We got back late Friday night from our mission trip. Burnsville, West Virginia is a small but wonderful place (population 480 people and just off Hwy 79 in the middle of the state). Our team of 46 people fell in love with the community and with Crossroads Church and Pastor Rodney Jamison. Just heard that their attendance Sunday morning was so big that they had to move out of their small meeting room and into the sanctuary that we cleaned last week (only the 2nd worship service in that room in the last 50+ years).
If I have learned anything on mission trips, it is you have to be flexible. All kinds of things happen. Lots of blessings show up that you don't expect either. Yet most of the time those blessings miss us because we are not ready, or we are focused on the wrong thing, or because we are just not where God wants us. What have you missed today or in the past few weeks?
Philippians 2:13 (nlt) --- For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
I was talking with Rodney early last week when he told me of a need in the town. Later that day we were standing in the town administration building / police dept / meeting room / right behind our hotel when we learned about the need being a river clean up happening on Friday and Saturday. We were planning to use Friday as a fun day to go do what we wanted to do. There were only about 5 or so people signed up to help. But our team decided we would pitch in and serve. There were 30 people on the river Friday and 20 from our team. We picked up tires, metal, cans and every thing else including a kitchen sink.
What did that do for the kingdom? It gave us time with people who don't go to church. It also is helping to open doors for more people to hear about the truth of Jesus. That is just one more SERVolution (act of kindness displaying the love of God).
If we will slow down long enough to look around and listen, we may hear God speaking or see God working. We did. And we ask you, "did you see that?"
Ephesians 3:20 (nlt) --- Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Another awesome happening during the week was when 30 children received new shoes and we washed their feet. Those simple acts of serving open the door for God to move into someone's life and for God to even move into a town where little has gone on in a long time.
It is time to ask others what they have seen God do and share what we have seen. This is awesome stuff, and it ain't over yet!
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