Today was our first full day of mission week 2011. We began last night w/ a time of worship and talking together about the opportunity a week like this affords us. There’s no better way for us to begin our week together than by worshiping Jesus. We ended Tuesday night by just hanging out together… It’s hard to over estimate the value of getting to live together and work together over the course of a week like this one. We are bummed because Sean Eiland isn’t able to serve w/ us this week, but are so excited to have Emily Lutz home from her first year of seminary at Garrett w/ us! She is a great example of what it means to say “yes” to God and to bend your life around that “yes”.
Today we did some important work in the life of Aldersgate… we helped the food pantry move to it’s new home in front of the “old kitchen”. Tonight as we shared about the work we did today and why it was important we heard stories of how many of our girls not only stocked the pantry in the new location but how they acted w/ love and compassion to meet the needs of a few unexpected visitors in need of food for their families. It reminds me of the story in Genesis where Abraham provides hospitality to three visitors and ended up entertaining God.
All of our mission week participants spent three hours serving at the Chisholm Boys & Girls Club. We took 1/2 in the morning and the other 1/2 in the afternoon. The time spent there was amazing. Through our time there I can see God’s faithful work in the lives of our youth who a year ago met God as they played w/ and served children in Jamaica and Mobile and felt called to return to their city and do that same work. Getting to be there for three hours at a time was really helpful in letting us connect w/ and care for the children. And I am always amazed at the way the small staff there cares for and looks after the kids there.
We also had a group go shopping for and put together hygiene kits that we will give to folks me meet in Atlanta later this week. And we sent a handful out to Oliver Creek to pick up trash.
Our day ended at the home of Mike and Kathy King where we had dinner, relaxed a bit, and then talked together about our day and the ways in which we had seen God at work in us and how we are challenged to be people who seek to console rather than be consoled, to understand rather than be understood ,to love rather than be loved.
It was a good day. We’re already pretty tired. In fact as I write this at 11:54 PM it is completely quite and I’m w/i 25 feet of nearly 30 teenagers!
Here some photos from our day. I’ll work on adding more each day. Remember us and those we will be serving in your prayers!
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
