Additional Photos

The City Life and Return

Friday and Saturday of our trip were spent concluding our week in Chicago. On Friday morning we packed up, cleaned up and left our dorm rooms squeezing everything back into the van. Our final session was at 10:00 am in the group meeting hall. There we discussed what it meant to be the church and how the church fit into the overall big picture of scripture. It was great to see the students response as the understood who they are and their role in God's Mission. We left our final session excited about what we learned through the week and ready to hit the big city for a whirlwind tour. Before we could head to the city we needed to drop all the luggage at the nearby church that was putting us up for the night. That didn't take too long and then we were off for the city. Traffic was crazy as we got to the city. The positive side was that it allowed us to take some great pictures. Before long we had parked at Moody, toured the campus with the help of our friend Shawn Proctor who met us there, and were off to see the sights. Our first stop was Navy Pier on the edge of downtown where the students could shop and get some local Chicago souvenirs. Then we headed up to Chinatown for dinner. It was a great feast as all 13 of us squeezed around a single table with a lazy Susan to enjoy some Americanized Chinese cuisine. After stuffing our bellies it was time to head to the La Salle Bank Theatre for a viewing of a Chicago Broadway favorite "Stomp." The show was quite a unique experience and was a great conclusion to the evening. After one more ride on the Metro we picked up the vans and headed back to Wheaton for the night.

Bright and early we rose again, packed the van and Ashley's car one more time and drove back to Moody Bible Institute in the heart of Chicago. Nearby there was a farmers market right in the middle of the city. It amazed the students that they would just close off the streets and allow vendors to set up shop. We saw everything from flowers to cherries, honey and hot sauce. Lots of fun. Next we headed by bus and metro to the heart of the city to tour Michigan Avenue. It was great to be in the city and see all the skyscrapers and shops, people moving quickly from place to place and doing "city stuff." We were able to visit Niketown, the Disney store and some other downtown favorites before lunch. On our walk to Giordano's for some famous Chicago Style stuffed pizza we made a stop at the historic Chicago Water Works in Downtown and viewed the Hancock Center from the ground level. It is still amazing that we can create buildings so tall and massive. See included photos. Lunch was amazing and made us slow our pace a bit. We took our time heading back to Moody to pick up the vehicles. While reaching Moody one last time we witnessed an accident between two police cars. It astonished our group and we all wanted to see if they were ok. We walked close for a few minutes then decided to give the accident some space. One student spontaneously said, "We should pray." We jumped into action huddling in a circle and taking turns praying for the police officers. Of course the students took a bunch of pictures as they had never seen a live police chase accident before.

Wrapping up our day we headed to the airport and got a quick McDonald's dinner before our flight. The students were all excited to get home to their families, their beds and their comforts. Lessons were learned and lives were changed once again by our great Creator God. He is Awesome!!! At 10:45 pm we arrived safely in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It didn't take very long for the students to grab their bags, greet their families and head on out.

Thanks for all your support and prayers.

The Chicago Team

Journey to the Cross and Seder

It is 10:30 pm our time and we just came back from a great night of taking part in a Passover Seder and having awesome worship. Many of the students joined a crowd in the center of the group jumping and singing to our great God in victory of His salvation.

But back to the beginning of the day. Another good start with a hot breakfast, praise the Lord for food, and then off to our first session. Today's theme was death to life. We studied about the last week in the life of Jesus and his death and resurrection. We also were able to tie in the whole story of God's redemption from the creation as we discussed what Christ means to us and why it is so important we tell the "whole story" and not just the Jesus part. After lunch the students had the opportunity to walk through an interactive experience called "Journey to the Cross." There were 13 stations in the experience all marking significant pieces of the final week of Christ. Each spot was a moment of scripture reading, quiet reflection and some sort of visual and/or action the students would participate in. This deeply moved the students as they shared this evening.

After dinner we had our last time of sharing where students told what they had learned the most from our week here at Merge. It was a very open time of sharing what God was doing in their lives. At the end of our time each student wrote a letter to themselves about the changes they would like to see in their lives as they leave this mission and return home. In a couple months after the students settle in to their comfort zones and routines they will receive that letter in the mail. It will serve as a reminder to self about the changes they should be working on as they have tracked back to their daily lifestyle.

After our final sharing time the students began the Passover Seder by examining their hearts and tossing a piece of leavened bread (oyster cracker) into a fire pit. This represented giving to God any sin they may have in their life or be continually struggling with. As the students entered into the meeting place there was a center table with all the Passover elements on it. The Passover Seder was a process of scripture readings, prayers, songs and taking of elements that reminded the students of the Exodus and this festival that the Jews celebrate each year. What was truly remarkable though was all the symbolism that is presents pointing to Christ through the holiday feast. Our time concluded with the worship I mentioned in the beginning. So much fun, rejoicing and singing we could hardly stop. I had to ask the students to calm down after we left the meeting place. When we got back to the van they turned up the worship music on full blast, rolled down the windows and sang at the top of their lungs all the way back to the dorm. Yikes, I think we scared some people!! but it was worship :)

Besides the spiritual lessons that were observed today the students had a chance to shop at the Wheaton bookstore and visit a Culvers frozen custard store. The Culvers visit is a whole story in itself so you will have to ask them to tell you about it when they get home. It is such a great time seeing the students grow and really be challenged by interacting with the grand scheme of God's Story and how they are a part of the mission of Christ. We look forward to touring Chicago tomorrow and using some of this new found understanding to shine brightly in the city. We will be seeking opportunity to pray with others, share our testimony and be good witnesses through our joyful spirits. Keep us in your prayers and thoughts.

Note to parents: Please do not forget to check the Southwest airlines flight status website before picking up your students on Saturday night. We will be returning into Ft. Lauderdale at 10:45 pm on Southwest flight 1111. See you there.

The Southwest website is: www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/selectFlight?hps=b2.

Pastor James

To check the flight status for the return flight from Chicago, IL to Ft. Lauderdale, FL click on:

http://www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/selectFlight?hps=b2

B-i-n-g-o for Jesus

Wow, another great day in Chicago at Merge. I have downloaded lots of pictures so that you can get a feel for what is happening within and around the group.

Our most recent lesson was about being and seeing Christ. We studied his Birth and Baptism, Temptations, The Kingdom (Pastor Burnham would be so pleased), and the Parables. It was a great day of noticing how the dynamic with God and his people completely changed through Christ. Previously God was so ultra concerned with ritual and purity but now through his Son was relating to the dirtiest of his creation and didn't even wash his hands (ritually). He was ready to get down to our level in order that he may lift us up. The students were really impacted by this lesson.

Art has been a huge part of the students expressing their new found lessons. I have included a picture of some students at a table working on their artwork. Another moment that deeply impacted them was visiting the nursing home this afternoon. We were able to play B-i-n-g-o with the folks there and have some conversations as well. What really touched the students was the abandonment the people felt and the helplessness they expressed by being stuck there and feeling as if they had no life left to live. One woman even mentioned desiring to have lethal injection but her family would not allow it. Our students were moved to see that just by spending time with those people they really were able to make an impact. Simply being Jesus to them with time and relationship made the difference. During our debriefing time we talked about doing the same thing in Boca. It will be one of our goals on the return home to set up times to visit similar places and represent Christ in love in our home town.

Funny moments: Dan stuck in the bathroom, Merge Monkey announcements, tickling on the way to the nursing home, Mark loves Cheetos, Caleb needs showers and moisturizer, Bianca loves her sunglasses, Carolina's laugh is contagious, more students asleep during multiple moments in the day, "Autumn", picking up trays for others, White Castle run, Pizza run, and more stories that must stay with the students until they return home. Needless to say the kids are having a great time and learning so much about living the mission. I think the style of this trip is really changing their perspective on what a "mission trip" is and can be.

I hope the pictures speak for themselves. Talk to you tomorrow.

Birthday Girl and Promise with a capital "P"

Hi all,

We are continuing a great time here at Wheaton College as we learn about the story of our great God. We began early again today around 7:15 am as the group headed to breakfast to fill our bellies before filling our minds with Christ. In the opening session we listened to the stories of the tower of Babel, Abram and the Covenant, and the judges, priest and prophets. In other words, we summarized the Old Testament from Abraham to Christ. It was an information packed day. Lots of great learning took place as we entered our daily routine. Some of the best lessons of the day came at lunch time once again. It's amazing what happens when you deprive teenagers of food!!!

At lunch time they were instructed to not eat their lunches but carry them to an undisclosed location. We were told to walk about 15 minutes up the road to a local park. There we would remember how the Israelites were forced to walk in the wilderness for 40 years because of disobedience. It was easy to see the lightbulbs turn on above the students heads as they understood their minor sacrifice of patience before eating their boxed lunch. Most of the complaining was hushed at that point.

Our other opportunity for learning was the highlight of the day. The crew here at Merge re-created the Tabernacle in two of the dorm buildings. Our group split in two and was able to walk through a tour with descriptions of what the tabernacle was like and how it was used in the Old Testament. What was so great about the experience was that it was not simply words from a book but something tangible that they could see, feel, smell and interact with. It brought their knowledge screaming to life in front of them. Almost all of them said they were very moved by it and that it helped them understand more significance of who Jesus was and what he did for them on the cross. They also concluded during our debriefing time that they wanted to do more research about the Tabernacle in order to use that information to reach out to the large Jewish population in Boca!!!

There were also some funny moments in the last 24 hours. Last night there was a sound coming from the guys closet. As they tried to figure out what it was they asked me (James) to come over and check it out. At that time of night I was tired and didn't feel like moving, so they convinced another guy to walk up the closet and open the door up top. Out popped Caleb Lee who had been hiding in there for about 20 minutes waiting for an unsuspecting person to get curious about the noises. It scared that kid to death (no names to protect the innocent). Needless to say it was a great laugh at 11:55 pm yesterday.

Some other funny things that happened today were Carolina smushing both Meredith and I's faces with vanilla ice cream to celebrate Meredith's 16th birthday, surprising Meredith with cake and ice cream when we went to see a Chicago basement (at a home near the school, friends of Ashley Ross), and many of us falling asleep in the morning session during the closing prayer time. NOT OUR FAULT, the lights were very dim and it was a VERY LONG PRAYER!!! In any case, those were some funny notes.

In the afternoon the group was able to take a free time break to place basketball, volleyball and just hang out. Good times. We also had this evening from 9:30 pm on to do some acoustic worship with other youth groups, walk, read, play cards, journal and talk. Thanks to those who have commented with encouraging words and greetings. Keep it coming. Tomorrow we look forward to begin examining the New Covenant through Christ and do a service project in the afternoon.

Keep the prayers coming and talk to you tomorrow.

Many thanks.............Pastor James

P.S. - Promise with a capital "P" are the Promises that God makes himself which are guaranteed never to be broken. It represents His covenant with His people.

Creation and Separation

We made it safely to Chicago yesterday afternoon with no problems. The flight was great but the heat in Chicago is crazy for this time of year. We had one small issue with transportation at the airport but it was quickly resolved. In fact it turned out better for us that what we had originally planned. Thanks for your prayers and the wonderful send-off yesterday before Church.

Sunday afternoon was spent driving about 45 minutes from the airport to Wheaton College, checking in and reviewing guidelines, moving our stuff into our rooms and taking a breather before dinner. To get us started on the right food they features some Chicago favorites at dinner. We had Chicago style pizza, sliced beef sandwiches and brat's as well as salad. Everyone was hungry since we only had snacks on the plane. Following dinner we went into our first group session for the week. All evening we discussed the first theme of our journey which was Creation. We connected with this theme through music and the telling of the creation story out loud as it would have been told way back in the times of Genesis. The next step was joining an interactive community group where we were able to discuss what we heard "from the story" of the evening. It was amazing how some new insights came from this story that is all so familiar to most of the students. We often times don't listen as we should to the "story" of Gods plan for his creation.

Because of the missed meal earlier in the day the students convinced me to take them on a late night food run. Destination of the night: TACO BELL/ WENDY'S. It was great. Remember to ask your students how they got their food at Taco Bell!!!

Today we took up a slower pace. We rose early for breakfast and then met in the large group with over 500 other students to look into the theme of separation through the stories of the fall, Cain and Abel and the Flood. All were very intriguing when heard only through audio not looking at the text in any way. We then journeyed to our interactive communities once again.

After lunch we went on our first off campus trip. We ventured to a local high school to discuss how the fall has worked in our students lives in the context they find themselves in most of the time. From the High School we visited a cemetery which really brought the reality of the flood into new light. The students were very somber as they gained a new realization of the damage sin causes in the world and felt an increased burden for their friends who at this moment don't know Christ.

Our last afternoon exercise was to visit a local mall and people watch. The goal being to interpret some of the effects of sin that are common in our everyday lives that we may simply not notice because we are in our comfort zones. The students findings were eye opening. They journaled their thoughts so you will be able to ask them about it when they return home.

Our fun trip this afternoon was to a little Candy and popcorn store in downtown Wheaton. It is an ally that was turned into a store, very unique location in the town. The kids stocked up on sugar snacks and Dan Holder bought the biggest bag of popcorn I have ever seen. It was as big as a grocery store paper bag!!!

Dinner and group debriefing time followed and was capped off by a sharing time in the large group. It was a great start to our mission of Knowing and Sharing Christ. Tomorrow we will start to reach out into the community through our afternoon expressions. Pray that God will continue to move the students lives and work in and through them to minister to others also.

Here we go

Engines are running, bags are being packed, items are being purchased and a few last minute details are being squared away as the Chicago team prepares for take off. That's right the High School mission trip to Chicago is about to leave on a life changing journey of faith. Our team has been training, praying, raising support and preparing for this trip for several months. We have a dynamic team of students who are ready to serve Christ in the big city. Let's meet the team:

Our Chicago Mission Team:

Leaders: James Nolette and Ashley Ross
Students: Melissa and Carolina Gutierrez, Kellie Harford, Andrew Harper, Stephanie Spidell, Mark Provenzano, Caleb Lee, Daniel Holder, Meredith Raymond, Bianca Deralus and David Li.

The team plans to do ministry through personal evangelism, prayer, drama, testimonies, service projects and random acts of kindness. Please pray for our group before, during and after our trip. Ask the Lord to do a mighty work in the lives of those we meet in Chicago as well as in the lives of each student and leader.

Here are some pre-trip details: We will be meeting at the church Sunday, July 16th at 8:15 am to pack our carpool vehicles and head to Ft. Lauderdale airport. Our flight leaves at 11:20 am and is scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 1:30 pm. The flight number is Southwest flight 684. From there we will pick up our rental vehicles and drive to Wheaton College where we will be staying for our week of training and ministry. The theme for our missions week is Merging with God's Story, Life and Mission. Through the week we will live out the Gospel message in different daily episodes. Each episode will focus on one central theme of the Gospel story.

We will be returning home from our trip on Saturday, July 22nd. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at Ft. Lauderdale airport at 10:45 pm. The flight number is Southwest flight 1111.


To the team members: Please remember the following items...
1. Photo ID (you can't leave home without it!!)
2. Wear your red travel shirt on Sunday morning
3. Bring your carry on Sunday morning (backpack preferred)
4. Pack your Bible, Pen and Power Tools Notebook
5. Bring 2 bed sheets and a pillow case (pillow and blanket will be provided for you)
6. Bring a towel and washcloth

Thanks to all those who have been praying and supporting this trip. A special thanks to those who have given financial support to our students toward this life-changing experience. I invite you to visit this blog each day as we update you on our progress. Please feel free to post comments, encouragements, greetings and prayers on the blog as you read our updates. (Please remember to keep them short for time sake) We will do our best to update the blog throughout the mission as the internet is available to us. Thank You.