2013 MYSTERY MISSION TRIP APPLICATION AND COVENANT The purpose of this application / covenant is twofold: (1)To ensure

that the youth applying has committed to planning and prayerfully committing to attending the mission trip, making the necessary scheduling changes for the summer to ensure attendance (work, school, etc); and (2)To ensure that the youth is aware of the spiritual and personal expectations for serving alongside our church. > To you, what is the purpose of serving God?

> Why are you going on mission trip?

> Do you see any personal barriers to serving God on mission (be honest)

In signing this covenant, I understand that the following is expected from me: (1) I will seek to be an active part of the body of believers at Peace before, during, and after mission trip. This means that I will not only regularly be involved in attending worship(at least once per month) but also find a way that I can serve in my own way at Peace. (2) I will seek to grow spiritually both privately in personal devotional and also group times. This also means that I will seek to stretch my understanding of ministry and the church and that I will be willing to accept challenges to go outside my comfort zones in pursuing God (3) I will attend all required preparation meetings for the mission trip and ensure that I have permission and have cleared my calendar for the required dates (July 7 - July 11) (4) I will respect ALL people and their property on this trip, acknowledging that my behavior reflects on both Peace Lutheran as a church, and Jesus himself since I am His missionary. _____________________________(Youth) _____________________________(Parent/Guardian) Contact Email and Cell Phone Number for Parent/Guardian _________________________________________ Peace Lutheran Church of Barrett, MN PO Box 218, Barrett, MN 56311 www.PeaceBarrett.org

Then I told them that the hand of God had been gracious to me... And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they committed themselves to the common good. Nehemiah 2:18

Why Mystery Mission?

You may be wondering why we do a mystery mission trip. Well, its so we can focus on what's really important: serving God. This is not a vacation, mission work is demanding. We want youth who are willing to go wherever God leads them. For that very reason, we keep our destination a secret in the hope that you will put your trust in God and have faith that God will bless our trip. (Plus we think it's a lot of fun!) All you need to know is that we are following where Gods children have need and we are being called to share Gods love through service.

What You Can Expect?

We work very hard on our trips. There is always a lot to be done and a very short time in which to accomplish it. Our days start early with a hot breakfast at our hotel and we work late into the afternoon. Youth will be in charge of making their own lunches (the night before) from a wide selection of sandwich fixings, fruit, chips and a granola bar. Each evening we have fun night-life activities, have a hearty supper and we also have devotional debriefing time. We will be again staying in a Hotel for the week, which not only provides us with an easy but substantial breakfast, but also recoup time from our hard work with the pool and other amenities. Relatively detailed itineraries will be provided to families in sealed envelopes on the day of our departure. These detail the types of suppers we will be eating, our specific night-life events, and details about our worksite and destination. Youth can expect to serve primarily within a post natural disaster context -Service opportunities will consist of: Demolition of interior and/or exterior building structures; Building repairs such as porches, steps, ramps, structural damage; Rebuild Construction; and Debris cleanup. Our worksite/host ministry assists homeowners who are unable to recover on their own. This list includes the most vulnerable persons: the low income, the disabled, elderly, documented medical needs, uninsured, underinsured, single parents and others that will have the hardest time recovering. We are asked to be flexible and willing to do what needs to be done, even if it is different from what we have expected. Even under ideal conditions, we may encounter lack of supplies, delay of inspections, and inclement weather in our worksites response to disaster. At such times, one may wonder where God is in all this chaos and destruction. God knows the suffering, pain and seemingly insurmountable task that lie ahead of reconstructing homes and lives. You can be Gods visible hands as you rebuild homes and in the process, bring healing and hope in seemingly hopeless situations.