Chris Jessen

Seriously. I really think this will be my last email…..

Your little darlings are on the bus and headed home!! I know you will be glad to have them home!! They have been gone a really long time haven’t they? I promise you though, it has been 10 days they will NEVER forget and it is 10 days that will last throughout eternity!! As Charlie told the group yesterday, God is the One who really plans this trip. Yeah, Charlie may call to reserve the buses and places to stay, etc. But God orchestrates it ALL and Jackson is a perfect example.

Let me back up. They left Landers Saturday morning and went to Yellowstone then on to Jackson to spend the night at a rec center. An employee of the rec center, Ben, stayed with them. Originally, the plan was to get up Sunday morning and attend a Worship Service at a local Church. It was late when they got in Saturday night and Shep decided it would be better to let them sleep in on Sunday morning and they would just have their own Worship Service. While JP was leading the group in worship, Ben came up to Charlie and asked if he could talk to him for just a few seconds. He asked Charlie for prayer for himself and for a friend of his, Derrick, who had tried to commit suicide recently. Ben is a believer but Derrick is not. Of course Charlie prayed for him. After the worship time, the students shared what all God had done in their hearts over the past week and it was a LOT!! Yay God!! When they were through sharing, Charlie brought Ben up and asked the students to pray for Ben and for Derrick. Your kids gathered around Ben and they prayed for him for over 20 minutes!! Charlie said it was such a sweet, sweet time and such encouragement for Ben. Ben said that now he was going to pray for Derrick with more boldness and share more with him. I don’t think it was any accident that our team stayed at that rec center or that they had their own Worship Service Sunday morning, do you? Charlie had lunch with 6 of the guys after that and asked what was their favorite part of the week. Two said praying with Ben was!!

After Charlie relayed this story to me, I told him that one of our specific prayer requests Friday was for them to finish strong. I think God answered that one in a BIG WAY!!!!

Charlie wanted to send another shout out to Kellee – our resident nurse. They thought there was a medical issue that thankfully turned out to not be a major issue (her Mom knows all about it by the way) and Charlie said it is so nice to have someone there that can check things out and who can speak the medical lingo that only medical people can. Praise God there have no major injuries or sicknesses!!!

Let’s pray them all the way home!! (Like you guys aren’talready praying like crazy for them to get home safely….. ) The schedule you have says they should be home around 8:00 but IF they make as good time coming home as they did going, they should be home sometime between 4-6. They are going to have your little darlings call you when they get to Nashville so you will have about a 2 1/2 hour window to rearrange your schedule to pick them up.

In Him,
Lisa

PS – I need to clear up a little confusion. I am NOT on the trip. I am sitting here in Knoxville sleeping in my own bed and NOT on a bus for days like they are. Charlie and Shep call me everyday and tell me what is going on and I write it up and send it out to you. My work schedule doesn’t allow me to go on the summer trips so my job is the email updates.

Aren’t you glad I’m not sending out any more email updates? This one HAD to be sent.

Today when Paula gave the invitation at VBS, 12 of the kids raised their eyes to her that they had asked Jesus into their hearts!!! Isn’t that awesome!!!! 12 more precious children who will be spending eternity with Jesus!!! Paula had the opportunity to talk to 6 of them herself afterwards and your little darlings talked to the others. THAT is why they did what they did this week!!

Speaking of Paula, I want to take this time to give a shout out to her. Paula (aka Sunny Beam for obvious reasons to anyone who knows her) has been the driving force behind VBS all week. Not only the planning before the trip but the execution during the trip. She has worked tirelessly AND has loved on your students well. She is a blessing to me personally, to everyone on the team and to our ministry as a whole. I’m not sure what Shep would do without her and I promise you, he just said AMEN! When he read that. So dear Sunny Beam, YOU ROCK!!!!!

They are on their way to CRAVE for worship and sharing then back to the Church to clean and pack.

Pray for a good evening and for safe travel tomorrow!!

In Him,
Lisa

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!

THE FLOOR REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY IS FINISHED!!!

Kudos to Charlie’s Angels and Tiffany’s Toddler with a special shout-out to Alexis, Tyler, Forrest, Nick, Paul, Shep and Tiffany who worked until 7:30 last night putting the final coat of sealer on the floor so the ceiling could be painted today. This floor is at the Crave Ministries building and our team is going to be there tonight and Crave is going to lead in worship. It should be an awesome evening!!

Now back to our regularly scheduled email…

Good morning all!! It is another beautiful day in Landers, Wyoming!! Charlie said that the week has just FLOWN by but it has been great. The Lord has been so gracious!! The weather has been perfect. No major injuries. No major drawn-out drama (which is HUGE in itself) No sickness. I’m thinking that the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords gets the crown today…… As He does EVERY day and will forever and ever and ever!!! AMEN!!

All of the construction projects will be finished up today. Jake’s Juniors will be finishing the roof today. There is a jack hammer showing up today and Charlie wasn’t sure what is was for exactly but jack hammer, concrete and male types can only mean fun (or trouble ) Speaking of male types, I want to give shot out to Uncle Mike (Johnson) and Chris Busby. These two men do not have any kids in the youth group yet for the last 4 or 5 or 6 years, they have given up a week of their summer to come on EVERY summer mission trip we taken. They love Jesus and they love your little darlings. They have done some mighty tricky construction projects over the years and I’m not sure what we would have done without them. Uncle Mike and Chris,

The rest of the construction people will be working at the school. God has gifted some of your little darlings with artistic talent. They free handed some murals at the school and Charlie said they are amazing!! He will be putting up some pics tonight. The ladies at the school are still just overwhelmed by everything that has been done this week. It was a blessing for us too because we would have run out of work early in the week without the school project. God gets 150% of the credit! This wasn’t something that was planned by Charlie or the people at the school. It was TOTALLY orchestrated by God!! How cool that your little darlings get to be part of something that is SO much bigger than them and realize it!! He really does have a plan and He really does let us participate in it!!!!!!

The special project is finished!!

It says “JESUS IS COMING SOON!”. Let me put this in perspective for you. Each letter is between 10-12 feet tall. There are over 1500 rocks in this and some of the rocks are the size of a computer monitor. Yeah. Look at your monitor and let that sink in for just a moment. I don’t have a clue how they kept the letters straight!!!! Shirley is beyond thrilled!! As I said in an earlier email, this was her husband’s dream that he never saw fulfilled on this side of eternity. Well, it is fulfilled now. Kudos to everyone who helped!!

I need to say something about a group that has really been storing up rewards in heaven this week and that is the VBS group. Roofing and painting and that type of work produces something tangible that we can see with our eyes and therefore it seems more important for some reason and we can take pictures to look at. But the roof will eventually need to be replaced and the walls repainted but the love that is being poured into the kids that are coming to VBS will last forever. There are no words to express how well these precious Indian children are being loved by your little darlings!!!!! We can’t take a picture of what is going on in the hearts and souls of these little ones but we know seeds are being planted. A lot of the kids who come are DESPARATE for a meaningful touch and love and attention and they are soooooo getting it this week. Our students and leaders are not only working as physically hard as the construction guys – carrying kids around and playing hard in the sun – but they are also pouring out emotionally into these kids. They HAVE to be exhausted yet they keep on keeping on in the strength of their Jesus and are Him to these kids. I don’t have an award big enough to give them but I know One Who does have an award waiting for them….. Great job VBS workers!!!!!!

The amazing cooks grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for supper (they didn’t burn anything!!) and baked AND iced over 200 cupcakes!!! I’m thinking all four of them deserve a nice massage when they get home. Spouse’s – that is a HINT!! Tonight they are preparing Italian chicken, green beans and I don’t remember what else Charlie said. Your little darlings have been eating well. Cooks, you are ‘

Two awards given out last night went to Gage (aka Soupy) for being willing to do anything and always asking if there was anything else that needed done and to Abby Mason who single-handedly (is that a word?) how to organize the drink cups for VBS so they didn’t have to have a new one every time someone needed a drink. I wish that we had time and the space to give a shout out to each and every person who went on the trip. EVERYONE has a story of something extraordinary they did and they ALL contributed and served and each one is special in his or her own way. I know Jesus is saying to EACH of them, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” I know you will hear your little darling’s personal story and it will be encouraging.

Tonight after worship at Crave, they will go back to the church to clean and pack. The plan is to leave in the morning at 7:30 and head to Yellow Stone for the day. Sunday, they are going to go to Church in Jackson then spend the afternoon hiking, shopping and just hanging out. They have a surprise Sunday night for the kids. Monday they head back home and should be here sometime Tuesday afternoon. They will be getting their cell phones back when they get on the road Monday so you will be able to keep up with their progress.

This is the last of the updates. I will send out a quick email letting you know when they arrive to their various destinations. They may be putting up more pics in the evenings so keep checking HERE . You can also keep checking this blog for video updates. Thank you Jonathan Carone for the videos each day and to Charlie for uploading the pictures. They are both doing this on top of working and loving on YOUR kids all day. Thank you also Charlie and Chris for taking the time to call and give me the updates each day.

Thank you Cathi Domingue for heading up the prayer and for all you parents for your kind words.

THANK YOU FATHER FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL GROUP OF STUDENTS AND LEADERS AND FOR AN AWESOME WEEK!!!!

Please continue to pray for safety and also that they will finish well and they will finish strong. Uncle Mike and Chris will start back to Knoxville this afternoon so pray for traveling safety for them.

In Him,
Lisa

Good morning everyone!! All is well in Wyoming!!! They are up and ready to go!! Charlie was anticipating a really good nights sleep last night because he convinced all of his freshman guys to sleep outside. Jonathan moved in his room so it was just going to be the two of them. (You will see Charlie talking about this at the end of the newest video which is HERE . (I hope it works this time!!) Anyhoo, it ended up being Charlie, Jonathan and the freight train that roared through ever so often. Funny thing, the freight came through when Jonathan was sleeping on his back…….

Charlie told me not to laugh, but the main floor is finished. Needless to say, I laughed. They have just a little to finish up in the alcove. It was really tedious work to finished the main room and “give him girls over guys anyday!” There were a group of four – Kit, Alexis, Alex and Chelsey- that stayed and persevered. They are now known as Charlie’s Angels. Charlie’s Angels were going back today to finish the alcove and Tiffany’s Toddlers – Victoria, Carter, Delaney and Taylor – were all going to paint the floor. It has to be finished today because they are worshipping there tomorrow night. I think they can do it!!

The roof should be finished today. They probably could have finished yesterday if they had worked till 5:00 or 6:00 but leadership decided they needed a break so they quit around 2:00 so they could go swimming and cool off. I’d say that was a well-deserved treat.

The secret project is almost finished. After the senior and freshman girls were through painting, they realized a few things needed to be rearranged. Can’t wait till you see a picture!!

The video also shows the work they did at the school yesterday busting out walls. They got that all cleaned up and got the second coat of paint on the outside. I thought they were painting the inside of the school all this time but it has been the outside. Kim, the school administrator, is so grateful and in such awe of how much work has been done. It is a small town and the school is starting with only around 15 families and although the work wasn’t hard, there was just a lot of it. They had been in a panic because they didn’t see how they were going to get everything done before August. Charlie asked her if there was anything else we could do because frankly, we needed places for students to work. So tomorrow, all of the construction and painting crews are going over there to paint the entire inside of the school. What a blessing your darlings are to Lander, Wyoming!!!

VBS has exploded!!!!! They had 78 kids yesterday!!! Remember, they had 10-15 kids coming 4 years ago. The students working with them HAVE to have sore necks and backs from carrying and loving on those kids. They had a team meeting yesterday morning after Heather’s talk and I don’t know what they said but WOW! They were doing a GREAT job loving on the kids before but now, they are even MORE engaged!! I know Jesus is smiling as He watches them…..

There have been storms in the distance every day that haven’t hit where they are but yesterday the weatherman talked about the “impending havoc” so they decided they had better get the kids in the buses but it never did rain. Your little darlings adapted beautifully to the new arrangement and they even had a blast playing with the kids on the bus!! Yay them!!

They went to a pow-wow last night. They were originally going to go on Thursday night but there was a change of plans. Our cooks showed why they get to keep their crowns all week. When Charlie called to let them know that they would be eating earlier than originally planned, Patti told him not to worry, that it was already ready. Everyone had a great time at the pow-wow!! Ours wasn’t the only group there and at the end, they invite everyone to dance and the Indians pick 5 winners. Kudos to Nick Rokisky and Chandler Guzman for making the cut.

One of the students had $75 stolen at the pool yesterday. At the group meeting after the pow-wow last night, Shep told everyone about it and pointed out that if everyone gave this student $1, it would all be replaced. Well, he received more than $75 back!! He is going to give the excess to Crave Ministries because he didn’t feel right getting more money back than what was stolen. Doesn’t that just make your heart smile? What Satan intended for evil……. Go GOD!!!

King for the day has to go to Shep (aka Chris Jessen). He loves and leads your students (and their leaders) SO WELL!!! He is a mixture of great fun, wisdom, humility, courage, love, and conviction. He isn’t afraid to say the hard things but does it in such a way that you never feel condemned or belittled but encouraged. He also isn’t hesitant to admit when he makes a mistake. I could go on and on but I won’t. So Shep, you are our king today.

Continue to pray for health and safety. Pray that Jesus continues to shine through everyone who is there. Charlie says to keep praying whatever you have been praying because everything has been going so good!! Don’t forget to pray at 7:30!!

For new pictures, click HERE.

In Him,
Lisa

Good morning all!! I hope you are sleeping as well as your little darlings are!! Charlie said that as far as he can tell, everyone is pretty much in bed by 11:00. Plenty of rest means everyone stays healthy and happy!! Have you noticed in the pictures the guys who are sleeping outside? Love it!!

Yesterday was another great day!! Everyone is working hard and not complaining and just being awesome!! Be proud parents. Be very proud. I know I say this every year but I wish you guys could hear Charlie when he gives me the daily updates. He is so pumped and just so excited about what all is going on and how great the kids are. There is no way that I can relay it to you with the same emotion. Speaking of Charlie, I don’t know how many of you know this, but he is the CEO of the summer mission trips. He does the majority of the planning and coordinating before the trip and is the one who trouble-shoots during the trip. He stays up at night to upload the pictures for you guys. He takes time out to call me everyday to relay the information I post in the daily email. He loves your students well. So Charlie, you are our king today .

Yesterday was a much cooler day. Ok. Not that much cooler. The temperature was around 80 and it was overcast. A shower came through which slowed down the roofers but nothing they can’t overcome. The painters finished the first coat of paint for the school but the flooring crew didn’t quite finish today. Apparently the slow down is the cutting guy (aka our king for the day). He said the students are putting it down faster than he can cut it!! The only problem with this number of students is keeping them all busy! They WANT to work. How crazy is that?!?! Charlie said they are being really good about understanding that sometimes there just isn’t anything to do at that moment and they come back a little later to see if there is something then. Who knows? Maybe they will actually come home with that attitude? “Mom, do you have anything you need me to do?” “Dad, can I mow the lawn?” It could happen…….

There were over 60 kids at VBS today!!! They had a WONDERFUL time!! Charlie said the guys had to have sore necks and backs from carrying the kids around all day and being human climbing toys. Don’t you know those kids felt loved!!!! Oh the seeds they are planting!!!!

The guys finished the first half of the secret project for Shirley. The freshman girls have Phase II to complete and it will be finished. Shirley is so excited! I can’t wait to see the finished project!!

The cooks grilled hot dogs for all the students and for kids camp and they were yummy!! Last night was chicken and macaroni. Yum! For a little more info on the life of the cooks, check this out:

“They cooked over 700 pancakes this morning on two (2) griddles on a regular kitchen stove for the little darlings who awoke at 8 am. Meal cleanup takes about an hour and a half and then it is on to the store for supplies for the next meal. There is no interim refrigeration or storage to allow larger volume purchases. The close-by little grocer has bread for $3.50 a loaf while Wal-Mart over 30 minutes away is $1.25. Patti Cloud has done an awesome job of planning the meals and the preparations needed. She could use some additional prayer to relax and rest at the end of very full days.”

They are doing this for YOUR little darlings and do it without complaining and with lots and lots of love. They get to keep their crowns all week………

Another parent who is serving this week is Kellee Cronan. She is the resident nurse along with Nicole and is coming in quite handy for smashed fingers and other minor cuts and scrapes. She gave up a week of her summer and rode that bus 30+ hours too. So Kellee, you are our queen today!!

Every night they are giving out awards for exceptional deeds or attitudes. Last night David Hoch received the “Donkey Award” because he worked like a donkey all day. (For you non-southern people, that is a good thing.) Anthony Weatherly won the “Most Enthusiastic Worker” award because he just has a great attitude and Sara Lewis won the “Lifesaver Award”. Apparently, she literally saved a little boy’s life yesterday. Some of the kids a VBS are just a little …… rambuncous. This little guy broke away from the group and took off running towards the busy and fast moving two lane highway that runs parallel to their site. Just as he was stepping onto the highway IN FRONT OF A CAR THAT WAS GOING ABOUT 50 MPH, Kelly grabbed him and pulled him out of the way. Our bus driver saw the whole incident and said he thought the child was going to be killed before she pulled him back. That, dear friends, is God’s grace.

They had another awesome evening of worship led by JP. That kid is gifted. Period. The young ladies who run Crave Ministries shared what life was like for them as Christians on an Indian Reservation and what life was like for the children who are coming to VBS. Heather, our liason with Crave, said it was lonely – very lonely. She had 12 of our team stand up and said, “That is our Church. That is how many menbers we have.” That was a real eye-opener. She pointed out how blessed we are that we have such a large community of believers to share life with. It isn’t easy being in ministry out there. They all have to work another job that actually pays money and then they spend their spare time pouring into the people on the Reservation. It is lonely and taxing. They are glad we are there and they crave REAL relationships with our team. She then described the lives of the children on the Reservation. Some of the kids who will show up would have gone to bed hungry and cried themselves to sleep. Some of the kids have parents who neglect them while they are out partying and they are virtually raising themselves. Others would have experienced sexual abuse within the last couple of weeks. That is why the children hang – literally – on your little darlings. They are DESPARATE for a hug. A loving touch. Someone to smile and talk to them. Satan has a hold there – a tight hold – with depression, alcoholism, sexual abuse, and hopelessness. They know that God can break that stronghold and pray that His love will shine though. Our team gathered around and prayed for the girls and it was just a sweet, sweet time.

Continue to pray for safety, unity, and for Jesus to shine through everyone!! With 100 people serving together, there are moments of mini-drama and potential relational junk. The leaders are addressing it quickly and so far, nothing has escalated into a huge thing. Shep said that the problems are a good thing in one way because the junk has to come to the surface so it can be burned off in the refiner’s fire. Great point! Don’t we all have “stuff” that needs to be burned out. Also pray for the young ladies who run Crave Ministries and that our team will minister to them and that real relationships will be forged. Don’t forget to pray at 7:30!!
One of our students who isn’t it Wyoming sent this to Cathi:

“Hi Cathi I’m a student who goes to fuel but I was unable to go to Wyoming because of scheduling conflicts but last night I had a dream that someone and not god was telling everyone in Wyoming that it was all about him and not about god and that it was all about them too. And I know their motto for the week is its not about me so I think today needs a lot of prayer to keep the enemy away from that reservation and to let god shine through those kids and leaders. Thanks for all you are doing,”

PLEASE continue to pray!!!

For more pictures, click HERE For video, click HERE

In Him,
Lisa

Here’s a little recap of Work Day #2 and a little bit from some hang out time after we were finished working.

We’ll get you another one tomorrow.

-Jonathan

Good afternoon everyone!!

Talked to Charlie Slagle this morning and all is well in Wyoming!! Everyone had a good nights sleep and ready to go again!!!

Yesterday was a great first day. The first day is always the roughest because they are super busy getting the details worked out and getting into a rhythm – kinda like an orchestra tuning up before the concert. Charlie did say this was the BEST first day they have ever had!!

The ministry they are working with is called Crave Ministries and they are located in Fort Washekie which is in the Wind River Indian Reservation. (Trivia – Fort Washekie was the only fort named after an American Indian. ) It is their building that is getting a new roof as well as a new floor and some other miscellaneous repair. Uncle Mike, Chris Busby and their crew did get the old roof off yesterday and were able to figure out what materials they needed to finish the job. Our enemy was on the prowl yesterday and the delivery truck broke down 1/2 mile from the site!!!! But “greater is He Who is in us” and Chris was able to fix their truck for them and the supplies were delivered. We have a big group going there today to roof and work on the floor. I am especially happy because Charlie is heading up the floor crew. For those of you who followed along in West Virginia, Charlie was in charge of a floor crew and their job got bigger everyday! Every time they thought they were finished, the owner added something else for them to do and I had a great time on my blog teasing them. For their sakes, I hope it is a more uneventful this year.

There is also a secret special project going on for the Shirley, one of the original founders of Crave Ministries. Her husband is with Jesus now but there was something he always wanted to do but never had the opportunity to finish. Stay tuned…..

The Vacation Bible School went great!! When our students went to Wyoming 4 years ago, there were 10 -15 kids that showed up everyday. Yesterday they had 44!!!!! They are expecting even more today because there was a big funeral yesterday that a lot of people from the community attended. Your students did a great job loving on those kids yesterday!!! We had an incident with one little guy, Carlos, but everything turned out fine. It is really, really hot there but it isn’t an oppressive heat so you don’t realize how hot you really are and how hard your body is working to keep cool. In other words, they HAVE to drink lots of water and Gatorade to keep from getting dehydrated. Carlos had been hanging – literally – on Chandler Guzman all day when all of a sudden, he just went limp. Thankfully, they have Nurse Nicole who immediately went into action and he is fine now. That should make a believer out of anyone who might not be drinking enough.

Speaking of Gatorade, our leaders are all over your little darlings to drink and they have lots of Gatorade and water available for them. Charlie took some guys yesterday to refill some 5- gallon jugs with Gatorade and one kinda spilled in the back of the rented Tahoe when they hit a bump. Oops! They got it all cleaned up though so no worries.

The painting crew busted it yesterday!!! Cornerstone Christian School in Lander had asked for our help. Let me back up a bit. Our team is staying at the Evangelical Free Church in the city of Lander. This is the same place they stayed four years ago and the people are just great!! Charlie had asked the Church if there was anything that we could do for them but they said no. However, several members of the Church are associated with Cornerstone and they asked – last Thursday – if we could help paint their school that they are trying to get open by August. Of course Charlie said yes and not surprisingly, your students stepped up and stepped up BIG!! The building use to be a dog grooming business and it still had a dog odor going on there. Your freshman and senior girls with the help of a couple of the senior guys first chloroxed the walls to kill the odor (and whatever else might be residing there) and the got the WHOLE school painted!!! They even had time to do some yard work and tidy the place up! The people from Cornerstone were just blown away!! The girls are going back today to paint the trim and then it will be finished and ready to open. Good job ya’ll!!! (And just kidding about the spray paint yesterday Paul… )

At the end of the day it was back to the Y for showers and a swim then to the Church for a “delicious spaghetti dinner”. Speaking of delicious meals, I want to give a special thanks to the cooks – Patti Cloud, Janise Wagner, Carol Pudelek and Steve Jackson – who gave up a week of their summer AND rode that bus 30+ hours in order to keep your little darlings well fed!! You four are our king/queens of the day!!

JP, Sam and Elizabeth led everyone in awesome worship then Shep (aka Chris Jessen) encouraged everyone to remember that it isn’t about them, it is about Jesus. Again, that is the theme this week that we are praying becomes part of everyone’s DNA by the time the week is over.

They are expecting thunder storms tonight and Paul said they are absolutely beautiful out there!! One student told him he was praying for wind. Check out something that came to Cathi yesterday from an intercessor:

“I keep hearing wind when I pray. Wyoming is a very windy place but wind also has spiritual significance. Praying for the wind of the Spirit to blow in powerfully!”

That’s the kinda stuff that gives you goose bumps!! Keep praying everyone!! Pray for protection, unity, and that they reflect Jesus in EVERYTHING they do!! You should be proud parents! Very, very proud!!

Charlie has pictures up at PICS and there is a video at VIDEO

Don’t forget to pray at 7:30 tonight!!

In Him,
Lisa

PS – I just got a text from Charlie saying the floor is finished. Here we go again……

Video:

Edit: Pictures later today. Post messed up this morning and we’ve gotta go.

Bye.