In June of 2007, I traveled with the FPC Jr Hi Youth Group on their Road Rules trip. Each year since 2004, I have gone on Road Rules as an adviser and helped lead a team. In 2007, I lead the ORANGE team as we journeyed to Oklahoma! Ohhhhhh-klahoma! I had never been to Oklahoma, so I was able to cross that off my list.
This is the whole group with all the team colors represented (but orange is still the best). This is actually a picture of the group in Nashville on the way home, but it was the only group picture I had. =)
The purpose of Road Rules is to take middle school students from our church to locations around the USA to teach them about service and how to show people God's love by meeting their practical needs. We started in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. We volunteered at the Creek Nation Festival, worked in nursing homes, cleaned up homeless shelters, and actually got to see a local rodeo!This is a picture of the Creek Nation Festival Parade.
Ashley (one of the youth directors) and I enjoyed the rodeo because it was a brief moment during which we didn't have to keep the kids occupied. We were around them 24 hours a day for 6 straight days... I think you can see the lack of sleep on our faces. =)On the way home from Oklahoma, we stopped in St. Louis, MO and Nashville, TN where we did similar forms of volunteering: painting shelters, sorting clothes at the Salvation Army, and more. I think Road Rules is an excellent way to show middle school kids from this area that not everyone lives like they do, and it is our responsibility as Christians to help others.
The entire trip is made into a "competition" between teams and there are ways to earn points in challenges throughout the week. If you know me, you know I'm competitive when it comes to games (but not sports - that requires too much coordination!), so I was delighted (read: fiercely proud) when my Orange Team won the competition at the end of the week! I attribute at least part of it to the amazing songs I made up for my team. I will leave you with one of those:Orange Team!
Dreaming 'bout orange team!
They are not red, not yellow -
but in between. =)
