Summer is here. Long days and long nights. Full weeks of leading youth groups on short-term mission trips. Exhausting and exhilarating. Sharing and caring. Praying and staying. Loving and serving. What more could you ask for?

It's probably a cliche but I really do love this job. Because you faithfully give to support this ministry we're able to help our ministry partners around the country connect with short-term CityConnexx mission groups to serve in at-risk communities. I love it. Your gift this month helped us continue with our mission to equip, encourage, and empower our partners with volunteers, supplies, resources, and critical summer programming.

Over the past couple of weeks I've had the opportunity of taking groups on mission trips to some new places. We took a group of 50 kids from Denver to serve in Salt Lake City. It was a great week of serving neighborhood churches and ministry outreaches. We prepared food for the homeless, gave out water bottles in the park, met homeless teens and took 36 of them to the water park with our group for a day of fellowship and fun. One girl who is a talented swimmer bought 10 swim suits for the homeless girls when she found out they couldn't come because they didn't have a suit.

Salt Lake City is a new city for us so it was great to work with our new ministry partners there and see first hand the great work they are doing. We worked with children in a local school summer program. We cleaned out freezers at the homeless shelter. We spent one day working on a real ranch where they raise meat to feed the homeless every Sunday morning for the past 25 years. Everyone was blessed by the work, the worship, and 19 kids gave their life to Christ or rededicated their lives on this trip. When they returned home, 12 were baptized. Missions really do make a difference in their lives and ours.
 
Right after this trip, I went down to Colorado Springs to help with a group that served locally at another new ministry partner. This was a unique group of families who have bible studies together and wanted to do a mission project. I spoke at their Christian High School in Chapel last fall so they took the challenge to get outside their comfort zone and serve in the city. We did a lot of light construction and clean up work for some single moms who were working full time to support their children and didn't have time to do repairs or yard work.

We helped one mother spread dump truck loads of topsoil for a new lawn while her husband is away serving in Iraq. It was a real blessing for us to be able to help out this military family who is sacrificing so much for the freedoms we enjoy. The end of our trip was spent helping out at the Crisis Pregnancy Center and praying over the abortion clinic across the street. That was a powerful morning and what a contrast. People were honking as we prayed. We weren't sure if they were supporting us or not but we felt the spirit of the Lord while praying for young women faced with difficult decisions.

But the summer isn't over yet. We still have lots of groups going on trips to many cities and Native American reservations across the nation. Please continue to pray for their safety and God's spirit to lead and guide them.

Check out the recent video and photos on our CityConnexx.org website, youtube, and Facebook page.

For Him and them,

Dean Cowles
YouthPartnersNET & CityConnexx
Founder