Cherokee Update Day 1

"I'd take these kids anywhere. They have been amazing!"

So says Jackie Heberle; she called in tonight with an update on the first days' activities. Our PCC kids are working on various crews on the reservation, with several assigned to either tearing off or putting on roofs. Their pre-project work on Moyer Road came in handy! God is doing amazing things - and it's only Monday! All of the kids have been challenged in various ways, particularly with the first night's teaching, exhorting them to 'leap into a lifestyle that honors God'.

Here's a few brief snapshots:

• One young man shared tonight that he never sings in worship at church. But last night, for the first time, he sang to God in worship, and he was moved to tears. Tonight he helped take the offering forward, and felt compelled to kneel at the altar and continue to sing and praise God. He is amazed and thankful.
• Another young man is opening up and asking hard, honest questions about God - truly seeking, for the first time.
• A young girl conquered her fear of heights and spent eight hours on a roof today. She is praising God for overcoming this fear!
• Another girl who is struggling through a difficult challenge shared that God spoke to her in worship to say, "You are not alone in this. I know your future. Trust me."

The PCC kids have been the last to leave their devotional time; they have opened up and shared honestly with God and with one another. One commented, "I've never felt more loved."

They received several E-couragrams that PCC folks have sent and are VERY grateful - and they FEEL our prayers! Please continue to lift up these kids and adults and pray for them - and send them another message. Jackie says that by Wednesday they will begin to feel fatigued, so it's important that we continue to lift them up. Thank you for being the kind of church that truly prays and cares for its youth!

Beth (for Jackie)

Cherokee Info

If you're here looking for updates on the World Changers trip for our teens, you need to redirect. Unfortunately, the promised wifi connection did not materialize!

HOWEVER, there is still an opportunity to see our kids in action AND to communicate with them via 'e-couragrams'. Navigate to this website and follow the prompts for pictures, blog posts and the e-couragrams. There are already pictures up on the site, and I caught a glimpse of Elijah!

Let's slam our kids with encouragement this week and pray that God reveals himself to them in a powerful, undeniable, life-changing way!

beth (for jackie)

Pre-Project Roof Job

I wanna be a World Changer!

Yes, in the 105 degree heat, We replaced a roof!! The students worked hard and put in allot of sweat hours! Thank you so much IMPACT team for all your hard work, too! We were well fed by the Grubworms of IMPACT. We had oranges, apples, granola bars, hamburgers, hotdogs, brownies, cookies, chips, drinks, water, freezer pops and watermelon!!!

Jim Wheeler stopped by and led us in a time of devotion just before our meal. His words were powerful and very thought provoking.
We began our day with tool safety instructions by Andy Heberle and prayer.


We ended the day hot, sweaty and dirty but satisified in a good's days work.

Enjoy the pics!

Prayer Guide

The following is a guide to help you pray specifically for our students and adults while they are in Cherokee. We thank you in advance for all your prayers!

Friday 6-13
Pray for safe travel for Andy Heberle and Lance Broughman as they begin the journey to Cherokee with all our tools and luggage! Pray for their families back home while they are separated.

Saturday 6-14
Pray for safety in travel as we begin our 8-hour journey to Cherokee. Pray for the leaders who will be driving the vans. Pray that they remain alert and diligent. Pray for good conversations and lots of laughter as we travel! Pray that our students will reflect God’s love wherever we stop for food, fuel and breaks!

Sunday 6-15
Pray for students and adults to be open to God this week. Pray that they will be ready and willing to respond to Him as He desires. Pray that each will have the right attitude as they meet others in their crew and participate in team building activities during the day. Pray for them as they worship in a local church.

Monday 6-16
Pray for students and adults to be willing servants as they begin the workweek.
Pray that they will work hard on their construction site. Pray for safety as they work. Pray that they will establish a good relationship with the homeowner of their site.

Tuesday 6-17
Pray for students and adults to look for ways in which they can share their faith in a real and relevant way.

Wednesday 6-18
Pray for stamina and energy levels today. Pray that we will remember that we only have a few more days to demonstrate God’s love through our actions. Pray for some much-needed free time this evening!

Thursday 6-19
Pray that God would plant a burning passion in the hearts of each of our students to adopt an “on-mission” lifestyle. Pray that they would understand that a mission is not just about a project, but a way of life.

Friday 6-20
Pray that the students and adults would finish strong and complete the work that they need to do. Pray that they have had an experience that was life changing for them and the way they view the needs around them.

Saturday 6-21
Pray for safety in travel. Pray that we would choose to serve Christ as a result of our participation in World Changers.

We're Going to Cherokee!

For two months, PCC Senior High/College Students and adults have been preparing to be on mission this summer in Cherokee NC with an organization called World Changers http://worldchangers.studentz.com/site/c.ejINI6PNKoG/b.309499/

Our preparation has included fundraising in which the students have had opportunity to raise money by selling coookie dough, washing cars and selling Brusters' ice cream.

We have also been meeting to prepare ourselves spiritually..so that we can serve out of an abundance of God's love and grace..not out of our own strength.

In these meetings, we have talked about what it means to LEAP (WC theme this year) into service and in our relationship with God. We have talked about sharing our God Stories with those we meet and how our presence in the Cherokee Community can be a light to the Cherokee tribe. We have shared allot, grown as a team and we are getting really pumped about our trip! The World Changers Organization requires that we do a pre-project study and a pre-project mission so that we will be more prepared once we arrive on site. So, we will be joining the PCC Impact team on June 7th for a roofing project which will help us master some skills and for some...learn the difference between a hammer and a screwdriver!!

Once in Cherokee, we will be joining 375 other students just like us from all over the south east. There will be students from Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida (just to name a few). We will be the 3rd largest site this summer. Exciting, eh?

We will be working on the reservation to help repair homes of people that live at or below the poverty level. We will be doing a variety of projects to include roofing, handicap ramps, painting, plumbing, etc.

This is the first summer that PCC students will have an opportunity to go on a Senior High/College only trip. This will provide an opportunity for our students to take their faith and their service to the next level. World Changers projects are full of hard work, long hours and minimal comforts. We will start our work days at 7:00 am and do not finish until 4:oo pm. We will sleep on the floor of Cherokee High School and be fed by the North Carolina Disaster Team mobile feeding kitchen. Our days begin with breakfast and a morning send-off celebration.

Our days end with worship and church group devotions. During church group devotion time is the only time we will actually be together as a church group. During the day, PCC students will be divided onto teams (with cool names like the "Hammerheads" and the "Mortar Slingers") with other students from other churches.

This blogsite is where you can go to "watch and see" what we are doing in Cherokee. I will try and post everynight....so stay tuned, log on your computer...grab a cup of coffee and watch God's plan unfold in Cherokee, NC! Watch for our first post beginning June 13th!