Holy Apostles Trip Blog

Another wonderful day here in San Diego! Today was our last shower day... everyone looks forward to showers. So, after breakfast was shower time. Getting 32 people fed and showered takes a lot of time, but we did it.
After lunch, some of us took a walk in Balboa Park. All who went LOVED it. It is very beautiful with museums, gardens, and fountains. After our walk we headed out once again to the streets with our tools for opening up conversation. Many good conversations took place and some reconnecting with people we had met along the way. One group stayed back to help cook and set up for the Community Meal here at the chruch. We served @ 140 people this evening, welcoming them all with our big smiles and a lot of clapping. We sang worship with them and Chad, gave a small talk on the woman in Mark 5 who had the issue of bleeding. He did a great job!! The meal was emotional one for some of us... some were disappointed by promises that were broken (people who promised they'd be there, but didn't show up), some moved at the sight of a young mother with her 3 month old baby who were living on the streets by day and sleeping in a shelter for women at night and just the weight that one starts to feel after seeing so many people hurting, broken and lost. God is in it all. He's moving in our hearts and in the hearts of those we've been so intently trying to reach. It's not an easy thing to pour yourself out, wanting so much to see a difference, yet not being able to see immediate response and change. But, seeds are being planted, prayers lifted up and eventually, in God's timing... change.

Debrief focused a lot on not wanting the spiritual "high" to die after returning home. The kids suggested many ways they could keep the faith alive! If they follow through with their ideas and plans... there will be some great things happening in Upper, Ohio!! Please pray for the team to follow Jesus even when it gets tough at home and the "feelings" aren't as easily felt. Committing to Jesus, standing on His truth and sharing the love of Christ out of hearts that are "sold out" to God. It's been amazing and we have one more day to let our lights shine here in San Diego! Pray for us!
Thank you so much!!

Another wonderful day here in San Diego! Today was our last shower day... everyone looks forward to showers. So, after breakfast was shower time. Getting 32 people fed and showered takes a lot of time, but we did it.
After lunch, some of us took a walk in Balboa Park. All who went LOVED it. It is very beautiful with museums, gardens, and fountains. After our walk we headed out once again to the streets with our tools for opening up conversation. Many good conversations took place and some reconnecting with people we had met along the way. One group stayed back to help cook and set up for the Community Meal here at the chruch. We served @ 140 people this evening, welcoming them all with our big smiles and a lot of clapping. We sang worship with them and Chad, gave a small talk on the woman in Mark 5 who had the issue of bleeding. He did a great job!! The meal was emotional one for some of us... some were disappointed by promises that were broken (people who promised they'd be there, but didn't show up), some moved at the sight of a young mother with her 3 month old baby who were living on the streets by day and sleeping in a shelter for women at night and just the weight that one starts to feel after seeing so many people hurting, broken and lost. God is in it all. He's moving in our hearts and in the hearts of those we've been so intently trying to reach. It's not an easy thing to pour yourself out, wanting so much to see a difference, yet not being able to see immediate response and change. But, seeds are being planted, prayers lifted up and eventually, in God's timing... change.

Debrief focused a lot on not wanting the spiritual "high" to die after returning home. The kids suggested many ways they could keep the faith alive! If they follow through with their ideas and plans... there will be some great things happening in Upper, Ohio!! Please pray for the team to follow Jesus even when it gets tough at home and the "feelings" aren't as easily felt. Committing to Jesus, standing on His truth and sharing the love of Christ out of hearts that are "sold out" to God. It's been amazing and we have one more day to let our lights shine here in San Diego! Pray for us!
Thank you so much!!

It's been a tiring week so far! From getting up early, spending a lot of time with God, working outside in the day, having conversations with strangers in the evenings...and the list goes on. You see, God has been speaking to each of us during the week...a little poke during quiet time, a little question during debrief, a little thought here or there. But at the same time, we've been very busy that we haven't had the opportunity to really sit and unpack these questions and thoughts. Today, we decided to change the pace just a bit.

Our team spent 3 hours in an incubator with God...yes, you read that right! You see, an incubator is a safe place in which babies can have the time and space to heal and recover. So, we created that safe place for our team to sit, pray, write, listen, read, and spend time just being with the Lord. There were several stations set up around our sanctuary: our hurts, our fears, our idols, family, secret sins, and much more. We were able to "camp out" there and allow God to work on us...and what a beautiful time it was!

God exposed sin in our lives, He fulfilled promises, He mended hearts, He allowed us to let go of the things we've been holding onto for many years. Tears, anger, silence...it was all out of our control. The Spirit of God is really at work, and there's nothing we can do about it.

You know, a mission trip is supposed to be a time where we can serve and minister to other people who need Jesus. All week, we've been busy ministering to and serving the community. It's easy that way. We're in charge. We know what to do. We don't have to respond, just initiate and act. This afternoon was different. God acted and we responded. God spoke and we listened. God broke and we hurt. God lifted off and we were relieved. God healed and we walked. God was at work, and we praise Him for His tender yet powerful hands that touch and bring freedom.

What an amazing gift of a day. Although we spent our afternoon picking up trash under the hot sun, joy and songs filled our hearts. We continued to pray and ask God those hard questions about the neighborhood. "Do you have compassion on this city? When and how will you intervene? How does it make you feel to have your children turn their backs on you?" Then, we realized that as we stared at the community, we stared in the mirror. This community is a reflection of our own hearts. How often do we turn our backs on God? How often do we litter our sin? How many times do we treasure our own sin and through away the grace of God? It's amazing how picking up garbage can lead us to take a deep look into our relationship with our Savior.
This evening was quite special. Tyler, a follower of Jesus who struggles with homosexuality, came to share his story with us. He shared how his struggle began, where his sin took Him, and how God remained during the hopeful but also the very dark times in his life. He was able to show us just how committed and true our God is in the midst of the sin. He taught us that homosexuals aren't going to hell because they are gay but because they are sinners...We are to go to hell because we are sinners too. All of our sin is like filthy rags to God, whether it is pride as we look at our report card, the buzz after a drink of alcohol, or homosexuality. Tyler challened us to struggle well, deal with our sin, and not deal with our sin by ourselves. We thank God for his visit and are greatly encouraged by the work that God is doing in his life.

Please pray for us:
*Protect from sickness
*Good solid rest
*Our hearts will open to God's work in our lives
*Our hearts would change to love people involved in sin

Cigarette butts. Gum wrappers. Beer bottles. Uh, dreadlocks. (Yes, you read that right!). These are just some of the things that we picked up today as we cleaned many of the streets of Chicagoland. This afternoon, our team headed out to clean up the sidewalks of this community. We filled many garbage bags with trash and people just watched us, surprised that anyone would spend their summer afternoon cleaning up outside. Some people thanked us, others just stared, and there were a few that even asked for some prayer. We really enjoyed picking up trash today even though it was hot, hot, hot! Sometimes it's difficult to "see" ministry--we want to see the results of conversations and love. We want to see lives changed and transformed instantly. But unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. God is at work, chiseling away all of the imperfections, making us new, day after day. Picking up trash today was a bit refreshing because we were able to see instant results! We also know that it blessed the community and we pray that God was glorified in our efforts.

This evening, our team went back to the streets to take surveys and have conversations with people. Some of our leaders had an interesting conversation with a couple of guys they met. The guys needed a hand with gas for their car, and we were able to help them out. They thought the guys were being dishonest at first, but then they found their words to be true. Their car got broken into, they needed to head back to Arkansas, and they were out of gas. Neil, Mike, and Craig took care of them and showed them grace in this situation. It was so encouraging when they came back and shared the story of how God used 3 men from Texas to help 2 guys from Arkansas in the city of Chicago. Only God can create a story like that.

During our debrief time tonight, God really went to business. After reflecting on the trash that we picked up this morning, we discussed just how we sometimes treasure our trash and throw away God's goodness and grace. We identified various idols in our lives, shared, and prayed for these. It was awesome seeing the students face the idols that they are leaning on, and asking God to intervene. We talked about approval, power, control, and comfort. What a beautiful picture it was to see the body of Christ at work, as we confessed and prayed for one another. We not only want God to be a part of our lives, but we want Him to be our lives. It's so hard to give up all of our comforts for Him, but we are seeking to understand what it's like to have God work out our salvation. Praise Him in the way He is building up these teens to be young men and women who fear God!

"I'm tired. It's hot. Do we have to walk this far? Really?!" These are just some of the words heard from our team this morning. Yes, we were tired. Yes, it was pretty hot outside. And yes, we walked in the heat for about 6 miles today. It's amazing that ways we were tempted and gave into the complains and whines about being uncomfortable. It's just so much easier to serve God with a well rested and comfortable body. It's easy to have a full stomach and then tell people about Jesus. It's easy when life is good and you can have it your way (like Subway!). But what happens when Mom and Dad get a divorce? What about when you get kicked off the football team? How can you share Christ when life is full of unexpected obstacles and struggles? Today, we experienced a little taste of this struggle...being uncomfortable yet still loving and reaching out to others. But there we were, in the heat, expected to engage in conversations with complete strangers about the saving grace of Jesus. It wasn't easy, and it did make us feel very intrusive and not so...uh, cozy. Some of the conversations went rather well as our team was able to listen and pray with various people relaxing at the beach. For others of us, the conversations did not go very well, as they experienced rejection and even embarrassment from others.

We began to relate to many of the people of Chicago who are forced to simply walk everywhere, no matter the weather, because of a lack of money for transportation. We walked about 3 miles to get to the beach and 3 miles back, in order to share with the people there about Jesus Christ. There are many families here that have to do this on a regular basis, just because they can't afford transportation. We also became very thankful for the fact that we are able to simply walk. We gave God all of the glory for the gift of life and the gift of using our legs! May we walk for the glory of God.

We also began to related to Jesus and the way He experienced such rejection from strangers but also His friends. It just hurts when you are rejected!

Our time together tonight was very special. One by one, we stood up and encouraged another person on the team, explaining just how we saw him/her growing spiritually and overcoming fears on this trip. The time was filled with words that were uplifting, binding, and brought smiles to our faces. "You are becoming a man of God, and I respect you so much...I am proud of the way that you spoke to that woman all by yourself...You are truly a girl of gentleness yet so much strength..."

The church was at work today in 3 very important, yet different ways. We began our day listening and leaning on our Savior. We spent our afternoon, on mission, sharing the gospel with others. We spent our evening edifying and encouraging the body of Christ. Worship. Mission. Community. That is what being a part of the body of Christ is all about!

The day began with a beautiful morning at Belmont Harbor where each of us were able to spend an hour with our Lord. As we watched the fish in the water, listened to the sounds of the birds, and felt the breeze around us, it reminded us that God is in control, and we are not. We spent this time praying, reading His Word, and truly resting in His presence. We realize that God doesn't promise us a less busy life when we pray. He promises us a less busy heart. We realize that in order to truly spread His Word and love people with the love of Christ, we need to connect, listen, and "hang out" with God.

The rest of the morning was filled with a long walk around Chicagoland, checking out Wrigley Field, comparing various churches in the neighborhood, and even getting a free slurpee from 7-11! Although the morning was tiring from the long walk, we were ready for our first day of ministry.

Did you know that there are 80,000 people that live within a 1/2 mile radius around the church? Did you know that 70% of the people in this area have a bachelors degree (while the national average is only 30%). Did you know that so many of the people hear work very hard to just be alone? So, what did we spend out evening doing? We spent our evening connecting with the people around us. In other words, we did something that our parents told us never to do--talk to strangers! Because this community has used education, homosexuality, pride, and wealth to build walls between them and the gospel, we decided to ask God to begin to break down these walls. Our team was split into a few different groups and we stationed ourselves around various outside areas. We were able to strike up conversations with people , asking them questions about their faith, their response to the church, and even if they have heard the gospel before. It was our mission to just be a listening ear to many of these people and for them to understand that the gospel is a message of love, not hate.

Many students were rejected, some were encouraged, and a few came back in laughter in response to the conversations they had. The surveys we conducted allowed us to simply connect for just 5 minutes with single mothers, homeless teens, homosexual couples, and even other high schools students. This exercise is allowing us to stop and think about the people that Jesus ministered when He was on earth. We want to learn to love the unlovable and introduce them to the one that truly is love.

Tomorrow, we are heading to the beach to continue meeting people and surveying them. We hope that the surveys will be used as a tool to not just connect people to us, or to the church, but to connect them to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Kids living on the streets. Gothic art. Homelessness. Homosexuality. Hello Chicago! The world that surrounds us right now is quite interesting...The people, the art, the looks we have received from people...it's all pretty interesting. We arrived in Boystown, Chicago at about 3:30 and walked in a single file line to the church. What a sight--25 people, all in red shirts with luggage walking down the sidewalks of Chicago. I think we took up an entire block at a time! As we were walking, we were able to get a glimpse of the community that we'll be ministering to this week. It's a very wealthy area, filled with young professionals and people who don't seem to have much need. They have the fashion, the fancy dogs, the high-paying jobs, the bright cars, and the look of "I'm doing just fine." But we know that inside, much of this community is indeed needy, and this void rests in the hearts of the men, women, and children. This void is for a Savior named Jesus Christ.

Our team spent time learning about the community as we went on a prayer walk through the neighborhood, led by one of the interns here. Right before we headed out, Neil prayed, "God, reign down your love on us and the people of Boystown." The team stepped outside, and the rain just poured down. The team ran back inside and were filled with laughter! I guess God does answer prayer. We just waited a bit and then tried it again. We were able to see the community a little bit closer as we looked at where the street kids live, the homosexual shops, the gothic art, and much more.

Tonight we discussed the darkness that we were seeing, feeling, and even listening to. The darkness we saw was: homosexuality, anger, sadness, hell-like images, being content in our sin, broken families. We discussed all of these needs, sins, and the dark places in peoples hearts. But then, we posed the question...Where do we see ourselves in this darkness? We struggled to not just see the "other" people needing Jesus and the gospel. It's funny how most of us see the need for the gospel, but we don't necessarily see our need for the gospel. So, before passing judgement so quickly on the others around us, we were able to stop and see the darkness in our own hearts and understand that our need for Jesus is great.

We're excited for our day tomorrow! We'll be heading to Belmont Harbor for our quiet time and off to meet and begin ministry by beginning conversations for the people of the community in the afternoon. We are pretty tired, but we think with some good rest tonight, we'll be ready to go tomorrow!

Please pray:
*Good and solid rest
*Courage and boldness as we meet people
*Safety
*A love of Jesus for the people here
*Good attitudes about not having our comforts so available