A Week and a Half Later

So, it has been a week and a half since the Chicago trip and I still don't fully know how to put all that God did into words. I have actually logged on three times now to write this blog but have yet to be able to communicate what God has been doing in my heart. So hopefully this time will be different. Hopefully, I will be able to give you a glimpse into how amazing God is and how good he is at making Himself known.

What I got to be a part of in Chicago this year, might be something that I never get to witness again as a youth pastor. It is definitely not like anything I have experienced thus far. For the first time as a leader I didn't have disciplinary problems or drama issues. Thirty-three people worked together with one goal as their prize. The trip was taken to make God famous, and that is precisely what the students and leaders from Gateway did. I have never been more proud of a group and the work they did. I saw passion and excitement in students sharing the gospel. I saw intention and purpose in every activity; I saw broken hearts and Christ-like love in every conversation students had with lost people. MAN! what an amazing week.

I would have to say the thing that set this team apart from any other I have ever taken was the group's intentional mindset. It was like the Holy Spirit put blinders on our students as they stepped onto the plane headed for Chicago. Every conversation, every song, every activity pointed to Christ. And usually when you boast in students, really what you are saying is there were a couple of kids who were lit on fire and they set the tone for the group. Usually, a couple of people have some really amazing stories and it makes the whole team feel as though they had been a part of something special. Usually there is one or two events that make the week seem like it was full of spiritual growth. This year was far from the usual. There weren't two or three students that did the work, it was done by every single person on the trip. There wasn't one or two events where students stepped up to share their faith; it was constant from the plane ride there to the plane ride home. It occurred on the "L" rides, walking down the street, time in the park, shopping in stores. Non-stop all week long, anytime was fair play for sharing the message of Jesus Christ, and no person was off limits from having the gospel preached to them. We had people from every economic class and from every ethic group hear about how God is crazy about them and Jesus Christ gave Himself so that they might be able to know the Father personally. It was amazing!

So there it is. In a very simple and inadequate blog, that is what God did in Chicago. He used a bunch of 12, 13, and 14 year-olds, who lived intentional for a week to make Himself known to countless people and in ways that I will never be able to fully grasp. It is amazing how powerful and meaningful a life can be when it is lived with intention and a belief that God wants to do great things. My prayer for each of you is that you would take hold of that truth and live in that mind set.

Block Party

In less than two hours from now we are hoping to have hundreds of students come to a block party we are holding less than two blocks from the church here in Chicago. Pray that kids would have teachable, receptive hearts to our message. Thank you for you prayers and support.

And if you would like to follow what we are doing and see pictures look at my friends list on facebook and become friends with Sally Walker. She is a made up person who we use as our student ministry facebooker. We have a ton of pictures from the trip soo far. (Probably over 200 as of last night) Thanks again, your prayers are appriciated.

Chicago

Chicago has been amazing. I am writing this post as the students and their leaders are practicing the games they will be leading for the Kid Kraze block party. I am so proud of how our students have worked so far.
I love Chicago! Every time I come here I find myself falling a little more in love with it. However, it has become very clear to our team the hurt that exists here. It's not so much that the people in Chicago are more sinful, messed up, or hurt than in Irmo; I think it's that the sin, pain and hurt are all compacted into a tight concentrated area. There is no hiding from it. Yesterday morning as we spent time with Jesus in a park, Barry and I had a conversation with a Polish man in his thirties named John...or Jonah...or David. He changed his name just about every time he told us. He also told Jade that he was the devil. He later told me, as I asked him if he had ever heard anything about Jesus, that he himself was Jesus (the second coming). I asked him if he had slept in the park the night before and he wasn't sure. He was too drunk to remember where he was the night before. He has been cut off from his family because of a history of violence with them, he has health problems because of his drinking and has hepatitis c. I don't remember the last time I talked with a man that made me as uneasy as he did. But it was completely clear that he is hurting. He cried four or five times as we spoke with him. He's exterior was cold and hard from all that he has weathered. But inside he is screaming for help. He acted tough at the beginning, but shortly into our conversation he showed how starving he was for love from someone.
There are many stories that we have been exposed to, too many to be posted in this blog. But please pray for us daily as our students interact with broken people. There are many. Pray that our students and leaders are broken for the lost. Pray that we would have a heart like Jesus in Matthew 9:36 "When he saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd." The helpless are many, pray that we might be a help to them this week.
I wish I could write more. There are many experiences we have enjoyed such as the church service, the walk through neighborhoods, and the interaction with people in the park. It has been such a great trip thus far and I can't wait for the chance for our students to share their stories.

p.s. Thank you for your prayers. We love you all. And sometime ask us about Sunday worship. It was awesome.