6) Get off the Cutting Edge
7) Don't Just do Something, Stand There
"When the people of God are trapped between a body of water and the most advanced army of the ancient world, I imagine the Hebrew leadership-type people are scanning the crowd looking for some leader who will do something. Yet God gives Moses this instruction, 'The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.' (Exodus 14:14)"
The commandment we forget - "A day of rest each week reminds me that I am not to lead, but to follow. My Master is gentle and kind, and He says come to Him and He will give me rest. His yoke is really easy (Matt. 11:28-30)."
"We talked for hours about God and Jesus. As the conversation got more intense, I needed to go to the bathroom. When I returned, I asked him an important question. 'Do you want to accept Christ into your life right now?' He said, 'I just did, when you were in the bathroom.' All God needed was me to get out of the way."
"...Jesus did nothing. Then when He was on trial, it seemed to me to be the time to argue most passionately and eloquently for God's way. Instead, Jesus just stood there and answered nothing. I wonder if some people at the time interpreted His lack of activity as weakness, fear, or incompetence. he seems the exact opposite of what a forceful leader should do. Almost upside down."
8) Think Inside the Box
9) Become a Nobody
"Once you really know who you are, you can bend down and wash someone's stinking feet. You can work and not be recognized or thanked."
"It is amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit."
10) Embrace Shame
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Interns go to Long Island
Week seven in New York took Season, Allison, Kevin, Jonathan, and me to Long Island. We were also joined by Brooklyn interns Jordan and Kelly. We worked at Trinity Baptist Church in Shirley- wayyy out on Long Island. We were helping out with Amazing Wonders Aviation VBS!
Long Island reminds me a lot of rural Georgia. Just replace southern accents with LI accents. The church was small but active, and it took me back to our West End days. The church has a bus ministry, which I think is always a good idea, and a lot of the VBS kids came in via church bus. I got to work with 3rd and 4th grades, and I even got to teach one night.
Being on vacation in LI also gave the intern group lots of quality time together. We got to go to the beach and play in waves, as well as play lots of uno and spoons, and a few good rounds of sardines.
We learned through VBS that God has power over creation, circumstances, and over sin.
Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147:5
Long Island reminds me a lot of rural Georgia. Just replace southern accents with LI accents. The church was small but active, and it took me back to our West End days. The church has a bus ministry, which I think is always a good idea, and a lot of the VBS kids came in via church bus. I got to work with 3rd and 4th grades, and I even got to teach one night.
Being on vacation in LI also gave the intern group lots of quality time together. We got to go to the beach and play in waves, as well as play lots of uno and spoons, and a few good rounds of sardines.
We learned through VBS that God has power over creation, circumstances, and over sin.
Our Lord is great, vast in power; His understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147:5
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Songs of the Week - NYC
Week 1) What makes you Beautiful 1Direction
Week 2) Signature of Divine NeedtoBreathe
Week 3) Your Love Shane and Shane
Week 4) I can't Give up MaryMary
Week 5) Hymn Brooke Fraser
Week 6) In Christ Alone/ How Deep the Father's Love
Week 7) You Deserve Hillsong
Week 8) We Lift our Hands in the Sanctuary Kurt Carr
Week 2) Signature of Divine NeedtoBreathe
Week 3) Your Love Shane and Shane
Week 4) I can't Give up MaryMary
Week 5) Hymn Brooke Fraser
Week 6) In Christ Alone/ How Deep the Father's Love
Week 7) You Deserve Hillsong
Week 8) We Lift our Hands in the Sanctuary Kurt Carr
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Graffiti 2 and the Age Old Lesson of THANKFULNESS
Sunday I had the pleasure of visiting Graffiti 2 in the BRONX with intern Mariah Miller and my roommate Season, who is playing piano there. Graffiti 2 was a very awesome church. The ministry is geared towards youth, and the group had just returned from a mission trip to Dothan, AL. The church had no AC, and 7 fans. It runs maybe 30 people. The service starts with group discussion. We got into groups and shared what we needed God's help with this week. I said that I need God's help to control my tongue and my friend Robert said he needs help reading the Word. We prayed for each other and then worship started. What's awesome about worship? Local teens are learning to play drums and guitar. The sermon was prefaced by more group discussion of assigned Bible verses. Our group's verse was Philippians 3:7-8
"But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. 8 Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ 9 and to know that I belong to him."
We talked about how often we worry or get frustrated over things that DON'T MATTER AT ALL! How often do I freak out about the chaos in the building, not being able to use the internet, doing dishes, loosing something, plans not going my way? Yeah, we can all say that Chris is the most important thing but is He really? Easy to accept, hard to apply. Things my group listed as "what we once thought valuable": electronics, friends, location, circumstances, hot showers, things going our way at work.
The sermon was on David, and how he sought God with his heart. The pastor let the youth act out the story as he told it, and then had the groups share each verse. When he finished the sermon, after the prayer, he asked us to raise our hands and share how we needed to apply what we learned.
To conclude, Graffiti 2 was geared toward youth, highly interactive, and encouraging accountability. They also have a therapy dog, which is so cute.
God has been teaching me the basic lesson of thankfulness. Through reading the book "Kisses from Katie," and Philippians 3:7-8, I have realized that the minor discomforts I experience here in NYC are trivial compared to the lives of other saints around the world. I have realized that any complaint I have doesn't matter when compared to the overwhelming awe of the gift of the gospel.
"But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. 8 Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ 9 and to know that I belong to him."
We talked about how often we worry or get frustrated over things that DON'T MATTER AT ALL! How often do I freak out about the chaos in the building, not being able to use the internet, doing dishes, loosing something, plans not going my way? Yeah, we can all say that Chris is the most important thing but is He really? Easy to accept, hard to apply. Things my group listed as "what we once thought valuable": electronics, friends, location, circumstances, hot showers, things going our way at work.
The sermon was on David, and how he sought God with his heart. The pastor let the youth act out the story as he told it, and then had the groups share each verse. When he finished the sermon, after the prayer, he asked us to raise our hands and share how we needed to apply what we learned.
To conclude, Graffiti 2 was geared toward youth, highly interactive, and encouraging accountability. They also have a therapy dog, which is so cute.
God has been teaching me the basic lesson of thankfulness. Through reading the book "Kisses from Katie," and Philippians 3:7-8, I have realized that the minor discomforts I experience here in NYC are trivial compared to the lives of other saints around the world. I have realized that any complaint I have doesn't matter when compared to the overwhelming awe of the gift of the gospel.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
From "Upside down Leadership" by Taylor Field
This is the book we are reading with the interns. It is all about the anti-principles of good leadership. It has examples of people who failed in their lifetime, but they planted seeds which grew much later. God is not interested in your great results. He is not interested in how much of a hero you can be.
Here are the higlights for you:
"If we succeed without suffering it is because others suffered before us; if we suffer without succeeding, it is that others may succeed after us."
Principle 1) Stop leading
"A human life is like a single letter of the alphabet. It can be meaningless. Or it can be part of a great meaning."
"Perhaps we are simply not able to understand the operating principles of the universe. Perhaps it is like a cat trying to understand algebra."
"So if there is a God, then learning to lead might mean learning to listen."
Principle 2) Forget results
Principle 3) Make no plans
"I like to think of God positioning us... And how could you possibly understand if you were actually in the pawn's position, crowded by larger pieces, unable to see the whole board?"
Principle 4) Think small
"God is attracted to weakness. He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him."
Principle 5) Associate with loosers
"...association with losers gives one a new kind of ears. People who work with the homeless cannot walk the streets in the same way. The issue stops being about homelessness; it starts to be about Sarah or Jose."
"whenever you pigenonhole someone, you cease to love him or her. You close off the possibilities of what he or she is what he or she is to become."
Here are the higlights for you:
"If we succeed without suffering it is because others suffered before us; if we suffer without succeeding, it is that others may succeed after us."
Principle 1) Stop leading
"A human life is like a single letter of the alphabet. It can be meaningless. Or it can be part of a great meaning."
"Perhaps we are simply not able to understand the operating principles of the universe. Perhaps it is like a cat trying to understand algebra."
"So if there is a God, then learning to lead might mean learning to listen."
Principle 2) Forget results
Principle 3) Make no plans
"I like to think of God positioning us... And how could you possibly understand if you were actually in the pawn's position, crowded by larger pieces, unable to see the whole board?"
Principle 4) Think small
"God is attracted to weakness. He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him."
Principle 5) Associate with loosers
"...association with losers gives one a new kind of ears. People who work with the homeless cannot walk the streets in the same way. The issue stops being about homelessness; it starts to be about Sarah or Jose."
"whenever you pigenonhole someone, you cease to love him or her. You close off the possibilities of what he or she is what he or she is to become."
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
An Ode to the People of the Subway
One of my biggest challenges has been to share the gospel with people on the subway. The first step is initiating a conversation, which is a challenge all in itself. Some people are very independent and unapproachable. Sometimes I succeed in starting a conversation and the person I have met actually wants to talk. Some people are actually quite lonely in this big city. Here are the awesome New Yorkers I have met. As you read about these people, say a prayer for them please, that the eyes of their hearts would be opened.
Evelyn - She is Catholic and was interested in telling me things to see in New York. We discussed homosexuality, which is a hard issue for me to talk about. The world does not want to see homosexuality as a valid sin, and it doesn't seem fair to them.
Margret - Piano teacher moving from Brooklyn to Queens. She is Hindu, and we talked about Jesus. She said people are attracted to Jesus because they want someone to follow, like a movie star. I told her the best thing about Jesus is that He offers us guaranteed forgiveness of sins. She lives alone and gave me her phone number, so we can hang out.
Christina - She has a lovely New York accent and lives in Queens. She is Catholic, but doesn't think we should live in regret for our sin. I said that I definitely believe people are guilty of sin, but that with the death of Jesus on the cross, we have complete freedom and forgiveness of our sins. She wants to branch out and gave me her number so she can visit a church in Queens with me. So I invited her to apologetics cafe.
Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Evelyn - She is Catholic and was interested in telling me things to see in New York. We discussed homosexuality, which is a hard issue for me to talk about. The world does not want to see homosexuality as a valid sin, and it doesn't seem fair to them.
Margret - Piano teacher moving from Brooklyn to Queens. She is Hindu, and we talked about Jesus. She said people are attracted to Jesus because they want someone to follow, like a movie star. I told her the best thing about Jesus is that He offers us guaranteed forgiveness of sins. She lives alone and gave me her phone number, so we can hang out.
Christina - She has a lovely New York accent and lives in Queens. She is Catholic, but doesn't think we should live in regret for our sin. I said that I definitely believe people are guilty of sin, but that with the death of Jesus on the cross, we have complete freedom and forgiveness of our sins. She wants to branch out and gave me her number so she can visit a church in Queens with me. So I invited her to apologetics cafe.
Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Sundays in New York
Sundays here have been some of our busiest and most exciting days. We
got a job teaching Ethiopian Sunday school at the bright hour of 8:30. Luckily
the church meets in the building so we don't have much of a commute (as per
every day). We were teaching because the Sunday school teacher took a four week
vacation. There were only 4 kids and they were so easy to teach.
The only challenge was that two of them don't speak English very well.
The other two do, so it's hard to keep the playing field even. The church
has delicious tea and home made bread after the service.
From there, we went to a noon service. On week 2, we went to Hillsong. Hillsong is not an MNYBA church, and it is a bit like a concert. They meet in a theater and you have to wait in line to get in. The music is of course very good and the speaker is full of charisma. The message was good- about how storms will come in our lives, but we must be like the man who built his house on the rock. When the storm comes we should love it, because we have faith that God's plan is perfect.
On week 3, we went to a Korean English speaking church- Compass Church. It meets in a private school and is starting a second campus in lower Manhattan. It is a very quite church. The music had only a keyboard but was good. The message was about old truths and the timelessness of the Bible.
Sunday afternoon takes me to Father's Love, Indonesian church. We were supposed to teach the youth for three weeks while Joshua was gone. As it turned out, I only got to teach once because the second week was the anniversary celebration. This church also eats after the service and everything was yummy except fried fish skin. The youth are studying how to share their faith and how to study the Bible. Every week I stop at a book store and talk to Melvin, the owner. He believes in God but does not like church. He thinks that God is everywhere so he doesn't need to go to church. Say a prayer for him right now that the Holy Spirit will show him his need for a personal relationship with God, not just a belief in him.
Ephesians 2:8 and 9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.
From there, we went to a noon service. On week 2, we went to Hillsong. Hillsong is not an MNYBA church, and it is a bit like a concert. They meet in a theater and you have to wait in line to get in. The music is of course very good and the speaker is full of charisma. The message was good- about how storms will come in our lives, but we must be like the man who built his house on the rock. When the storm comes we should love it, because we have faith that God's plan is perfect.
On week 3, we went to a Korean English speaking church- Compass Church. It meets in a private school and is starting a second campus in lower Manhattan. It is a very quite church. The music had only a keyboard but was good. The message was about old truths and the timelessness of the Bible.
Sunday afternoon takes me to Father's Love, Indonesian church. We were supposed to teach the youth for three weeks while Joshua was gone. As it turned out, I only got to teach once because the second week was the anniversary celebration. This church also eats after the service and everything was yummy except fried fish skin. The youth are studying how to share their faith and how to study the Bible. Every week I stop at a book store and talk to Melvin, the owner. He believes in God but does not like church. He thinks that God is everywhere so he doesn't need to go to church. Say a prayer for him right now that the Holy Spirit will show him his need for a personal relationship with God, not just a belief in him.
Ephesians 2:8 and 9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
The good stories
New York Part II- The good stories
The story of the superVBS - Upon our arrival in Manhattan, Season and I met Jonathan Chaine, a summer missionary to Hispanic churches in Queens. Right away, we traveled with him to Iglesia Bautista Canaan, in Queens. There, we witnessed some exciting plans being made. The pastor said they have planned to do a week of VBS. The kids get out of school in July, and sometimes there are government programs for kids in the summer, but not this summer. A mother asked the pastor if they could do a month of VBS, because otherwise the kids would have no where to go. Then I realized that this was not a normal "VBS." It's really more of a day camp, lasting from 8am to 4. The main obstacle was feeding the kids breakfast and lunch for a month, an estimated $5,000. The MNYBA will send volunteer groups from out of state to the church to help with the super VBS.
Isaiah 44:8
"Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are my witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none."
The story of the man in the park - Well my job here in the MNYBA is mainly to do office work and host volunteer groups. I have a burden for finding ways to be a missionary to the hundreds of strangers I pass every day. After a day in Brooklyn and contemplating this problem, I took a walk to Central Park. There a young man asked me a question. "Which way is 72nd St?" So I told him, but luckily, I live on 72nd street as well. I asked him what he did in the city and told him I was a summer intern. I told him I had taught two classes in Ethiopian Church and Indonesian Church last Sunday. Then I told him that God isn't interested in how many times we go to church; He wants a relationship with us all the days. The man told me that was very wise and asked what was the best thing I had learned from the Bible. So I told him the gospel. He said he didn't exactly understand how that worked, Christ taking our debt. So I told it to him again, and then we got to his building. I'm just so glad that he asked me for directions, because I'm not very bold.
Ephesians 6:19-20
"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." -Paul
The story of the superVBS - Upon our arrival in Manhattan, Season and I met Jonathan Chaine, a summer missionary to Hispanic churches in Queens. Right away, we traveled with him to Iglesia Bautista Canaan, in Queens. There, we witnessed some exciting plans being made. The pastor said they have planned to do a week of VBS. The kids get out of school in July, and sometimes there are government programs for kids in the summer, but not this summer. A mother asked the pastor if they could do a month of VBS, because otherwise the kids would have no where to go. Then I realized that this was not a normal "VBS." It's really more of a day camp, lasting from 8am to 4. The main obstacle was feeding the kids breakfast and lunch for a month, an estimated $5,000. The MNYBA will send volunteer groups from out of state to the church to help with the super VBS.
Isaiah 44:8
"Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are my witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none."
The story of the man in the park - Well my job here in the MNYBA is mainly to do office work and host volunteer groups. I have a burden for finding ways to be a missionary to the hundreds of strangers I pass every day. After a day in Brooklyn and contemplating this problem, I took a walk to Central Park. There a young man asked me a question. "Which way is 72nd St?" So I told him, but luckily, I live on 72nd street as well. I asked him what he did in the city and told him I was a summer intern. I told him I had taught two classes in Ethiopian Church and Indonesian Church last Sunday. Then I told him that God isn't interested in how many times we go to church; He wants a relationship with us all the days. The man told me that was very wise and asked what was the best thing I had learned from the Bible. So I told him the gospel. He said he didn't exactly understand how that worked, Christ taking our debt. So I told it to him again, and then we got to his building. I'm just so glad that he asked me for directions, because I'm not very bold.
Ephesians 6:19-20
"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." -Paul
Monday, June 11, 2012
Crystal's in New York
Here I am in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, interning for the Metro New York Baptist Association. It's been a blast so far! My roommate Season and I arrived last Friday. We are staying on the fifth floor, with bathrooms on 4 and the kitchen on 3. We thought our room was small at first, and deemed it Harry Potter's cupboard, but after some comparing we realized that it's quite spacious for an intern in New York. We have a wonderful window, so we can't complain. Another thing on the building- the elevator is original from the 1920's and has to be operated by hand, which means we always take the stairs.
Our job will be working in the office with the MNYBA staff and helping to host the mission teams that come in all summer. We also help out in various churches as needed. On our first Sunday, Season and I traveled with Joshua to La Palabra, a Spanish church, and to The Father's Love, an Indonesian church, both in Queens. I understood Spanish church but Indonesian church was a great experience for me because I didn't understand one word of Indonesian. It is great to be reminded of how people feel in a new country.
We have also been doing a lot of sightseeing. We went to the Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square on our first day. We have also visited the museum of natural history and the museum of modern art. We toured lower Manhattan, through Chinatown, Little Italy, and SoHo. We saw the flatiron building and Union Station. Today we went into Brooklyn briefly and saw Prospect Park and had lunch with some other interns working in Park Slope. Brooklyn is huge and it is not easily explored.
Ephesians 6:19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Our job will be working in the office with the MNYBA staff and helping to host the mission teams that come in all summer. We also help out in various churches as needed. On our first Sunday, Season and I traveled with Joshua to La Palabra, a Spanish church, and to The Father's Love, an Indonesian church, both in Queens. I understood Spanish church but Indonesian church was a great experience for me because I didn't understand one word of Indonesian. It is great to be reminded of how people feel in a new country.
We have also been doing a lot of sightseeing. We went to the Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square on our first day. We have also visited the museum of natural history and the museum of modern art. We toured lower Manhattan, through Chinatown, Little Italy, and SoHo. We saw the flatiron building and Union Station. Today we went into Brooklyn briefly and saw Prospect Park and had lunch with some other interns working in Park Slope. Brooklyn is huge and it is not easily explored.
Ephesians 6:19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Friday, June 8, 2012
What God did in Southeast Rome
Southeast Rome is our second Kids Extreme. I can't say that I have a lot of first-hand experience in Southeast Rome, so to better hear the stories, talk to one of the persevering teachers there.
To begin, I'd like to tell the story of how Southeast Rome Kids Extreme came to be. During the summer of 2011 I e-mailed Justin Brooks, children's pastor of WRBC to ask about a VBS. When Justin heard about Kids Extreme, he told me that he was interested in starting a back yard Bible club, but that he didn't have the volunteers. I had already wanted to start a second one, due to the fact that we had an excess of volunteers at West End sometimes the year before. I believe that God orchestrated the partnership between WRBC and BCM. That's the body of Christ working as one: the church sending a bus and providing a location, and the college kids giving their time.
Southeast Rome and West End were like night and day. In an area of mostly government housing, Southeast Rome Kids Extreme ran about 40 high energy, attention-seeking kids. Instead of playing outside, we rented the Fielder community center. Having a bus to pick up the kids was a gift, as it allowed more kids to come and eliminated the safety concerns we have at West End.
I would like to introduce a few heroes of Southeast Rome.
1. The people who came first semester and then came back and stuck it out second semester: Hannah Hughes, Annah Hobbs, Hunter West, Alex Hunter, Lauren Daniel, and Kari Chambers.
2. The people who came to West End last year and volunteered to go to Southeast this year: Richard Hyde, and Derek Hale!
3. And the people who sacrificed BOTH Monday and Tuesday afternoons: Derek Hale (Derek is one of the most dependable people I know) and Emilee Bobo (Emilee is a prepared teacher and a great leader), along with Maegan Wallin and Anthony Dyches.
4. Lastly, the people that prayed. It was a joy to pray for your Southeast Kids. Not only did it feel great to cast the burden of this ministry towards Heaven, but it was also entertaining to list your kids by name.
Southeast Rome was a challenge, but it was wonderful. Some days were discouraging, the teachers coming into the caf feeling tired and like there had been no progress. Other times there were bright spots and encouraging moments, times when you saw a connection being made in the mind of a child. Sometimes we plant seeds, and nothing comes above the ground until we're long gone. My prayer for Southeast Rome is that we stay, that we keep going back, that the kids learn to trust us, and that they believe the promises we tell them come from the Bible are true.
To begin, I'd like to tell the story of how Southeast Rome Kids Extreme came to be. During the summer of 2011 I e-mailed Justin Brooks, children's pastor of WRBC to ask about a VBS. When Justin heard about Kids Extreme, he told me that he was interested in starting a back yard Bible club, but that he didn't have the volunteers. I had already wanted to start a second one, due to the fact that we had an excess of volunteers at West End sometimes the year before. I believe that God orchestrated the partnership between WRBC and BCM. That's the body of Christ working as one: the church sending a bus and providing a location, and the college kids giving their time.
Southeast Rome and West End were like night and day. In an area of mostly government housing, Southeast Rome Kids Extreme ran about 40 high energy, attention-seeking kids. Instead of playing outside, we rented the Fielder community center. Having a bus to pick up the kids was a gift, as it allowed more kids to come and eliminated the safety concerns we have at West End.
I would like to introduce a few heroes of Southeast Rome.
1. The people who came first semester and then came back and stuck it out second semester: Hannah Hughes, Annah Hobbs, Hunter West, Alex Hunter, Lauren Daniel, and Kari Chambers.
2. The people who came to West End last year and volunteered to go to Southeast this year: Richard Hyde, and Derek Hale!
3. And the people who sacrificed BOTH Monday and Tuesday afternoons: Derek Hale (Derek is one of the most dependable people I know) and Emilee Bobo (Emilee is a prepared teacher and a great leader), along with Maegan Wallin and Anthony Dyches.
4. Lastly, the people that prayed. It was a joy to pray for your Southeast Kids. Not only did it feel great to cast the burden of this ministry towards Heaven, but it was also entertaining to list your kids by name.
Southeast Rome was a challenge, but it was wonderful. Some days were discouraging, the teachers coming into the caf feeling tired and like there had been no progress. Other times there were bright spots and encouraging moments, times when you saw a connection being made in the mind of a child. Sometimes we plant seeds, and nothing comes above the ground until we're long gone. My prayer for Southeast Rome is that we stay, that we keep going back, that the kids learn to trust us, and that they believe the promises we tell them come from the Bible are true.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
What God did in West End
God has been working this year at West End and I am so happy that I had the privilege of serving as the community missions coordinator this past year. Working at Kids Extreme was my favorite thing about my life senior year. I just want to take a few minutes to let you know that God did great things in Rome, and that he answered our prayers.
Kids Extreme started over two years ago after the spring break mission trip to Mission Arlington. I started working there last year, and became the girl in charge of community missions this year. What did God provide this year?
A location. West End Baptist Church is a little church, but they know how to let God work. Not every church would hand unsupervised college kids a key to the building and let them come in for free every week. The body of Christ should work together as one church, and West End completely gets that.
Kids. We had about 25 kids in total this year. Some kids from last year returned, but we had a lot of new kids. The kids all live within a 5 minute walk of the church, they are well behaved, they memorized a lot of verses and they learned some songs. Younger kids learned who Jesus is. They learned what sin is, why Jesus came to Earth, and what the Bible is. Older kids learned even more and one of them became a Christian this semester.
Teachers. West End grew from about 2 classes to 4. Every single teacher was enthusiastic, prepared, full of energy, overflowing with love and patience, and pretty much had perfect attendance.
Prayer. After one particularly rough day at Southeast, we decided to start meeting and praying for Kids Extreme. That was one of the best things we ever did. First of all, a shout out to the fabulous USA for letting us pray in public, out loud, on a college campus. Second of all, a shout out to the college students who gave up an additional 20 minutes each Monday afternoon to pray for our kids by name. It worked.
Bread. God sent us bread to send home with the kids. He sent us a family of servants who brought the bread. It's just one of the most fun things in the world when God gives you free stuff to give away.
More Volunteers. Towards the end of the year, we got even more volunteers, which made Mondays even smoother and sweeter. More love to go around.
God did all of this, and I just want to say thank you to the original core four: Emilee, Emily, Derek, and Hope, to the Smith family, to Eli, Maegan, Anthony, Morgan, and Becca, to West End Baptist Church, to the people who came before us: Mary Blanks, Katie Clegg, to Mission Arlington for the curriculum, and for Mission Centers Houston, for teaching me how to teach, and to DRol for making sure we have snacks and candy each week, and I guess to BCM and the GBC in general. We are lucky the body is so big.
Kids Extreme started over two years ago after the spring break mission trip to Mission Arlington. I started working there last year, and became the girl in charge of community missions this year. What did God provide this year?
A location. West End Baptist Church is a little church, but they know how to let God work. Not every church would hand unsupervised college kids a key to the building and let them come in for free every week. The body of Christ should work together as one church, and West End completely gets that.
Teachers. West End grew from about 2 classes to 4. Every single teacher was enthusiastic, prepared, full of energy, overflowing with love and patience, and pretty much had perfect attendance.
Prayer. After one particularly rough day at Southeast, we decided to start meeting and praying for Kids Extreme. That was one of the best things we ever did. First of all, a shout out to the fabulous USA for letting us pray in public, out loud, on a college campus. Second of all, a shout out to the college students who gave up an additional 20 minutes each Monday afternoon to pray for our kids by name. It worked.
Bread. God sent us bread to send home with the kids. He sent us a family of servants who brought the bread. It's just one of the most fun things in the world when God gives you free stuff to give away.
More Volunteers. Towards the end of the year, we got even more volunteers, which made Mondays even smoother and sweeter. More love to go around.
God did all of this, and I just want to say thank you to the original core four: Emilee, Emily, Derek, and Hope, to the Smith family, to Eli, Maegan, Anthony, Morgan, and Becca, to West End Baptist Church, to the people who came before us: Mary Blanks, Katie Clegg, to Mission Arlington for the curriculum, and for Mission Centers Houston, for teaching me how to teach, and to DRol for making sure we have snacks and candy each week, and I guess to BCM and the GBC in general. We are lucky the body is so big.
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