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Longenecker Update
August 2021
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Sunset on the Salmon
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Grace Baptist Salmon River Trip
Where has the summer gone? It feels like it was only yesterday we were in the middle of training. At the beginning of August I had the pleasure of being able to help lead a Salmon River trip with Grace Baptist Church. I was able to be on this same trip with them last year. It was so much fun getting to reconnect and see students, young adults, and leaders that I had been with last year, as well as getting to know some new faces. It was good to catch up with them and see what had been happening over the last year.
Pastor Bill was leading the morning devotional times doing a series titled "Take Heed". We looked at the story of David's sin with Bathsheba with 10 "take heeds". Pastor Bill also talked about how David's sin wasn't just physical adultery with Bathsheba but also adultery of the heart against God. That was one of my biggest take-aways. I hadn't really thought too much about how when we sin it is spiritual adultery against God. It also reminded me how important community has meant and continues to be to me. I lead one of the evening group times and shared some of my story. I shared how impactful being involved in the guys’ Bible study with the Millersville Navigators ministry was to me. It truly was a time where I grew a lot in my faith being surrounded by other believers. Having those men who wanted to learn and grow together and who held each other accountable was very instrumental in where and what I am doing today. We then split into small groups and did my favorite activity "Forced Choice". Forced Choice is where I would give them two options, and they had to choose which they liked better. I then had each of them share within their small group why they choose what they did. I purposely tried to make the choices deeper and more thought-provoking. My goal was to provide a space where they could open up easier and grow in community.
The trip was a blast, and I hope to continue to be able to do trips with them in the following years. It also made me reflect on the last year. So much has happened. 1 year ago we were at 35% support. And in that year we had times of doubt, times of excitement, times of trust, times of tears, times of joy. Looking back it has truly been a rollercoaster of a year. Being able to share and re-realize how God has worked and provided in our lives over the last year was very encouraging to me.
On the ride back home one of the guides who had been on the trip shared some things that really meant a lot to me to hear. I asked him if I could share this, and he said I could. Here is my interpretation: "The last couple of years have been pretty tough for me. Coming into this trip I had decided that this would be my last one. Over the many years of volunteering I had lost the enjoyment of being on trips. This trip re-ignited the joy and fun of serving youth, and I want to continue to volunteer." It was encouraging to see and hear that students and their leaders aren't the only ones who can be impacted by the trips we get to do.
God is working in lives, and I am so thankful that I can play a small part in that. God recently reminded me that this ministry is not my work that He gets to be a part of, but His work that I get to be a part of. Jena and I are very thankful for your continued prayers and support.
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Evening devotional time Day 2 Evening devotional time Day 3
Taylor led a time of writing down Ollie led a time of sharing times we
things we were thankful to God for, as have seen God working in our lives.
well as writing down attributes of God. It was neat to hear the students’ stories.
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Prayer Requests
- Open ears and soft hearts for students on the upcoming trips
- We are looking for a more permanent place to live. Housing seems almost impossible to find right now.
- Motivation for returning to support raising in September
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Thank you for your prayers! Feel free to send me your own prayer requests as well.
Sincerely,
David Longenecker
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