August 2 From Zac: As Day One comes to a close here at the DOOR mission in Denver, ALL of the participants have begun to learn things about themselves in more ways than one. But the grace of God surrounds us. First, let’s recap some of the travel obstacles and graces we encountered on the way here.

The group left the church promptly at 7:15AM on Saturday morning. We had agreed to stop separately to even out the time we spent off the road. Everything went smoothly through Omaha, NE, however, the van carrying the bulk of the group broke down about halfway through Nebraska in a small town. Other groups were either too far ahead or on a different route, so the group needed to Taxi to the next town, get rental cars, and march onward…no Bible reference there, or anything! Hehe ;-). As other groups arrived in Loveland, CO to stay at Mountain View Presbyterian Church for the night, they readied the sleeping space and welcomed the rest of the group at around 2AM when they arrived—behind schedule but alive, well, and safe.

On Sunday morning, we woke up and joined MVPC for their 9AM contemporary service—which was wonderful! We then headed out, drove through the mountains/forest area west of Loveland before heading down Highway 36 through Boulder to Denver. We were early and had some downtime to kill, so groups ventured into the city for some food and supplies. Sunday, groups were orientated and sleeping situations were situated.

Monday, everyone arose bright and early for breakfast and then headed out to their organization/job sites. We all had differing experiences; some worked on an organic farm, others at a food bank, and some were able to get a downtown tour of Denver and the Capitol. After our work, we came back for supper, personal reflection, and a wonderful presentation from the Gathering Place, a women-and-children-only day shelter in Denver. Afterward, our own group as a whole had a little worship and quite reflection time. We focused in on Psalm 121 and Matthew 6: 25-34. I invite you to read these two passages and reflect on them. We ALL, as a group who have faced some very tough physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual challenges thus far, completely needed these passages tonight. Let’s touch on what I’m getting at here.

As a church, I cannot remember taking a mission trip that has been this expansive as far as I can remember. I can’t even remember anyone talking about one this large before! That means, we are facing a tough, new challenge. One that we can handle, but one that we have not had to handle before. One that leaves us a bit clueless at times. One that leaves us…vulnerable. Vulnerable to the rollercoaster emotions of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Vulnerable to the new, intimidating, and sometimes frightening environment. Before tonight, we were using each other to vent (not always a bad thing to share similar emotions) and get out our frustrations that we were having, but we were not engaging each other in Christ as a whole group—we did not realize that we had “left Jesus at home” so-to-speak. The passages above were His Almighty plane ticket to Denver to be with us. As we continue to get acclimated to this new space—with new faces, raw emotions, and an unending cry for help—please remember us and keep us in your prayers. This mission is not just about helping others here while we are in Denver, it is truly also about bringing new spiritual gifts home to Blue Earth, Minnesota—to the First Presbyterian Church and the community—to grow in Christ together—both the group that was able to go on the mission, and the rest of those who did not.

May God Bless You and Keep You,

Zac