Nathan Young will be leading a team to Chicago to work with C3: Chicagoland Community Church from July 30 to August 3. The cost to go is $100, and you can contact the church office for more information. The phone number for the church office is (502)-538-7361.You can check out more info about C3 on their website at http://www.chicagolandcc.org/ Take care guys!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteWell another mission trip under the belt, been there, done that, NOT!
Here’s what I mean, there is always a lot completed to the physical buildings on these trips and this in it’s self is a wonderful blessing. But I want to share about what God did during these three days.
God was awesome on this trip!
So awesome, I just have to tell you about what He did!
I wanted to go on this trip but had not been able to budget the money or secure the time off from work but, less than 12 hours before the guys were leaving, God paved the way for me to be off work and configure my budget so I could go!
God provided us safe travel up and back!
God allowed me to get to know two brothers in Christ better!
God gave us a comfortable place to stay while we were there. We had come up with the goal of being some service to our partner church, Chicagoland Community Church. God blessed us by allowing us see this body of believers making a difference in Chicago! These believers reach out and provide services for a diverse group of folks in their area. One example was they are helping a young married couple, who are moving to the area as church planters. Another is, they invite the troubled world in and minister to them. Some of the ones they have reached out to have stolen items from the church while they were there. God used the thefts as an outreach to the persons, as the staff there was able to not only recover several of the items, but to live and speak the Gospel to the very ones who removed the property.
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The first day we were suppose to move three rooms of “BIG & HEAVY” furniture out to allow us to pull up the old carpet. We arrive to find a youth group from Tennessee (at least 14 strong) had not only moved most every thing out of the rooms, but they had stored and labeled them according to the areas they came from, which made it supper easy to bring the stuff back in once the carpet was installed. Yes, we did have to move one desk out, remember (“BIG & HEAVY”), took three of us and a two wheel dolly. Point being, God provided this youth group!
ReplyDeleteGod stretched our food budget money! We were able to buy two days of breakfast, lunche, and dinner for all three of us for about $34.00! We ate plenty!
God provided two additional men from our church with the experience and skills need to complete the job. God taught me some skills from another trade. (Ok, seriously for those who went, you have to admit I sure could staple some carpet padding down, once I figured out how to remove the jams from the staple gun. I still say was the staple gun and not the operator.)
God painted us a picture of what it is truly like to confess Jesus before men! We attended a baptism of two new believers on the beach of Lake Michigan. As we walked to the beach front we passed people from all areas of worldly life. Since this was a beach one would expect to see folks in swimming trunks, but some fell far short of even worldly modesty, if there is such a thing. Our path took us pass one group of men laughing, cursing, and telling foul stories. From about twenty feet away, the lake front smells were drowned out by their alcohol. As we hit the sand there were folks asking for money and folks with plenty of money. There was families having fun and people curled up all alone crying.
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As everyone from Chicagoland Community Church was gathering at the shore for the service, I remember wondering how was this going work with these people hanging out on the beach? What if one of them decided to disrupt the service and cause some trouble? Guess that’s the human dad in me always thinking about the group’s safety. Smack dab in the middle of the world we began to sing and praise God. After a few songs Pastor Jon spoke the truth of the gospel, the truth that is so dear to us who are the Lord’s and so needed to those who know not Christ. He described how Jesus Christ the Son came down from heaven and gave His life for us, so that we could be made righteous before the Father. The wavy water was depicting the picture of baptism as he spoke.
ReplyDeleteI can remember back thirty one years to the Sunday I was baptized and I must confess that I was more than a bit intimidated by the entire church looking on while I was baptized. Silly really because after all, I was inside the church building and everyone there at least said they were like minded. Calvary Baptist Church is located in Clearwater Florida just a few minutes from the beach, so what if I was asked to be baptized on the beach that Sunday? How different would it of been if I knew my worldly friends would be watching me that Sunday?
At the beach God provided safety for the group! Once the service started we found ourselves truly in the world but not of it, as all the many sounds disappeared giving way to the praise and worship. There was no doubt with either of these two persons as God delivered a clear picture to the on looking world of these lives changed by His saving grace!
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God painted His truth so brightly against the contrast of the world there around us. As the world works, parties, struggles, indulges, cries, and suffers, God continues to provide the One that can truly fill their need! Since the contrast is unmistakable clear, I asked as myself as we were walking back to the car. How many of these folks that God brought to my attention in our short walk to and from the beach am I going to share God’s life saving message with? Does my heart break for them? Do I mourn for any of them like God does? Is the Light living inside me stuck under a dusty old basket named Tony with those I work and live around? What am I doing right here I where I live?
ReplyDeleteI would like to challenge anyone who is looking for a way to “Contribute”, to take a mission trip! God is constantly showing us ways that we can further His Gospel through what we may think is the smallest of service! We are provided with a mission trip every day, whether from right inside our own homes, neighborhoods, work place or even to a place we must travel to.
May my focus be on the eternal and not of this world,
Tony