Day 6: Home

Home.

Today we headed back to the warmth of Jacksonville. While it is always nice to come home part of me always is anxious about getting back into the "normality" of life. The fear is always that you will forget...that you won't change. The great thing about this missions trip is that you are exposed to so much. You are dropped into a new place, outside of your box, and are involved in things you normally aren't. So that unnormality puts you in a unique spot to make observations about your normal life. It gives you, in sorts, a heavenly perspective. You think about your normal life and make judgements about what it good and what isn't. But somehow when you return home to your life you slowly get absorbed back into the life you once had. My prayer for the student is that they will remember. Remember the perspective they received, remember the difference that they made, and remember to change. This is so that their lives here reflect the changes that they saw needed to be made. That is my prayer. That just like the seeds of ministry we planted in NYC would grow, so would the seeds of change that we sowed in our own hearts would change us and draw us closer to Christ.

Here are a few Day 6 Pictures.

For His Renown,
Wesley

Day 5: Reaching Out

Today's post is by Rachael Collins.

We spent the last day of our trip learning about people of other religions and the best ways to witness to them. First we talked to John, the preacher of Shalom Baptist Church. He enlightened us on the Jewish culture and how he works and started a church specifically to reach out to them. Then we visited with Larry, the leader of a free English learning class for people from southern Asian countries. He told us that once the students have learned enough English to understand, he starts teaching them Bible stories and slowly integrates them into deeper, Bible studies. Although these people are Muslim, they are usually very interested in what Larry has to say and often enjoy the Bible stories. Larry then challenged us to take some of his Bangladesh tracks into the prominently Bangladesh area, find someone working in one of the shops, ask them if they were from Bangladesh and then hand them the track. We all completed the task, glad to have had our first little taste of reaching people of other religions.

One thing that stuck out to me that John said was that we (Christians in the south) don’t normally try to convert people of other religions; we focus on the people who claim to be Christians but usually are not. He was not looking down on what we do, but encouraging us to expand our ministry and reach out to people with other religions.

Check out some Day 5 pictures.

Day 4: Church and the City

Today's Post is by Josh Kinard.

This morning we all woke up and got ourselves ready for church. Today we would be attending All Nations Baptist Church, for Sunday school as well as Sunday morning Service. Wesley taught our Sunday school class that consisted of their youth as well as ours. Following Sunday school we sat in their service where they had a guest missionary from Mexico came and spoke about his Missions. The service was similar to ours at Oak Leaf with minor differences. After that we went down the street to a local deli and ate the most amazing sandwiches ever and prepared to help out with their children’s program. So we played games and taught them a lesson about David and Goliath. That was a great experience, seeing the smiling faces of the kids as they played and enjoyed themselves.

After that we finally got a chance to ride the subway downtown and see New York City. I’ll start by saying it has spectacular sites to see and is just amazing. It wasn’t until we got there that I actually felt like I was in New York, and even then it was hard to believe. We saw a lot of the major sites and even got to ride the elevator up to the top of the Empire State Building. That went up 86 floors and had to change elevators. The site at the top overlooking all of New York City was unbelievable. The fact that it was at night made every single light look like a shining star. And at the top it was very windy and freezing cold, but the view made it all worth it. Overall it was a spectacular day, and if I ever get the chance to come back again I will.

Check out some Day 4 pictures.

Looking back on Day 2 - Street Evangelism

A Post by Steve Roberson.

The trip overall has already been a tremendous encouragement. One reflection back on Day 2: I was blessed and exhilarated to distribute tracts in the neighborhood along with the guys on Friday. The most memorable thing for me was meeting Marlon, who was out in his garage working on motorcycles with his brother-in-law. He pleasantly greeted us and asked what we were distributing in the neighborhood. We were happy to share our mission with both of them, invite them to church, and talk about what little we knew about sport bikes. Marlon told us about the bike club that they are in. We even took a couple of pictures together. Everyone said pleasant goodbyes, but I felt a strong need to come back as soon as possible to share with Marlon a clear gospel presentation on a personal level.

Just a few hours later after dropping the youth off at their housing location, Pastor Dan and I were able to drive back over to Marlon's house. We knocked, and though we did not get an answer at first, we noticed three young men just across the street. They were watching us, so we went over to tell them why we were there and to ask them to let Marlon know we came by to visit again. In just a few minutes, we were able to share a very clear and pointed gospel presentation with all three of them. Just as we were wrapping up, Marlon came outside, so we went over and were able to have a great conversation with a successful witnessing encounter with him too!

Though none of these men prayed to receive Christ while we were there, they were quite receptive and agreed to give serious consideration to the truth of God's Word and to their eternal destiny. They also had a face to face meeting with a faithful Pastor right in their own neighborhood to whom they can turn if they have more questions. Would you pray for Marlon, his brother-in-law, and his three neighbors that the Lord would continue to "water the seed" that has been planted in their hearts? We know from Isaiah 55:11 that God's Word does not return void. Pray that it will change the hearts of these men.

-Steve Roberson

Day 3: Meeting Needs

Today's Post is by Rebecca Collins.

Today our group was able to work with All Nations Baptist Church’s food pantry along with other volunteers from the community. We gave up the comfortable warmth from the inside and dove into the busy preparation process or organizing the plethora of food. At first I didn’t know what to do and felt in the way, but it wasn’t long until someone with a fairly thick accent said to me, “You do the onions?” I figured out along the way that I was to sort a huge sack of onions into individual bags that were to later be in the hands of others in need. That on its own was a blessing. Yes, I was just sorting strong scented onions, but I knew that soon they would be incredibly appreciated.
When we were actually handing out the food, the smiles were priceless. Yes I was freezing, but it was worth it. Hopefully the love of Christ was reflected through the giving and the volunteers work. He works in great ways, and it’s so awesome to be a part of the mission.

Check out some Day 3 pictures here.

Day 2: Door to Door

Tonight's post is from Zoe Pruitt.

Today was so inspiring. The first thing we did was go to the church and get our assignment for the day. We were to go door to door and hand out flyers so people would know that the church was there. It was so amazing how many people that lived in that neighborhood (where the church was located) didn’t even know that a church existed anywhere near them. The people are so much more willing to listen to you up here. When we went up to people they would read it or ask about it. That was absolutely amazing to me.

When I was going up and down the street handing out the flyers some of the people were very nice and looked like they greatly appreciated us. It not only gave me the feeling of accomplishment but made me think “maybe this is not a total waste of time.” In Jacksonville people are not as nice as the people up here. That’s just my opinion, but it seems true to me. This so far has to be the most needed heads up for me. I feel like I’m doing the right thing. :^)

By Zoe Pruitt

Check out our Day 2 photos

Day 1: Dinner & Discussion

Great flight. No Problems and we were greeted by these warm friendly faces. Tonight around the dinner table, after getting sandwiches at a deli, we discussed this question in several forms, "What makes Christianity different than every other religion?". Besides different rules and traditions we have, what is it at the core of the Christian faith that makes it different? You guessed it...Jesus. But what makes Christianity more than a list of rules to follow like all other religions?...love. We were talking about how we talk to others about Christ and what is it that they would find attractive about our faith. How do we show the love of Christ to others?, but more than that, what is our goal when we do? Are we thinking about where this is leading? Are we ready to share when the time comes? Serious questions with profound implications.

See, tomorrow we are going to have the opportunity to be seed planters. A work that requires faith. Having faith that God is big enough to take a seed we plant and make it grow. But, how will we stand out from the plethora of religions in this city that surrounds us? Just like we do in Jacksonville...with our love for each other and for the strangers we will meet tomorrow. God loves them just as much as God loves us. So we need to love them. Not motivated by duty or obligation but from the overflow of gratitude and with the realization that God is using us to minister everyone one we meet. So, pray with us that God's love in us opens doors for to plant seeds that will change lives.

Check out our DAY 1 pictures.

Get Ready

As with many trips and events I have planned in the past, I have organized, planned, and scheduled till my heart is content. But in my mind, I know that you can't plan God. My favorite moments on a trip like this are the "God" moments. These are the moments that really make a trip. They range from God ordained conversations, to small insights that help you understand God differently, to magnificent displays of God's glory. They always come in God's timing...perfectly. As much as we prepare we cannot schedule God. We can pray and seek His face and wait patiently on Him. So, while I sit here excited about all the activities we have planned I am even more excited about the moments God has planned. My conviction is that we wouldn't get too busy to let them pass us by, but that our hearts are prepared to be receptive to the things He has for us.

"Father, go before us. move in power. we want to be about your business. Father, give us hearts sensitive to your moving. As we labor may you bring the fruit and glorify yourself. I just pray all those involved would be blessed by being a blessing. I know you are there. Give us a glimpse of our kingdom beyond what our mind knows that we may know you better and have a heart for the nations...for your people...for your renown." Amen.