Here is just an excerpt from a mission team to Chicago: a group of 20 teens led by Jonathon Huffman of West Park Baptist Church in Knoxville TN. (Our son Peter is part of this trip.) Just read this small portion of their week and you'll get an idea of Christ in action:
"What an awe-inspiring day of ministry. Our day ran long but the blessings ran longer. And best of all, students ministered with passion and boldness!
Today's task looked simple and scary. We were to walk the streets of Chicago offering prayer and food to those in need. Our ministry started with spending an hour and a half in the Court House plaza downtown. As people passed by (lawyers, the homeless, policemen, tourists, foreigners), we simply explained that we were in the plaza to pray with anyone who wanted it. For many of us (myself included), this was the most intimidating project of the trip. But as we stepped into the challenge, we found it to be equally rewarding.
Aaron spoke to one woman who was sitting on a bench but didn't say a word in response. She simply reached up and clutched his hand. He asked her name. She said nothing. So Aaron began to pray for her on the spot. When he finished the prayer and opened his eyes, tears were streaming down the woman's face. She never said a word, but her face said everything.
We had many stories similar to that, where God allowed us to enter some deep places of hurt and offer hope. One woman had recently lost a child; another was getting evicted. Another person was struggling with health issues and another, with addiction. At the end of our time there, we had prayed for about 250 people in the plaza. Of course, many said no or didn't listen or just openly rejected any blessing we might offer. But for those who said yes, it was a profound moment, one where maybe for the first time in a long time, or for the first time ever, they allowed God a window into their lives.
From there, we visited a Hindu temple and spoke with those who worship Hare Krshna. Entering their temple was like entering another world. The sights and smells were as foreign to us as India itself. The worshippers there kindly answered our questions about the religion,.. The point of our visit was to breakdown some of our own stereotypes and apprehensions we might have in talking to people of such disparate religious backgrounds.
We then made an unplanned stop at a local bakery for some snacks, but we soon came realize it was in fact a planned stop. God had something for us to do. As we left the bakery, we noticed a man struggling to walk. We offered him a hand but it quickly realized he was on the verge of collapsing. The boys quickly rushed around him and helped him to the curb. We tracked down a car; drove him to his house; and from there, we had to call the fire department to get him up the stairs. Again, the students wowed us. The man’s wife spoke only Spanish, so Michelle became our translator. She spoke with the lady and figured out what she wanted and where they lived.
We were encouraged to see each student helping in the way he or she could.In the evening, we handed out food to the homeless along Lakeshore Drive around Lincoln Park. Stories abounded, but we’ll have to tell you more later. Keep us in your prayers!"
This is the kind of mission work that can change our world. The the Lord for the work of this mission team! Keep up the good ministry work!
