This Is Why I Go

So much has gone on in the past year.  God has worked in a mighty way and is still working.  He’s opening and closing doors.  It’s amazing to look back and see all God has done in my little part of the world.  I got to spend almost 2 months doing mission work and I'm praying with all my heart I can go into full time mission work soon.  God is opening doors and I'm trusting Him.  We’re there to show them what Christ’s love looks like; to show them that’s there’s hope through Christ.  We got to show a 9 year old girl who had been raped, the love of Christ and she accepted the free gift of salvation.  She will no longer have to go through life alone.  We got to see teenage boys and girls surrender to be missionaries and preachers.  God worked and we can’t take credit for any of it.  None of this would have happened if we were doing it.   I’m thankful God let me be there to watch Him work like He did.

     We're commanded to go and love.  Commanded to share the gospel with anyone and everyone.  Not everyone is called to go to a foreign country, but every believer is called to witness.  But, have we ever asked God if He wants you to go?  Have we told God, "Lord, send me anywhere..."?  So many Christians say, "Well, I'm not called to the mission field.  I'm just called here where I am."  If so, what are you doing about it?  Are we looking at it like the mission field it is or just living life like normal?  I am guilty of this way too much myself.  It's time we Christians stop thinking we have to be on a "mission field" to be missionaries.  We are to be missionaries in our home to our family, at work, at Wal-mart, at church, and any other place you may go.  We need to start standing up and accepting the call that God has placed on every believer.  

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." 

(Mat 28:19-20)

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." 

(Mar 16:15)

     This Summer I stepped back and watched as God worked in the hearts of people across 4 states.  God’s children were praying everywhere for the hearts of those who would hear the gospel this Summer.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

(Mat 18:20)

I  watched as God moved in each Bible club;  saw how big my God really is.  Satan pushed hard though, we could see it everyday.  He was fighting hard for the hearts and minds of the children and our Blitz team.  But, when Satan pushes, God’s children push back.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. “

(1Jn 4:4)

Smile..

We knew that’s where God wanted us to be.  It sometimes felt like Hell’s playground and Satan was the bully, but instead of stealing our lunch money, he was robbing us of our joy and determination, while burdening us with doubt, worry, and trouble.

“ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: “ 

(1Pe 5:8)

 At times I know I was trying to push back in my own power, trying with all my might, yet failing every time.  It was a moment by moment battle, which couldn’t just be won by my might alone.  God was teaching us to not work alone, but to go in the strength of Christ.  We had the “go” part right, but started off not realizing the importantance of  “in the strength of the Lord”.

Psa 71:16 “ I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.”

We had to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

(Eph 6:10)

     That is where God wanted us, not in our strength, but in His.  It was daily giving to the Lord each bible lesson, each song, each bible verse, and each invitation.  Asking for His will to be done and not our own.

 

I would like to share a glimpse of what God did this Summer.   We were in some of the most impoverished places I’ve ever seen, where kids rarely get bathed, fed, and shown real love.  These beautiful children have so much love to offer and they’re waiting for someone to receive it.  So many of these kids have been abused and most of them in the worst ways.  They get shown the type of “love” that’s wrong.  They grow up in this.  So much abuse and it’s the only way they know how to love.  They’re longing and hurting for someone to really love them.  They don’t know what it’s like to have someone really love them and not want to selfishly use them.  It’s literally heart breaking.  But, for just a little while we get to go into these projects, neighborhoods, YMCA’s, Summer feeding programs, and places like that to show Christ’s love.  We get the privilege of loving these kids who don’t know what real love looks like, let alone have it shown to them.  The most painful part of this mission trip is leaving the weekly clubs each  Friday to go on to a new city the following week.  Leaving these children, who become your own, as they cry and beg you to stay, beg you to take them with you, and to not leave them.  They want to know if they’ll ever see you again and when you’re coming back.  So many of these children have had parents leave them and now we have to leave them too.  But, we leave them, knowing we have left them with the One that can show them real love;  the One who loves them unconditionally.  There are no words to describe what happens to your heart when a little girl in the ghetto asks to go home with you instead of back to her house, or when a little girl, demon possessed, receives Christ.  There are no words to thank God enough, or words to describe the relief, knowing there are a few more children Satan can’t have anymore. However, it absolutely breaks your heart beyond words to leave the kids who did not make a decision for Jesus, knowing that this week may be the only Jesus they ever get.  The only real love they ever see.  

We had around 75 - 80 in this YMCA bible club

     Yeah, it’s fun to go on mission trips and meet new people, but that’s not why we go.  We go because we’re commanded to go.  We’re commanded to love.  It wasn't a suggestion.  God didn't say “Go ye forth if you feel like it.” or “Go ye forth if you have time.” God said “Go”.  God said to love.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

(Mar 16:15)

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

(1Jn 4:16-21)

 

Aubrey, age 6

The girl in this photo is named Aubrey.  She's six years old and God used her to really show me "faith like a child".  I was at a school one week doing a bible club for about 55 kids each day.  The last day of bible clubs for that week she raised her hand to talk to one of us during invitation.  I started talking her about sin and going over the wordless book.  I was telling her how we're all born in sin and how we have all sinned.  I asked her if she had sin in her heart and she told me no.  I went over what sin was again and asked her if God could lie, which she informed me that God only tells truths.  She told me what sin was and gave me an example.  I asked her if she had ever sinned before and she told me yes.  So, I asked "If God couldn't lie, that's means when Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned..." it means her too."  She said yes.  I then asked her if she died right then, where would she go?   I wasn't expecting what she was going to answer me.   She told me she didn't have sin in her heart because she had asked Jesus into her heart and He washed all the sin away.  I was kind of shocked, this girl was telling me she'd sinned, but didn't have sin in her heart anymore, and it was because she had already asked Jesus to wash away the sin and believed with all her heart that He did just that.  She told me she had asked Him that week.  I asked her if it was something we said during the bible club, and she told me that we said all we have to do is ask Jesus to wash away our sins and come into our heart.  She said she didn't ask her mom or talk to us, she just asked Jesus.  Child like faith.  That was such a huge blessing.  That one six year old girl who put her whole trust in Jesus Christ to save her.  When I was explaining the part of the wordless book, where Jesus raises from the dead, she stopped me and told me that her daddy did the same thing.  She told me that he died and he's alive again in heaven with Jesus.  I went over assurance of salvation and she just kept smiling. 

 This is why I go.  Because if just one more child accepts Christ, it's worth it all.   This is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.  As long as God allows, I'll be serving Him somewhere.   

Counseling kids at a VBS we helped with...

Counseling...

Counseling..

This beautiful girl is Kyah.  She had major demon problems last year when we were
in Alabama with her, but she accepted Christ.  This year I got to see her again! 

This is Kyah's sister Janiah.  She also accepted Christ last year!

"Usie"

Teaching the Wordless Book...

9 teenage guys ages 13-17 at this bible club and all 9 received Christ!!

One of the best bible clubs ever!

This club I will never forget...

A.J., D., and I

They tried to teach me how to play basketball...

I was really bad at it...

They were really good at it...

Bible lesson...

Bible Lesson

Getting to pray with these girls was awesome!

Bible Club in a YMCA 

Bible club at a Boys and Girls Club

"Hershey", "Porkchop", and D.J.

All of these girls accepted Christ

I got to lead these girls to Christ

Missionary Story

My bible clubs kids at a trailer park in Missippissi

This is all for now. Be blessed.

~Beautifully.created~