Reaching and Equipping Across the Land

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work"

2 Timothy 3: 16-17

What is my ministry?

I feel called to be a part of overseas missions. Last summer I spent two weeks in Papua New Guinea. While there a missionary shared with me about people groups along the Sepik River and off the coast that are still unreached. Many of them are unreached because they are such small groups that nobody will take the time to reach out to them. Their reasoning is usually one of two things: the language is dying or will die out or the people group will die out because they don't often exceed 500 people. It is not worth all the time and effort it takes to translate an entire language when there are so few people. There is no voice or language who's cry is not heard by the Lord and I will not ignore it either.

This broke my heart! These people need to know who Jesus is to and maybe the Lord is calling me to reach out to these people because they had an effect on me for a reason. Maybe this is my ministry...or maybe it will be somewhere else, but I do know that God has called me to follow his direction and that he will keep my path straight. Also, as long as I follow his command it will not go the wrong way. God is all-knowing, so His directions are always right.

The Hunt for Scavengers

Saturday, River City set up a scavenger hunt for the youth. In the past I have done other scavenger hunts and they were not good experiences so I was not exactly looking forward to it, but this one was fun (and it's not because my team was one of the teams to win haha!). It was overall just a good experience and gave me time to get to know a few of the young people better. We had fun with it and we were all competitive too so that helped us win I think. It was just an overall good experience and I am looking forward to working more with the youth because at first I was really timid, but not so much anymore I don't feel. Also, I am excited to get plugged in to a small  group with the youth so I can connect on a deeper level with some of them.

Haven for Hope: Showing Christ to the Homeless, Disabled, and the Needy

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." 

Deuteronomy 15:11

Volunteering at Haven for Hope was incredible. It is hard to describe how incredibly touched I was by the workers and the hundreds of homeless people; all with a story to tell. Friday, May 20, 2011, Haven for Hope fed 471 people. This was a record number of people for them and it was quite overwhelming, but everyone was fed and I feel as if the hot food miraculously multiplied because even though the lady serving was scraping the bottom of the one pot of chili we had there always seemed to be a generous portion served on each plate. I had never seen anything like what I did that evening, it was amazing! Some of those people have been homeless for three or more years and others it may have been recent. It is sad when leaders like, Jerry S. could address people by name because they have been coming there for so long and were dependent on the food from there; sometimes that would be their only meal a day. The worst was seeing elderly and handicapped there, those people should be taken care of without having to beg for it; they can't work or make a living in the types of conditions they were in. It was so heartbreaking. I cannot even imagine living a life like some of those people have to, but Haven for Hope has brought many of them incredible opportunity to turn their lives around. Haven for Hope has given them a place to stay, get a warm meal, and a chance to find hope that can change their life and that  hope is Jesus Christ! 

I spent the entire evening crying and even as I type this, recalling all that I have seen, even though it's been 5 days since I have been there, I am crying. It just makes me so incredibly grateful for all that I have and the life that I have. God had been very good to my family and I. I am excited to return because it has already changed my life and I am sure it will change even more. 

God, you love each and every person on this earth and I know that you are watching over them. God please protect the thousands (possibly millions) of people in this world that suffer from lack of food, shelter, clean water, and medicine. God you have a plan for their lives; bring them hope and guide them to make the right choices. Direct your disciples to generously give up a little of what they have to people in these situations because some of them cannot get out without the help of others. Give me strength for when I return and let your spirit guide me. You are a merciful and loving God. Thank you for never changing and always bringing hope. I love you Jesus! Amen.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

 "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." 

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

What is ministry? 

Everything; new direction and purpose; and most importantly, there is no longer focus on self but on Jesus Christ. Whether it is at school, work, to our next door neighbor, or to a cashier at the grocery store, our life can and should be a ministry. Because we are part of a purpose and a process we should be looking more like Christ all the time, but this process is not finished until after our earthly lives, it must continue on until after death. When we become a believer we should be radically changed--turned inside out and upside down, and ever since we broke it, God has been reestablishing our relationship with him because he loves us. God sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins, making it possible for us to be his friends again. In one sense, reconciliation is already done; in another sense it is necessary to tell people about it. Both are part of the ministry of reconciliation. This is truth and what  ministry should be based on; the reconciliation of Jesus Christ.

Since becoming a believer, we know what it is to fear the Lord, so we try to persuade people. It is important to give people the opportunity to take pride in what is in the heart, rather than pride in what is seen instead of trying to commend them. Maybe we are out of our minds, but "it is for the sake of God" (2 Cor. 5:13). Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that he died for all, and therefore those who believe have died. We should no longer focus on our self but on Jesus Christ because of this truth. We are Christ's ambassadors! Let every aspect of our lives be a ministry to others and this will happen when we allow God to totally consume our life.

Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

"For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control."

2 Timothy 1:7

I am struggling to let go, one hand is still holding onto control. My prayer for this summer has been Proverbs 3, which calls me to ask the Lord to grant me favor in His sight and the sight of man, that through my life He would further His kingdom and purpose in heaven and on earth, and I do not want to be timid about anything or I may miss my chance of being used for His purpose. The only way to lose this timidness of mine is to allow God's Spirit to fill me completely and take over because without Him I can do nothing. Without Him I won't make much of a difference. Unless I let the Spirit in and I am open to being used, I will not be used. His work will get done some other way and I do not want to miss my chance this summer. I am in love with Christ too much to give up this opportunity to be stretched and grow. I want to be crazy in love so people just know through my actions and my words that Christ is before me every step of the way. 

Most of us know that we are supposed to love and fear God; that we are supposed to read our Bibles and pray so that we can get to know Him better; that we are supposed to worship Him with our lives. But actually living it out is challenging.I often forget that God is everything and in control. I do not always feel like loving Him, talking to Him, listening to Him. This may sound "un-Christian" but it's true. So I need to remind myself of some things that I think we should all remind of ourselves of everyday: that God is Holy; God is eternal; God is all knowing; God is all powerful; and that God is fair and just.