Well, I haven’t been good about keeping you posted this past week. Sorry about that. Rumor has it that my Dad thinks I’m being lazy – that’s funny Daddy! J We have had a wonderful week…very busy, but wonderful.
Mike received his first father’s day card! No, I’m NOT pregnant! J The girls on our staff jokingly call us mommy and daddy – usually in a whiny high-pitched voice and especially when they want something J – and so they gave him a father’s day card. They were proud of themselves and we all had a good laugh.
Mike received his first father’s day card! No, I’m NOT pregnant! J The girls on our staff jokingly call us mommy and daddy – usually in a whiny high-pitched voice and especially when they want something J – and so they gave him a father’s day card. They were proud of themselves and we all had a good laugh.
I want to briefly tell you about last week, because God did amazing things – as He always does! We had a small group from Oklahoma last week. They were mostly older teens and we were told they needed to get out of their comfort zones. No problem here!
We went to Ray Ave Baptist Church last Sunday. The whole service was led by the Holy Spirit, the worship was loud and full of energy. Mike and the youth pastor with the group (also named Mike) were both called up on stage twice during the service to share what God was telling them. I’m pretty sure this was a first for Mike and I, and it was definitely a first for all of the students in the group to experience this style of worship.
Throughout the week, we had the group working at a soup kitchen, doing sports evangelism, and prayer walking. After the first day of ministry, we asked the group “Who shared their faith today?” This look of shock swept over the group as they realized they had not told anyone about Christ – verbally, that is. We discussed all they had done during the day. Each person they listened to, each relationship they built, each person they fed – that was someone they shared Christ with – through their actions. Slowly through the week, we saw God working in the students. We pushed them to seek after God, to listen to Him, and to obey Him.
It was very spiritually, emotionally, and physically draining on our staff as they tried to help the group make sense of all they were experiencing. On Wednesday night, we as a staff prayed that God would take over. We acknowledged that we could not make people really “get it”. We are responsible for sharing God’s truth and speaking His Truth and Life into those around us. God is responsible for the fruit.
On Thursday, we saw fruit! God spoke to these students and they heard Him and obeyed! One guy told us Thursday night that this was the first time in his life that he had REALLY listened to God. When he prayed before, he always rambled on and on and never listened. He learned to listen to God!
When even one person learns a lesson like this, it makes the whole week worth it! Every ounce of ourselves that we pour out during the week is justified. Please pray for our staff as we continue pouring ourselves out each week. Please pray that we all get quality sleep and quality Jesus time.
Your prayers are felt here. Please know that we praise God for each of you as you support us in this adventure!
