Well today the teams were split between VBS, Construction and Living Water. See the video below to get an idea of what the first two looked like.
Living water is a time to pass out a cold water bottle to someone on the street with the prayer that while doing so you get a chance to share the Living Water Jesus Christ with them. The group from New Mexico got a chance to do that today. They spent two hours in the hot sun passing out water and praying for the homeless population in South Dallas. In the process eyes were opened to a new population of people for them and they got a chance to bring some hope through the love of Jesus Christ.
Our groups arrived on Sunday afternoon at what used to be the Ambassador Hotel in South Dallas. It is now owned by IBLP and by the grace of God was opened up to us this summer for housing. They started the afternoon off with a spaghetti dinner and some down time for fellowship after their long drive. After some quick rules and orientation time we took to the streets for some prayer walking in the neighborhoods that they were going to have VBS in. Each group came back with some great stories of how nice the people in the neighborhood were and how they got to talk to several people while prayer walking. We wrapped up the night with the making of sandwiches for the next days lunch and some head to head listening prayer time and worship through music.
On March 17th we invited our Lifegroup to come with us to Dunbar Elementary/Terry Park in South Dallas. Since it was St. Patrick's Day we carried that theme into our planning. We used craft time to teach them about the Trinity like St Patrick did, with the shamrock. They also got to decorate their own cookies with green icing and sprinkles. As usually we spent most of the day just hanging out with the kids and building relationships. Matt got to sit down with one of the new faces (Eric) and hear how things are at home. Larry, Larika, and Lamar are still around as well as several of the regulars. Many of the kids were away visiting family for spring break but we met a few new faces. Thanks to Larika we found a new housing development and apartment complex. We will be going back in May to continue to invest in their lives and build relationships.
Dallas Ministry and prayer requests
South Dallas ministry is alive and well. World Impact has a new leader named Ted Smith. He has been prayerfully seeking God's will for the ministry and for South Dallas. Through this seeking God has really opened up the ministry. The Hispanic church that meets at WI is seeing as many as 90 people in service and Ted is leading up a church plant team to start a multiethnic church as well. God has also kept Ted busy with people and ministries contacting him to join in what God is doing at WI. We will be partnering with WI this summer to help them continue to train and raise up Disciples with the elementary age children from local neighborhoods and apartment complexes.
Pastor Chris and Cornerstone are also staying busy and active in the community. We had a group from Canyon Creek Christian Academy come to South Dallas in February that worked at the shower house and soup kitchen. Sadly there are so many people needing assistance that they have to offer two consecutive times of meals and showers. Praise God they have the resources and volunteers to accomplish this. We had an awesome moment where a young man who was working the shower house was partnered with a homeless man to take him through the clothes closet. While he was walking him around the man was looking for shoes and there were none that would fit him. God opened the young man's eyes to how blessed he was and stirred him to give up his brand new shoes to the homeless man. We pray that the young man continues to find ways to serve God with the resources God has given him and that the homeless man see Christ by this young man's love and sacrifice.
Prayer Requests
Unity of the ministries in South Dallas
Workers for the new church plant
Missionaries for Word Impact
More Churches from around the area to partner and serve with Cornerstone and World Impact.
It's time for another trip spotlight! Here is a story by Tonya Norman, who led a trip to Dallas:
I led a project to Dallas February 2011. One night, our group went to
this ministry where people could come, take showers, and "shop" for a
set of previously owned clothes and a pair of shoes. They were really
particular about handing out new shoes- only to people whose shoes were
falling apart. There was a team of nursing students there as well, so
they didn't need a lot of help. Three guys stayed at the ministry while
the rest of us went nearby to a soup kitchen.
The group at the soup kitchen served food and shared the gospel, talking
with the people who came in. Groups would line of up at the door, eat,
talk with us, and then leave. Another group would soon follow. I felt
bad for the 3 guys at the "store"... because there was so much cool
ministry happening at the soup kitchen and they were
over there.
I found out later that one of the guys, who was acting as a "personal
shopper", was helping this guy who needed new shoes... but the store
didn't have his size. The student wore the same size and had spent a lot
of money on brand new basketball shoes, which he was wearing that day.
He gave his shoes to the man, who was completely shocked- and thankful.
It's amazing how God touches lives if we are open to His leading. I
don't know who was more blessed that day- the man who received the
shoes, or the teen who gave them.
Well I guess it is not just my dream. It is also the dream of my wife who first read the book Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moor and then read the sequel What Difference Do It Make. In this book the authors talked about his idea of how we could end homelessness. He stated in his book that in every metropolitan area there are more churches than there are homeless people. Dallas has an estimated 8 to 10,000 men women and children living on the street at any given night. I did a quick search and found more than 2000 in the Dallas area and 8 of them are in the top 100 largest in the Nation and not all churches in Dallas responded to the survey according to TXCN News. Anyway the author continued to say what if each church started with one person or family and poured all of there resources into them. What would happen? Does this sound familiar (Acts 2:45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need) I friend of mine Lanny Richardson came to Dallas earlier in the year and He kept asking Could it be that simple and the Lord kept showing him yes it could. Another friend of mine has devoted his life to this saying "In Simple Obedience". I am not saying this would be easy, on the contrary it would be a messy, hard, time consuming, beautiful thing as we watch the body of Christ which should be a community of people that (Galatians 6:2 Bearoneanother'sburdens, and therebyfulfill the law of Christ) and see a life changed because like Paul said in (1 Corinthians 15 we delivered as of firstimportancewhat I alsoreceived, that Christdied for our sinsaccording to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the thirddayaccording to the Scriptures). So how does this work and where do we start. I know the first place to start is in prayer. Than I think we bring the workers that God currently has put in place downtown and pray with them and talk about what this would look like. Than I think we begin to reach out to the body of believers that live in this area. Like I said right now this is a dream and one Lord willing will evolve into a vision and than a reality. So please pray for and with us and In Simple Obedience let's all go out and be radical followers of Jesus and put His words into our hearts and into our actions.
This is a question that I am sure many of you have asked when looking at the 3 day trips that AIM has started offering this year. Well I am hear to share with you a story that shows with God 3 days can be a lifetime. This past weekend Westside Church from Omaha Nebraska partenered with Cornerstone Baptist Church and Our Calling in South Dallas and below is summary of what happened.
Day 1
God revealed to Westside church how he wanted them to pray for Dallas. It began with Isaiah 62:1-6 and a call to spend the night crying out for Dallas in prayer to God. HE than lead us to Galatians 5:13-18, Galatians 6:7-8 and Psalm 4:6. After a time of corporate prayer the group was told that not only will they be loving on the people of South Dallas but they will also become homeless for the weekend. So now He has revealed how He wants them to pray for Dallas, He will also begin to reveal His heart for the homeless.
Day 2
After a night of eye opening sounds and experiences the group ate a breakfast made up of things a child living in a low income area might eat. The group than had time to plan a bible club at Dunbar, a local park we have spent time at over the last year. While there Tiana one of the girls with Westside found out why God brought her on the trip. The kids took us to a house we had not visited before and we needed someone that new spanish and that was Tiana. We will now be able to invest in the lives of these new kids.
The second half of day 2 was spent in what Wayne at OUR calling calls search and rescue. This is just hitting the streets to search for the homeless and rescue them with the love and hope of Jesus Christ. We passed out water, MRE's and snacks to open up the communication lines between the group from Nebraska and the PEOPLE on the streets of Dallas. On our first stop we meet Franco and Shaun. Molly and Mckenzie from Westside talked to Franco and he had been on the streets and drinking for 20 years. They offered him the chance to get off the streets and get help. He was scared but after hearing that Molly had been through it he said he could do it too. Shaun said he wanted to come back to Jesus Christ and to get help. He too was scared but after getting a meal and after praying with and for him he chose to get help and get off the streets.
Day 3
The group goes home with a desire to pray, serve, and Love on God's people.
When God calls and you obey lives are changed. What is God calling you to do?
This weekend we will partner with Covenant Presbyterian Church out of Jackson MS. This trip is a little different then what we did last summer. This trip we will allign ourselves with what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:(19.Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.20.To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.21.To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.22.To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23.I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.) Please check back over the weekend and after to find out exactly how we will be doing that.
Please be in Prayer for the group coming in and for the people that we will be ministering to in South Dallas this weekend.
Well the number of kids coming to the Dunbar VBS has more than doubled since monday we had 25 kids there today. As I said in a earlier posting the amount of kids at the VBS is not the measure of success it is the relationship built with the kids, but the fruit of these relationships is that God has multiplied and entrusted us with more kids to build relationships with and to show the love of Christ to. See the video below
