AUSTIN, TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL MISSION TRIP

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1 AUSTIN, TEXAS 2016 HIGH SCHOOL MISSION TRIP

2 15 February 2016 Dear Glenkirk High School Families! We are so excited that you are interested in the 2016 ATX Summer Mission Trip! Our High School team is putting together an exciting week of service, adventure, and fun. This trip will be part mission trip, part spiritual retreat, and a ton of fun. This trip is designed for high school students (rising 9th-current 12th grade). Serving others is a BIG part of the Christian life. In the book of Matthew, Jesus says: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. We have been called to look after the least of these! We have also been asked to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Because of these things, we feel that it is incredibly important to do mission work. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey whether you feel close to God, or you re not sure He exists a mission trip can be a great experience for you. Not only will you grow and be challenged to think differently, you will also have the opportunity to bring hope to people in need in Texas. We will be serving the community at local homeless shelters, food pantries and distribution centers, and missions agencies. We only work with organizations that are credible, safe, thoughtful, mission-minded, have a great history, partner with the local church, and understand students. It s going to be an amazing experience, both for the people we serve and for us! Blessings, Kevin Matthew Gandy Director of Student Ministries

3 Why Austin? The Austin metro area is an amazing opportunity for Kingdom expansion. It is ripe with spiritually hungry yet religiously intolerant people. Roughly 90% of the population of Austin is not a regular part of any Christian church. They are however quite invested in spending time with friends and family, exploring creation, enjoying the arts and volunteering with social justice organizations. The citizens of Austin don t live to work, they work to live. This presents an incredible window of opportunity for us to serve the city by introducing them to the Creator God through arts, or by volunteering at the local soup kitchen, sharing the stories of Jesus feeding the crowds. 54% of the population affiliates themselves with no religion of any kind Only 25% of the population self identify with any form of Protestant Christianity Only 10% of the population is at a Christian house of worship on any given Sunday 750,000+ non-church attenders 100,000+ people living below the poverty line Top 10 fastest growing cities in the nation 52,000+ students at the University of Texas How will we serve? Our trip will involve service projects in two Texas cities: Austin (primary) and Dallas (secondary). AUSTIN As we enter into the lives of others and build relationships with the people of Austin, we will experience God working through the community at local missions partners. Here are some things that we ll be doing: Help kids from underprivileged backgrounds discover the joy of creative, artistic expression through a local arts-focused nonprofit organization. Assist elderly residents with activities and programs at an assisted living center. Assist at a shelter that provides women and teens in crisis pregnancies with housing, educational opportunities, and access to health services on their journey toward independence. Work with kids at a tutoring center. Working with flood relief and home repair organizations. DALLAS In the small South Dallas neighborhood of Bonton, you would never expect to find a farm. You expect to see crime, drugs, and gang violence. Bonton, situated just five miles south of Downtown Dallas, is located in a food desert. With 63% of residents lacking personal transportation, and the nearest grocery store a 3-hour round-trip bus ride away, residents rely on the local liquor stores for their groceries. The impact on health is devastating. Bonton s cardiovascular disease rate is 54% higher than that of the city of Dallas. Diabetes is 45% higher. Our group will serve at Bonton Farms, which has developed urban farming to provide food, jobs, community development, and restoration in Bonton.

4 What is the schedule? [All times are tentative and subject to change.] SUNDAY 6:00 AM Depart Los Angeles, CA 11:00 AM Arrive in Dallas, TX 12:30 PM Lunch/Afternoon Activity 5:00 PM Evening Worship (Watermark Church) 6:30 PM Team Building / Orientation 7:30 PM Dinner / Free-time MONDAY 8:00 AM Breakfast/Depart for ministry sites 9:00 AM Serve in South Dallas 3:30 PM Return from mission site / depart for Austin 7:00 PM Arrive in Austin / Dinner 9:00 PM Evening Activity TUES-FRI 8:00 AM Breakfast/Depart for ministry sites 3:30 PM Return from ministry sites / free-time 5:30 PM Group Activity / Dinner 8:00 PM Worship / Evening Session 10:00 PM Night Game SATURDAY 8:00 AM Morning Activity 6:00 PM Depart Dallas, TX 9:00 PM Arrive in Los Angeles, CA Where will we stay? In Dallas, we will be staying at Highland Park Presbyterian Church. In Austin, we will be staying at a local Presbyterian church. We will be sleeping in the youth center. There will be separate sleeping spaces for each gender, and bathrooms/showers. You ll need to have an air mattress, sleeping bag, pillow, etc. We will have all of our worship and Bible study sessions, night games, and evening activities at the church. What about meals? We will eat breakfast each morning at the church. Lunch will be provided at each ministry service site, and will be a bag lunch unless you are serving lunch at the homeless shelter. We will go out for dinner as a group each evening. Who are the leaders? The Austin mission trip will be led by Kevin Gandy and a team of adult leaders. All Glenkirk retreats and trips require a 1:5 adult-to-student ratio. Parents: if you are interested in leading on the trip, please contact us!

5 How are we traveling? We will be flying as a group between LAX and Dallas. Upon arrival in Dallas, we will be renting passenger vans for the duration of our trip. In accordance with Glenkirk s insurance policy, all van drivers are required to be over the age of 25. What does the cost include? Your trip fee covers the following items: Roundtrip airfare to Dallas. Van rental Accommodations Ministry site supplies, t-shirt, All meals during the trip (except for Sunday and Saturday travel days!) Group Activities The following items will required extra spending money: Souvenirs, gifts, etc. Meals during travel days (Sunday and Saturday) Will it be fun? What else will we do? YES! Of course the trip will be fun. While we will work hard during the day at our ministry sites, we will have fun activities out and about in Dallas/Austin during the evenings. We will go exploring and enjoy some things like: Rangers Game in Arlington Kolaches in West, Texas. (If you don t know what these are, just google it and then get really, really excited.) The Salt Lick BBQ. It will literally be the BEST beef brisket that you ve ever had. Barton Springs, Schlitterbahn Water Park, Guadalupe River tubing Texas two-step / square dancing at the oldest honkey tonk in Texas (Gruene, TX) Really amazing coffee shops and boutiques on Lake Austin and South Congress Street Some of the best Tex-Mex and tacos in the world. Notice a trend here? Your youth pastor LOVES good food. :) JFK assassination site in Dallas And much more! Important Trip Details: This trip is open to high school students currently in 8th-12th grade. Trip Dates: June OR July Deposit: $200 Early Bird Application Deadline: $750, March 15th Regular Rate Application Deadline: $850, May 15th Pre-Trip Parent/Student Meeting: Sunday, May 1st (10:15am, between services)

7 Texas Mission Trip Application Complete the following questions in full. If additional space is required, please attach a separate page to this form. STUDENT INFORMATION 1. Name 2. Home Address First Middle Last Street Address City State Zip 3. Home Phone: ( ) Cell Phone: ( ) 4. Date of Birth: (MM/DD/YYYY) Gender: Male Female 5. Shirt Size: Current Grade: 6. Do you attend Glenkirk Church? If yes, for how long? 7. Parent/Guardian s Name(s): 8. Student Parent PERSONAL QUESTIONS FOR STUDENT 9. Have you ever been on a trip like this one before? List where, when, the type of trip, and how long you were there? 11. Why do you want to go on this trip? 12. Are you willing to work with others who are homeless or different from you? Yes No 13. Are you a Christian? Yes No

8 14. Describe your spiritual journey. 15. If someone asked you, Who is Jesus? what would you say? 16. Do you have any medical conditions, allergies, special requests, etc.? EMERGENCY CONTACT In the event of an emergency, whom should we notify? Name: Relationship to family: Telephone Name: Relationship to family: Telephone Please attach a copy of your health insurance card.

9 Short Term Service Standard of Conduct Agreement As a group you should be committed to honoring, respecting and working in harmony with each group member, treating one another as you wish to be treated. We are going as servants of Christ, and our attitudes and actions are the most visible reflection of that. These standards of conduct are put in place so that there are no questions regarding expected conduct while on a mission trip. A CONTRACT ON PERSONAL CONDUCT 1. Go to serve by keeping your environment clean. Clean up after yourself during travel, while at the worksite, and in lodging areas. 2. On the trip respect those in authority, as they will respect you. Having leaders helps ensure safety and a smooth trip. You are expected to listen to team leaders. Disrespect towards anyone will not be tolerated. 3. Go to experience accountability with each other. You are required to use the buddy system. Never go off by yourself no matter what age. Always have at least one other person with you and inform a leader of where you are going. 4. Go to experience God s creation and the diversity of climate. Go to be challenged. There will be some experiences that may be difficult for you whether physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual. Allow these experiences to teach you and build your character. 5. Go to focus on the service and work set before you. This trip is about the people we desire to serve. Sharing Christ s love is an amazing gift that each of us can share. 6. Electronics are allowed, but shall never become a distraction. Cell phone use should be kept at a minimum (calling home, texting your parents, taking photos, etc.). 7. No purple or overt public displays of affection between couples. You are never allowed to be in rooms of the opposite gender at any time. 8. Dress appropriately for a cross-cultural experience. What might be appropriate in Glendora is not necessarily appropriate in other cultures. 9. Consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs will not be permitted on this trip regardless of age. We also will not permit alcohol to be purchased and brought back with us. No pets. No weapons. No fireworks. I,, have read the above and I understand that I have agreed to keep all points of the conduct agreement. If I fail to do so, I know that disciplinary actions will follow and may even result in being sent home at my own expense, or the expense of my parent or guardian. (all participants must sign) Student signature: Date: Parent signature: Date:

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