ALL of us, Pastor Nick is a party pooped!) Everyones mood seemed to lighten! It was early, but we were having fun! The same went for our second flight! The stewardess was so impressed she wanted to know where we were from so the Pilot could give us a shout out!

So far it wouldn't seem like we are on mission... we've been in an airport for goodness sake! But these students have been wonderful ambassadors for Christ! Beginning with the few students that got held up in security, blessing the security officer as they walked away, to the student that made a point as they walked off the plane to look the staff in the eyes, tell them thank you, and wish them a wonderful day!

These kids GET IT! We are still in the air (it is noon Eastern Time) and have about 2hrs to go until our feet touch down in San Fran, but they get it! All people need to see the love of Jesus, whether they are on the job "serving" us, or hanging out on the streets of San Francisco! This is going to be a GREAT trip!!!!

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San Fran Day 1

Had to arrive at the church at 4:30 for training for some of the students! It went really well, and I think they are all as prepared as Pastor Nick can get them for what they are about to be a part of! At 6:00 the rest of the teams, and the students parents showed up for a dinner and time of prayer and commissioning. I think it was a little hard for some to say goodbye :)

We played a few games to help everyone get to know each other, we had some team time in our street teams and Rachel challenged us with 1 Cor. 12 and a discussion on Unity. And the importance of each using our Spiritual Gifts to build a team!

Nate and the kids dropped me off at 4.30, but they did come back around 9:00 so I could give the kids some love before they went to bed! That was cry nice to have one last hug!

Nick spent some time discussing the importance of removing the obstacles we may have in our lives that would hinder God's plan for us! WOW! It will be interesting to see how the kids respond to his message over this coming week!

Well it is after 11:00 and wake up is at 2:00 AM! Not thinking I will get any sleep as the kids are still running around, but I should probably try! Thanks so much Jess Artrip (and Danny) for your prayers today! Love You Guys!!

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YWAM - San Francisco

Well, in 2 short days I am heading out with a group of 35 from church, 28 students and 7 adults, to head to YWAM - San Francisco. This is a trip Nate has taken twice in the past, and I am SO excited to be going for my first time. There are many prayer requests for this trip, but I would like to share a few. Please pray for the team, pray that there is unity in the team, that students who may be a part of the same youth group but have never talked, would find connection! Please pray for confidence in sharing God's Hope with those that seem hopeless. Please pray for them to look past the external of these that live on the streets, and see their heart and their hurts, and help them fell valued. Pray for health and safety of the team, with a group this size some traveling by plane for the first time, exposed to lots of new germs, health is a concern.

I will be updating the blog as often as I can. It may just be a photo, or it may be a short story, but I would appreciate your prayers through the week!

You can also follow me on Twitter at @millsfamily, as I'm sure I'll be updating that as well!