Just a quick final note. On Friday, we had a time of fun and fellowship.  The Grindstaffs graciously allowed us to visit their lake house for a few hours to celebrate the end of our Love Locally work.  Lunch was a smorgasbord of leftovers from the week's dinners and lunches.  There was even leftover Ginger Lime Chicken for Zach, who wasn't with us for that dinner.  Floats, water guns, kayaks, paddleboard, lily pad, Mable rides behind the boat, and fellowship made for a great celebration.  This was my 18th mission trip with the youth and adults of Leawood UMC.  I confess that not spending the nights together gave me a few concerns about how the group would bond.  I shouldn't have worried - this group of people was amazing!  The team worked well together at our work sites and into the evenings.  We had a dinner team, a devotions team, and a blogging team.  (I missed our trips to the grocery store, Pam.  Going alone wasn't the same.)...

  Day 4 Operation: Sole Purpose Love Local Mission Command // A-Team Alpha and Bravo Squads Field Report “I pity the fool… who underestimates this crew.” Mission Objective: Infiltrate the donation stronghold. Locate, identify, and liberate high-quality goods for redistribution. Neutralize chaos. Sort soft goods. Maintain style under pressure. And do it all with a smile. Hostile Terrain: The morning began with turbulence. A twelve-foot river rise forced an early adaptation of our route. As our convoy rolled out, we passed through floodwaters that turned sidewalks into streams and backroads into boat lanes. We didn’t blink. We rode the waves. We waved at the water. And it waved back. Danger? I laugh in the face of danger. Team Deployment: At 0900 hours, give or take a snack break, the Love Local Unit split into specialized tactical divisions: 🔹 Bravo Squad (codename: Backroom Battalion) was deployed to Zone 15 – Shoe Sector. Their task? Engage the footwear fortress. Neutralize “Shoe...

  0800 hours Our intrepid team gathered bright and early to find the following message:      Hello LUMC Agents.      The community around you could use your help as the hands and feet of God. Today, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to volunteer at Blessings Abound. Your first step is to find Eric. He will have all the details for your mission. This message will self-destruct in 5 seconds (but not really, for it is forever on the internet.) Well accept it, we did. We traveled down State Line to the Martin City location of Blessings Abound at 135th Street, where we found Head Agent Eric, who gave us six assignments to complete. Assignment ONE: Our special operatives (Agents Anna, Caleb, Zack, Tyler, Bruce, Gene, and Jinhee) moved heavy boxes of classified materials (articles of clothing suited for cold weather) from one very high shelving to another for seasonal storage. Assignment TWO: Meanwhile, field agents Pam, Olive, Barb, Melanie, a...

  Greetings from Earth, fans. For those who wish to continue the intrepid adventures of the U.S.S. Leawood, please re-visit the Day 1 blog and proceed wherever with your own imagination.  Today,  we’re back to earth and spending a second day with Carter Ellis and The Hub Argentine.  P erhaps you’re not familiar with The Hub. Let us enlighten you. The Hub is located at the Metropolitan Ave UMC building in the Argentine community and is a ministry of the Kansas City District of the UMC. In July 2020, Metropolitan Avenue UMC closed after 132 years of vital ministry in the Argentine neighborhood. This closing gave birth to two new United Methodist ministries in its place: Ushindi UMC and The Hub. Ushindi United Methodist Fellowship is a vibrant United Methodist Congregation with worship services in Swahili and Kinyarwanda on Sunday mornings at 10AM. Now 5 years old, The Hub is established as a non-profit organization in the Argentine community with many partners. Happy 5...

Due to technical issues, the blog will be updated later this evening. Still working on this.  Here are some pictures from the day.

  Crew’s PADD | U.S.S. Leawood | Sector: Kansas City, KS MISSION TITLE: Operation Elbow Grease: Blackberry Bushes & Bathroom Battles CREW MEMBERS PRESENT: Capt. Tyler, Cmdr. Barb, Cmdr. Bruce, Lt. Gene, Ensigns Caleb & Corbin, Comm Officers Olive, Anna, Pam, & Melanie, Intern Liaison Sofia, Alien Mascot Theo 08:00 – Pre-Launch Assembly The crew gathered at U.S.S. Leawood HQ for our morning transmission and caffeine calibration. Captain Tyler performed final diagnostics and squad check-ins before granting clearance for launch. 08:30 – Launch Sequence Initiated Boarded the rustic-but-reliable mission vessel (code name: Byrd Van). Started ignition via analog key (a rare ancient technology) and jumped to light speed—okay, traffic speed. 09:00 – Arrival at The HUB (Humanitarian Unified Base) Admiral Carter welcomed us to the Intergalactic Hub—an orbiting outpost where any lifeform in need can access resources, food, housing support, and hope. Our mission briefing was clear: ...

 We will be serving our local community this year instead of traveling.  We will start our mornings at church for breakfast, travel to our worksite, and then return to church.  We will end the day with dinner, gathering time, devotions, and blogging.  Follow along as we serve as the hands and feet of Jesus, sharing God's love with the community and with each other.   Barbara