Western NC Youth Mission Journey 2026

Editor Note: This post will be short and sweet.   Good afternoon, Framily,      Our team began the morning at 7am on this Shrek themed Saturday.       We packed, we ate bagels and leftovers for breakfast, we cleaned four main areas of the church (Showers, Guys Room, Girls Room, and the Fellowship/Dining Hall) and departed "the swamp" before 10am.  Below: Cross Connection Staff waving goodbye to us  Far Left: Lauren 2nd Left: Alumni Staff Member Ashleigh Middle: Jinnia 2nd Right: Alumni Staff Member Jake Far Right: Staff member at small Mazie and Alumni Staff Member Salem Not Pictured: Abby, Alumni Staff Member Editor Note: Morning watch was a prayer to send us on our way. It was a poem called Dazzling by Jan Richardson: A Blessing for Your Journey. It reminded us that this journey to Asheville was a blessing that has to stay there. It gave us a challenge to bring the blessing down the mountain, in other words be fishers of people....

Editor Notes:  No additional photos will be added to Facebook FVUMC Group this evening    In addition tomorrow afternoon or evening we will have our final blog for the June team.    Good Evening, Framily,       Blogger Note:  Hello everyone this is going to be a collaborative blog since Lincoln and I, Will, were together most of the day.       We started our day with Jake, a Cross Connection Alumni Staff member hat came for the week, peacefully waking us up at 7:00. Editor Note: He did this each day. Will hated it while Lincoln liked it.   Next, we ate breakfast at 7:30 which was leftovers from the week so we did not waste food (It was very good).       After that we had morning watch ( From Matthew 4:18-22).        A round 9am we set off to our hike with the community  arriving after a 45 minute bus ride.      Blogger Note:  We made a pit...

Editor Note: Additional pictures and videos will be posted on the FVUMC Youth Ministry Facebook Page    Good evening, Framily,       Today, we were allowed to sleep in a whole hour. For breakfast we had cinnamon rolls, bacon, fruit, and cereal. Afterwards, we did our daily Morning Watch. Editor Note: From 1 Kings 19:11-15 and Matthew 17:1-7       Following Morning Watch, we head out to a local coffee shop called "Deep Time."   Deep Time is a place that offers a place to work and get better to individuals impacted by incarceration.       They hire people straight from the streets or jail/prison. They aim to help people that have nowhere else to go, and gives them opportunities to get their needs, such as a place to live, a license, a car, housing, rehab, basically whatever they need. Editor Note: Mercy shared about this and the life of an incarnated person is like Below: Mercy, "Deep Time" Operations Manager, (is ...

Editor Notes: Limited photos are in this post and on the FVUMC Youth Ministry Facebook Group due to being intentionally present with community members and to protect their privacy.   Good evening, Framily,      Today, we had a much lighter breakfast, banana bread, strawberries, apple juice, and some other stuff I, Lucy, have forgotten, because we were going to have an earlier lunch at Haywood Street.       During morning watch, I was in the sanctuary where I met a nice lady who was a staff member at Abernathy who was "getting her steps in before starting work".       Today I, Frances, and everybody else went to Haywood Street to visit and eat with our neighbors! There were three things you could do: you could go do crafts in the art room, visit in the sanctuary, or eat outside (In the Garden or the Alley ways) .  Below: Church Mission      Lunch was very good! It was a choice of spaghetti or lasagna, wi...

Editor Note: This is a long blog post.            Good evening, Framily, Will-       Today we started our day waking up at 7AM to be ready for breakfast at 7:30 AM. We ate banana bread, a mix of leftover casseroles, fresh fruit and cereal.       After breakfast we had Morning Watch. [Remember, this is a time to connect with God through quiet scripture reading with questions to reflect about.]        We then departed to the worksite around 9 AM where there were two separate groups.       "The CIA", which is my group spent our day at our homeowner's house where were tasked to rebuilding a fence, mow a very overgrown lawn, and place boards on the lower interior of the fence to prevent our homeowners 3 dogs from digging out.        While working we learned to use many different tools (saws, drills, and speed squares) and to work together to build somet...

  Good evening, Framily,       Today, w e began the day with Morning Watch, which is a time to spend time with God in prayer and through Scripture to center. This will be something we do each morning.       Following this we walked around Haywood Street, in the city of Asheville. Rebekah, our guide, took us around downtown Asheville. She showed us how the less fortunate got their essential needs and how they live each day.       Also, we stopped outside churches to hear about how they helped the community. Some of the churches let people heal physically and mentally while others help provide clothes and they make sure that nobody goes hungry. Below: "FROG's" Group walking in front of one of many murals.       As we explored, we noticed how "targeted" some rules were. In the library and Pack's Park, they have rules about having to have good hygiene to be able to use the spaces. Also, in several other pla...

Good evening Framily,     Today we began our day being commissioned alongside the July team.  Above: Some of the team      We left after the service once the bus was  packed up.  We rode for an hour and a half-ish before we got to Culvers for lunch.      While at Culvers we created an introduction video. We hope that you enjoy.  Note: Join the FVUMC Youth Ministry Group on Facebook to see the vids      We ate many butterburgers and free frozen custards before getting back on the bus to drive the remainder of trip to Abernathy UMC.       We had lots of fun in the cars, both parts of the journey there !       When we got to the church [around 4pm-ish], we unloaded luggage and set up our beds.  Above: Lincoln and Will      We  went over rules and made our Camp Covenant.  Below: Camp Covenant with our Signatures     Following this we...

Sunday, June 7th, our team gathered in fellowship and planning as we made our final preparations towards our missions in Asheville, NC this summer. We discussed packing lists, guidelines, safety precautions, what to expect on our trip, and a schedule of activities that include directly serving the community and neighbors in Asheville.  To have more organized efforts, we were split into CMG (Christian Mission Groups). We did a team building activity with the game Telephone, where we learned that it could be hard to hear God’s voice when there is so much noise around us. It is our prayer, that as we embark on this trip, that we can hear God’s voice as he works through us to give to the community of Asheville. The June group will be heading out this Sunday, June 14th, to Asheville. We pray for safe travel and open hearts as we serve our neighbors in the mountains.

The FVUMC Youth Group is sending over 40 team members on 2 teams to Asheville, North Carolina, for a mission journey from June 14-20 and July 19-25. Our team’s work will involve serving alongside our neighbors as they continue to recover from Hurricane Helene while also connecting with the community and each other in ways only a week set apart can facilitate. We ask that you be in prayer with us, consider supporting us financially through donations, and connect with us in the ways provided below: Check out this awesome video our team recorded about our Journey! YouTube:  https://youtu.be/uK3njdr3zWc Linked on our web page:  https://fvumc.org/missionjourney26/ Visit our host organization:  Cross Connection Our Theme:  Whisper: Louder Than the Noise” 1 Kings 19:12 Elijah, depressed, fearful, and burnt out, at his end flees the murderous Queen Jezebel to the wilderness and asks to be left to die. God wakes him twice and provides food to eat, caring for his needs. God t...