Comin' Home

Hey everyone! So sorry we haven't updated in a while. These last few days have been hectic! But I'm happy to say we are all on our way back now. Yesterday, we made our way to Memphis and spent the afternoon in the Memphis Zoo! So many great animals and fun. After dinner in the mall, we spent the night at Christ UMC. What a wonderful blessing they were to let us stay there. Anyways, we packed up and headed out this morning at 7:30. Now, we're on the road home! We hope to see you soon.

Here is a testimony of the week from one of our seniors, Isaac Roman:

I’ve been shown many things about depending on God. Not just this last week, but over the last month. I was originally going to go to Mexico, not because I really knew that God wanted me to go, but because it had been a spiritually uplifting experience in the past and I expected it would be the same this time. When Trae decided that we weren’t going to go to Mexico I was furious. I saw it as our youth leader being forced to make a foolish decision because parents were making a big deal out of something that was in my mind inconsequential. I should have seen that God was bigger than any conflict we could have amongst ourselves, and that what we ended up doing would be the biggest push for God’s kingdom that we could possibly achieve.
My lesson in humility started about a month ago. The youth leaders passed out these little black booklets with five verses in them. I kind of ignored them for a week or two, but I pulled them out of my pocket one day and figured I might as well read them.

Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you.” Declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Isaiah 40:31 Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever shall believe in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives within me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me.

I didn’t realize when I first read these verses just how applicable they would be, or how soon I would see it. The first one I had always heard, but had never really planned on needing to remember. I figured I knew what God had planned for me, so I might as well do what I was planning on cause God and I were always on the same page. I came to realize that God’s plans give me better experiences, more joy, and better relationships with those I love. We got to Kentucky and it was at once evident that God had prepared this place for our arrival. The people there were so supportive of their churches, because the churches were so supportive of the community. Everybody we talked to spent time at the church even if they weren’t believers. They swam at one, ate lunch at the soup kitchen at another, or played in the basketball league at a third. The fact that God had done so much before we had even gotten there made it immediately obvious that God had wanted us here from the start.

The second verse became more and more loud in my understanding of it’s importance as the week went on. We were assigned prayer partners the day we left, and every day we would spend time with our prayer buddy talking about what we were struggling with, and what we felt good about. Not just stuff about this week but everything in our lives. I was lucky to I know that everything I shared with her, she prayed for throughout the day. The fact that there was someone I could talk to about my troubles made the whole week so easy. All of my burdens were shared with Michelle and the Lord, and with all of us carrying it the weight was as minimal as could be. Knowing that someone was lifting up my cares in prayer helped me to not worry, to not feel stress, and to focus on more positive things.

One of the things I was struggling with was patience, and this is where the third verse comes into play. The first day or two we were working fairly hard, but I would see people who weren’t as skilled at a certain job doing that job, and taking longer than needed to be taken. It bothered me that we weren’t working in the most efficient way possible because I assumed the point of the trip was to help as many people as possible. I came to realize that doing the work wasn’t as important as loving the people. The fact that my friends were having a great time doing the work was much more impacting than if we’d all sullenly done twice as much. Waiting on the Lord allowed me to be happier, and to enjoy the fellowship of my friends, and the people we befriended from the community.

The fourth verse is probably the most well known verse in the entire bible. It’s quoted more than any other verse in the world, and still people don’t understand it’s power. The love a father has for his son is one of the most powerful loves in the world. The fact that God would give his son for us is a testament to his love for each individual on this planet. The saying “he thinks the world of you” is so applicable in this situation because God made the world, and knows exactly how much that means. The fact that Jesus would die for us is incredible. The fact that he would take the punishment for each and every sin that we commit is a devotion that none of us will ever understand. The story of God’s love for us is the most incredible story in the world, and we tend to glance over it because we hear it so often. I pray that in the future you would think about what that verse really meant, and how much love God lavishes on you every day.

The fifth verse is definitely my favorite. It was the most challenging, the most difficult, the most frustrating of all the verses, but it also comes with the biggest boost in faith, in love for God, and in love for others. This week I saw every one of the kids in this youth group living by faith in the Son of God. I saw hundreds of people impacted by these strange kids from Oklahoma who spent money to come clean up their yards, I heard stories of how the people we were helping had impacted us, and I saw the group as a whole become closer than any other friends I’ve seen. We lived an incredible story and with the help of our Lord were able to bring joy to hundreds of people we never even saw. We gave them hope for the future, faith in the christians of the community, and love for the forgotten of their people. We shared our story with all those people, and they shared it with their friends and family across the nation.

The strength of Satan is beaten by the blood of the Lamb and the power of our testimony. This is me sharing my testimony with you, now go share your testimonies with the world.



UPDATE: Jessie Boone's condition is slowly increasing. The pressure in her brain has been low and stable, but she is still fairly sedated. They are easing her off of sedatives and keeping a close eye on the pressure. It's still a journey and a waiting game. If there are some of you who want to keep better updated, you can join this facebook group where Jessie's mother is posting daily updates to her condition. Even if you don't have a facebook, You can still read the updates on that link. So keep her and her family in your prayers!