Pray for Missions

We will be sending ten of our members on Mission Trips this summer. We also have our local mission reaching children with Terrific Tuesdays and Tremendous Thursdays. Missions include camps such as Youth Camp and Children’s Camp. All of our summer activities need to be wrapped up in prayer. Here are some thought on how to pray for Missions.

M – Pray for the members of each team. Pray for them individually by name.

I – Include their families who stay and support them. Intercede for them as you pray for their safety and blessings.

S – Pray for the Spirit of God to Surround them with protection as they travel and Share the Gospel. Pray that we will have strength in God’s Spirit and stay strong each day. Pray that we will carry that strength with us with we return and share what great things God has done.

S – Pray to see the needs and see the vision God has for meeting those needs with the Gospel. Pray for the souls of those who will hear the gospel that they will see the need to turn from sin and receive Jesus as Savior.

I – Pray for the Interpreters who help us cross language and cultural barriers. Interpreters are needed not only for different languages but also we need guides who can lead us to relate to different cultures. This is important for every team we send.

O – Pray for one Spirit of obedience and unity among the team members. Pray that we will be encouragers to each other and that we will all be filled with the joy of the Lord.

N – Pray for all news to be Good News. Pray for a good report. Pray that nothing will stand against us and nothing will hinder the Gospel of God’s Love through Jesus Christ that we are sent to tell.

S – Pray for God to send us all where He wants us to serve. He may send you across the street or around the world. When we go in God’s strength we know that nothing is impossible.

When we put on the full armor of God the last part of preparation is to stand guard in that armor. That is the place of prayer. Paul said, “With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador…” Ephesians 6:18-20a nas

Thank you for your prayers.

Bro. Robin

What I Learned in Vacation Bible School

I was thinking this morning about Vacation Bible School beginning soon. I have been going to VBS as long as I can remember. It was where I learned many lessons that left an enduring mark upon my life.

 Several years ago there was a book written, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum. His book spawned a bunch of similar books taking lessons from everything from cats and dogs to Star Trek. There were even similar books about lessons from Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. This got me wondering what I would put in a book of lessons from VBS.

I learned the importance of making new friends. There were always kids in VBS that were new to the community.

I learned the value of the golden rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is a Bible verse, Matthew 7:12, not a bumper sticker. Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (NIV)

I learned to memorize important scriptures. John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 1:9, just to name a few, still comfort me at times.

I learned to sing songs and pay attention to the words. We sang and learned from, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

I learned that cookies dunked in red Kool-Aid were a delicious treat on a hot day.

I learned to be creative in decorating my VBS folder with doodles that meant something only to me.

I learned the pledges to the US flag, Christian Flag, and the Bible, and what the symbolism of the flags mean.

I learned that when you get stuck trying to learn something new there are people around you who can help, and sometimes I can help someone else too.

Most importantly I learned, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

These are just a few of the lesson I learned from VBS. Perhaps you could add some from your own experience. You could also volunteer for VBS and add a few more lessons. There is room for everybody in Vacation Bible School!

Bro. Robin