Well, 12 hours, 1,000 miles, a dozen restroom stops, and tons of great memories later and we are back again! In case you missed it, ROC was on the road once again this past week, this time serving in Vincennes, IN with our friends from Helping His Hands Disaster Relief ministry. Our crew was involved in so many projects while there that I can’t possibly name them all in the space provided but let me hit a few highlights. Part of our team helped convert a tool trailer into a mobile food pantry, we helped a widow move into her new apartment, packed 250 hygiene kits that will be used for disaster response, and helped a local homeowner move a wall for an additional bedroom.
This was ROC’s second trip this summer serving. Normally, we don’t do a second trip, but due to Covid we wanted to give our college students the opportunity to serve before summer jobs, internships, etc. kicked-in, which is why we were in New Orleans in May. Because of the timing of that trip however, a lot of folks who normally serve with us in July (when we normally serve) were feeling left out, so we decided to invite these folks to serve with us in Indiana. Between the two trips, 38 people decided to worship God through service and be his hands and feet. I’m incredibly grateful for each one who answered the call to go!
Speaking of serving, I’d like to extend an invitation to each one of you to serve. As you may know, each year (minus the Covid years) ROC greets the incoming class by offering them cookies and inviting them to get to know us better. This is one of our biggest outreach events of the year. So much so that we’ve been dubbed “the cookie people” by students. I love this outreach because of the genuine joy we get to see on the faces of students when they are offered cookies for free, no strings attached. It’s funny how something as simple as a bag of cookies, something familiar and comforting, can be so important in the midst of something as chaotic and foreign as move-in.
Here is where you come in. If you would like to support our outreach, would you consider baking some cookies, and placing 2-3 in a small zip lock bag? We will take these cookies and attach an invitation to get involved with ROC to each bag. Additionally, your cookies will be used on both OU and Rio Grande campuses.
We will be accepting donations of cookies at Athens Church of Christ (785 West Union Street, Athens, OH) beginning Friday August 13th and running through Wednesday August 18th anytime between 9am and 5pm (excluding Saturday and Sunday). You can also make an appointment to deliver them outside of these times by contacting either myself (dodgervaughan@yahoo.com) or Jean (jeandifilippo@yahoo.com). You can also feel free to contact me directly at (740) 591-1692.
In the event that the universities make changes to the way students return to campus due to Covid, we will make updates about the outreach on our social media accounts. Please follow us on Facebook @ROCOhio or on Instagram or Twitter @ReachOhio and @ReachRio.
Thank you for the investment that you are making in the lives of students. Please continue praying for our staff and students as we attempt to transition back into what we are hoping to be a more “normal” year!
Blessings,
-Dodger