The week has come to an end. It seems like time has passed so quickly, and yet so much has been accomplished in this short amount of time. Crews finished up their jobs on the work sites today, leaving many homeowners thrilled about the new changes on their houses. Several homeowners even joined us for our worship service and closing celebration this evening.

A total of 28 homes were worked on by World Changers this week. Seventeen local churches supported us by providing daily lunches. And the most incredible statistic of all is the number of salvations we’ve seen this week in Norfolk. At closing celebration tonight, one of our participants, Mark Barnes, shared a WOW moment about a boy he had the opportunity to lead to Christ this week. When the crowd was asked for anyone who had led someone to Christ this week to raise their hand, the number was astounding. Upwards of 14 community members accepted Christ as their Savior, and at least three World Changers participants!

God has certainly done mighty things here in Norfolk. We praise Him for who He is and the work He has done! We also want to thank all the participants who attended this project for making it so fun! Thank you to the group leaders who brought their youth groups to Norfolk. We wouldn’t be here without you guys. Continue to pray for the people of Norfolk. God is not done here yet!

With love,

The Virginia Team

Work is well underway for 24 crews here in Norfolk. Crews vary in size from 9 to 14 people and there is plenty of work for every single person to stay busy. Crews are doing everything from painting, roofing houses, building wheelchair ramps, replacing windows, installing cabinets, and making lots of household repairs. Some awesome things are already happening on the work sites. Monday, the granddaughter of Leonard and Mary Hawley, two of our homeowners, was led to Christ by a participant, Misty Dillard of Beaumont Baptist. What an amazing way to start off the week! Crews are making other efforts to reach community members, such as handing out bracelets with Christian phrases like “Love”, “Hope”, and “God Rocks” to children who walk by the house. We have such an amazing group at World Changers this week. They have volunteered their time to work for free for someone who really needs it, and in the process share God’s love with the community of Norfolk.  We can’t wait to see what the next 3 days will bring!

Anxiously awaiting,

The Virginia Team

This week’s theme for World Changers is “Set Apart”. It is based off of Isaiah 6:1-8. The theme is designed to give a clear, biblical perspective to every student and leader concerning their place in God’s eternal plan. The purpose of God is for every believer to experience the joy of being fully engaged in a lifetime pursuit of His glory. Living our lives according to His purpose is the single greatest investment we can make and it is the primary reason we are on this planet. Our challenge is to faithfully comprehend and communicate these foundational truths of the Christian life.

Tonight’s worship service was focused on building a proper foundation. We have a crew here named the Cinder Block Heads. Tim explained how the cinder block is vital to the foundation of a structure and how we need that same solid foundation in our spiritual lives. Tim then gave his own personal testimony. The service ended with several students praying at the altar asking God to help build their foundation in Him.

There were many other activities today as well. Participants found out what crew they will be on for the week early this morning. Crew names included “Cool Caulkers”, “Hammer Heads”, and “Tool Timers”. There are 24 crews. Crews had the morning and afternoon to get to know each other as they attended the local churches that will be feeding them lunches all week, and then visited their work sites for the week and met the homeowners. All participants went through evangelism training and crew position training.

Students are prepared to start a week of hard work, long days, little sleep, and rewarding and unforgettable experiences. They have been prepared…now they will be sent out into the field!

In Him,

The Virginia Team

The World Changers staff has arrived in Norfolk, VA and has just about everything ready for participants’ arrival this afternoon! The lodging facility for the week is Norview High School. We have 261 participants arriving tomorrow from 12 different churches driving in from 7 different states. We are very excited about the project in Norfolk! The staff has been preparing and praying for this project for months and there is no doubt God is going to do great things this week.

First, we would like to introduce ourselves.

Coordinating Staff

Project Coordinator: Meagan Medley from Memphis, TN

Associational Coordinator: Cheryl Douglas from Virginia Beach, VA

Construction Coordinator: Bob Hill from King George, VA

First Aid Coordinators: Sharon Atkins from Boiling Springs, SC and Michelle Hatcher from Saluda, SC

Meagan Medley

Bob Hill

Cheryl Douglas

Speaker Tim Lavinder with Roberdel Baptist Church from North Carolina

Summer Staff

Team Leader/Missions Communications Specialist: Rebekah Feemster is from Springfield, MO. She just graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in dietetics. She will be contacting local media about the work the volunteers will be doing in Norfolk this week. She will also be telling participants about other missions opportunities they can be a part of after their week at World Changers.

Office Manager: Meredith Kwast is from Greenville, SC. She is a senior at Clemson University, majoring in Health Administration. She will be managing the staff office, keeping everything, and everyone, in order.

Music Leader: Brad Beals is from Warrenton, VA. He will be leading our worship services this week, as well as visiting all the work sites and taking crew pictures and action shots that will be available on this site throughout the week. He is a junior at Liberty University. His major is Worship and Music Studies.

Audiovisual Technician: Jacob Hodge, from Memphis, Tennessee, will be running sound for worship services and making a video of the week for students to download and keep to remember their experience in Norfolk. He is a senior at Union University in Tennessee, majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

Below are some pictures from our facility, Norview High School, where we will be sleeping, eating, and worshiping this week!

Check back tomorrow night to read about everyone’s arrival and to see how the first day in Norfolk  goes for participants!

In Him,

The Virginia Team