In His Grip

Sunday -- The Church Has Left The Building

This past Sunday's day of service was so fun!  We had a good turn out in Gardner and the best part of the whole day was the contacts that we had with the people in our community.  I had the great privilege and fun of going to each of the sites to capture some pictures.  I like to call myself the "supervisor" but that might be assuming too much.  Being the armature photo journalist that I am, I missed several great photo ops. Like the whole group worship and prayer at the beginning of our day, and after looking at my pictures after I got home, I did not get a group picture at each site.  I am teachable and will not miss those next time.  The purpose of our day of service was not so promote Indian Creek Community Churchbut to "be" the church to those in our community.  In talking with those that participated, many had ideas of how we can continue to live a life of service to those in Gardner.  I am inspired to intentionally find ways to "Live Out" and put into action what I truly believe.  "The church is only the church when we are being the hands and feet of Jesus." 

The Hole in Our Gospel

There are things in my life that just keep coming up everywhere I look.  I find it when I am searching for it and when I am not searching for it.  This thing that keeps showing up everywhere is poverty.  God seems to be continuing to show me that there is poverty in His world and it is all around me.  I can chose to ignore it and it will disappear into the landscape of my world or I can pay attention to it and do what I can to help.  Now the question is, what can "I" do?  There is the inadequacy thing where I am sure that there is nothing I can do to change such a large problem; and the; Why even try, I mean, I am just one gal?, Or God has the perfect person to help, I am sure I am not it.  But I do know that if God were only going to use the perfect person nothing in the world would get done.  God will use those who make themselves available to Him.  I read this book, The Hole in Our Gospel, a couple of weeks ago and I have not been able to get it off my mind since.  I am making myself available to help change the poverty in this world.  Today, I can help with the needs of school children in our area by donating to the backpack and school supply drive at Indian Creek Community Church, I can bring can goods to the Johnson County Parade in Gardner on Saturday, August 8th and place them in the Indian Creek grocery carts as they go by in the parade.  I can do something right now and I will continue to see the poor and under resourced in my world and not look away hoping someone else will help. I will get invovled! 

Serve Day!

Saturday was filled with some hard work and a great time at the What if the Church? serve day.  We met some great new people, and worked with some old friends too and got a lot of work done for the Urban Scholastic Center.  We had just over 100 people working at our sight with around 19 of them from the Indian Creek Gardner campus.  The jobs we did ranged from painting, to cleaning, and removing and planting shrubs.  It was so fun to see how much was accomplished in this one day and if we continue to work together as churches we can change the city, the country, and ultimately our world.  Isn't that what the "great commission" is all about?  I am looking forward to the city-wide worship event on June 3rd at Shawnee Mission Theater in the park at 7:00pm.  Hope to see you there.   

What If The Church? Serve Day

If you have not yet signed up for the What if the Church? Serve day event you need to do it today.  Indian Creek Community Church, Gardner Campus will be serving at the Urban Scholastic Center.  To registar, click here, and follow the instructions.  We will be meeting at Wheatridge Middle School at 7:30 am on May 30th and will be riding together as well as sharing coffee and donuts on the way.  I look forward to serving in the urban core of Kansas City with all of you.  

Haiti Video

Last night we went to a dinner with all of our team from our Haiti trip.  We were able to share with our friends and families about our trip.  Here is the video that was made to commemorate our trip.   

Hope Lives

Today I began a five-week journey reading the book Hope Lives. My desire is to be challenged to become what God is calling me to be.  I believe that there has got to be a reason that I keep finding myself faced with the poverty of the world. I know that God keeps interrupting my life to help me see these people, who He loves, and view them through His eyes.  I know that God values the poor and there has to be a reason that He repeatedly keeps asking me to serve them.  I will post here of what, if anything, that God reveals to me as is go through this study seeking the purpose God has for me in these opportunities that keep finding me here in Kansas.  At this point, I have no idea what will come of this, but I am open to what I discover.

My Favorite Day In Haiti

Sunday had to be my favorite day in Haiti.  Our team had the great privilege of attending church with our new little friends.  Each team member was surrounded by the children we had met previously.  These kids could not sit close enough to us.  And I have to say it truly made me feel loved by them.  Then in the afternoon I was so honored to be there for the church dedication of the Cavaillion, Haiti church that Restore Community Church built.  Back in October Restore was in a teaching series about generosity, the plan was to give one Sunday's offering toward the building of a church in Haiti.  Restore proved that they are a church of generosity and that Sunday the offering was over $60,0000, WOW!  Not only were they able to build a church but the orphanage as well and children will be moving in the next couple of weeks.  The dedication service began with a handful of people inside the church and then the people literally started to pour in.  You could see streams of people coming down the road to the church.  Within a couple of minutes the church was packed out with people standing shoulder to shoulder.  Our guess was there were between 300 and 400 people in attendance both inside and outside the building.  And these are not "pastor" numbers I was there.  The opportunity to be there for this dedication in knowing that this church is there to make a difference in the community, is such a privilege and one I will not soon forget.  The emotion of it was overwhelming.  I had chill bumps and could not stop the tears in knowing the generosity of one brand new church in Kansas City, was not only making a difference in the community in which they live but helping a group of people make a difference in Haiti as well.  God is so good!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig

We are home from Haiti. Although it is great to be home, a part of my heart has been left behind with the children that we played with for three days.  I experienced a whole new kind of love.  I have never doubted that God loved me, but have not really stepped back and seen how much God loves others.  God loves these children through so many people.  The amount of details that have to come together in order to care for these children can only be attributed to the love of God for His own. I do not believe they want or need our pity, because they are willing to show love to all that come a visit them.  I watched them make sure we were comfortable, the older ones cared for the younger ones, and they made sure that no one was left out of any of the small gifts that we brought them.   Each of the team members, 14 in all, sat in church on Sunday surround by these loving children.  Think of being in a church service with 200 children under the age of 12.  You would have been amazed.  They were all very well behaved and worshiped God along with the adults.  It will take me a couple of days to process all that I experienced, but I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to experience His love through these children.  They will be in my heart forever and I have been changed.

Mission Emoitions

Whenever I leave for a mission trip there are feelings that come up that I just don't expect.  It does not matter how many times I have gone in the past, every trip brings these emotions.  There is the anxiousness of going somewhere you have never been before, leaving the the familiar for the unfamiliar, and just not knowing what you really are getting yourself into.  I also know that once I arrive in Haiti, there will be the overwhelming feeling of how unfair life seems to be, that I was born in the U.S. in a middle class, christian family, and did nothing to deserve this privilege.  I never even realized what a privilege it was until I found myself on that first trip to India three years ago.  Just as the people in third world countries, did nothing to deserve to live where they do, in the conditions they find themselves.  I know that I can easily be blinded by the immensity of the need and paralyzed by thinking I can make any kind of difference.  My focus needs to stay on Jesus and reason I am going, to love on His children, one child at a time. 

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10

This is the work that God has prepared for me in advance and He knows that I can do it when I depend on Him.

Haiti in 7 Days

I am so excited as the time grows closer that I will be leaving for Haiti.  My great friend Sheri and I will be going to Haiti on a mission trip with Restore Community Church who is partnering C3 Missions.  There are so many ways in which this trip will be like no other I have been on before.  First of all, this is my first trip where we will be traveling with men.  I have only been on women only trips in the past.  Secondly, I have no preparation as far as teaching goes, we will be going to orphanages and playing with the children.  In our meetings, they keep saying that this trip is about the children.  How fun is that?  And third, we will be only gone for five days.  Wow, I cannot wait to see how C3 and Restore is impacting the community in which they have built a church and are in the process of building an orphanage.  I know that I never go on trip where God does not have something specific just for me.  Part of the adventure for me is finding that purpose and making the most of it!