Illumin8 serving the Woodbridge Community during their Week of Hope!!!
Follow as Illumin8 serves along with Group Ministries during the Week of Hope in Woodbridge
Daily updates from the trip:
Sunday – If Jesus is with us, Whom shall we fear?
Sunday July 19th – If Jesus is with us, Whom shall we fear?
A little Washington DC traffic couldn’t stop the team from arriving safely in the Springfield/Woodbridge area. The team was given a lot of information all in a short time, but after some pizza and a little free time the group received their work assignments and ended the night with some group devotions. We learned that when fear or doubt creep in, Jesus’ light doesn’t make fear disappear instantly. It reveals truth that’s stronger than fear.
Alyson, Ainsley, Brooke, and Christy will be helping in the Senior Center
Nate, Lauren, Jayna, and Lucas will be helping at a VBS
Brian, Jonah, Allie, Taylor, Carson, and Dylan B will be doing a variety of projects including VBS prep, food distribution, and lawn care
Eric, Daniel, and Dylan L will be helping out at a local Day Care
Monday – The Power of Grace Shining through
The Power of Grace Shining through (Monday)
What a great day to start the week with! Our teams arrived at their assignments and all did a FANTASTIC job! They were all stretched but rose to the occasion. Some helped run VBS programs where the kids stepped right in and provided help as crew leaders, station leaders, and assistants. Some youth helped seniors play games and run and lead their exercise routine. Some helped young kids in a day care. No matter where the project site was, the result was the same. The youth made an impact and all the people they blessed were grateful and can’t wait till they come back to help tomorrow.
After our project sites, we had some free time for games and just hanging out. It was the boys turn to help in the kitchen clean up and with a little encouragement (and a bit of guidance from the leaders) were able to “get the job done”
We concluded the day with a devotion on Grace and how important it is to realize that we can leave all our brokenness behind and in Jesus we find life, light, and grace!
Looking forward to what tomorrow may bring!
Tuesday – Serving, Food, and FUN!!
Serving, Food, and FUN!! (Tuesday)
The week is flying by! It’s already Tuesday and we have had so many adventures, special moments and God Sightings. The youth continue to do an amazing job serving with a joyful heart and it is making a BIG impact. Today brought a re-enactment of the story of Esther, painting beautiful watercolor paintings with seniors and helping to paint poles in the courtyard.
After our day of service we had a free night. With it Illumin8 hit the town and ate at Smash burger which was a big hit with the youth.
Then we played a round of mini-golf, got some ice cream, and did a bit of shopping.
Another great day and looking forward to what God has instore the rest of the week!
Wednesday – Letting our Light Shine by living with PURPOSE!
Letting our Light Shine by living with PURPOSE! (Wednesday)
We return from our project sites around 3:00PM each day and every single day is filled with so many stories of how God showed up at those sites and impacted the communities we served and the youth themselves. Even seemingly simple things like walking dogs or doing a little touch up painting makes a serious impact.
Today we played tug of war, served popsicles to appreciative kids, and even stacked some lego bricks! After some down time we gathered and were at program learned that we all have stories that can make major impacts on lives. I led devotions and reminded all the youth that they are living this out in a big way by giving of their time and being here and serving.
It’s sad that Thursday is out last day here, so many memories and people who will miss these students. They are absolutely amazing and rocking it!
Rumor has it that their might be a Justin Bieber appearance during Lip Sync tomorrow night at program, 🙂
Thursday – Ending strong for His GLORY
Ending strong for His GLORY (Thursday)
Despite being tired from a long week of service, the youth continued to step up and finish strong at their project sties and bless those around them. We had to say goodbye to individuals we impacted and developed relationships with all week. After our final day of service we made a Target run to re-stock the snacks and as we prepared for our evening program where we shared our highs and lows throughout the week. We were reminded at program to “Let our light continue to shine for His Glory” which was right in line with the theme verse of Illumin8 found in Matthew 5:16!
The night concluded with the lip-sync battle where our very own Justin Bieber took the stage and impressed the crowd! Others also shared a song from their VBS week during the show as well.
The week was AMAZING full of fun lasting memories, but most importantly seeing how God can show up in big ways when we need Him most to provide any of our needs. Thank you for your prayers as we travel home from a long week on Friday.
