God Looks At The Heart!

YAY for cloud cover … made working outside a little better this morning.

We started the morning divided into two teams working for the Administration office and Head Start Programs.  Landscaping and clean up!  Our kids work so fast and hard we were done by lunch.

We then were able to bless the local elementary school with half of a trailer of backpacks, school supplies, office supplies, personal supplies and clothing.  From our backpack project we did for Oklahoma 3 years ago, it was confirmed again that the majority of the children at the local elementary school did not have backpacks, and could not afford to get the supplies needed at the beginning of school. The teachers were going to be thrilled to have backpacks to give to their students and supplies to use in the classroom. It is so fun to be able to bless someone, and they not know that it was you.  This time we were given the backpacks, etc. to find someone to bless, and what a blessing it is!

Finishing early gave everyone a 2 hour break to relax and enjoy the cabins and the view.

After practicing for the evening and spending time in prayer, we loaded up and headed to Boswell.

GOD IS AMAZING AND HE WORKING IN AND THROUGH OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE AMAZING!

Elementary – The Theme –  David – Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

High School –  Using the story of David and comparing their own journey with God

The Elementary group was so full of energy and really connected with the children. The worship, memory verse, skit and special prayer time was wonderful.  There were 31 elementary students.   Our kids got to hear funny and heartbreaking things.

The Middle School group had a great time too.  They had icebreaker games, devotional times, worship. And watching our students interact with them and seeing them connect with each other over dinner was really cool.

Have I said how proud of these kids I am?  Truly we were all so grateful God allowed us to end our week this way.

We came back to the cabins for debriefing. We spent time in prayer and gave the evening back to God.

I had the students write down the names of the kids in their small groups and what they could remember about the conversations.  I am praying that they will pray for them and when God brings them to mind (no matter how many times) they will understand that is not a random thought, that is the Holy Spirit nudging them to pray

We worshiped and then each person shared about the evening. Too much to write.  We laughed at the stories and then there were such sobering moments it broke your heart to hear what is going on in the lives of these precious kids. What an honor God trusted us to have such a special time with them tonight.

We’ve had a great time this week and most of the kids wish we could stay another day.  Sooooo… we are heading home.  Our plans are to leave around 8:ish am.  We hope to be back at the campus between 3-4:30p.  We will keep you updated.   The students will begin calling you about an hour out.

Thank you for praying.  Please continue to pray for your student and this trip in particular. Pray for the things God has challenged them with.   I am praying for their hearts to be guarded and that the things they have been challenged … stay with them … drawing them closer to God and the purposes he has for them.

Thank you parents for allowing your students to participate.  A HUGE thank you to my leaders; Ed Wilson, Jake Shackelford, Liz Swanson and Shelby Hollier!

We will see you all tomorrow

Mrs g

 

Man looks on the outside of a person – God looks on the heart!

We finished the property in Kingston in record time. What a transformation. Brady, the job manager told me it he was so grateful for all the hard work the kids did but more than that, it was so refreshing to work with young people that were kind to each other and there wasn’t any foul language.

What a sad testimony of so many young people, but what a wonderful compliment for our kids.  It does always surprise other people when they work a long side of our students.  They took responsibility for their assigned areas and for jobs they were overseeing. They worked hard and didn’t give up until it was completed.

Another department of Little Dixie realized we were here and has asked for us to help them in the morning.

After we finished our day we treated ourselves to Braum’s ice cream ( I’m just sayin’ ).  Then we headed to the ruins of the old Choctaw town of Doaksville.  It has actual ruins of the town; jail, restaurant, 3 wells, hotel and a tavern.  The ruins are stone walls about one to 3 feet high.  One other interesting thing is you have to drive into the local cemetery and then take the stairs over a stone wall, heading down a path to the ruins.

Free time before dinner – nice!

Then devotionals –  We continue the story of David and now he’s facing the giant Goliath.  David is prepared for this moment in his life because of all the things he has gone through while tending sheep.  Saul wanted him to use ‘his armor’ however that is not how he had been trained.  He used the skills that he had developed during his times of being alone, facing dangerous situations guarding the sheep, spending time learning to trust God.  Those are the things he took into the battle that not only saved his own life, but the lives of a whole nation of people.

We challenged the students to take this time in their life and allow God to use it for his glory and to help shape who he has created them to be. Whether what they are going through is exciting or disappointing, it is still a part of their story. They have a choice to let it become a training ground or a distraction or an excuse. We can press into God and allow his character to be formed in us preparing us for what he has in store.

We worshiped together and prayed together. It was a really special time I believe, God is preparing our heart to touch the hearts of the children of Boswell that he loves so dearly. For the little ones, we’re going to focus on what God told Samuel when he was anointing him to be a king one day …

1 Samuel 16:7b   Man looks on the outside of a person, but God looks on the heart.  (ICB International Children’s Bible)  

We live in a world that is constantly competing; against each other, against our time, against our values. It’s all about appearances and how smart, rich, or beautiful we are.   God is looking at our hearts.

These children come from homes where every day is a struggle of some kind. To quote a child from a past year “We’re not very smart, none of us are going to really be anything.”  Well, we believe God has given us a message of hope! Please pray with us.

We talked tonight about how these stories of David can be used to encourage the children and early teens tomorrow night. How we can pray with them and for them.  We broke into our two teams and then practiced our ministry times.

These kids are so talented and I am excited to see what God is going to do tomorrow night.

Please continue to pray for us.  Pray for your student, that God will touch those places of their own heart and mind and soul. Pray that they will desire to trust God with their heart  and with whatever situation they are personally in and allow the creator of the universe to bring encouragement, courage, peace and healing.

What a joy to serve a long side your students.

Mrs. g

 

“If they keep this up, they’ll work themselves out of a job!”

 

 

When we pulled up to the job site this morning, the kids didn’t hesitate; they just jumped out of the vehicles and waited to be told what crew they would work on.  No complaining, just constant working.

It was a construction mess in the house, and broken blinds, etc.  Outside … broken down fencing, a dilapidated small work shed, grass that was to your waist, so the first mowing left piles of grass that had to be removed to get a really good 2nd mowing. The twigs and branches that had to be removed, broken chairs … get the picture?  About an hour into the workday I walked up to Jerry the job site foreman and asked if everything was okay and if the kids were doing okay or if we needed to attend to anything. His reply, “If they keep this up, they’ll work themselves out of a job! These kids are hard working and FAST! ”    uh…. yeah!  They’re Summit kids!  So proud… so proud!

When Terri (area supervisor) brought the pizza for lunch, she was stunned.  She had only been gone an hour and half to run and errand and then get trash bags and pick up lunch.  The place looked nothing like when she had left. “

The city gave us permission to burn the grass and tree limbs which was GREAT so we didn’t have to bag up what would have been over 200 bags of grass – and I do NOT think that is an exaggeration.

THE WORK TEAMS: After taking down the small shed, Mr. Wilson directed the raking and burn pile,  Mr. Shackleford directed the removing of the fence and the posts (going back tomorrow to remove 20 more posts) Both of those leaders working as hard as the kids. Shelby (alumni leader) managed the raking and trash team. Miss Swanson managed the inside cleaning team. I worked on all the teams except the fence and shed removal team. (If you don’t know my propensity for accidents, be proud of that decision) and I was the mama bear staying on top of everyone staying hydrated.

We should finish tomorrow … hopefully early.  They didn’t have another project so I was hoping we could start our day later on Wednesday and then do a couple of random acts of kindness in town and then work on/practice the Wednesday night program for the church in Boswell. However, another department found out we’re here and are begging for our help Wednesday morning.  I’ll find out tomorrow what that entails.

Thank you for your prayers, please continue.  Talking with the leaders during the day I believe there were good cabin devotional times after our evening devo together last night.  What a great opportunity we have, spending time together, talking about our heart’s desires and what we feel God is saying to us.  How does that walk itself out?  How can I stay faithful to my relationship with Jesus?

Good stuff!

TONIGHT’S DEVO TIME continued sharing

Mr Wilson continued sharing his testimony and those times in his life where there was an obstacle in his path to deter him from the path he was on. He shared the decisions he needed to make – the successes and the times he realized, he needed to get back on track.

We talked about how it won’t be easy, in fact you might be put in uncomfortable situations, yet in your obedience to God, you can bring contentment and comfort… finding that you can be content even when things are not what you would consider perfect or fun, but through obedience to God, your heart can find contentment. This will grow your faith.

1 Sam  16: 14- 23

God brought David into the next situation of his life –  David didn’t try to make it happen

The situation was uncomfortable – however, God used David to bring comfort –  because he was obedient and trusted God to bring about his plans.

After devo time, we broke into our two ministry teams – Elementary and Middle School.  We talked through and then practiced.  I think they are going to do a great job!

Again, thank you for praying for all of us.

Calling it a night!

Mrs. g

 

Sunday Night – Hugo Lake State Park – God’s Handiwork

It is hard to describe to those who have not been here, what a beautiful place this is.  Everything is green and the lake is full.  This afternoon the lake was as smooth as glass.  Because there are very few street lights and there were no clouds in the sky, the sky is an amazing thing to behold. Are there really that many stars in the sky? Then I think of the promise that God gave to Abraham … “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore”  Wow!

What a great place to be with this great group of kids and leaders.

Tomorrow we head to our project.  We’re all excited to be here.

I had told the boys there weren’t places to hang their hammocks.  I was wrong.  In one of the cabins, the beams are perfect for hammocks… it’s pretty amazing.  I’ll try to get a picture and post it!

We have had so much fun already.

Tonight, after dinner, Mr. Wilson shared a brief version his testimony.  Tomorrow night he is going to share more.

We then went back to our individual cabins and read 1 Samuel 16:13-16. (really start with verse 1)

We will be discussing David; how God called him, how David responded, how David knew he could trust God

Vs. 7 talks about how man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart.  Aren’t you glad? Don’t you wish others would do the same for you? Or … would you not want them to even see what your heart is thinking? Or  do you desire to have a heart that would do that for others … not judge by what we see on the outside, but ask God to show us how he sees others? That’s just one of the things we will be focusing on.

After Samuel anointed David to be the next King, David went back to the field… he trusted God with the ‘in the meantime’ … David knew that there was a bigger purpose than what he was living at that moment, but he ‘that moment’ was important too, and it was a part of the journey, knowing that he could trust that God would bring him to that place, in His time and at the right time .  God has a plan for each of these students.  I pray that they too will trust God with all their heart. That they will allow God to guide them each step of the way as they grow into the destiny God has created them for.

A lot of things to think on… Please pray for your student …

I’ll check in tomorrow night! Until then …  Thank you for your prayers!

 

Mrs. G

Be blessed and highly flavored … you are the salt of the earth!  ~ g