November

So here is an update from the past few weeks adventures 🙂

RIP..poor belt…lol

Operation Christmas Child 🙂

UPCOMING EVENTS:

This Sunday :

Many students fear what people would think if they stood up for Truth. It is tempting for students to blend in with the crowd and keep silent. The risk of being rejected or alone for speaking up seems far too great.

Francis Chan opens up the Scriptures and shows students how their faith in Christ can give them the ability to live lives defined by courage. Students share real-life stories regarding their struggles and successes in the face of adversity.

Join us Sunday from 4:30pm – 7:00pm throughout November/December at Elevate as we develop the character to stand strong.

November 11th-12th
An All-Night Crazy Fun Event!
Providence Bruins Hockey Game, Ice Games, Pizza, Bowling, Open Gym, or Roller Skating

Leaving the church Friday @ 5:30 pm returning Saturday approximately6:00 am Transportation provided

Supper-eat before you come, bring it with you, or bring money to buy snacks at the hockey game Pizza served at midnight

You must have a signed permission slip on file before we leave-pick one up at the bulletin board

Cost is $42. Checks are payable to Dartmouth Bible Church Youth and can be given to Natasha. If you have any money questions or needs please talk to Natasha

This event is a blast! Be sure to invite a friend or two or three!

Also
We are starting up girl’s bible study again on Saturday mornings from 9:00 am-11:00 am
This week we will be working on this:
 home made tea bags
and we will be looking at
1 Pet. 3:3–4

So if you are a young woman 12-18 come join us 🙂

New Blog Post 2 WHAT!!!

That’s right! Two blog posts in one day….

So this post is the what’s coming up post: Read it, know it, and then report back with permission slips and dinero 🙂

 

This Sunday: October 16th: TIME CHANGE!!! 4:30pm-6:30pm NERF Night…and Pizza!
Get your nerfs out and your camo on for nerf night! Be excited!  *Special prize for person best suited for the occasion 🙂 Taylor Lautner Supports this activity so you know its cool!

October 23rd: We will be starting a worship time at youth group….if you want to be a part of the worship team let me know….Talent wanted! Singers, Musicians, Powerpointers.

October 30th: Hayride, Pumpkin Picking, and Carving at Keith’s Farm
Cost: $15 Time: Meet at church at 3pm

Permission on Blog under Permission Slip Tab.
 

And in November we’ve got WORD OF LIFE SUPERBOWL!!!!
Friday November 11-Saturday November 12
Cost: $42
ALL NIGHT!!!!!
So if you want to come you need to pass in a $25 deposit this SUNDAY October 16th!
Permission Slip under tab….

The night will include: Providence Bruins Hockey Game, Ice Games, Prizes, Pizza, Skating, Bowling, Open Gym, and lots of laughs!
It’s going to be a good time…so invite ur friends yo!

NEW BLOG POST!!!

So it has been FOREVER since the last post here. Don’t worry friends, blogging is back!

So what has elevate been up to?

We went to Soulfest! A Christian music festival in Gunstock, NH where we saw Third Day, Chris Tomlin, Jars of Clay, Skillet, Tenth Avenue North, Petra, The City Harmonic, and more! It was a lot of fun! Here are some pics 🙂

 

We’ve also went to the first ever Youthnet event…you can check out and like the page on the side of this blog!
Youth Net is a network made up of several youth groups from area churches and civic organizations that have put aside denominational differences to deliver the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our youth. We also organize and offer safe and positive events and functions that are a great alternative to what the average pre-teen and teen consider “the norm”. Here’s some pics from that event:

Finished the night with a concert from Beyond Muzik! (Check out their music here: https://www.facebook.com/BeyondMuzik ) A good time was had by all!

The Grand Canyon

In the words of Billy: “The words community and toothbrush do not go together”
In the words of Mr. Hawkins: “Only Steve and I have used it…”

This was the lovely predicament we arrived in as we realized we were not going to be going home on Friday night due to the unfortunate/fortunate events of the breaking down of our 15 passenger van.

We learned today that the Navajo language is a very descriptive language, so I will paint a word picture for you of our interesting adventure to the Grand Canyon!

It was a hot summer morning and we had just finished helping the contractor pour cement for the floor in the new house being built for dorms in the fall. Others had finished nailing support joists onto the ceiling for the new roof being built on the house across the street. We were hot and tired but very excited to be venturing to the Grand Canyon. It was about 11:30 in the morning when our 7 passenger and 15 passenger van took off packed with sunscreen, water, cameras, Rice Krispy treats, Granola Bars, and lunches. We were ready to go. We took the scenic route which consisted of shrubs, sand, and open road.

We were told to stop at Cameron Trading Post to find souvenirs and jewelery, so we did. It was very cool. Filled with lots of turquoise jewelry, mugs, postcards, bows and arrows, tomahawks, and Grand Canyon shirts. We continued on our way, bags filled with goodies.

Our trip seemed to be going well as the Grand Canyon started to appear in the horizon. We pulled off at the first look out station and were amazed and brought to tears (literally taking Kirsten Larsen’s breath away) as we took in the vast beauty of the canyon. We climbed a watch tower which was built in the early 1900’s and engraved with beautiful Native Hopi paintings and carvings. We all were excited to see what awaited at the next look out stop.

We hopped back in our vans and took off. Our mini started up the road, but quickly realized our 15 passenger was nowhere in site and turned back. As the mini returned, the 15 was shaky but running. It took a few loops around the parking lot, giving us hope that we would make it to the next look out point. We headed on our way, again, only to stop a few miles down the road. Dave Hawkins was driving the 15 and attempted to contain his growing frustration with the van that did not want to continue (many references to the little train that could were being recited as we prayed and pushed our van).

We started to maintain velocity for a short while, but then, sadly, we blocked the road and started rolling into a ditch. People poured out of the vehicle to push that bad boy back on track. And it did for a short while until we finally accepted the fact that this van would not be going any further.

What to do???? 18 stranded and hungry teens and adults just wanting to see the grand canyon were stuck on the side of the road in mountain lion territory. But our spirits were not defeated. We called AAA and proceeded to film several sections of our work out video, which is coming along nicely 🙂 Our vans were being borrowed from Indian Bible College so it made it difficult for us to make any major decisions with the van.  We decided to shuttle the teens to the visitor center. Aaron, Dave, Steve, Natasha, and Cheryl stayed with the van waiting for 3 hours as Kirsten shuttled the children to their very patient and helpful chaperones, Sue and Billy.

We were told by AAA that the van would have to stay in the garage overnight, which evoked feelings of delight and dismay. Where would we stay? How would we save our contact lenses over night?  Would we make it in time for the star party?

Quick Side Note: If you were wondering what our special surprise was and have the read the blog this far…you are in for a treat! The star party is an event that takes place at the canyon one week a year when the stars are at their prime. The sky was filled with billions of stars in our galaxy and beyond. Star connoisseurs with very snazzy telescopes pointed to Saturn, Nebulas, the M-13 Globular Cluster, Super NOVA, the milky way, and more. And we got to look through all of them. There were around 50 different telescopes of all shapes and sizes. It was really cool. Here is a picture of two telescopes pointed at the sun and moon.

Back to our adventure: So we made it to the star party and had a good time. And we were able to stay at a lodge for the night.
Side, Side Note: So I may have really wanted to see the sun rise at the Grand Canyon and my prayers may have come true!

Back to our adventure again 🙂
We retired to our beds at around 11 and got up around 4 am (Yes, This is a true statement and Natasha Ferro did get up at 3:56 am to see the sunrise…it was a real-life miracle!) (No coffee was involved)

And let me tell you the view in the morning as the sun arose over the cliffs was absolutely amazing. Beautiful doesn’t come close to describing what we saw. Sue, Andrew, Hannah, Mikayla, Richard, Aaron, Cheryl, and myself were able to experience an incredible thing that morning. Here are some pictures:

So here is a Wow God Moment for all of you at home…When we went back in the morning to check on our van, we were told that we would have to tow the van back to the college which would cost around $350. We explained the van was not ours and we were on a mission trip and one of the young mechanics told us he would check one more thing. And he fixed our van free of charge! (I guess there was a spark plug wire that was unplugged, which was straining our engine and causing the stalling). Praise God!

We had a great breakfast, checked out of our room, and headed to the Bright Angel Trail to start on our 3-mile roundtrip hike down the canyon. Here are some pics from the hike:

We ended that beautiful day with $.99 sundaes at Sonic (this was dinner for some – apologies to the Health Team!).  All in all, it was a great day!

A “You’ve-read-to-the-end-of-this-long-post” extra tidbit: Take another look at our Friday and Saturday pictures, and you will notice that we are wearing the same clothes!  We all smelled a little ripe for the experience, but it was definitely the source of some team bonding….just don’t hop in the 7 passenger van for a while unless you fancy the smell of old sandwiches and feet 🙂

Next Blog Post: The Native Church and Rest

***Just to let you know: If you click on any of the pictures they should pop up bigger (if you want to see them better)

Oh Deer!

Guest post from Cheryl: DBC Health Team, you would be proud – for the past two mornings, we’ve gotten up and gone out walking for almost an hour and a half before breakfast!  We’ve had more takers with each outing.  The trail takes us away from morning traffic and up a hill to where we have a nice view of the city.  This morning, we saw two deer, and lots of people on their bikes.  Our turnaround point is an area with red clay that has three stones set up like a table – we’re not sure who put them there or what their purpose is, but they make for a great photo op.  Then it’s back to the dorms for some cereal (we must confess – there are several sugary options) and fruit.

Our tasks today included: more cleaning (this time in the girls’ dorm), helping out in the library, brushing off cement in preparation for the new cement to be poured tomorrow (kudos to Leia, Mikayla, and Lindsey – this was a very dusty job!), hanging a support beam, building a shelf, leveling cinders in the soon-to-be dorm, and dismantling the roof (we got about half of the joists removed today – the next phase will require some cutting).  Not to worry, it’s not all work and no play – Natasha, Billy, Richard, and Hannah put together a workout video to demonstrate how we’re achieving the dual goals of working hard AND staying fit!

We had American chope suey for dinner (Kirsten learned how to make it, and seeing the favorable reviews from the team, I have a feeling it’ll be a dish that makes its way into the Larson household menu), and headed to Calvary Bible Church for the last night of VBS.  Tonight’s memory verse was James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  A helpful reminder with some really neat visuals from Mr. Paul that reminded us we won’t be effective in living for Christ unless we actively seek God and keep Him as the focal point of our lives.

We’re excited for tomorrow – we’ll be working for a few hours in the morning, then heading to the Grand Canyon for the afternoon/evening.  Natasha’s promised us some fun surprises as part of the trip…come back Saturday (we’re expecting a late night tomorrow) to find out what they were!

I’m giving my life to the only One who makes the moon reflect the sun….

…every Starry night that was His design.

I really wish I could send a picture of the stars to all of you! The sky here is vast and filled with so many stars. Arizona is beautiful! We had a very nice evening tonight. After a very hard day of work, we all enjoyed a very delicious meal suggested by Lynn Brown ( the criteria being: cheap, could feed a lot of people, and was tasty and Lynn you were spot on). Chicken Stir Fry! If you don’t make it, you should because it is delicious and very easy to make ( and that’s a lot to say when you are cooking for 18! I don’t know how the Duggar family does it!)  Followed by a very scrumptious watermelon (which was also huge and cheap….only 3 dollars and there are still left overs…got to love super walmart in times like these!) We then showered and got ready for another evening of VBS.The weather this evening reminded me of the story of Goldi Locks and the Three Bears…where she finds the things that are just right. And that’s what this evening was, just right!

The temperature reached 88 degrees here today which made for lots of drinking of gatorade and water! But the evening was just right. It was cool but not cold, and there was a breeze which was gentle and refreshing (reminding me of the Holy Spirit…love that analogy of the wind and Holy Spirit). We were able to play with the children who were adorable yet again. Today we played “baby if you love me smile” which was very cute! The objective of the game is to either get someone to smile, or be the person who does not smile. Seeing little 4 year old children play this was very sweet. I think there was way more smiling than was allowed!

It is neat to watch how this VBS is run, because it is very simple. It isnt showy, or high energy. It primarily takes place outside on a little blanket that the children sit on to listen to the stories. Yet the children have so much fun, and the night is focused on the Gospel. I am always amazed at how powerful the Gospel message can be, even with little ones. There is no glam or show, just Love from God above. Yet this message can get little children to just sit, listen, and believe with all their hearts that God is real and He is good. Such complexity and simplicity wrapped in one!

We led music again this evening and sang three songs: I’m in the Lord’s Army (which goes with their theme of being a soldier for christ), Love the Lord Your God (which we sang last Sunday with our kids at DBC), and River of Life…which is timeless fun!

We concluded are evening with awards (given to Lindsey. C Caleb. T and Andew. B for their spirit of team work and their great attitude toward service today), Snack (Chocolate Chip Icecream), Worship (led by Aaron, Brandon.L, and myself), and a devotion on the first chapter of Phillipians. Our devotions took place outside in the back yard at picnic tables. It was simple and sweet. I have to say there is something about worshipping God outside under the night sky. We sang Starry Night by Chris August, How He Loves by McMillan, and ended with How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (One of my favorite Hymns). The second to last stanza in the song reads:

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast inJesus Christ
His death and resurrection

As we read Phillipians we discussed how even though Paul is imprisoned, he is boasting in the power and love of Jesus Christ and the encouragment he is receiving from hearing about the church in Phillipi! And this reminds me of the encouragement I have received from knowing that so many people are praying for us and are being encouraged that we are here. And when it comes down to it, it is all for the Glory of God and spreading the Gospel message (Particulary with the native american community here).

Today, I remember you Church family. I wish you could be here experiencing what we are experiencing. Believers seeking to serve the Lord and put others needs before there own. But I know that God doesn’t need a new location to teach us mighty lessons, and that God desires to meet us where we are. So I pray for you; whoever you may be that is reading this. I pray that you may allow God to move in and through your life for His glory. Allow God to work through the messiness of this life for His glory.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,^[e] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. Phillipians 1:27

God is faithful. God is Good. And one day things will be as they are meant to be.
Keep praying, Keep Hoping, and Keeping Serving the Lord with all you have, for it is the only thing that will last.

Untill tomorrow~
From the Plane

VBS Music

IBC

Working

Matching 🙂

Greetings from AZ!

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to give a quick update on our trip! (hoping to update once a day…just trying to figure out when). So we’ve arrived in AZ safely and successfully and as you can see from the pictures above, they have put us to work 🙂

We started our adventure by being welcomed by Bob Richardson who is the business adminstator (Volunteer). He has been our go to man for questions and projects. We were able to meet the president of the college who gave us an orientation of the school, its history, and what we would be doing through out the week. He stated that he believes out of all the people groups in the world to minister globally, native americans are the most received and desires, particularly in Muslim countries that may not be so keen to have an “anglo” come. He believes that God is using the Native American people and their story in a mighty way.

We then got to work! So far we have painted the interior of an entire house that will be the new home of a proffessor from Texas who is moving to the college. The boys moved a lot of cinder (which is a gravel like substance) and have been working on the new house that will be housing about eight new students in the fall! The place still has a lot of work needed but our boys are working hard. They have also been working on a different house on the roof, pulling off shingles in this very hot and dry weather! Props to our guys! Our girls have been cleaning out the very, very dirty boys dorm which was in desperate need of some tlc.

In the evenings we are assisting Calvary Bible Church (I feel like that is a popular name for churches) with Vacation Bible School. That has been fun! The children are very cute, and we were asked to lead music (the woman who was supposed to lead went into labor Monday evening, and was not able to make it 🙂 We also are doing devotions at the end of the day in which we are studying the book of Phillipians!

All in all, this trip has been great. Although it is hot and the weather is taking a little bit of time to get used to, there has been no grumbling. Everyone is working really hard and is here to serve which is a great encouragement to me!
Continue to pray for us as we serve, work, and grow together in Christ!

Yard Sale Info

Hi everyone! Just wanted to remind you of the yard sale we will be having

this Saturday May 21st from 8-4 to raise money for our Youth Group Mission Trip to Flagstaff, AZ!

Please come out and support our youth!

 Find more <a href="http://www.yardsalesearch.com/garage-sales-dartmouth-ma.html">garage sales in Dartmouth</a> on<a href="http://www.yardsalesearch.com/">Yard Sale Search</a>.

The Month of April and May

Where did the month of April go? 

This Sunday is Easter! How crazy is that? It seems like time just keeps flying by! Check out this blog for some neat reflections on this great week: http://www.thecommontruth.org/

Well since I slacked on the April post… this post will be more of a recap of the past month and a look into upcoming excitement throughout May.

Post Breakdown: April-What we’ve talked about: Activities: Mission Trip News:  May-What we’ll be talking about/Activities Pictures!

Shall we begin?

This month we started a new guys bible study on Mondays 3:30pm led by Aaron Donner. Both the girls and guys are going through the BASIC series by Francis Chan (Check out the mini little preview video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjR4lqg9sCI&feature=related

We’ve been talking about the Fear of God and how that impacts our lives as Christians. We’ve also focused on our personal walks with God; reflecting on how they are and how they could be.

We’ve also tried some really different games this past month during youth group! Check out the clips:

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=523067538002

How About That Mission Trip:

We’ve done two fundraisers recently that were pretty successful and fun: 

 Thanks to all who helped out with the Walmart Bake Sale in Fairhaven! We raised $755!!!
Here are some pictures of our goodies…we sold almost everything we had! (which was a lot!)

We also had a great time at our Spaghetti Dinner! We raised $670! Many people seemed to enjoy themselves! Thanks to all who came and showed their support! Thanks to David Hawkins for Photos!

Important Dates To Come For Trip (ALL going on trip must attend meetings):

Trip Meeting: Thursday May 5^th 6PM

Trip Meeting: Thursday May 19^th 6PM

Saturday/ Sunday May 21^st/22^nd: Yard Sale Fundraiser

Trip Meeting: Thursday June 9^th 6PM

Trip Meeting: Thursday June 16^th 6PM Final Meeting Before Departure

May Month of Worship: Focusing on
Psalm 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 ¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice^[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.

 ⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
and all of them are righteous.

 ¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

 ¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

May 1st: Youth Group 5pm Night of Serving!

Youth Group Meeting Friday May 6th at 7pm
(May 8th: Mother’s Day No Youth Group)

May 15th Night of Worship
Meet at Church at 4:30PM
Permission Slip Updated Under tab

Chapel of the Cross
160 Flanders Road
Westborough, MA

May 22nd: Horseneck Beach Trip 3:00pm-6:00pm

May 29th: No Youth Group

A finishing note: This Easter Be Brave and invite a friend to church
But not like this 🙂  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8wrXIeI72I

The month of March!

 

Isn’t that video great? I really liked it and wanted to share it with you! You are loved by a mighty and powerful God!

BLOG UPDATE TIME:

And there is lots going on….so here we go!

 

This Sunday March 6th Youth Group will be changed to 6:30 and we will be attending the baptism! Come and support our people getting baptized!

 

Mission Trip:

Everyone did a fantastic job with the serving and singing fundraising. We raised: $601.10 Woo Hoo!!!
And we have had further requests for the Valentinos (aka The Valentine Boys) to sing again!
Here is a picture of the guys all dressed up!

So spiffy!

 

We will be having a mission trip meeting this THURSDAY MARCH 3rd @ 6pm. Your $50 deposit is due at this time!

Next Fundraiser: Chili Cook Off! We’ve got 10 chefs at the moment but we are still seeking more! So invite your friends, family, neighbors, teachers,  Saturday March 12th at 5PM. Donations will be taken at the door.

Walmart Bake Sale: Saturday March 26 7am- 3pm. There will be a sign up sheet to fill slots at the meeting.

LOCK-IN: March 11 6:30pm -Saturday March 12 8:30am $10

What the night has in store: Hip Hop Concert/Beyond Muzik @ CFC, Rockstar Games and Prizes, Black Light Night Hour, watching MULAN the movie, PIZZA and ICE CREAM SUNDAES and sooo much more! We are pumped! So fill out your permission slips (which can be found under permission slip tab in blog) and get them in to Natasha by March 6th (Next Sunday)