Laura Herr Photography

I’ve prayed about this trip for months.  Because I knew it would be the third week of three incredibly full and busy weeks away from home.  Secretly, I prepared myself for the worst, thinking our family especially would be exhausted at this point and that the goal would be to just get through it, as graciously as possible.  Friends, let me tell you, I had absolutely no idea the great things that God would do on our LeaderTreks Myrtle Beach Missions Trip and the goal of this post is to share as best I can, some of these great things.  So here goes…

First off, it’s about a 13 hour drive from Eastport to Myrtle Beach.  And considering we had just spent 9 hours driving home from camp a few days prior, well, that is a long time to be driving around in a church van.  However, the company was great, and the chicken was enormous so by the time we got to South Carolina, it really wasn’t so bad.

Friends had referred us to LeaderTreks which is an amazing organization that provides opportunities for domestic missions trips.  We chose South Carolina because it was one of the locations that was closest to us.  We had no idea what we were getting into, but let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing.  One thing that LeaderTreks provides in addition to giving opportunities to serve locally is this amazing leadership training.  From day one, our students were given these awesome opportunities to lead, and by the end of the week, every single one of them had grown in leadership.

Every morning after our devotion time, we went to serve at Ms. Paula’s house for our worksite.

Our goal for the week was to serve her and her family by painting her kids’ rooms.

We had some great opportunities to clean as well.

And we also had teams working on some outdoor projects.  We spent our mornings working at Ms. Paula’s and I’m so proud of all that we were able to accomplish there.

Shoutout to this sweet girl.  Clearly, she wasn’t a fan of getting pictures taken during the missions trip, but that’s okay.  She stepped up in the most wonderful ways and I was so proud of her that I mostly didn’t mind when she didn’t want to smile for the camera.

In the afternoons, we had the opportunity to team up with some of the local ministries in Myrtle Beach.  To be honest, I never thought of Myrtle Beach as an area that would be terribly needy, but outside of the tourist areas, there were lots of opportunities to love and serve in this community.

One big way was teaming up with a local food bank that was doing a community food distribution.  We helped to package up vegetables for the families in need and it was an awesome, but daunting task.  Also, if you look in the background, there was an endless line of cars ready to receive the food that was being given away.

This sweet girl and I sat and picked through all of the bad carrots to salvage the useable ones.  It was a humbling experience but full of joy in knowing this was one small way we could serve the families in need.

On Wednesday, we got to go back to the Food Bank and help sort through donated food items that would be stored in their warehouse.

This was a hot task (there wasn’t A/C in the warehouse) but I was so proud of our students who did it all without complaining.

It was fascinating to see all of the food that was donated.  The Food Bank was connected with area grocery stores who would give them boxes of items that were about to expire and they in turn were able to hand them out to those who were in need in their community.  Volunteering with this organization was a great and eye opening opportunity.

When we weren’t spending time serving the community, our team was helping to serve each other.  Every day our students would work together to do meal prep, cooking and clean up.

We had about an hour each day of “free time” and quite a few in our group used this time to go and play volleyball down at the beach.

On Thursday we went to a Community Kitchen that serviced the “working poor” of Myrtle Beach and we handed out Hygiene Kits to those in need.

Our students were able to share God’s love in this small act of kindness and it was a great opportunity to serve.

In addition to the service projects, we had an incredible time each night to get together and learn more about each other and the Bible during our Group time.  Our LeaderTreks leaders were Alyssa and Laura and they did an incredible job leading and encouraging our team all throughout the week.  We could not be more thankful for them.

A favorite highlight I think for everyone, was the act of sharing Encouragement beads with each other.  Every team member had the opportunity to share one bead per day with another team member.  With the bead, they shared ways that they saw that person lead or serve or take risks or show compassion.  It was probably my favorite part of each day.

By Friday, we had accomplished much of what we came to do.

Our team took time to write notes of encouragement to Ms. Paula’s family.

And I’m proud to share that both rooms were painted and finished beautifully.

Friday afternoon, we enjoyed some time down by the Boardwalk.

We also finished our evening with a Talent show that brought many laughs and was the perfect way to end our trip together.

I’m proud to share that personally, our own family thrived in so many ways.  Our kids had incredible opportunities to lead and to learn and to grow closer to Jesus and Jeremy and I felt a strengthening in our own ministry with the teens as well.

I’ve spent the past years telling parents that they need to send their kids to camp (because it’s amazing and I’ll continue to share that message).  However, after our experience with LeaderTreks, I’ll also add that if you want your teen to grow in leadership and be challenged outside of their comfort zone, you HAVE to send them on a LeaderTreks missions trip.  The knowledge and opportunities that we gained were incredible.  Our team bonded in beautiful ways and we are so thankful for the many great things that God did in and through us as we served.

A huge thank you to Eastport Bible Church and everyone that helped to support our team both in prayers and finances.  God worked in mighty ways and we are so thankful for you helping us!

VBS Kids Camp 2019 is coming to Eastport Bible Church in just two weeks.  It will go from 9:00 am-12:00 noon, Monday, August 5th through Friday August 9th, with a special picnic lunch following our program on Friday.  VBS Kids Camp is FREE and for kids who are going into Kindergarten through 7th Grade and we would absolutely love to have your child join us for this incredible week.

Let’s be honest… the summer days can seem long.  But VBS Kids Camp is the best way to give your child something to do where they will connect with others and enjoy some awesome activities.  We even have a special opportunity for our 6th and 7th graders to go and enjoy some amazing pool time all throughout the week.

VBS Kids Camp will give your child the opportunity to have fun while learning about God and so many other great things.  Our theme this year is ROAR! and we are looking forward to learning that life is wild, and God is good.

At Eastport Bible Church, we believe that kids are amazing and we want to do all we can to help them be incredible.

We also provide an incredible opportunity for teens to get the chance to help out while serving all throughout the week.

Your child will enjoy fun games and a Bible time

As well as fun crafts and a snack time too!

One of my favorite parts of the week is that we give our students the opportunity to bring in their change (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters) to create help and positive change for children at the Paradise Orphanage in Burkina Faso.

Last year our students collected over $2,000 to help others and they also got to see Jules get slimed in honor of their hard work in collecting change.

One of the best things you can do for your child this summer is connect them to something greater than themselves and VBS Kids Camp at Eastport Bible Church helps to do just that!  Registration is easy and open and you can find out all you need to know HERE.  It would help us greatly with our planning if you can register as soon as possible so we can prepare properly.

Please feel free to share this with anyone who has a child going into Kindergarten through 7th Grade this Fall.  We are looking forward to an incredible week of VBS Kids Camp and we would love to have everyone join us!

About a week ago, we were stuck in the Dallas airport and told that we wouldn’t be able to fly home to Long Island till Monday evening.  It was a kind of devastating situation because we needed to get home Sunday morning so that we could drive our students six and a half hours up to Houghton College for NTS Camp.  Let me tell you, God worked some pretty awesome things out and after two cancelled flights, an unexpected hotel stay, and literally finding a bus driver while we were thousands of feet in the air, we were able to finally fly back to LaGuardia Sunday afternoon and meet our students and leaders at the airport to then drive them up to camp.  God knew we needed to be at NTS Camp and so many experiences throughout the week would confirm this very fact.

What follows, are many glimpses from our week.  Normally, I don’t actually bring my nice camera to camp, but thanks to the fact that we never went home to drop off our stuff, I had it with me.  I didn’t capture everything, but I did manage to get enough.  If you’re not a fan of seeing teens have fun while their lives are being changed in the most positive of ways, this post is not for you.  Also, it’s going to be a bit random… truth be told it’s 2:00am and my schedule’s a little off since we got home at 2:00am last night thanks to traffic in the city.  And another reason I’m rushing to get this post up is that we are heading out in about 27 hours for a missions trip and I’ve learned if I don’t do things right away they never will get done.  So here goes, in no particular order, pictures and words to try to sum up the most amazing week of camp thus far.

Christian’s jersey was a reminder that we got to see our awesome Arizona family and it was so good.  He washed it in the hotel and proudly wore it on our first day.

This would be Jeff Eckart, the founder of NTS Camp and our speaker for the week.  I had a few times to talk with him and I could not be more impressed by his love and passion for teens and connecting them to Jesus.  I walked about from those conversations changed and with a renewed passion to continue to serve Jesus by working with teens.

These boys took first place in the Volleyball open rec competition and despite their serious faces, they were all pretty happy about it.

We were extra excited about our incoming 7th graders (two pictured here).  They are the future of our youth group and we loved introducing them to their first year of camp.

If you are a Youth Leader or Pastor and you’re looking for a fun camp that will entertain and teach your students while supporting and loving you, then NTS is the place you need to go.  They always do an incredible job of ministering to us as well as our teens.

This girl.  She’s my heart.  And I did my best to give her space this week to have her own authentic experience and overall she was amazing.

For quite a few years now, we’ve been on the Blue Team.  And we think it’s the best.  And this year, it literally was.

Each day our students had time to spend alone with God.  They read a devotion that tied in with the Bible and had time to pray as well.

Team Comps are always a fun time of organized fun and face paint.

Fun fact.  Another Open Rec competition was something like archery meets dodgeball and these amazing boys took second place.

Jeremy, Christian and our friend Marc played in the 3 on 3 competition.

It wasn’t easy.  Because it felt like it was 100 degrees in the gym and the boys played four or five games to make it to the championship round.

Which they won.  And we were so proud of them.

Every day our students have a lesson time where they learn more about the Bible as well as Academy courses on topics of interest to teens.

It was really cool to hear throughout the week about the things that they had learned, which is what we heard during our small group time.  We also played some exciting  editions of “Heads Up, 7 Up.”

We had a great team in the Soccer Open Rec competition.

These kids also took first place.

By far, the best and most important thing we did every day, was to gather together in the evening to praise and worship God.

NTS does an incredible job of creating the most wonderful and worshipful environment for our students and leaders.  Many nights, the music brought tears to my eyes as the experience of being surrounded by so many believers who were praising God was just such a powerful thing.

Small Group time was also a really important time of camp.  Each student was in a group of their peers and had the chance to share their hearts and stories.

During camp, there is a Talent show and this year’s did not disappoint.

By far the best part of camp was just having so many opportunities to connect and encourage.

And also the choreographed dancing.

I’m super proud of that man to the left.  His love for serving teens and Jesus has continued to amaze me, year after year after year.  The man to the right is pretty awesome as well.  His name is Kyle Wood and he led all of our team competitions.

On the last day, we performed our team cheer, which was basically equivalent to a miniature Broadway production.

And while that’s a slight exaggeration, it really was quite spectacular.

All in all.

The week was just outstanding.  I have prayed for months and months for this camp and for these students.  And God literally met and exceeded all of the expectations that I had going into this week.

We saw lives changed, and given over to God.  We saw students commit to wanting to serve in ministry while others initiated a commitment to praying together each day for their schools.

On our last day, we took communion together and gave our students the opportunity to do as Jesus did and wash each other’s feet.

And while I’m sure many of these things don’t make much sense if you weren’t there, trust me when I say it was a beautiful and powerful time.

And wouldn’t you know, for the first time in a LONG time, our Blue Team took home the Team Comp trophy.  All of those competitions and group games really paid off and it was a pretty awesome time to celebrate the hard work of all of these kids.

A huge thanks to our amazing team of leaders and pastors.  We loved teaming up with you all and look forward to defending our title with you next year.

And finally, thank you to everyone who prayed for this week.  I can tell you for fact, that these kids did not go home the same as they were when they came to camp.  God worked some beautiful and wonderful things in their hearts and we could not be more thankful for how incredible our week at Never the Same Camp 2019 was.

We rushed to get to the airport so we wouldn’t miss our flight.  Because tomorrow morning, Jeremy and I were supposed to drive 30 teens and leaders six and a half hours up to camp in the church bus and van.

So we rushed to the airport only to learn while sitting at our gate that our flight had been cancelled.  Jeremy quickly jumped in line.  But it still took a half hour to talk to an airline rep and then he was sent to another line at customer service.  Thankfully, he had the insight to have Christian run down and get a place in line.  After another hour there, we had tickets to fly into Philly and get home after midnight.  But wouldn’t you know that flight got cancelled too.

I’m not gonna lie.  I cried.  And then I threw a little fit when five people in wheelchairs cut the line of us and literally hundreds of people.  Not my proudest moment.  But when we realized there was literally nothing we could do to get back to Long Island, we realized we had a choice.  And we took our lemons and made lemonade, because as my friend told me, that is just what we do.

So when the airline wheeled out a cart of snacks for those in line, Jeremy and the kids literally took as many as they could and started passing them out to people who were waiting (and probably would be for hours).  As a family, we looked out for each other and prayed together and did all we could to help each other through this challenging day.  And thankfully tonight, we’ll get a good night’s sleep and fly out tomorrow morning and just have to start our camp journey a bit later than we had planned.

Life is totally going to hand you lemons.  And most times, there will be nothing you can do about it.  But after you wipe away your tears and pray for a little grace, you’ll be amazed at the blessings that can come, even when it seems impossible.   Heading to bed now friends…  and if you think about it and could, please pray we’ll get to get home tomorrow safe and sound and then up to camp with our amazing teens.

Tomorrow is finally our last day of school which means that summer will finally feel like it’s really here.  Unlike our friends in the south and pretty much anywhere but New York, our kids finish school pretty much at the end of June.  But we’ll take it and the end of school officially means the beginning of our Summer Youth Group.

Starting July 24th we will be down at the beach every Wednesday from 6:00-8:30pm with drop off and pick up are at the church.

We actually started EBCYG at the Beach early this year and three weeks ago enjoyed a beautiful evening with our amazing students.

Every week, we hang out and play some games and then at the end gather together for a Bible lesson and small groups.  It’s a great way to enjoy our beautiful island while getting to hang out with some pretty awesome teens.

Last week, however, the weather DID NOT cooperate and we decided to meet up at the church instead.

We played a few intense games of Underground Church and had a great time despite the unfavorable weather.

We met up on Tuesday of this week, due to a schedule conflict at the church.  And again when we were faced with bad beach weather, we modified with some worship and a lesson time at the church first.

And then we drove out to Snowflake Ice-cream in Riverhead.

We had a great group of teens with us.

As well as some amazing, recently graduated and going into Seventh Graders.

The ice-cream was great, and the friends even better!  And it was a great way to end our the beginning of our Summer of Youth Group.

We will actually be off from EBCYG at the Beach for the next three weeks, but all for good reasons.  One of the main ones, is that we are leaving with a group of teens for NTS Camp July 7th-11th.

NTS Camp is literally the greatest camp I have ever been a part of.  And every year, I tell many parents, you HAVE to send your teen to this camp.  NTS stands for “Never the Same” and I’ve seen teens leave this camp with hearts that were changed by Jesus and it is so incredible.

All of the students that attend NTS Camp are pretty much busy from morning to night and they all have an incredible time.  If you have a teen, going into 7th through 12th grade, you need to send them to camp with us because it just might change their lives.

I write all this to share an update on how our summer of Youth Ministry will go.  Again, we will be off for the next three weeks, with an incredible week of camp scheduled for the second week of July (and our missions trip to follow).

If you could, would you please be praying for our students, especially as we get ready to head off to camp?  And if you’re connected with our church or community, I also wanted to share that we have a few students who are in need of camp scholarships.  They are excited and ready for camp, but need financial support.  If you are reading this and have a heart to help teens, we would love if you were able to help sponsor one of our incredible students.  You can do this by reaching out to me through Facebook or lauraherr8@gmail.com or by contacting our church (www.eastportbiblechurch.com).  Again, NTS Camp is truly life changing and we would love to have you partner up with us as we continue to love and encourage our teens to love and serve Jesus.