WHAT WE KNOW NOW REVISED

Friends,
At this point my folks are now in an apartment. They were able to find some temporary housing just outside of Manila and have signed a six month agreement. While we would very much like them to come back to the United States, we know that this is a tough time for the family as not everyone has been found/heard from.
At this point, we have heard from half a dozen cousins, two of mom's siblings, and unconfirmed safety reports via other family members. I can only imagine the not knowing at this point. I know I look forward to seeing my parents but I also know that we won't be able to celebrate our reunion with many others in our family. My hope is that while we wait for official certified documentation from various counties here in the US for our passports, that more and more family members will emerge. It would be a blessing and a true miracle if they were all confirmed alive and well prior to our arrival.
Holly and I are currently waiting on paperwork, as mentioned-certified documentation. Our goal is to leave sometime in the first week of December and stay for a minimum of 15 days. At this point, from the research, flights currently have a 24-48 hour layover-either in the US or Japan. So we plan to budget those days in so that we have a good 15 days with my folks.
We also hope to bring our 2 year old son, Noah, with us on this journey as we no longer will be going to the various other parts of the Philippine Islands. Our plan is to stay in Manila where there is clean water, food, and a place to stay. This is not only doctor's orders but a logical choice in minimizing our exposure to the hardships still very real in those parts hardest hit.
In closing, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We have already sent over $1,000 to help my family, many of whom can't afford housing and are living with my folks and are in need of food and clothing. You can still help by clicking THE LATHROP FAMILY RELIEF FUND.
*There is no need to create an account. Towards the middle of the Paypal page click the "continue" link to donate with either debit or credit card.

If you would like to send a check make it out to Jeff Lathrop and in the memo write: Lathrop Family Relief Fund. Send it to PO Box 6, Plankinton, SD 57368

THANK YOU

Friends,
Thank you so much for your support. It has been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. Know that my parents are grateful for the support and prayers. God has answered those prayers, but our work isn't done. We now turn our focus to other family members. My mom is 1 of 12 siblings and there still family members unaccounted for.
This past Sunday, Pastor Roy Caudill, District Superintendent of the Dakotas United Methodist Conference challenged the congregation of Plankinton to help send Holly and I to the Philippines. The support has been overwhelming and we are blessed. But in addition to funds to help us go, there have been questions on how to help fund my family abroad as they try to rebuild.
In response to those questions we have created a paypal account. The donations will not only help us go to the Philippines but help my family rebuild in the midst of such disaster and loss.
Again, thank you all for your support.

TO DONATE:
Simply CLICK the "Lathrop Family Relief Fund" link below and follow the instructions or send it to PO BOX 6, Plankinton, SD 57368

Lathrop Family Relief Fund

MISSION TRIP: DAY 4

Friends, I plan to be brief as many of you know that I haven't been feeling the greatest...
Today we had three work sites and each one of them revealed God in some way to the youth-per our small group discussions the youth shared that they saw God today in how everyone was helping out each other and that when people said "thank you" to them it made them feel good. 
Tonight at campfire was an Earth-shaking, tear inducing, life transforming experience as we opened it up to the youth to share after we (Chris, Tyler, and I) finished sharing about tonight's theme and calling. The scripture we used was from Isaiah 28:16: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.”
Continue to pray for these youth as the week goes on and that they remain open to God's convicting Spirits. And a big thank you to those who have been thinking and praying for these youth. 

MISSION TRIP: DAY 3

Today was a mixed day for the youth as an accident shook them to their very cores. While the youth were busy working on their sites (four different ones) the rest of the world was still in motion, as it should be, and lives were changed (in more ways that one). 
Without going into detail, three youth group members (back in SD) were involved in an accident which ended with one in the hospital fighting for his life. While it's never easy to get a phone call with that kind of news, I knew it was time to pull our crew from their sites to break the news. After I had finished sharing the sad news tears, gasps, and moans filled the room as shock took over. 
One might think that this would mark the end to our mission trip, but as you can see, the youth galvanized under a Spirit of Hope that only God could provide. In the midst of their pain, their brokenness, and the uncertainty, they found strength in each other. What's even more uplifting is that they were supported by the other youth group members too. They came down to support them with their presence and prayers. 
I am proud of this group. The youth leaders and I, from Plank and from Nebraska are all proud of this group as they have now become one. Yeah, we arrived in different vehicles (bus or vans) and started from different parts of the Midwest (Plank, Omaha, & Lincoln), but we have unified as the church in the Hope found in God's awesome promises through Christ. 
Friends, continue to pray for these youth along with the youth (and their families) who were involved in the accident earlier today. Pray for healing, pray for strength, and pray for patience in the midst of that which seems so uncertain. And most of all pray for hope for this kind of hope is not merely wishful thinking but a HOPE of certainty-that we can be His hands and feet. 

MISSION TRIP DAY II

Since I was unable to participate in the mission work today, I will simply add some pictures and some words from Tyler Foster, who is the other youth leader among us. 

Youth Trip Update:We spent today at Wind River Ranch working on multiple projects. Most projects involved clearing brush and downed trees to mitigate forest fires. Smokey the Bear would be proud.

Here is a picture of us all getting ready for camp fire. Chris and I are giving some important information concerning tomorrow and how important it is to communicate among roommates concerning keys.

Tonight we talked about not going to church anymore. We challenged the youth to no longer go to church but to be the church. We explained that "church" is not a location for Sundays at a given time and that worship should be in what we say and do for Christ. 

In our closing, we told them to be the church in all that they say and do. We used scripture from both Matthew 16:18 and I Peter 2:5. 

Continue to pray for these young people as they continue to wrestle with the idea of letting Christ be their foundation-in their relationships, hope, and confidence. 

AS I REST AND REFLECT

Last night I was unable to sleep and ended up tossing in the bed from 11pm to 12:15am. I couldn't breathe and it turns out that I have strep and because I still have my tonsils it was worse-it was painful to speak and to swallow. As you may or may not know, I drove myself to the hospital in Estes Park, much to the disbelief of my youth leaders and the youth leaders in general. I ended up staying there until 3:30am with an IV stuck in my arm and was pumped with nearly 3 bags of fluids, given a numbing agent in order to swallow pills-Amoxicillin, Tylenol, and Ibprophen. The end result was hydration and a recharge! Yeah, it was 3:30am, but it didn't feel like it.
Once I got back, I laid down and passed out like a little baby. I did wake up at 5:25am in order to let the boys out for a run, but I went back to sleep. The nuts and bolts has been hydrate, rest, and reflect. As I give thanks for the wonderful doctors and nurses at Estes I give thanks to those who prayed and the Great I Am for all that he has provided. I am sitting at a laptop with no harsh or sore throat. While I feel great, I'm still contagious for another 12 hours. So while I do my best to stay away from close contact with the youth and the youth leaders, I am busy combing the scriptures for God's nudge and Spirit to lead me (not just for tonight's campfire, but for the rest of the week).
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I told God that if it was His will that I be laid aside and unable to speak then I was good with that. Yeah, on the inside I was bummed, as I usually feel it is my duty to step up, but I meant it as I truly feel that it isn't about me, it's about God's plan for this trip-the youth and the youth leaders. But today as we continue with our main scripture verse: Acts 4:11, we move onto a different phase for the week, a different focus: "Jesus is..."
And it got me thinking, there are a lot of ways a person could run with that. Yeah, we could all go with the Sunday School-cookie-cutter-answers and directions, but there's a depth here that could be explored...and for many, perhaps it should be explored. While the youth are unable to read this, I challenge you to re-read the scripture and ask yourself "Who Jesus is..." in your life. Is Jesus your sustainer and provider, the one you turn to in prayer and give thanks to or is he just a convenient reference on Sundays or a conversation that seems to be too deep?
If we're honest we all struggle with keeping a close relationship with Jesus. It isn't enough to merely say I'm a Christian or to do some good things, but to really be passionate about what He can do in and through you and I as His hands and feet in the world. Jesus is...usually right, we need to let go of the stuff or the trash in our lives that we let get in the way of His work in us.
Enjoy the video below called "Trash" and see if you can't relate to this as there is a difference between calling yourself a Christian and really letting Jesus in and having a close relationship.

A SAFE TRAVEL

Good News! We have safely arrived to Estes Park. I know not everyone has Facebook, but it's now safe to say that all is well. We have a few that were a bit dehydrated, but are on the mend. Right now the youth are getting read for bed. The first thing we did was eat and then we unpacked our bus (or van) and dumped our stuff in the rooms we were assigned. Many of the youth were surprised to find out that we have mixed the groups-intermixed to be technical. The room assignments and small groups were arranged with the idea of disruption-helping them to bond with their new bunk mates and small group team. Even our youth leaders are leading youth not from their church. So far it has been a slow start but there has been progress. Today the guys shared about what superpower they wish they had and why during our introductions...some of them came up with some pretty good powers and their reasons why. I cannot vouch for the girls at this point as the girls and some of the female youth leaders just went on a walk. Tonight at campfire we shared the overall theme verse for this week: Acts 4:11; which says, "Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’" And we opened up with a discussion on the importance of foundations-which led to more conversations that we hope will give way to more spirit-filled stories of change. Friends, continue to pray for the youth as they open themselves up to God's call upon their lives. I also have a personal prayer for myself, I'm in need of healing. My voice needs to return. I have a bit of a sore throat and I worry that it may hinder my participation-however, I am open, as I prayed it tonight, that perhaps I am not to speak this week, but merely be and open to the possibility that God can use others to impact these great group of kids. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers! Here are a couple of songs you can look up as they are songs we have been and will continue to sing at campfire.