| Hi all! Last week, I had the joy and privilege of leading some students on a 5-day mission trip to Memphis, TN. While we were there, we put on an outdoor Bible club for the children in the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods. Our Bible club offered games, crafts, songs, and Bible teaching that the students were heavily involved in. While we did this in the mornings, we participated in several afternoon projects as well. For example, we went on neighborhood trash cleanups and a guided prayer tour. Here are several takeaways I had throughout the trip: 1. They partnered with us in ministry. They set us up for success in ministry. They served us all week with great attitudes and humble Christ-likeness. They hosted us with kindness and generosity. I am so grateful for Street Reach Ministries (https://streetreach.org) and the work that is being done in and through them to reach their city with the gospel of Christ. Please join me in praying for them, Brinkley Heights Baptist Church, and Pastor Tim as they seek to be the arms and feet of Jesus in a community that desperately needs him. 2. One of the glorious truths revealed in Scripture is that the kingdom of God is not bound by cultural and ethnic lines. I was reminded of that this week as we invited and reached out to kids who did not look like us and sometimes did not even speak the same language as us. For example, many of us had to learn Spanish on-the-fly as we sought to interact with hispanic kids that were apart of our Bible club. I was reminded of Jesus’ Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations. I was reminded of the angels’ new song in Revelation 5 and how Jesus has “ransomed a people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” This trip was a great opportunity for our students to engage with people from other tribes, nations, and tongues. Join me in praying for the kids and families that we made contact with at the Johnson Avenue Bible Club site. 3. Speaking of our students, I was so proud of them with how they stayed on mission. They took all of the planning and preparation we started out with and ran with it. They took ownership of their respected teams (Craft Team, Game Team, etc.) and went the extra mile to make sure every kid that was apart of our Bible Club was known, seen, and loved. At the beginning of the week, I gave them the task of being salt and light with how they carried themselves. From there, it was quite amazing to see all of our students take on a Christ-like attitude in everything they did (even in 100+ degree heat). Join me in praying for the ten students that came on the trip as they continue to live on mission in their normal day-to-day lives. If you didn’t get the chance to see the video from Sunday, here is a quick snapshot of what our trip looked like: Memphis Summer Street Reach 2023 Thank you for all of your prayers and support for the Memphis Student Mission Team. They were certainly felt from 150 miles away while we were there.  Contact Pat Howell with any questions. Two water related events coming up next month. First, it’s the Crowder concert at Magic Springs.  Our students are making plans to go. And you’re welcome to tag along. Click here for details and to register now. Unfortunately, the Early Bird pricing to go has passed. But feel free to still register. It’s going to be “rockin” time! And then two nights later, we’ll be splashing around and enjoying pizza together at our end of July pool party!  I hope and pray that each one of you are living by faith, that you have the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen. Join us this Sunday we explore the faith of Abel and how a life lived by faith will be a life pleasing to God. See you in church. Blessings Cole Perkins |
Previous
JUNE 28, 2023
Next
JULY 12, 2023
0 Comments