Despite warnings of an all-day rainstorm, the weather just BARELY cooperated for us! The John Ball Zoo was fantastic fun (though it was a bit rainy… and too short! ). And the carnival was a smashing success for UCOM and our team! Though most of our pictures for the day were from the Zoo because we were SO busy setting up, running, and cleaning up a carnival, there will be more coming in the video we will put out later this year!

Weather-permitting, the group is spending part of the day on Wednesday at the John Ball Zoo, one of the “can’t miss” spots in the Grand Rapids area! Home to over 2000 animals, John Ball Zoo offers an awe-inspiring experience for visitors of all ages. If you are ever in the area, be sure to check it out! More info at https://jbzoo.org/

Yep, you read that right — today, the plan is for our team to volunteer at the UCOM Community Carnival… and we are hoping it happens, because we are looking at a pretty rainy forecast! Please be praying that we can make this happen for the community here!

If the weather cooperates, we will be having a community carnival in UCOM’s parking lot with free games, raffle tickets & prizes! Participants can come out and meet community organizations and connect to community resources! Fingers crossed, be watching for updates!

Today was another hot one, but the teams did amazing work as always! Whether they were weeding the community gardens at UCOM, planting flowers, painting the hallways of our host church, or a million other tasks that need to be done, everyone stayed positive and focused on helping the community. We had THREE special things that happened today:

— We celebrated a birthday for one of our newest members! Happy 15th! (We went out for ice cream… thanks to the Webb family for sponsoring our ice cream outing!)

— We had an authentic Mexican lunch prepared by a UCOM volunteer and had a chance to meet all the UCOM staff and volunteers to see how many hands and feet it takes to run this fantastic community organization!

— Our very own Pastor Jill Terpstra joined us for a few days of fun and serving side-by-side!

Be watching for more, coming soon!

While we are serving mostly in Wyoming, Michigan, we are staying in another church home: Plymouth UCC, about 15 minutes from UCOM! Plymouth UCC is living out their mission statement every day: “We are an inclusive and welcoming community that practices Jesus’ radical love and affirmation. In worshipful response to God’s transformative work in our lives, we pursue the liberation of all people from injustice and oppression.”

In addition to providing sleeping space, a kitchen and hot showers, the people of Plymouth UCC are making breakfast for us each morning and providing one of our work teams with projects each day. We are so thankful for their gracious hospitality! Check it out at https://plymouthchurchgr.org/

Many more to come! Teams did work at both UCOM and at our host church… keep watching here for more information about both organizations!

Not only did we have a lunch stop in beautiful Saugatuck, but some of the kids got to play in a playground! From the moment we processed out of the sanctuary to getting to work this morning, much fun has already been had! Keep watching for more as the teams wrap up day one of work!

This week, the fantastic folks at UCOM have coordinated all of our serving projects! It is thanks to them that we aren’t just twiddling our thumbs down here! United Church Outreach Ministry (UCOM) is a community-focused organization dedicated to empowering individuals and families in our neighborhood. Through a variety of programs and services, UCOM aims to promote health, wellness, and self-sufficiency. Their mission is to build a stronger, healthier community by providing access to nutritious food, educational opportunities, and vital resources. See https://ucomgr.org/ for much more!

You can also check out https://www.youtube.com/@UCOMgr/videos for videos and some media coverage of this fantastic organization!

We have arrived in Michigan, safe and sound! Many more updates to come, but want to give a special thanks to our beloved First Church of Lombard for the lovely prayer and send-off this morning!

While First Church of Lombard’s Youth Community is blessed to be staying here in the Wyoming, Michigan area, we also want to acknowledge that we are staying on the native lands of the Odawa and Peoria peoples. Learn more about the all the Native tribes in our area at https://native-land.ca/