On June 24-28, 11 teens and 3 chaperones participated in the annual MFUGE trip in Philadelphia, PA. This is the 8th year that Teens Group has participated in MFUGE. We started in 2016 when Pastor Shane organized the first trip. Before our trip, we conducted several fundraisers at church including an art auction, car wash, and worship concert. We are so thankful for the love and care of our church family who prayed for us and supported us financially so that all the teens had an opportunity to participate. Praise God for providing for this trip!

On the Friday before we planned to leave, the camp director in Philadelphia called me and informed us that a huge thunderstorm had passed through Philadelphia. The university that we would be staying at (Eastern University) had lost power. Unfortunately, the electricity was not scheduled to come back until Monday, so the trip was delayed by one day. We were praying that the power could come back soon for MFUGE and for the residents of Philly. Thankfully, it was restored on schedule, and we set off on Tuesday morning.

In most years at MFUGE, teens from our church are split into 7 or 8 different groups when they arrive to camp. This gives them an opportunity to meet people from different churches across the country. However, this year, we were just split into 2 groups.

The first group, which I was in, participated in evangelism at a local park. We brought lots of kids' activities - necklace making, face painting, basketball, soccer, water balloons, etc - and drove to a local Philadelphia park. It was very hot, so at first, we didn't really want to do anything except sit around. However, there were a good number of children at the park, and soon they came to play with us. We talked to the children about family, school, and faith. I personally met a young man named Aaron who was playing basketball at the park. The group leader and I prayed for him, his family, and his future. I admired our group leader (Mariah, 20 yrs old) very much because she had a special gift for starting gospel conversations and sharing her testimony with others. At the end of our time at the park, the children joined us in holding hands and praying together. Praise God for a terrific time of love and service!

The second group went to a neighborhood of Philadelphia called Kensington. The neighborhood is affected by a lot of drug-use and poverty. The teens served this neighborhood in different ways. First, they served at a church that made care packages to give to the local people. The teens sorted through lots and lots of clean underwear to be placed in the care packages. At the end of the day, one of them said, "I don't want to see any more underwear." Second, they went on a prayer walk around the neighborhood to pray for the people. There were many individuals in the streets who were on drugs or homeless. The group prayed for God to help and provide for the people in this neighborhood. One of the teens said, "It's really encouraging to see how much I'm blessed to have what I do have." The teens in this group also had the opportunity to serve at a different church doing some yard work.

When we were not at the mission sites, we participated in worship, bible study, sermons, games, and mega relay. This year's theme was "Into the Light." The messages emphasized owning your faith and being a light in the darkness. The key verses were: John 4:42 "We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world." (The students and chaperones received bracelets with the first letter of every word from this verse, encouraging us to memorize it.)

Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven".

I am again so grateful to our church, our teens, and the staff at MFUGE. MFUGE is always one of the best weeks of my summer. It is a tremendous joy to see the teens grow in their faith and in their relationship with God and each other. Praise the Lord for this opportunity to learn and serve. May all of us walk in the light of Christ.