Heartland SERVE June 2011
Dear Heartland SERVant, Welcome to the Heartland SERVE Project! Our Heartland SERVE host team is looking forward to “Shalom: Peace No Matter What,” sharing our hearts together with you during the week of
July 23-30, 2011. We have an exciting week planned! We pray and trust that God will do more than we could ever expect or imagine and that you experience God changing lives forever!
Registration will take place at the Lakeside High School in Downs, KS. Since most of you will be arriving from the north, we would recommend that you travel Interstate 80 to the Grand Island, NE exit, and proceed south on Highway 281, which merges into Highway 181 at the Kansas border. Once you arrive at the intersection of 181 and 24 at Downs, the high school is directly in front of you. Our “welcome” mat and sign will be out for you! We would like to know your travel plans as soon as possible and how many vehicles you plan on bringing and whether they can be used for the week. Please call or email to inform us of your itinerary. Contacts regarding the above, or any questions you may have, can be made with the following host team members:
Don & Jan Koops (785) 346-2661 5eagle@ruraltel.net
We are excited to have around 55 participants for our sixth SERVE project here in the geographic center of the continental U.S. Individuals and groups are coming from Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, and the province of Ontario, Canada. Participants will be housed in the high school for the week and travel to sites in Downs and the neighboring communities of Osborne, Glen Elder, and Cawker City. The sleeping areas in the high school are air-conditioned, so no fans will be needed. The SERVE groups will be sharing their skills and talents through projects of construction, roofing, painting, yard work, and bringing the good news of salvation.
Some of the events we have planned for the week include:
- An “Amazing Race” to the worksites for the week
- Nightly Praise and Worship with an inspirational praise band and speaker
- Outdoor evening worship service with area teens and community
- Scavenger Hunt at the Osborne County Fair
- Tuesday will be leaders’ night away at a local, scenic Bed & Breakfast
- Cosmic Bowling (Please bring money for snacks and arcade.)
- Wednesday Day Away at Wilson Lake where we will have boating, swimming, canoeing, playing volleyball, hiking, tubing, biking, souvenir trip, and a lakeside worship service
- Talent Show (any musicians, thespians? Bring instruments, props, and your brainstorms!) *Please email Beth Christians (mbchristians@gmail.com) of any talent number you would like to share, as soon as possible.*
- “Mafia Game” in the wide-open spaces
- Community Fish Fry and Christian Music Concert
If you would like some background information about the Osborne County area, visit www.downsks.net; http://skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/osborne; or www.osbornecounty.org. The Heartland SERVE Project website is: http://www.dispatchcrc.org, which will have daily updates during the week for your friends and family to check in on. We also have an active Facebook site, which some of you have discovered already called “Heartland Serve.”
We will have a praise band for the week that in part will consist of former members of “Nameless Faces” of Wichita, KS. They are back by popular demand along with our speaker Joe Skillen, a dynamic youth pastor from Wichita, KS who is returning to minister to Heartland SERVE for the fifth year.
As a reminder as you prepare to pack for the week, please remember to bring sleeping bags and air mattresses if you have them available. Also take note of the dress code from Youth Unlimited, which specifies one-piece bathing suits for girls and no Speedos for guys. No short shorts, spaghetti straps, or shirts that promote anti-Christian messages are allowed. Enclosed footwear is required at the job sites. Any personal audio devices such as CD and tape players must include earphones and be used only during free time. Again you are reminded that this is a smoke-free SERVE site.
We look forward to your arrival later next month. We have been praying for you for some time and are anticipating God’s Spirit to be alive and at work in all our hearts at the SERVE 2011 experience. He has a great plan for Heartland SERVE and we’re glad you are a part of it!
With God’s blessings,
Don Koops
List of Things to Bring
- Bible
- Pen or pencil and notebook
- Offering for future SERVE scholarships
- Sleeping bag, pillow, and air mattress
- Personal hygiene products (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo, etc.)
- Medications (must agree with list on registration form)
- Alarm clock
- Towels and washcloths
- Work clothes and work gloves (light t-shirts are recommended along with jeans and shorts)
- Work shoes and sneakers
- Water shoes or old tennis shoes recommended for the lake
- Modest one-piece swim suit
- Beach towel
- Sunscreen
- Hats
- Mosquito repellant (with Deet)
- Tools: paintbrushes, paint scraper, hammer, utility knife (Please make sure it is not in your carry-on luggage if you are flying.)
- Spending money for souvenirs, if you choose
- Good pair of slacks or shorts for church service and group photo
(Also please feel free to e-mail Jodi for any questions or comments.) jlkoops@gmail.com
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