Sunday, October 11, 2009

Missions Update - October






Dear Friends and Family,

So my first 3 week outreach went great. We had a group of local teens come for their own discipleship training course that we led. The first week the kids went through lectures, outreach preparation, games, and other activities that we set up for them. They were a great group of kids. Most of them were from 12-15 years of age. Tuesday night we performed a "Passion Play" for the kids which is a reenactment of the crucifixion of Jesus. It was really powerful and resulted in a time of brokenness and surrender among the kids. I prayed for many of the kids but one that stuck out to me in particular was a young man named Daniel. He was struggling with the divorce of his parents and i believe God really used me to speak into his life. I saw him grow so much throughout the course of the week from hearing God's voice to being more willing to share what God was speaking to him. Wednesday night, I was in charge of setting up a Commitment service where we had 3 different stations. The first station was a time of worship, the second the teachers washed the kid's feet and prayed for them, and the third was a reflection and commitment time alone before God. I've always been a follower and just help where I am needed but setting this service up challenged me to step into my role as a leader. God revealed the awesome potential I have to serve his kingdom and that he really does want to use me. The service came together so much better than I had planned and the fact that God used me to play such an important role in these kid's lives really humbled me and encouraged me.


The second week we took the kids to a small mining town called Mt. Isa. to lead a Vacation Bible School at an aboriginal church. It was amazing to see these young kids step up and lead a VBS!!! I was so impressed by the maturity and servants hearts these kids had. The aboriginal kids were such a blessing as well. Their culture is very similar to the American Indian culture in that drinking, abuse, and apathy are major strongholds here. The kids were dying for attention and love. They constantly wanted to be carried and given piggy back rides and were hanging on you all the time. I connected especially well with a little girl named Tianna. She is a beautiful little girl and i was so blessed to be able to spend time with her.


The 3rd week of outreach was the 5 Day Escape for the Youthstreet kids that we see every Saturday night. We took an 18 hour bus ride to the Gold Coast and stayed at a camp in the woods. We did all kinds of fun things from team games, to a water park, to surfing, to an amusement park. We did team devotions in the morning to provoke questions and curiosity as many of these kids are not Christians. Thursday night we had a time of worship and testimonies where 4 kids gave their lives to the Lord. God really worked in all 3 weeks of outreach. Thanks for all of your prayers.

I have had lectures again for the past week and then I leave for Papua New Guinea next week for 6 weeks with the Primary Healthcare Team. Please pray as we complete our final preparations.

God Bless,
Lexi