Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Pat's House Painted!

Painting Pat's House

Mike's Mission Trip Beard

Completed work, with an oncoming storm in the background

Steve and Ryan getting it done

...and Tanner.

...and Audrey...

Jump rope with Becca

Catherine: Monday

Today was our first day we began our service. We woke up on our not so soft sleeping mats and meeting 30 new youth from Maryland. We split up into two groups with other churches and both went to houses to repair the exterioir with paint. At first it was a little intimidating considering that we were a much smaller group than the already closs group from Baltimore. But as the day went on we bonded over our love for service, dogs, and TV. We were chipping and painting the house of Patricia, an older woman living on the reservation. Although our conversations were sparse, she explained how grateful she was for the work that was being done. I hope I can continue to make relationships and connections with the people we are serving and working with because for me that is my favorite part of the trip. Today I was pushed to put my best effort and care into Patricia's home, rather than doing a sloppy job just to complete it by the end of the day. Throughout the day I was continuously reminding myself of the job I would want to have done on my house, a throughouh and clean one. 

Monday evening hike up Sinks Canyon

Taking a break during the day

Hard at work!

Painting Jon's house

Mike's work crew, with Jon our host

Monday, June 29, 2015

Day 5: Sinks Canyon

Day 5: Service

Sadie Ray: Sunday

Yesterday began with Stafford's loud, persistent wake up call of "get up. Open your eye's. Please? Just open one eye! We're in Idaho!" After painfully dragging myself out of bed and guzzling excessive amounts of coffee, it was time to begin the long drive to our service sight in Wind River Wyoming. The long drive brought with it sandwiches of a questionable nature, Harry Potter, a quest for a moose, and gorgeous landscapes. Most important of all, the drive created a friendship between the participants, making serving others and god a shared experience.

We got to our new home at the Wyoming Life Resource Center, and meet many if the folks that we'll be serving with. After some devotional time, we finally got to sleep on the hard floor, after a long long day.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Ryan: Reflections on Saturday

Saturday was an extremly fun and exiting day. We started out the day with the long drive through Jackson Hole to the grand teton national park. The group really wanted to go swimming in one of the many lakes in the park, so we decided to head to Jenny Lake. We walked around a little but didnt really find a place to eat so we headed on down the road. After our exploring of Jenny Lake we drove to a little bay in the gigantic Jackson lake.  This was a great bonding experience for our group. Swimming and kayaking in this beautiful setting allowed us to relax and soak in the sun before our big week of service. After our great time at the lake we headed back to the cabin for a home cooked meal and some time around the campfire. This was a great time to reflect on out day and to look forward on our service. I would say overall this was a great day. 

-Ryan Lally

Our cabin in the woods

Episcopalians!

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Day 2: Charlotte

The second day started with Mike waking each youth missionary up followed with a big hearty breakfast. We set out for yellow stone park at 10 in the black panther and silver fox vans. In the national park we stopped several times to take in the all beauty of each diverse spot. Every location held a new surprise some of which include boiling geysers, giant waterfalls and spectacular views. We took a lunch break on the side of a small creek and admired the peaceful atmosphere. After leaving Yellowstone we had crossed through three states including Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Our next destination was the quaint town Jackson Hole, Wyoming. On our way into town we encountered a large pack of wild bison that were stopped parked right next to the road. In town we stopped at a local Mexican restaurant where we were pleasantly surprised by the delicious authentic food. Post dining activities included the exploration of the town and discovery of several neat stores such as the high end fur store Diana discovered. On our drive home we stopped to capture the incredible sunset off to the side of the road. After we stopped at the local grocery store in Driggs Idaho to gather some essential groceries including s'mores materials. Finally we returned back to the house where we shared our favorite moments of the day and how we're ready for more to come later in the week.

Sent from my iPhone

Friday, June 26, 2015

Yellowstone

Claiming the kids after the flight...

Yellowstone!

Day 1: Elsa

After our short plane ride to Salt Lake City, we headed right to In n Out to get burgers! After that we made our way through Utah all the way to Idaho, resulting in a five hour car ride. As we came closer to our cabin, we took a wrong turn and went down a very 'janky' road that seemed abandoned and definitely not the road we wanted to take. But we eventually turned around and found the cabin! The cabin is very cozy and has enough room. A very adventurous day for SMV Youth Group!

Sent from my iPhone

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Re: Arrived!

Amazing! Glad you guys made it! Highlights w/ this picture and the blog info will go out tomorrow morning! 

On Thu, Jun 25, 2015 at 10:49 AM, Michael Stafford <mikeystafford00@gmail.com> wrote:
We left San Francisco this morning (pictured), and have safely arrived in Salt Lake City, ready the next leg of our journey!



--
Carla Ocfemia
Parish Administrator
The Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin
Tel: 415.921.3665 ext. 302
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Arrived!

We left San Francisco this morning (pictured), and have safely arrived in Salt Lake City, ready the next leg of our journey!