Here are some pictures of my week 2 crew:
[Praying for some men during the H St. prayer walk.]
[Organizing & moving mattresses at a donation ministry site.]
[Dealing with linen overflow at the donation ministry site.]
[Sorting baby clothing at a pregnancy center…I got to hold a baby while we were there!!]
[Worshipping at David’s Tent near the WWII Memorial. This tent is a 24/7 worship tent filled with different volunteers from all over the place & has been going strong for two years now.]
[Just after eating Thai food]
[During our prayer tour]
Okay, so whoever said you can compare groups with each other is wrong. I mean…you can do it. In fact, I do it, but no matter what, groups will always be so different from each other. My second group of the summer is from Indiana. They are quiet and thoughtful. Sometimes, we will be driving in our big van and I will look back to see if everyone is alive because it gets so quiet.
This particular week my group is driving two vehicles. As I navigate van one throughout the city, I also have to be mindful of van two following us. Several times van one has made it through a yellow light while van two gets stuck at a red light. When this happens, I have to simultaneously navigate van one in person and van two by phone. I am telling you, there are skills that this job has grown in me that I didn’t even realize were possible.
Another aspect of this trip that has affected travel is: T. R. A. F. F. I. C. It might take my group double the time to get somewhere solely because of traffic. These are the opportune times to ask the Lord for enthusiasm and creativity. The other day it took my group roughly an hour to travel under two miles. My van was filled with restless students, so I put on a smile and started making up games like, “If you were a fruit, what would you be? If you were stranded on an island, what three items would you choose to have?” It sounds ridiculous, but thinking about whether you would be a pineapple or a dragonfruit can really pass the time (Lol. Things city hosts would say).
But every setback has been completely overshadowed by our time serving with our ministry partners. I watched my group open up a little more after each conversation with a homeless person. I saw my leaders genuinely enjoy the interactions they experienced with ministry partners. I sat with one of my students as she shared how she got through her accident and then I saw her joy in helping others who were in need when we visited a rehabilitation center. With each passing week, God has transformed the term missions. It does not have a certain look or feel. There is no amount of “hard” labor that needs to be done in order to successfully have gone on mission. The percentage of people who say yes to being prayed for does not dictate what missions is. Whether we do exactly what we planned or not. How long we stay somewhere. How good we feel after. How impacted the people are. None of this defines missions.
It took one prayer to make this a true and vivid reality for me.
My group was sorting clothes at a donation ministry site. Serving alongside us, a woman folded clothes and gave us tips about how to sort the clothes more easily. I started a conversation with her while we were working, and just before she left, she mentioned she was having surgery the following day. Immediately, I asked if we could pray for her. She was surprised and kind of giggled. Then she said yes. We prayed for her and she left. I don’t know if we ever will see her again, but I know that God had all of us there for a reason. I learned through that experience that missions work is so much deeper. It’s about paying close attention for every opportunity to love like Christ. God gives us the ability in Christ to make use of every opportunity just as Ephesians 5:16 discusses. I am satisfied in knowing that our ultimate goal as missionaries is to share the good news of Jesus Christ. I’m learning just how beautiful it is to share Jesus through a prayer, a smile, a helpful hand, laughter, a sandwich, or whatever God plans.
We finish up week two on Saturday. Pray for our groups as they leave the city behind, that they would not leave behind what they’ve learned. I am convinced that every week this summer will be incomparable to the other. Some will be long, short, challenging, exciting, fun, thought-provoking, quiet, or whatever comes my way. Even still, I am thankful.
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