Wrapping up HOPE for 2023-24!

Dear Friends and Family,

May is always one of my busiest months in the ministry. We are beginning to plan for summer and get all prepared. But for HOPE, we pack in a lot of great things towards the middle of the month.

We celebrated our last meeting of HOPE by throwing a party! Playing tons of games like ballon stomp and group charades. Making a group favorite science project, ice cream in a bag. Most importantly, we celebrated our rising sixth graders who will be aging out of our program next year. I got them some ridiculous graduation sunglasses from the dollar store that said “I’m done” which they seemed to enjoy deeply and sarcastically.

Next up we had our annual camping retreat! Every year we take our students to a Christian campground about an hour away. This year I wanted to change it up (mostly to keep our sixth graders on their toes). The new location was in the same general area as previous years but had some fun new activities like Axe throwing and Archery tag. All the students loved atleast one of the two new attractions. We ended up taking eighteen students on the retreat which is almost double the group size we’ve taken any other year. The kids’ excitement was palpable on the van ride over. The following Sunday a large portion of our group came to church (despite being sleep deprived and tired). It was such an encouragement to see them joyfully relay all the fun times they had at camp.

Something that really stuck out to me this month was how many of our HOPE kids were asking about future events and plans. They’d ask how next year’s camping trip would be different. When we were starting HOPE back in the fall. Making sure they’d be on the roster. Inquiring if their younger siblings could come in the Fall. All this may seem trivial and typical of children. But I remember being told how when Sacred Road started the kids didn’t really think about the future. All that mattered was the immediate. Nobody talked about the next level of education, future plans, or even next year’s events. SRM made it a goal to give them continuous good memories and events to look forward to every year. Kids Clubs and Christmas deliveries were a huge mile maker in that area. Can’t begin to tell you how often I get asked when summer teams/intern are arriving by the kids. It’s just so much fun to see that theme continue with our kids excitedly looking forward to what the next year holds.

Please be praying for our staff as we head into Summer. It’s looking to be a particularly busy season that will certainly be sprinkled with God’s grace and providence. Thank you.

Blessings,

Trey