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Friday, June 24, 2011

The Last Day

Everyone heads out for one last send-off and are ready to finish what they've started. Friday nights are special because homeowners are invited to the closing celebration where everyone involved with the project is recognized. This year, there were many homeowners able to be present due to their brand new wheel chair ramps! It was a blessing to see God's love through an act so simple. The squads met for one last hoorah and finally everyone went to bed, closing another chapter of the Mission Serve story and more ready than ever to sleep in their own beds. Thanks for all your hard work, we couldn't have done it without you, Mission Serve: Martinsburg, WV!!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Mission Offering

Thursday evening, after a few projects had been completely and the rest of them were winding down, everyone prepared to give their mission offering during worship. The grand total came to $2,000.15, getting closer to Mission Serve's summer goal of $20,000! By Thursday night, the energy is running low, but everyone is still excited to see what else God will do.

 

 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

It's Freeday, Freeday

At a typical Mission Serve Project, the participants work Wednesday morning, eat lunch, and have the rest of the evening off. Here in Martinsburg, due to the prime location, everyone worked an extra hour everyday in order to have the whole day to themselves and were able to use the extra time to visit exciting places like Hershey Park, Six Flags, the zoo, and even Washington, DC! It was a day well spent and everyone came back exhilarated, and somewhat exhausted, from their Free Day exploits, ready for the second half of the week.

 

 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

KAPOW

We woke up with rain in the morning, but God cleared it up just in time to go work on site. On day two, the pace picks up because everyone begins to find a rhythm. The pace of God moving also picked up. The Golf squad had a major KAPOW moment and was able to share it at worship, with props! They are building a wheelchair ramp for three children that have brittle bone disease and must use wheel chairs. As Golf has been working with this family to ease the typically simple act of entering their own home, the kids have shown their appreciation through artwork they've created for the squad. They said they feel blessed to have Mission Serve working on their house and they know that God sent them. The participants feel blessed and honored to have the chance to be a part of something so great. God is truly working in this community and your prayers help so much. Keep it up!!

 

Monday, June 20, 2011

Concert of Prayer

Monday morning the rains came and though the grounds were doused, the spirits were not. They dug holes for wheelchair ramps, they painted walls and experienced many KAPOW moments. Zulu, a squad building a wheel chair ramp, was able to hand their homeowner her very own Mission Serve name tag so she can feel a part of the work they're doing this week. The X-Ray squad attracted a number of kids in the area and many neighbors came out and have become comfortable with what the Mission Serve participants are doing in their community.

The Concert of Prayer, a night filled with worship and prayer, all hearts and minds fixed on the Lord, was phenomenal last night. The gospel was shared with multiple individuals and two people came to know the Lord. KAPOW! The Lord is working here, so keep us in your prayers.

 


Sunday, June 19, 2011

Meet Your Squad

Early Sunday morning, the Martinsburg participants woke up ready to discover the fate of their squad assignments and meet all their new squad mates. After a brief chat, each squad headed to various churches around the community who will provide the lunches this week. Following the different services, all the squads visited the sites they'll be working this week and visiting the neighbors close by to let them know what Mission Service is all about: Jesus Christ and his abounding love. 

In worship Sunday night, Justin discussed 1 Peter 1:13-16, a call to living a holy life, a call to obedience. This call is important to remember as they enter the mission field in two different states. Working on houses is a great platform for sharing God's love because by working they are sharing God's love. We must be obedient to do his will, to share his love, and to be holy.

This week, we hope to encounter many Ka-POW moments- where God shows his glory and power through incredible experiences with homeowners and others in the community- so be on the lookout for awesome stories the participants have to share. 

 

Saturday, June 18, 2011

The Party Begins

Two hundred participants flooded into St. James Academy today to begin their work for Mission Serve in Martinsburg, WV. Despite the terrible wreck on I-81 that held up our group's travelling plans, everyone came here excited and willing to serve! Our friends from Harvest Community Church started our welcome celebration with a "good ole southern pig pull." The homemade barbecue, baked beans and coleslaw, along with the fantastic dessert was a delicious meal after the long car ride.

The worship leader, Justin Schultz, gave an evangelism training meeting, teaching the youth and adults how to properly preach their faith. His focus rested in a plan known as the Roman Road. These bible verses found in Romans (3:23, 5:8, 6:23, and 10:9), show a simple step by step explanation of how Jesus removes us from our sins and leads us into everlasting life. He ended with a challenge for everyone at the project to share their faith at least one time this week.

After dinner and evangelism training, we all played games and watched funny videos on how to properly give a high five. Our Minute to Win It game for the evening, involved pulling all the tissues out of a tissue box in under a minute. Afterwards, we played the classic West Virginia sport, Trout Toss. This game involves holding a whole fish in your mouth and slinging it as far as you possibly can.

Once the fun and games were over, we started our worship time. The Andrew Brown Band were excellent tonight, focusing on the song Forever Reign. Justin's message preached that being Grounded in Christ means that we must put him first in our lives. This is important because God is unfathomably mighty and he works through us, allowing us to be more than we could be on our own.

The first day in Martinsburg was a blast and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us the rest of the week!