How are you already back it’s only been like 4 weeks. Oh wait. That’s how long I have to write a newsletter. Ah I see the problem, anyway here’s what happened in the last month. It has been a relatively quiet month. My mom went to the hospital, we went to the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, put my car up for sale, volunteered with One Luv, threw a SuperBowl party, and lost power for a little over a day. 

The Hospital

My Mom has struggled through physical issues for most of my life, all throughout growing up and when I was a teenager. It has provided me with a good insight and maturity into the medical field and struggles that different people have. On Thursday morning after a meeting with Nolan (Equip Dorm Leader) I checked my messages and saw that my mom needed a ride to the hospital. After getting it cleared to go and taking a shower I went with her to the hospital. From there we sat in a waiting room for a few hours and talked about a few things like my future after Equip and what I might be doing with my car. It was good to spend that time with my parents but I had to leave to get back to CMTS for our Search for Significance class before they even got out of the waiting room. Even though we did not necessarily get good news, she was away from the worst of it. Currently she is trying to schedule an MRI to get more information as to what is happening. Any thoughts and prayers are appreciated, and if you are a member of Pine Grove Community Church I would be happy to talk with you more about this as well as pray with you. 

Great American Outdoor Show

For this month’s adventure trip on Wednesday the 7th, the dorm, minus Logan who was slowly being destroyed from the inside out by a horrific plague (he had the sniffles), went to the Great American Outdoor Show. This show had just about everything a destructive teenager dreams of, guns, flamethrowers, archery, hunting, trucks, ATV’s, and food. After walking around for about 9 hours thinking we have seen it all, Nolan says we haven’t even finished half of it. However we had a great time and got to handle a few guns and I shot a crossbow for the first time in a few years. This show also reinvigorated the idea of finally getting my hunting license and getting back into archery. Since in a few months I will probably have a lot more time on my hands I am looking for a few hobbies to keep me busy. 

Car for Sale

It was a sad Friday for me, as I detailed my car and took pictures to put it up on facebook marketplace. I am not 100% sure I am selling it, but I know that if I do now is the best time. I am trusting God that either I will get the right offer for it, or I will keep it and it will be a reliable vehicle for me. The main reason I would sell it is so I can get the greatest value for it, as well as if/when it would break it would be more expensive and harder to fix than most other cars simply because of Audi parts. So if anyone is looking for a comfortable car and has a large donation God has put on your heart to give me I can help you kill two birds with one stone my friend. Is that heresy? I really hope not. 

One Luv

I mentioned this mission briefly in my last newsletter and now I had the opportunity to serve with them. One Luv is a Gospel outreach in Reading and they just got a church building to use for sermons and giving to the community. On Saturday the 10th a small group went to volunteer at one of their services where they gave toys and stuffed animals to the kids, and food and clothing to parents. It was an amazing opportunity to spend a Saturday afternoon just being in the atmosphere, helping with songs, and watching people receive joy through these small gifts we take for granted. I highly recommend finding a way to work with this group any chance you can, even giving them clothing you do not use or toys your kids may have grown out of. There are a lot of people who could benefit from things we don’t even use anymore. Praise God with how fortunate we have become, that our lesser used items can be given in joy for the Kingdom. 

Superbowl Party

Not everyone is a fan of the Superbowl, especially this year. However it is always a good time to get some friends together, make frozen pizza and just hangout. So that is exactly what we did. Some watching the game, others playing ping pong, everyone got to enjoy themselves with company one way or another. As well as we all got to watch a really good ending to a superbowl not that many people even wanted to watch. It was a good reminder that even if your team is not winning, or if you don’t like football, the sport can still be used to gather people together and have a good time. Which is true for anything because God calls us to have community so the right people being gathered together for any one goal can always be a time to intentionally have fun. 

The Blackout

Around roughly 6:30 in the morning on Tuesday February 12th the entire mission along with a large portion of the county lost power because of a snowstorm. So naturally we woke up and had an all out war in the snow. From snow air raids to tackling people in the snow, it seems like we all had a good time. Caleb, Aidan, and I then went to Ray and Debbie Pete’s house for lunch, Ice cream and games. It was a great time and we all kinda forgot we had lost power. Around 6, I went over to a friend’s house and played more games with more people but this time in a dark room lit by candles, lamps, and flashlights. Another example of just good community coming together for one purpose. It’s something we often forget to do, Meeting with other believers outside of the church. Not everything needs to be a Bible study, but the people you surround yourself with will impact you and you them. The more you are with believers the closer to God all of you can become. 

Where is God

God has used me a lot since the last time we talked. Both of my current memory verses I have gotten to use to help people in situations, as well as I have grown closer to Him by thanking Him for the little things that happen day by day. He is always working and yet we are sometimes blind to it. My relationship with God is growing more everyday as I am being still within Him and only Him. Fully submitting to Him and letting the rest fall into place. My prayer request for the next couple months would be that you pray for the Mexico trip starting on April 2., We are having our meetings and getting ready for the trip which means as much as God allows, Satan will try to throw us all off of our routines. 

Well with all that being said I am out of words. See you next month. 

Later, 

Donovan AJ Checket