Hard at work on Day 2

We received these photos from the group today.  Watch for a blog entry later!

Mission trip day 1

Well I'm not really one for blogging but I'll speak my mind about the first day. (don't worry my mind isn't a dark and gloomy place! It just usually makes no sense!) The car ride was long, and although I can almost never fall asleep in moving vehicles I found myself dozing quite often. We took 3 vans and I hear there was a different experience in each van. In my van with, Maymi and Riley, the ride consisted of sleep and hearing the radio play the same songs no matter which channel you turned it to! I heard of The Lord of the Rings van and the dodgeball van being more lively, but hey you need to sleep sometimes! I personally am surprised at how absolutely beautiful it is here. We are a bloc from the beach and the rooms in the church have AC! It's much more comfortable than I expected. I have a good feeling about this group as none of us seem to be shy and I feel like we're going to work well together to really help some people. I'm happy to be here and happy to go to bed now! In case it doesn't say who I am on the blog, This is Matt Garrity! One of the only 2 men on the mission trip. Peace be with you first church! 

Blessings on the Journey

 

This morning we had the dedication and blessing of the trip during worship.  

 

There were piles of stuff to pack into the 3 vans, and phones that needed to be synched in order to keep communication lines open between them...

A group shot and prayer before loading into the vans...

 

We all send our prayers for safe travels, and look forward to hearing all about your experiences!

 

 

Getting Ready for the Trip

 

Getting Ready for the Trip

7 members of the First Church YES group will be joined by 2 members of the First Congregational  Church in Westfield for the 2014 Mission Trip.  Most of the travelers gathered together for a final planning meeting on Sunday, June 22.  They will be joined by Dr. Jay and Rev. Elva Pawle from First Congregational in Westfield.

The group will be leaving after worship on Sunday, July 29 and traveling to Margate, NJ to aid victims of Hurricane Sandy.

We will dedicate the trip during the worship service on July 29, and the group will report back to the congregation about their trip on Sunday, July 6.

You can follow their trip along the way by following this blog.