Missions Trip, part 2

In sharing about the missions trip, the biggest question is "Where do I even begin?" I could go on and on about all of fun times that we had laughing together over one thing or another, sightseeing in Chicago (the Willis Tower, Michigan Avenue, Giordanos Pizza) and just all of the other everyday things that took place throughout the week. All of these things were a part of the trip, but they were not the real reason for the trip: there was more to it than just having a fun time and sightseeing. Rather, it was about sharing the Gospel with those who have not heard it and ministering to those around us! Everything else was just a bonus.

To sum up the activities of the trip, from Monday to Friday, part of the group worked at a day-camp from 7:30 - 5:00 at Parkwood Baptist Church, and the rest of the group ran a VBS for inner-city kids at the Harbor House about 45 minutes away from Parkwood. On Saturday then, everyone was involved in one way or another with running a three-on-three basketball tournament. We also sang several special numbers for both Sundays and the Wednesday that we were there.

To get a little deeper into what I actually did throughout the week, from Monday to Wednesday, I helped out with the VBS at the Harbor House in inner-city Chicago, working with children who pretty much had no church background. We had a Bible lesson, a missionary story, crafts, games, lunch, and also a time where I shared some about Brazil. More often than not, it would take several minutes to get the kids settled down enough to be able to even begin the lesson, not to mention the various times throughout each activity that we would have to stop in order to regain some semblance of a listening audience. Each Bible lesson, missionary story, game, and even the craft was a challenge. Interestingly however, as little training as these kids had in anything concerning the Bible, many of them often gave the "right answer" upon being asked questions regarding the Bible.

As much of a challenge as these inner-city kids were, by the time Wednesday rolled around and I had to say goodbye to them (as I would be at the day-camp that the rest of the youth group was working at for the rest of the week), I had become rather attached to them. In ways that I cannot explain or even understand myself, God helped me to get past the rowdiness and unruly behavior of these kids and see them for who they really were. As the day drew to a close that Wednesday, an almost desperate feeling began to overtake me as I realized that I would never be seeing these kids again; I felt an almost overwhelming responsibility to do my part in sharing the truth of God's salvation with them. I probably will only find out in heaven what kind of lasting fruit will come of those three short, yet totally amazing, stretching, and challenging days that I got to spend with around 30 precious kids!

(more yet to come...)