2023 Trip Updates
Follow us on our trip!
Pictures and updates will be tentatively posted each night (depending on activities, internet access and other factors). Please, be patient with us as we try to meet our goal of nightly posts.
Even if we are delayed, know we are thinking of you all and working on it!
Thank-you.
Pictures and updates will be tentatively posted each night (depending on activities, internet access and other factors). Please, be patient with us as we try to meet our goal of nightly posts.
Even if we are delayed, know we are thinking of you all and working on it!
Thank-you.
Saturday, July 8
Hi, everyone.
We're at Kearney Catholic High School for the night. We thank God for the many blessings today brought. Thank-you to all of you, parents, for your understanding with the delay this morning; I really appreciate it & apologize for that.
We stopped at the Shrine of the Holy Family in Gretna, NE, for about an hour or so. We then went to 4:00 p.m. Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Lincoln. Finally, we arrived in Kearney for the evening. After playing some games and taking showers, we met in the chapel here for a time of prayer and getting ready for the "mission" portion of our trip. We reflected on Jeremiah 29:13-- “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
The kids are filled with energy and seem very excited for what is to come. The adults have been absolutely wonderful. Off to bed shortly and planning to arrive in Alamosa tomorrow evening. Thanks, everyone. Please, continue to send us prayers and messages. We really appreciate it! - Jake (12:07 a.m.)
We're at Kearney Catholic High School for the night. We thank God for the many blessings today brought. Thank-you to all of you, parents, for your understanding with the delay this morning; I really appreciate it & apologize for that.
We stopped at the Shrine of the Holy Family in Gretna, NE, for about an hour or so. We then went to 4:00 p.m. Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Lincoln. Finally, we arrived in Kearney for the evening. After playing some games and taking showers, we met in the chapel here for a time of prayer and getting ready for the "mission" portion of our trip. We reflected on Jeremiah 29:13-- “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
The kids are filled with energy and seem very excited for what is to come. The adults have been absolutely wonderful. Off to bed shortly and planning to arrive in Alamosa tomorrow evening. Thanks, everyone. Please, continue to send us prayers and messages. We really appreciate it! - Jake (12:07 a.m.)
Sunday, July 9
Hi, everyone!
Today was a long day of driving. We are thankful to have made it to Alamosa and for your prayers and messages. We're also very thankful to have celebrated Ben's birthday, today!!!
The mountains sure are beautiful here. We had orientation and got sorted into our work groups.
We're off to bed a little earlier tonight. I'll try to have some others write updates, tomorrow morning. Please, stay tuned. Thank you!
Pray for us as we start our service and devotionals tomorrow! - Jake (11:15 p.m.)
Today was a long day of driving. We are thankful to have made it to Alamosa and for your prayers and messages. We're also very thankful to have celebrated Ben's birthday, today!!!
The mountains sure are beautiful here. We had orientation and got sorted into our work groups.
We're off to bed a little earlier tonight. I'll try to have some others write updates, tomorrow morning. Please, stay tuned. Thank you!
Pray for us as we start our service and devotionals tomorrow! - Jake (11:15 p.m.)
Monday, July 10
FHi everyone! Today is the start of our work week. This morning, my group (the tumblers) is going to visit a senior living facility and in the afternoon we will be doing some painting/ staining. After our work day, we are going to go to Great Sand Dunes Park. When we get back from the sand dunes we will have church group time, which is my favorite part of the day. We get to sit down with everyone and really connect with each other. After church group time our first work day will be complete! More updates are to come!
- Rachel Skrove
P.S. Hello to my family and friends, I miss y'all
***NEWLY UPDATED
-Hey everyone! Yesterday our group (the sandies) had a little mishap with the first site yesterday, but we got to clean anyways and help out around the main YouthWorks building. Later in the day our group went to Kids Connection and got to hang out with a bunch of awesome kids! When we first walked in a group of us noticed a community fridge and pantry, so we decided to go out and buy a bunch of food for them, and it felt really good to give back to the community. (Thank you Grandpa Don for using your card :)). To Nesha and Bobby, I miss you guys so much but I'll be back soon! To Shari and Greg, thank you for letting me come on this trip, and I'm having a lot of fun even though I miss you guys a lot. Keep checking for more updates see y'all! -Sophia and Kelsey
- Good morning guys! Yesterday my group the Tumblers, went to a nursing home and a retirement mobile home community for our work sites. Rachel, Tiffany, and I, got to help a lovely woman Cathy organize and label her room. Later in the morning we helped another Cathy switch rooms. We then had lunch and started some work outside at the mobile homes. Here, we mainly did yard work but we got to see the beautiful mountains surrounding us the whole time. After our work day we got to visit the Sand Dunes! It was incredible. Not only was it fun running up and down the sand hills, but the views were spectacular. Today, my group is going to a farm in the morning, and a library in the evening. I know we are all excited to start another work day! I miss you guys! - Grace
-Good morning everyone! Yesterday we went to a baseball field to get it ready for a softball tournament this weekend. It's a youth tournament and it's run for free. Our work helps to let youth play baseball for free! We raked and sifted rocks out of the field, picked up trash all over, and put in a new fence. We met a super nice guy named Justin, and he was super happy we were there. The highlight of the day was probably seeing a wolf! We watched it walk across the parking lot and across the street. After our service work was done for the day, we went to the sand dunes. I'll be honest, I thought this was going to be boring, but it was the opposite! They were gorgeous. Mountains rose up in the back, and it was truly a breathtaking view. As we went up them, it was like walking on a huge beach. It was so soft. It was definitely a leg workout though. As you got close to the top, you contemplated your decision to walk up in the first place. But what was the most fun was running down after! We also walked a kid faceplant. Anyways, I love and miss you Mom, Dad, Julia, Layla, and Caroline. I can't wait to see you again! Hugs to you all. I hope for a fun day tomorrow! -Ava K.
- Rachel Skrove
P.S. Hello to my family and friends, I miss y'all
***NEWLY UPDATED
-Hey everyone! Yesterday our group (the sandies) had a little mishap with the first site yesterday, but we got to clean anyways and help out around the main YouthWorks building. Later in the day our group went to Kids Connection and got to hang out with a bunch of awesome kids! When we first walked in a group of us noticed a community fridge and pantry, so we decided to go out and buy a bunch of food for them, and it felt really good to give back to the community. (Thank you Grandpa Don for using your card :)). To Nesha and Bobby, I miss you guys so much but I'll be back soon! To Shari and Greg, thank you for letting me come on this trip, and I'm having a lot of fun even though I miss you guys a lot. Keep checking for more updates see y'all! -Sophia and Kelsey
- Good morning guys! Yesterday my group the Tumblers, went to a nursing home and a retirement mobile home community for our work sites. Rachel, Tiffany, and I, got to help a lovely woman Cathy organize and label her room. Later in the morning we helped another Cathy switch rooms. We then had lunch and started some work outside at the mobile homes. Here, we mainly did yard work but we got to see the beautiful mountains surrounding us the whole time. After our work day we got to visit the Sand Dunes! It was incredible. Not only was it fun running up and down the sand hills, but the views were spectacular. Today, my group is going to a farm in the morning, and a library in the evening. I know we are all excited to start another work day! I miss you guys! - Grace
-Good morning everyone! Yesterday we went to a baseball field to get it ready for a softball tournament this weekend. It's a youth tournament and it's run for free. Our work helps to let youth play baseball for free! We raked and sifted rocks out of the field, picked up trash all over, and put in a new fence. We met a super nice guy named Justin, and he was super happy we were there. The highlight of the day was probably seeing a wolf! We watched it walk across the parking lot and across the street. After our service work was done for the day, we went to the sand dunes. I'll be honest, I thought this was going to be boring, but it was the opposite! They were gorgeous. Mountains rose up in the back, and it was truly a breathtaking view. As we went up them, it was like walking on a huge beach. It was so soft. It was definitely a leg workout though. As you got close to the top, you contemplated your decision to walk up in the first place. But what was the most fun was running down after! We also walked a kid faceplant. Anyways, I love and miss you Mom, Dad, Julia, Layla, and Caroline. I can't wait to see you again! Hugs to you all. I hope for a fun day tomorrow! -Ava K.
Tuesday, July 11
-Good Morning, Yesterday we had the opportunity to help out on a farm as well as help out at the library. Our faith and love in God is growing stronger and stronger. This trip has been so fun so far and I'm so happy to be here! -Carson
-Good morning everyone! Yesterday my crew was at a senior citizen center, where seniors come to hang out and socialize. It was by far the highlight of the day for me! I mopped, swept the patio, watered flowers, washed a car, and had some amazing conversations with the seniors stoppin by. This one guy I talked to for about 15 minutes had actually lived in North Dakota previously, and he seemed to know more about Minnesota than me. Anyways, it was super fun to engage with them. After that we had a long lunch break, from 11:30 a.m -1 p.m. We ate our lunch (which consists of sandwiches and Cheeto puffs) and then went to this place called Frosty Acres Rolled Ice Cream. It was quite literally rolled ice cream! It was delicious. Thanks Tom and Betty! After that, we went to go oil/stain fences. The oil locked the water out, and gave old grey wooden fences a nice new brown color. We got done early and go to shower! We went on a walk last night around Alamosa. That was fun. Not much more to say than I miss you all back at home! Hugs and love from me. -Ava K.
- Hi mom, Hi dad, love you see you soon :) - Sophia
-Good morning everyone! Yesterday my crew was at a senior citizen center, where seniors come to hang out and socialize. It was by far the highlight of the day for me! I mopped, swept the patio, watered flowers, washed a car, and had some amazing conversations with the seniors stoppin by. This one guy I talked to for about 15 minutes had actually lived in North Dakota previously, and he seemed to know more about Minnesota than me. Anyways, it was super fun to engage with them. After that we had a long lunch break, from 11:30 a.m -1 p.m. We ate our lunch (which consists of sandwiches and Cheeto puffs) and then went to this place called Frosty Acres Rolled Ice Cream. It was quite literally rolled ice cream! It was delicious. Thanks Tom and Betty! After that, we went to go oil/stain fences. The oil locked the water out, and gave old grey wooden fences a nice new brown color. We got done early and go to shower! We went on a walk last night around Alamosa. That was fun. Not much more to say than I miss you all back at home! Hugs and love from me. -Ava K.
- Hi mom, Hi dad, love you see you soon :) - Sophia
Wed. & Thurs. July 12 & 13
Hi, everyone!
By now I think you've noticed we mostly post the following morning, as the days are quite busy. We're all hanging in there and can't believe it's our last service day, today, already (Thursday). The days have been filled with different groups going to various different service locations. The evenings have been filled with activities, such as the Great Sand Dunes, museum visits, Splashland Pool, parks, etc. Our church group time has been filled with praise and worship, devotionals, prayers, and much more.
For our church group time, we experienced "dying" to ourselves on Tuesday night. It was a hard night but really opened up our group and brought us together. The parent letters for the kids were so special and very well received--Thank you, parents! Last night (Wed.) we went through "Affirmation" night. This night focuses on the love of God and rising to new life with Jesus. After a short talk and prayer, our participants had the option to go to bed or stay up and meet with one another. Needless to say, some of our participants finally had to be told to go to bed, shortly after midnight. These last two nights have been very nice for our group to bond and grow closer together.
Today, we will serve at different sites, go to a park in the evening and experience foot washing, reflecting on the example that our Lord set for us. Tomorrow, we will be off to Santa Fe to see the Loretto Chapel. Please, continue to pray for us, that we may stay safe & healthy, focused on why we are here & to finish strong. Thank you. - Jake
P.S. We will be changing our plans on the day we get back home. Instead of getting back very late and all attending the St. Anastasia evening Mass, we now plan to attend Sunday Mass in Kearney, NE, before coming home. Families, thank you for your understanding. Please, plan to attend Mass without us, when ever you go & watch for an update on when we will be getting back home on Sunday. Right now, I believe it will be somewhere between 4-6 p.m. but will update once I have a better chance to look at our route & agenda. I know that not everyone will be able to make it; however, we will plan on having the mission trip Mass (reunion) a week from this coming Sunday, on July 23rd, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Hope you are able to make it!
*****UPDATES FROM KIDS (7/13 at 8:30 a.m.)
-Hey everyone! It's Grace and Rachel here from the tumblers (yes, we got into the same work group again :)). Yesterday we painted a house and a shed for a family in need. It's safe to say that the paint got everywhere, and I definitely won the paint fight against Grace.... Last night we went to Splashland which is a hot spring pool. There were waterslides and cannonball contests (Grace won). On top of this fun day, we also got rolled ice cream before supper. It was delicious. We also played a game of Bean Bags against Will and Breck, and we won! Today is our last day here at the Youthworks site, and we are super excited for the day of work ahead of us. We wish it wasn't almost over, but we are very grateful for the memories we have made so far.
- Grace and Rachel
P.S. Hello fam
-Hi it's Cooper and we went to an alligator farm and we had to put top soil in the alligator pens and picked grass seed and pulled weeds.
-Hi everyone! Yesterday I went to PALS. It's a free daycare for kids with Adverse Childhood Experiences. All of the kids had experienced some sort of trauma, and acted in ways that don't suit your typical 9-5 year old. I can't say a lot about what we did, but I met some super cute kids. We played and watched talent show practice. In the morning we also cleaned a lot and sorted donated clothing. It was a fun day. After that we went to a hot springs pool (Yes, mom and dad, like the one in Montana!) and it was super warm. Our day was pretty great! I'm excited to be home soon. Love to you all. -Ava K.
-Hey! It's Sophia again, yesterday, I also went to an alligator farm, it was a lot of hard work but we got it done. In the morning we went to this really nice lady's house, she was living with her mom at the moment and her mom couldn't really do any yard work so we did a lot of raking, weeding, and we also fixed a fence. I got to hold her 17 (yes 17) year old dog Pixie. Pixie really motivated us and we got done a lot sooner than planned. This week the work has been hard, but it has been really fulfilling. To my mom, dad, sister, and Charlotte, I love you all and I'll see you later :)
-Sophia
Thursday
Hi, everyone. I'm sorry for not posting Thursday. We had a very busy day for our last service day.
For our evening activity, we read John 13--the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet. This was a powerful reflection. The YouthWorks staff washed the adult leaders' feet. The leaders then washed the feet of our youth and prayed over them. It was truly wonderful.
By now I think you've noticed we mostly post the following morning, as the days are quite busy. We're all hanging in there and can't believe it's our last service day, today, already (Thursday). The days have been filled with different groups going to various different service locations. The evenings have been filled with activities, such as the Great Sand Dunes, museum visits, Splashland Pool, parks, etc. Our church group time has been filled with praise and worship, devotionals, prayers, and much more.
For our church group time, we experienced "dying" to ourselves on Tuesday night. It was a hard night but really opened up our group and brought us together. The parent letters for the kids were so special and very well received--Thank you, parents! Last night (Wed.) we went through "Affirmation" night. This night focuses on the love of God and rising to new life with Jesus. After a short talk and prayer, our participants had the option to go to bed or stay up and meet with one another. Needless to say, some of our participants finally had to be told to go to bed, shortly after midnight. These last two nights have been very nice for our group to bond and grow closer together.
Today, we will serve at different sites, go to a park in the evening and experience foot washing, reflecting on the example that our Lord set for us. Tomorrow, we will be off to Santa Fe to see the Loretto Chapel. Please, continue to pray for us, that we may stay safe & healthy, focused on why we are here & to finish strong. Thank you. - Jake
P.S. We will be changing our plans on the day we get back home. Instead of getting back very late and all attending the St. Anastasia evening Mass, we now plan to attend Sunday Mass in Kearney, NE, before coming home. Families, thank you for your understanding. Please, plan to attend Mass without us, when ever you go & watch for an update on when we will be getting back home on Sunday. Right now, I believe it will be somewhere between 4-6 p.m. but will update once I have a better chance to look at our route & agenda. I know that not everyone will be able to make it; however, we will plan on having the mission trip Mass (reunion) a week from this coming Sunday, on July 23rd, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Hope you are able to make it!
*****UPDATES FROM KIDS (7/13 at 8:30 a.m.)
-Hey everyone! It's Grace and Rachel here from the tumblers (yes, we got into the same work group again :)). Yesterday we painted a house and a shed for a family in need. It's safe to say that the paint got everywhere, and I definitely won the paint fight against Grace.... Last night we went to Splashland which is a hot spring pool. There were waterslides and cannonball contests (Grace won). On top of this fun day, we also got rolled ice cream before supper. It was delicious. We also played a game of Bean Bags against Will and Breck, and we won! Today is our last day here at the Youthworks site, and we are super excited for the day of work ahead of us. We wish it wasn't almost over, but we are very grateful for the memories we have made so far.
- Grace and Rachel
P.S. Hello fam
-Hi it's Cooper and we went to an alligator farm and we had to put top soil in the alligator pens and picked grass seed and pulled weeds.
-Hi everyone! Yesterday I went to PALS. It's a free daycare for kids with Adverse Childhood Experiences. All of the kids had experienced some sort of trauma, and acted in ways that don't suit your typical 9-5 year old. I can't say a lot about what we did, but I met some super cute kids. We played and watched talent show practice. In the morning we also cleaned a lot and sorted donated clothing. It was a fun day. After that we went to a hot springs pool (Yes, mom and dad, like the one in Montana!) and it was super warm. Our day was pretty great! I'm excited to be home soon. Love to you all. -Ava K.
-Hey! It's Sophia again, yesterday, I also went to an alligator farm, it was a lot of hard work but we got it done. In the morning we went to this really nice lady's house, she was living with her mom at the moment and her mom couldn't really do any yard work so we did a lot of raking, weeding, and we also fixed a fence. I got to hold her 17 (yes 17) year old dog Pixie. Pixie really motivated us and we got done a lot sooner than planned. This week the work has been hard, but it has been really fulfilling. To my mom, dad, sister, and Charlotte, I love you all and I'll see you later :)
-Sophia
Thursday
Hi, everyone. I'm sorry for not posting Thursday. We had a very busy day for our last service day.
For our evening activity, we read John 13--the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet. This was a powerful reflection. The YouthWorks staff washed the adult leaders' feet. The leaders then washed the feet of our youth and prayed over them. It was truly wonderful.
Friday, July 14
Change in plans today!
This morning we went to the 8 a.m. daily Mass here at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alamosa. After some downtime, our group made it down to Santa Fe! We visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis and, of course, the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel! It truly was amazing!
We then were able to come back up to the YouthWorks housing site in Alamosa, again, to stay here tonight--instead of Trinidad. This was a tremendously helpful gift to be able to keep our stuff here and not have to drive the trailer down to NM.
Up early tomorrow and off to the Denver area for a fun event! Afterwards, we plan to arrive at Kearney Catholic High School for the night, before finally making it back on Sunday! We can't wait to be back home and seeing all those we love.
Thank you for the many messages and prayers! We finally caught up on all of them. We are thinking of you all. Please, pray for our safe return. May God bless you! - Jake
This morning we went to the 8 a.m. daily Mass here at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alamosa. After some downtime, our group made it down to Santa Fe! We visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis and, of course, the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel! It truly was amazing!
We then were able to come back up to the YouthWorks housing site in Alamosa, again, to stay here tonight--instead of Trinidad. This was a tremendously helpful gift to be able to keep our stuff here and not have to drive the trailer down to NM.
Up early tomorrow and off to the Denver area for a fun event! Afterwards, we plan to arrive at Kearney Catholic High School for the night, before finally making it back on Sunday! We can't wait to be back home and seeing all those we love.
Thank you for the many messages and prayers! We finally caught up on all of them. We are thinking of you all. Please, pray for our safe return. May God bless you! - Jake
Saturday, July 15
Final Update
Today, we left Alamosa & returned back to Kearney. We decided to bypass the Denver area & drove the same way back to Kearney. The town of Kearney has a classic auto show in town (or something like that) and the traffic was a little crazy getting here.
The kids played games, ate pizza, and DQ (thanks, Wade B!). We're about to close with one last church group time--reflecting on Jesus's message to "Go" out into the world. Lucy will lead our group into praise & worship; we are truly so lucky to have her here and at our church. She's so talented and truly, truly amazing.
Tomorrow, we will go to the 8:30 a.m. Mass here, at St. James, before heading home. We plan to be back in the Hutchinson area around 7 p.m. or so. (Parents, we will update you as the time gets closer!)
Thank you so much for everything. May God bless you all.
Jake
We will be getting back between 7-7:15 p.m.
Today, we left Alamosa & returned back to Kearney. We decided to bypass the Denver area & drove the same way back to Kearney. The town of Kearney has a classic auto show in town (or something like that) and the traffic was a little crazy getting here.
The kids played games, ate pizza, and DQ (thanks, Wade B!). We're about to close with one last church group time--reflecting on Jesus's message to "Go" out into the world. Lucy will lead our group into praise & worship; we are truly so lucky to have her here and at our church. She's so talented and truly, truly amazing.
Tomorrow, we will go to the 8:30 a.m. Mass here, at St. James, before heading home. We plan to be back in the Hutchinson area around 7 p.m. or so. (Parents, we will update you as the time gets closer!)
Thank you so much for everything. May God bless you all.
Jake
We will be getting back between 7-7:15 p.m.
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