Mission Trip Recap

I meant to get this post out before we left for our other mission trip, FCA camp at Black Hills State University, but it just didn't happen.

It turns out, that walking across the driveway, the street, the hallway, or whatever is not that difficult.  God opens doors and hearts and begins to build relationships in the strangest of places.

We, as a family, walked across the complex and delivered a bike, that in turn delivered the biggest smile.  The little boy was hardly able to contain himself and his mother was so over-whelmed she kept asking if she could give me some money.  She also kept apologizing for her son's constant asking if he could ride Elijah's bike (I assured her it was not annoying, but only let us know his deep desire.)

Chris and I both explained that this was a gift.  That we have been so blessed and had a friend who was blessed with this bike and we felt God leading us to give the bike to her son.  She told us about how she works 10 hour shifts at a Sioux Falls casino.  She cares for her two children and her nephew.  She told me about going to Catholic school in Iowa and how she is doing the best she can. 

I pray for more opportunities to minister in my area.  After a week at FCA camp my eyes were jerked open to the needs of kids who look so "together".  I prayed for a girl who is suffering from lock jaw but came to be a huddle leader (think camp counselor) because she just had so much love for Jesus, she had to share it.  I prayed for a huddle leader who had several kids in the huddle start sentences with "I've never told anyone this but..."  I prayed for my step-nephew who suffers under the hold of addiction.  He was at camp and he thanked Chris for getting him to camp.  (Only, it wasn't Chris, it was God working through him.)  Such uunimaginable things were shared, such sad things, and my fervor for prayer was reignited.