At the end of March we had Colorado Springs’ first ever Off Season Trip! We stayed at a brand new church called Fellowship Bible Church for the week and they really were a blessing to the ministry and everyone involved. We are definitely hoping to stay connected with Fellowship Bible Church in the future whether it be worship with their community, housing, or anything else we can be creative with. We of course plan to continue with FUMC for housing although the week of our Off Season Trip conflicted with their church schedule, so God opened the door with Fellowship Bible Church for the week – Yaaay God.

Here is a brief update of what happened throughout the week:

• Over 100 feet of fencing installed for the safety of residence and their families at Family Life Services.
• Farming plots tilled in preparation for gardening all kinds of vegetables at High Plains Helping Hands. Probably a billion or two pounds of dirt shoveled and wheel barreled. At least that’s what it felt like. The students now have super ripped arms.
• Family Life Services’ new Property Manager started working and seeing what Next Step is all about. His name is Chris – he’s very knowledgeable of construction and has a huge heart for working with students.
• One chicken at High Plains Helping Hands was found as a chew toy by one of the farm dogs. An appropriate burial ceremony was held accordingly.
• Our nightly worship music was joined with some local musicians.
• Selfies at Garden of the Gods were a success.

It was an absolute joy working with everyone this week. The students worked hard, played hard, and worshiped hard. It’s amazing to hear feedback from partnerships and how excited everyone is to continue planning for projects coming up this summer. Thank God for everyone involved this week, truly a blessing.