The Trip- When we left Saturday
morning, I don’t think any of us were prepared for how long the trip would be.
Despite having experienced a few BUMP trips in the past (for some of us, at
least), we were almost all exhausted after the first few hours. Driving to St.
Louis, our time was spent mostly with singing, sleeping, and eating our tasty
kimbab (thank you parents!). We arrived at the church around 8 p.m. and went to
a local pizza restaurant for dinner. By the time we got back from dinner, the
church from Iowa had arrived. After meeting them, we started to get ready for
bed- getting to know them would have to wait until the next day. 
Day 1- Sunday morning came all to
quickly, as we woke up for breakfast around 7:30 a.m. As service would be
starting in 3 hours, we didn’t have much time to clean up our sleeping gear and
tidy up the sanctuary (which became our permanent sleeping area). At 10:15 the
service started, and we had the privilege of worshipping along with the praise
team as well as listening to various church members preach during the service.
Throughout this time, we also mingled with the church folk and got to know them
better-- saying hello, shaking hands, and hugging. Overall, it was a wonderful
experience. The love and appreciation that everyone in the church felt for each
other was evident and welcomed. Following the service, we had lunch with some
of the church members and learned more about the history of the church. Truly,
the church was established through God’s grace. When the founding members
didn’t have the money they needed, they received a miraculous series of
donations totaling close to $200,000.
After
eating lunch, it was time to prepare for the week. First would be prayer
walking and giving out flyers to advertise for the block party we would be
hosting. We set out to walk for around two hours, but it was difficult to walk
in the blistering heat. However, we all pushed through and persisted through
the heat to spread as many flyers as possible. As we walked around local
neighborhoods, we not only handed out flyers but also had the opportunity to
pray for some of the people we encountered. One instance stands out in my mind-
a woman who was laying down in the park asked us to pray for her and her two
children, so that she would be able to provide for them. Following this instance, something changed
inside me. I began to ignore the heat and sweat on my body as just one thing
became clear in my mind- we had to reach as
many people as possible. We continued to walk around the neighborhood and
ultimately gave out almost all of our flyers.
When we
returned from our prayer walk, a group of us left to take a trip to the Family
Dollar store across the street. Little did we know, this would be the first of
multiple trips that we would take to restock on candy throughout the week. From
that point on, the only thing left to do was eat dinner and prepare for the
block party and VBS. Dinner was a nice little sample of St. Louis soul food-
fried chicken, sweet potatoes, and green beans. After dinner, the church became
a busy preparation ground. Balloon animals, ring toss, face painting, and magic
tricks were all being practiced in anticipation of the following day’s
party. It was great being able to get a
glimpse of the kids that we would be ministering to. Crafts, skits, and bible
study lessons were rehearsed and refined to prepare for our first day of
VBS. After an intense couple of hours,
it was time to go to bed.
Day 2- Monday-
the big day! We all woke up Monday morning mentally preparing ourselves for the
day’s plans. Following a filling breakfast of rolls and gravy, eggs, and
yogurt, we all headed outside to do some yard work in the church’s backyard. There
were a variety of tasks that needed to be done, ranging from log splitting and
weed whacking to digging up piles of woodchips and weeds. For the most part,
the majority of us decided to arm ourselves with pitchforks and tackle or
adversaries- the giant piles of woodchips that littered the yard. Working as a
collective group, we managed to transport all of the woodchips to one central
pile in only two hours (at a cost though, as the work was exhausting).
Finishing our work just before lunch, we ate a simple meal of subs and chips
before preparing for the block party. With only a few hours to go, we worked on
perfecting our responsibilities for the evening. Late in the afternoon, we
listened to a church member talk about a very important topic- the significance
of the Word in our heart. Afterwards, we ate a quick dinner of tacos and chips
before setting up for the bloc party. Around 6 p.m., kids started to trickle in
to the block party. First registering for VBS, the kids moved from game to game
as they worked to get prizes from the prize table. Working the magic table was
one of the most fun and fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had. One girl,
Madelyn, came over at the beginning, and after seeing one simple trick she was
hooked. She stayed at the table for the rest of the evening. 
Day 3- Tuesday was the first day we
worked out in the community. Both churches split up into two groups. One group went
to Sun Ministry and the other at Rise Together Ministry. Those who went to Sun
Ministry were able to walk along the streets of St. Louis and experience the
culture firsthand with a leader named Terry. He explained the history of the
city and his vision. The group that worked at Rise Together was able to help
out a local church and organized donations for the ministries thrift store.
After a long day of work, some were able to experience Ethiopian culture at a
local Ethiopian restaurant. While the food was not for everyone, it was a great
experience nonetheless. Starting Monday, a speaker would come and teach about
our daily devotional topic. It truly opened our eyes to God’s work in the
community of St. Louis. When six o’clock came around, kids started coming in
and we started day one of VBS. The kids were quite shy in the beginning but
really opened up by closing praise. Following VBS, we gathered as a large group
to debrief and discuss how VBS went. Overall, it was a successful day.
Day 4- Wednesday.
This was the one day of the week where we had the chance to explore St. Louis. We started off the morning by practicing the
skit for VBS in the evening. Then we spent a few hours at “The Loop” which is a
shopping district. There we at lunch at a yummy restaurant called the Fritz. We
all enjoyed root beer floats and a hearty meal. Afterwards, we went to the City
Museum and had a blast running the various exhibits. We returned late in the
afternoon and again prepared some more for VBS. By this time, the kids started
opening up and we were able to see small bits and pieces of their
personalities.
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