Breakthrough
We are extremely grateful for your prayers and we are delighted that God made a tremendous breakthrough on our team over the past few days. All four of the primary aspects of our ministry: Construction, Purity Teachings, VBS, and Medical have been extremely successful but true to missions trips… a bit different than expected. Each and every aspect has turned out to yield some pretty amazing fruit. One team leader that is on their first mission’s trip put it this way… “On a missions trip everything is open to change…including hearts” We are most excited to report that God moved in the hearts of a number of our team members last night. As we are sharing some extremely personal aspects of our lives in our purity ministry, we have each been forced to ask ourselves like Christ, “are we putting burdens on other peoples backs, we are not willing to bear” this image led to a tremendous time of prayer and repentance last night, culminating in a special dedication time for our new High School Pastor Dale Patrick and Jr. Hi Pastor Jordy Vickery. We are delighted to see how God is moving in and through this team. Kelly Cook, one of our advisors summarizes the worksite this way “Thursday was our fourth day on the construction site. The muddy field is a different environment than when we showed up clean and strong on Monday. Our clothes were dirty, our boots caked with clay and mud. Working through the heat and humidity, sunblock dripping down our faces. Our shirts were wet with a mix of mud and sweat. The rain often comes briefly and offers a quick refreshing mist…but it is always brief. Over time, our muddy terrain became dangerously slippery, and emotions were running high. It was the moment of the day where I felt I could visually see what everyone was feeling inside. Most of us are physical, emotionally, and spiritually tired and our muscles are sore, but some seem so strong and unwavering on the job. Some of us our exhausted emotionally, but others strive to keep our moral high with songs and words of encouragement. Some of us need to take breaks, but other team members are ready to jump in and take our places. The support and encouragement our team continues to offer each other is impressive. It gives a beautiful snapshot of the body of Christ and how it works together. The Holy Spirit is working in our lives in ways that make me feel so blessed to be part of this group. He is calling so many of us to confront and bring forth the secrets in our lives, and in doing so, we’re experiencing victory and new freedom. Thank you, Jesus!” Now, I want to introduce one of our students to share a little bit about her experience so far. Hi! I’m a morale officer in team four. My mind has been blown every day since we’ve come here, my heart has been moved most recently to share a bit of my experience. Together, we’ve moved hundreds of concrete blocks, we’ve taught about the love of Jesus, we’ve been inspired to share personal stories, and conquered our greatest fears to find that the walls we hid ourselves behind were made of paper the whole time. I came here with the intention to serve the community and encourage my team, but instead I find my spirits so uplifted and inspired by the community, I find myself surrounded and embraced by my peers. We’ve all been learning together that sometimes when you come out of your box to serve others in Jesus’ name, our God does this funny thing where he blesses you to leave feeling as if you’ve gained more from the experience than the ones you came to pour out into. I’m finding that when I hold my heart in an open hand, God has more opportunity to bless me than when my hands are shut. So here we are, with one day left. We smell funky, our eyes are sleepy, but our hearts are open. I’m ready Jesus! Here’s my heart- speak what is true.” Thank you for your prayers as we embark on another full day of ministry! Shawn
