One takeaway I had from the trip (there were several) was how much we accomplished every day, spiritually speaking. I’m always reminded on mission trips how possible it is to live a day totally in surrender to God. The difference between being there and being home wasn’t necessarily that we had scheduled ministry blocks down there, but more that we were focused on God’s will throughout the day, ready to serve Him no matter what. In America it’s so easy to be so focused on what we need to do for the day, that we forget what we’re living for.

Personally, I’m hoping to import my attitude from the DR to my daily life here…to live each day worshipping and serving God, giving all the glory to Him. One day Miguel made a really simple statement that really stuck with me: “The disciples just followed Jesus around and did what he told them to, so that’s what I try to do.”

Other ministries are going great too. We’ve been able to help Miguel with a few small projects around his house to really help them out. We’ve also been doing some cleaning and digging canals in Guatchupita to help create a more clean and safe environment, and we’re seeing lots of progress. We’ve done several house visits around the area as well, and it has been really encouraging to be welcomed…people are very hospitable and open to talking. It’s great to get to know them, talk about life with them, and be able to pray for them. Many people feel very blessed when we stop by.

It’s hot (obviously) and we have a pretty packed schedule every day, but every one’s handling it really well! The team seems to have a lot of energy and is going strong and staying pretty healthy. We got a little bit of rain today, so that was refreshing too.

Last, besides the outward ministry, it’s been awesome to see the ministry happening within our team. We’ve been growing closer and closer as the days go on. One especially cool thing is that everyone on the team is taking turns sharing a devotional in the mornings and evenings. All of the students are doing a great job of studying God’s Word and sharing that with the rest of the team as we seek to apply it and worship God.

We really appreciate your prayers for continued safety and effective ministry. We’re about at the halfway point, so please pray for endurance and perseverance. We want to keep energy levels high as we continue to really surrender to God and serve Him faithfully. Pray that we would have discernment on how to do that best and how we can continue to impact souls for His Kingdom. Thanks.

Jack

Today (Monday) we did was our first VBS and it went well.  100+ students came and they were excited to be there to say the least.  The team lead by Emily and our translators did a fantastic job and I think the kids really got the lesson.  One of prayers has been that we would form relationships very quickly…that’s definitely happening and very cool to see. 

This morning one group did a service project which was picking up trash.  It was great to see some of the people of the city jumping in to help out.  The site looks much better.  Yesterday the team that did the service project began to dig a channel that will help the water drain out of a part of the city where the water sits after it rains causing bacteria to grow.  Getting this problem solved will help with the children’s health.  

Other teams have been doing prayer walks.  These teams walk the city and instead of engaging in ministry they pray for the other ministry teams.  Yesterday afternoon their prayers were answered as a man named Carmello prayed to receive.  It was a powerful time with this guy.

Another ministry activity is called ATL…Ask The Lord.  During these times students are lead through a process where they start with a blank slate for the 3 hour ministry block and they seek God for direction and guidance.  There are often times some pretty unforgettable signs of God’s presence that are seen during these times.  Students will often comment even years later at how they saw the hand of God undeniably present in where and what they were led to do during their ATL’s.

Some other highlights…the food has been great!  We got a special treat of some great tacos at a restaurant last night…it was a great boost after a long day of ministry.  All in all the team is working very hard and with a lot of passion for the people of D.R. and with great Kingdom intentionality.  I’m really proud of each of them. 

Tonight we’ll finish our ministry time at 7:00…we’ll then walk back to where we are staying for dinner (stopping for a surprise dose of “bon” aka ice cream…shh…don’t tell).  Then later tonight we’ll have a meeting with the leadership of the camp that we’ll be going to at the end of the week.  The weather is hot…our tans (burns) are looking good!

Please continue to pray that God would show up in powerful ways.  Pray that students would have the energy to continue to do ministry at this pace throughout the week.  Pray that our hearts would be forever changed by what we are seeing.  One student said to me yesterday that he has never seen anything even close to the poverty and the need that we are seeing each day.  Being here as a father of my own small children I found myself tear up a few times today right there in the midst of playing with the kids.  This trip is definitely reshaping our world views and energizing our compassion/passion for people and our desire to see God change lives.  Thanks for praying…we are seeing God answer your prayers.

I hope to give you an update later in the week.  Internet accessibility and scheduling make it a challenge but we’ll do our best to keep in abreast to what’s happening.  God bless from the D.R.!

We will be posting updates during our trip here…you can also check out Miguel’s blog at http://theshauls.myadventures.org

We SO appreciate your prayers too! Thanks!

Last, we got to honor and say goodbye to our seniors on Senior Night. It was bittersweet to say goodbye…and exciting as we were able to look at this and class and say that it is truly full of strong and gifted leaders. (Seniors, you’re still invited to hang out with us this summer!) Thanks everyone for an awesome year of Oasis: we want to be a place where students enter into the Kingdom of God and grow deeper into an authentic relationship with Him…and we saw that this year!

The Bad News: Oasis takes a break for 6 weeks as the school year wraps up and summer gets started. It’s not actually bad news, just a little sad. But the good news is that we still have summer Oasis! So we’ll meet again starting June 16th through July 21st.  It’ll be the normal Oasis schedule with free dinner at 6:30 and the program starting at 7:00. See you all then!

On Sunday, April 18th, we’re having a Worship and Coffeehouse Night from 7-9. The first half of the night we’ll be led by Jared and Gabe in worshiping God. Personally, it’s always great to spend some extra time worshiping and connecting with our creator outside of my regular schedule. After the worship, we’ll take some time to just hang out  with each other while drinking coffee, smoothies, or other drinks. This time will be totally laid back, so feel free to invite whoever you want!

Oasis will be having Senior Night on April 21st. This is the night where we celebrate Seniors as they get ready to finish up high school. If you’re a Senior, we’ll be recording videos this Wednesday (the 14th) from 6 to 7 before Oasis. Also remember, Oasis will also be taking a break for the month of May and part of June.

Student Impact’s next lunch meeting will be after church on May 2nd. We’ve canceled our April 11th meeting.

Enjoy the warm weather this weekend!

I’ve always found it ironic that this day is called “Good” Friday. There are other names for it, but I think “Good Friday” is perfect… and ironic. From the point of view of the first group of people who had placed their faith in Jesus, there was nothing GOOD about “Good Friday.” That was for later.

Remember that the way that Christ followers have traditionally celebrated Holy Week is to try and discipline oneself to stay in the moment, to not flip to the last page to see that the hero does win in the end. Keep in mind that Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and even on the cross, experienced the agony of the moment, even though He knew and had told His followers that He would rise victoriously.

On this Friday, let’s remember some of the moments that changed everything.
➢ As you go to bed on Thursday remember that Jesus was arrested late Thursday night / Friday morning after an intense wrestling with God that ended with “not my will but thine”
➢ When you awake, think about Jesus being shuffled around Jerusalem in various trials in which He was mocked, spit upon, roughed up.
➢ 9:00 Jesus was nailed to the cross – asking the Father to forgive His crucifiers. (Mark 15:25 “the third hour” is 9:00 a.m.)
➢ Noon The cry of dereliction – “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?” (Mark 15:33-34)
➢ 3:00 Jesus cries, It is Finished (tetelestai – paid in full) and gives up His life. (John 19:30)
➢ Jesus’ thrashed body is unfastened from the cross and put in a Garden Tomb