Roanoke Mission Trip, July 6-9th

On July 6, eleven of us from Trinity Lutheran Church left the parking lot to embark on a Mission Trip in Roanoke.  The participants were: Pastor Brian, Jamie Masser, Lillie Morgan, Judy Rodichok, John Rodichok, Micah Ulicny, Alex Morgan, Elijah Morgan, Samantha Masser, Ayden Rodichok, and James Malek.  

We arrived safe and sound in the afternoon to Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Roanoke, and set up our sleeping bags and begun our orientation.  That night, we were sorted into work groups with at least five other people, and were given an assignment.  All of us were working in some capacity at a residence in the Roanoke Area, doing things like sanding, painting, hanging a door, and repairing a handicap ramp, among other activities.  Pastor Brian's group, for example, was given the task of stripping and repainting the exterior of a man's home in the southern section of Roanoke.  He was a man who had significant mobility problems due to a back surgery gone awry three years prior.  He showed extreme gratitude for the presence of these people from all across the country.  In all, there were 39 congregations represented from many denominations, over 400 participants in all, from 25 out of 50 states in our country.  

Each Day, we would begin with worship, go to our work sites, work until 4 (breaking in the middle for lunch and devotions), and return to the school for dinner and evening worship. Worship as a group always ended with closing devotions in our church groups, in our case led by Pastor Brian.  We shared stories and talked about how our faith was active during this weekend.  Most of us found ourselves making close connections with our work groups, expressed partly by the sharing of "care cards" written from one person to another, given to the individual as we all departed back home.  

Roanoke is truly a beautiful city surrounded by rolling hills.  There's even a "Valley View" Shopping Mall there!  But most importantly, we learned about God's love for us and how God encourages us to serve others.  

We are already talking about what we will do next year.  Please join us!