March Update

It’s the first week back after Spring Break for OU and Rio. If you’ve been following ROC on social media, you’re likely already aware that a team of our students spent their break in Benton, KY working with Helping His Hands Disaster Response, a long-time mission partner of ROC. Our team of 19 spent the week working on wiring, siding, and building a deck on a new home build for a couple that had lost everything during the tornado that impacted the area back in December of 2021. It was a windy and cold week of mostly outdoor work, but our team worked hard and accomplished a lot throughout the week.

Fortunately we weren’t alone in our labor on the house. ROC was joined by students from some campus ministries at colleges like Appalachian State in North Carolina, Central Christian College of the Bible in Missouri, and University of Nebraska. In total there were 65 people there throughout the week serving and loving on Mark and Paula (the homeowners). It was an incredible week of seeing God work through our students in blessing not only the homeowners, but the staff of Helping His Hands, and the community of Benton, KY.

ROC’s Benton, KY mission team!

Make sure you check out this month’s student spotlight article written by Morgan Denney, one of our mission team members, to hear about her experience in serving with ROC on her second mission trip. Morgan’s story is just one example of what God is doing in the lives of students on trips like the one we just took, and another reason we love to take students out to serve.

As Easter draws nearer we are getting more and more excited for Ohio Teens for Christ. Each year hundreds of students from all over the state descend upon the Easton Hilton for this annual conference. For the last several years ROC students have been an integral part of running the conference and helping behind the scenes. It’s one of our favorite events of the year and we can’t wait to see what this year will bring.

That’s what wheelbarrows are made for right?

Another upcoming event and ROC rite of passage is our annual leadership retreat. This will be the first time that our incoming student leaders, who have been in training this semester, will join with our current student leaders to work together. One of the highlights of this retreat is participating in an Escape Room. Although this is always a lot of fun, it’s a great exercise to see each members’ individual strengths, how they communicate, and how well they work together.

It’s been an incredible semester so far. It seems like each week we continue to meet more students and see the community grow. Please understand what a vital role that each of you who pray for, encourage, and support us play in this blessing.

Blessings,

-Dodger