This Spring Dave Embree of Christian Campus House in Missouri brought a great team of college students and adult mentors to work with us during their Spring Break. This is the second year that Christian Campus House has come to work with us, and we sure feel blessed by them. Just like Spring time, they bring extended light, a refreshing like rain, and new life with them. Their energy, devotion to God, and love for His children radiates to all who are in contact with them. Such an encouragement to Charlyne and me!
This year they worked at eight Native American
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Hanging Drywall in a New Cabin |
The outreach wasn’t all about work, it was about fellowship too. Each day as the teams went to their perspective jobs folks from each church would show up to help with the work, provide meals, and just plain fellowship. The |
With a failing economy, world events and catastrophes it seems that many churches, ministries, and individuals have sort of put missions on the back burner. They haven’t given up on it completely, but it is not something that is in the forefront of their thoughts each day. (Other than missionaries and mission organizations that is) It can be disheartening for those on the front lines. That is why we’re so glad that we have our A-Team and others who are committed to hold us up in prayer. You’ll never know how much that means to us.
But I have been greatly encouraged after talking to some of the students that were a part of the Christian Campus House team and asking them to share some of their thoughts. These young people have such a heart for God and to see the Gospel spread to all people. What impressed me the most was that their excitement wasn’t to go preach a message, but rather to go be a friend, a brother, a Christian among the people. To share Jesus Christ by sharing themselves, their lives, and the Christ in them. Their excitement for short and long term missions was contagious and it got me excited again.
Kenny, one of the young student leaders said,
“One thing I really learned from this trip was the absolute sense of community and unity that the different tribes are sharing with one another and that they shared with us immediately, they are so welcoming, bringing us into their territory. It’s a humbling feeling. Because I feel like sometimes we don’t show that to people who might live right down the street from us, and yet we are total strangers. So it’s very eye opening.
I absolutely believe that short term mission trips like this one are crucial for our spiritual growth. Spiritually I feel definite growth.”
You can watch Kenny and Abby’s full testimony along with a couple others on our website Video Page HERE or Face Book webpage at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Agape-Lane-Ministry/156003087896564
I was encouraged by Kenny and Abby’s realization of how important the mission trip was for their own group. How the trip strengthened the teams relationships and how what they took back with them would make a difference in their churches, homes, and communities.
This next quote is from Abby, a young woman whose effervescent personality brought smiles to the faces of everyone she met.
“I love doing work for others; it’s just something that I am passionate about that I’ve done since high school on short term mission trips. And I just love it; I think it’s a blast. And I think it helps us as a group bond more closely. I’ve gotten to know so many more people on this trip.
I think short term mission trips are extremely important. I think God calls us each to the mission field. We often talk about being called as though it’s not for everyone, but it is. Jesus specifically calls us all to mission. And that doesn’t always look like going overseas. Sometimes that looks like our school, sometimes our work place, or soccer. But this week for us it looked like coming here to Oklahoma and to this camp and working with the churches in this area.
It’s not only important for the people we’ve come to help, but it’s just as important for us who go on the mission trips. Because not only do we fulfill our purpose, but we also get to grow spiritually. We get to learn what it is to serve, to serve joyfully, patients, and how we are all connected under Christ.
I got to fellowship with people from very different backgrounds than my own. But I got to learn that we’re all really the same underneath. We might come from various cultures but in the end we all go through the same things in life, and we all need a Savior, and we are all part of the same family. That was such a wonderful thing to learn and experience this week.”
It is so encouraging to us to see how strong the desire is for missions in these young people. To hear how they recognize the importance of missions and know it is a call of God. It is great to see that God is raising up another generation who will hear His voice and accept His calling.
 Quick Report- We have continued to concentrate on producing the Family History Legacy Videos with the Native American Elders using that new camera the Lord and our A-Team blessed us with. It has been some very interesting work. Seeing how some of the elder’s stories are so tied into US history can be amazing. So far we have worked mainly with the Kiowa Tribe, but plan to have elders from other tribes sharing their stories with us in the next several months. We will keep you informed of our progress. |
Memorial
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Christian churches, YWAM Southern Plains, an elder’s house, and worked on multiple projects at the OIMC SW District Meeting Camp. Their projects included roofing, painting, building a floor, hanging drywall, building classrooms, installing vinyl tile and toilets, repairing stained glass windows, installing doors, building a bell tower, and fixing plumbing. This list is only the tip of the iceberg, they accomplished so much more than we can even mention here. All the churches are still talking about what a blessing they were. Not just with the amount of work they got done but how pleasant they were to be around and how impressed they were with their attitude and the love they exhibited.
students and the local people really enjoyed these opportunities to make new relationships or strengthen some of those that were started last year. As a missionary it is awesome to see these relationships develop, after all, it’s what the Kingdom of God is all about.
down we are very much alike, especially when it comes to our need for a savior.
presence of the Spirit of God. It was a great evening for all!
Richard Twiss went home to be with Daddy. At the end of July this year during the Wiconi Family Camp the powwow will be "The Richard Twiss Memorial Powwow." We hope to go but will have to see if finances permit.