Mission Trip Part 2

Another part of our trip was to spend 2 afternoons helping out at a park with a Bible club. Each of our 2 teams spent one of the afternoons there. It was a large community park with a great community building, so there were alot of kids there, maybe 50-70, ages 5-18 or so- I'm not good at estimating. We hung out at the playground part, and started out by playing tag, freeze tag, jump rope, and pushing the kids on the swings.

Can I just say that again this was WAY out of my comfort zone- to just saunter over to a group of kids and say "Hi, you want to play?" But our kids just jumped in there and started mingling and playing. And those kids were so cute! Some of them were stand-offish, but the younger ones were thrilled to have someone pay attention to them.

Jump rope was the biggest hit- they stood in line and took turns and got back in line. A little 6 year old stood by one of our girls and "helped" her turn the rope. The smile on her face when she took her turn to jump was priceless- I finally got it with my camera.

The older kids sort of ignored us, but some were willing to talk.

I asked one about 10 year old boy if he had been coming to the Bible stories, and he said his dad had told him to stay away from the "green-shirt" people. But then he added that when his dad saw that the "green-shirts" were giving the kids water and being nice to them, he said it was okay to come. Oh, the truth from children. There's that cold water thing again.

When it was time for the Bible story, a couple of blankets were spread out and some of the kids sat down and listened. Other kids sat away from the group on some tables, others were playing a football game. When it was over, the ones on the blanket who stayed received a freezer pop (oh, and did I say that it was hot out there? ) Some of the non-listeners also wanted freezer pops, but they were kindly told no, it was only for the ones who stayed and listened. One of the little ones told one of our girls that he didn't go to that church, but he was just there for the popsicle! Too cute!

Then our kids did a little craft with whoever wanted to- we helped them make bead bracelets with 5 colors of beads that helped them share the gospel: yellow for God, a dark bead for sin, red for Christ's blood, white or clear for cleansing of sin, green for growth as a believer. Our kids shared with about 10-12 kids, several prayed to accept Christ. In all honesty, I wonder at their sincerity and understanding, but God uses all things.

And again I was amazed at our jr highers' boldness and eagerness to share the gospel!

Our last evening, EFCA put on a hot dog dinner in front of the houses where we had worked all week. They had a pickup with a sign announcing free hotdogs and pulling a smoker where they grilled hot dogs. They called it "Drive By Prayer" because people could drive up, our kids would go out to the car and get their hotdog order, bring them back dogs, chips, and a drink, and then ask to pray with them! I don't know how many we served, but for an hour and a half, we had a steady stream of kids and adults- mostly on foot, many on bikes, some in cars.

Our kids had a great time, and again were so bold to hold the hands of these strangers and pray. One lady with 2 teen daughters and a little boy pulled up and I told her the hot dogs weren't ready just yet, and she said she'd drive around the block. When she came back, we got her served, and I asked if we could pray. She said yes, pray that I get a job. So I prayed for them, and afterward she was so appreciative, and asked more about where Galveston Bible Church was and that she was going to go by there and check it out.

Another man I prayed with asked if I would like to hear the poem he had written. I wish now that I had asked him if I could video him. His poem was so full of scripture and sound theology, I was just standing there almost with my mouth open. From the outside, he looked like someone who was really down and out, yet on the inside, he was full of truth and grace.

Again, I'm thinking, how can we do some of this in our own neighborhood? When we do our Fall Festival and we give out free hotdogs, how about we ask to pray with the people before they leave? What about having a free hotdog dinner every couple of months and again, ask to pray with people?

I was talking with a friend at the airport today as we waited for our high school kids to leave on their mission trip to Belize, and she asked if I knew that we were going to be doing the prayer walking and hot dog dinner. I said no, and that it was probably a good thing, because I would have been VERY nervous and anxious.

But I think that part of the trip was the most amazing part, and the most satisfying and fulfilling part. Yes, the work on the houses was rewarding, but interacting with people was the best.

We also met some amazing people who work with EFCA. All the young people who were giving a year or more of their lives to minister there. And then there was John and Amy, our site managers. They were such an inspiration to us. They truly live sacrificially and have such a heart for helping others. It was great fun getting to know them and see the two of them work on the house as a couple, and to hear about their different experiences. It was hard to leave them after only 3 1/2 days - there was alot of bonding going on amongst the paint fumes and heat! I'm thankful for FB and email so we can keep in touch. They gave me great food for thought on what Rodney and I need to be doing with what God has gifted us with.

I'm praying that all we saw and did during our week will stay fresh on my mind and also in the kids' hearts. I look forward to seeing how God will continue to mold our kids.

And I'm so thankful for David Martin, our middle school pastor, and Cypress Bible for having the vision that our middle schoolers could do a trip like we did. As someone said, the fruit of the years that David has been laboring with our students was seen this week.

Praise God for all He has done with and through us on this trip. Thank you, EFCA and Galveston Bible Church, for having the vision to do more than just rebuild houses, but to also reach out to rebuild lives. Thank you for letting us participate and be the hands and feet of Christ.