Trip Reflections...

Well, we're all back in Minnesota now, and doing our best to catch up on sleep and all that. I wanted to take the opportunity to look back on some of the highlights of this trip...

- I truly think we all were impacted by the willingness of the Wotherspoon family to step out into the adventure of planting a church. We got a very real view of what planting a church looks like, and some of the joys and challenges that come along with it. I really think it was a good thing for our students to see a church in its early state, as that can really help us appreciate the resources and stability of our home church. And yet, it also challenged us to think of new ways that we as a church can be reaching out and open ourselves to the community. Coldwater Church is young and under-resourced, yet they have a strong priority on ministering in their community...in a no strings attached kind of way.

- Small things can make a big difference. Several of our students really remarked about what a powerful thing it was to do something as simple as pass out free water bottles to people in a public parking lot. It was amazing how many people were utterly taken aback by the fact that something as small as a bottle of water would truly be "free". And yet, something this simple opened many doorways of conversation with people and gave us the opportunity to invite them to church. If it's really as easy as spending $3.99 for a case of water to initiate conversations with people, why don't we do it more often?

- It can be a challenge to engage a task spiritually. I challenged our team on the second day of trip to really involve themselves at a spiritual level, even when they were doing something a simple as putting a flier on a door or collating papers at the school. Sometimes in the midst of a task (especially a menial one), we can find our focus only on ourselves, i.e. I am hot, this is boring, I am uncomfortable, etc. But when we engage spiritually, even in small ways, the focus can turn off of ourselves and onto others. As a flier is placed on a door, you can offer up a simple prayer for the family that lives in that house. As a handbook is stapled, you can say a short prayer for the student that will receive it. As a water bottle is handed off, you can thank God for the life of the people who will be drinking it. But doing this is challenging, as it takes deliberate focus and resistance to distraction. Our students struggled at putting this into practice, but really seemed to connect with it more towards the end of the trip. Many of them spoke about how it was a really positive thing for them to do. I'd love to see our group continue to grow more focused spiritually as we realize that even the smallest things can have an impact in someone's life.

I feel proud about what we were able to accomplish on this trip. We leave AZ with something tangible to look back on and see as having been achieved. We were able to pass out hundreds of bottles of cold water in the name of Christ. We were able to give away free food and play games with children from the neighborhood, all as an expression of love. We were able to complete many jobs for the elementary school and bless them with our work.

Yet, we remain in prayer for many of the intangible things that were begun. Every water bottle represents a person that has a spiritual need for God. Our prayer is that they would seek out a connection with God and get involved in a local church. Every child that was at the park represents a family that needs the love of Christ. Our hope is that they would act on the invitation to join Coldwater Church and become a part of the church family there. We also continue to pray for God's provision and favor on the Wotherspoon family and on Coldwater Church. They have a huge heart and vision for the city, and we are excited to see what God continues to do in Avondale! What a great week this has been to be a part of it...we are blessed.