I only have a few minutes to write this post because I soon have to leave for yet another camp. I want to write about my mission trip to Denver with YouthWorks. It really was an awesome experience. The crew I was in worked the first two days at the Denver Rescue mission, a homeless shelter and rehabilitation center. It was a really different experience to see so many homeless people just sleeping on the concrete sidewalks and coming in to eat. I saw the power of drugs to pull people in so badly that they own nothing and have no friends and yet don't even recognize they have a problem. These people have so many places they can go to get help, but they don't want help. They want to get high. They want to get rid of the effects of withdrawal. Many of them would use any money they got to buy drugs or alcohol instead of the clothes and food and many other things they need. However, there are people who do realize they need help. I met some of them at the Denver Rescue mission. I realized that the power of the gospel and faith and the Holy Spirit is much stronger than the grip of Satan or any drug. It totally transforms lives- like the life of the man we met who had been in prison for 13 years and now lives a full life in Christ and plans to start a Christian halfway house for people like him who get out of jail after a long time. I also experienced the transforming power of God firsthand. At a youth service at a really different inner city church, one of the kids from our church accepted Christ for the first time. God had put it on my heart the night before to pray for him and write him a note, and he worked in such an amazing way to save him that night. After he had accepted Christ, his eyes were opened. He told me he actually could feel Jesus' arms around him and as he prayed, he actually got answers that he never would have thought of on his own. His old temptations didn't have much of a grip on him anymore. He had a conversation with my sister in which God truly spoke through both of them and showed his power. And this kid who a few days before had been angry at God now was talking to him every five minutes and seeing how he was working out everything for his good. It was so beautiful to see God at work. I had prayed on the way out there for God to make himself real to me because I had a hard time really believing that he had the power he said he did. But God totally answered that prayer, and it's exciting to see!
When I'm home again for a while, I'll post some pictures.
Some cool people at Nancy and Sarah's open house
My Richard and me
Greta...she's a good friend, but I haven't seen her since graduation
Annie came to my open house, but was unable to come out of her car. I was so happy to see this great woman who used to babysit me in the church nursery every Wednesday night when I was little. She still thinks of me in her old age. For those of you who know her, she could use some prayer...
Who knew you could fit so many highschoolers on one slide? I think if you click on the picture it will be bigger.
My outrageously good-looking family after graduation
