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July Beats by Mark

Student Mission Trip to Refuge Louisville

This past June we took a group of our students to Louisville, KY to partner with Jonathan Braden, Founder of Refuge Louisville. The mission of Refuge Louisville is to “mobilize the Church to bring wholistic change to bless the nations.” One of the ways they do this is through allowing short-term teams to come and build relationships with international refugees that have been placed in Louisville.

There were so many moments where our team felt like we were in another country as we are surrounded by people from all over the world and playing soccer in the hot sun. One of the students who has been on mission to Belize said there were moments where he felt like he was back in Belize. It’s hard to believe that our students got this type of experience just two hours away!!

Our students had the opportunity to experience a lot of different ethnic foods. The first night Jonathan took us to Little Jerusalem which served Pakistani food. Food was one of the big fears many students had, so it was amazing to see them try new things, overcome fears, and find out that they had worried for nothing (in most cases :) We also got to try multiple types of Indian and Cuban food!!

One of the most important learning experiences for our students was getting to eat in the home of one of the Nepali families that Refuge has partnered with. Our students got to taste and see what an actual Nepali dinner would be like...pickled mangos, goat meat and all! (See above) It was so cool for them to listen to these people’s stories and get to be an encouragement to them.

Each day we would spend time at an apartment complex that was home to refugees from all over the world. We had the tremendous honor of making friends with people from Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, the Congo, and Iraq. Kylie and Sydnie built a great relationship with Najma, Nasteho, and Bora (pictured at above). It was beautiful to watch our students play soccer and jump rope with them, and then to listen to their stories and talk to some of them about the Love of Jesus Christ.

I’m eager to partner with Jonathan and Refuge Louisville again very soon. The first year is set up so that groups primarily observe and learn a lot about other cultures and how to share the Gospel across different cultures. As we continue to work with Jonathan and Refuge, our group will have the opportunity to build more intentional relationships with one particular people group and invest more deeply into one particular area of the city. A huge thank you to everyone who helped us go on mission!!!

Much Love - Mark

June Beats By Mark

Thank you to Lock In Volunteers
First of all, I want to thank all the parents and adults that helped us pull off two lock-ins in a row!!! It was awesome to have such amazing adults there loving on students and keeping everyone safe. Thank you for your support and thank you for giving up a night of rest to build relationships with some incredible students. I cannot tell you what a pleasure it was working with all of you!!! Thank you again!

Don’t Waste Your Summer
As we head into summer we’ve challenged the students to think about ways to not waste their summer. Summer is often like a diet...we have good intentions, but no follow through. We know we should get things done, but we end up watching a whole lot of TV, playing a whole lot of video games, sleeping alot, and doing nothing particularly productive with friends. None of these are bad on their own, but if all we did during the summer was watch every episode of our favorite show on netflix, then we missed something. We’ve challenged the students to think about things they can accomplish during the next few months of freedom, and made a few suggestions to get them started:
1. Work on a new skill or hobby like learning a new instrument, learning to swim,               learning to sew, learn to cook, or even just honing some skills for the sport they love.
2. Volunteer with an organization you like (Rescue Mission, Boys and Girls Club, our           Food Pantry).
3. Read good books (I realize that feels like a school project, but books have the power     to change us in powerful ways. Read good ones).
4. Develop a consistent habit of Bible study (Students got a packet during Pulse Worship     to help them get started with how to get the most out of their Bible study).

Upcoming Events
If you have not received a summer schedule, you can download one online at www.oakhillbc.org/ministries/students. If your student would like to participate in the day trips we have planned, he or she will need to turn in a summer waiver and sign up online. The summer waiver is included with the schedule.

June 27 King’s Island
7:00 am - 12:30 am that night. Sign up today at oakhillbc.org/events
Cost is $70 and that covers park ticket, lunch, and dinner. Lecrae, Tenth Ave North, and Love & The Outcome will be concert throughout the afternoon/evening.

July 6-10 Junior High Local Outreach
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm each day (tentative times). Sign up today at oakhillbc.org/events
This local outreach opportunity is open to students in 6th - 8th grade. We are running a day camp for Pleasant Ridge Trailer Park that will include games, crafts, bible study, and snacks.

July 13-17 Summer Camp
Sign up today at oakhillbc.org/events. Deadline is June 28
Cost is $299.

We are heading back to Crossings, and the theme this year is Proclaim. The students will learn about how God has called us all to proclaim the great news of His great Gospel.

With deep love,
Mark