Our students and their families are the reason we are in ministry. My prayer is that God is with us as we plan the fun and teaching that will happen in the coming year!

Check out Jon Acuff’s blog Stuff Christians Like for a post entitled “Treating Youth Ministers Like Silver Medal Ministers“. It’s funny and inspiring.

On July 11th, 2010, a terrorist bomb took the life of a member of Invisible Children’s staff Nate “Oteka” Henn. Here’s the IC blog post.

Check out his website NateHenn.com to find out how to support his family and his cause.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Last night, at Breakaway, my good friend Krystal Rodgers came and spoke about her love and involvement with Invisible Children. She also told us about her long awaited trip to Uganda with IC this September.

If you are interested in partnering with Krystal in this life changing AND world changing event, then visit this link and donate to the cause! With every donation of $20 or more, you’ll receive one of the super rad shirts pictured above!

We are super proud (and a little bit jealous) of you Krystal!

*also, if you aren’t aware of the mission of Invisible Children, do yourself a favor and peruse their website.

Wednesdays can go one of two ways:

…either your team is firing on all cylinders, or it’s about to implode.

Today is the day that fatigue sets in. The excitement of being somewhere new has worn off (as well as your patience). The enormity of your job is finally realized. And, did I mention you’re tired?

Today is the day that we ask God for the strength to persevere, to press on and to begin to understand what it means to sacrifice ourselves for others.

One of the last work teams we visited this afternoon reminded us of the hope that springs from the relationships built during the week. Team 7 was putting the finishing touches on their clients house when they all circled up to pray. As Todd Dawson prayed over the group, the sobs of the client came immediately. She just kept saying “thank you Lord, thank you Lord!” Pretty soon, you could hear more and more sniffles from the rest of the group.

There was more than physical labor done that day. There was more than a few gallons of paint, nails and boards. There was love. A love that has no reason other than it was first given to us.

Today ended well.

Day 2 of work is in the books and HALLELUJAH, the sun finally showed up to Muskogee!

Today, members of the leadership team and I had the opportunity to go out and visit some of the work teams. There is a variety of jobs being done: roofing, decking, ramps, steps, painting and yard work. These students never cease to amaze me. Their dedication and talent surpass any expectations that we have of them. They are capable of so much, and it seems that they are just waiting for the opportunity to show us.

One of the sites we visited today was the house of an 80 year old woman who rarely leaves her house because the porch is so rotted that she might fall through it. By the end of this week, she’ll be able to come and go as she pleases without the danger of injury. I can only imagine the freedom that will bring!

Also, thanks to the sun, we were able to cut loose at a local pool today. It was wonderful stress relief for the students and adults. Hopefully this weather holds up!

This picture describes it best. It’s wet.

But amazingly, our spirits are on fire. There is definitely a presence felt in this city. God is here. He is ready to do big things in Muskogee and in our hearts.

I’ve enjoyed here stories from the first day on the worksite — funny stuff and touching stuff. I hope to share some of these stories as the week progresses.

This week is the highlight of my year. I’m so proud of my students. They inspire me and fill me with the hope that love will prevail.

For the next couple weeks, I will be leading my staff through an examination of our physical and spiritual habits. Each week will focus on one spiritual/physical practice that will keep us healthy and help prevent the burn out that Summer so often brings.

They are called the B Attitudes (because each of the 6 points begin with ‘B’):

Body, Blessings, Bible, Books, Big-Picture, and Blocking

Hopefully by the end of the six meetings we’ll have started to develop healthy habits that will nourish our body and spirit.

*adapted from an article by Kent Julian “The Power of the 6 B’s”

As we walked through the 4 week series, I encouraged students to become a fan of our First Mansfield Students Facebook page. Everyday a small “Do Something” was posted, and students were encouraged accomplish them and see how their world changed.

To conclude the series, we shared this prayer together:

Lord, you created the world and everything in it. Give me eyes to see the least of these and courage to do something in their lives. Amen.

Our students and I will be praying this prayer every morning this week (and maybe longer).

Oklahoma also happens to be the place where hundreds of high school students (including 75 of our own) will be going in June to participate in mission (via CTCYM).

We are uncertain now how many of our host churches (or ‘living centers’) have been affected. All of our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Oklahoma.

PS: if you are interested in participating with us this June, check out First Mansfield Students.org for registration details. We are still looking for adults to help lead work teams (no experience necessary)! The deadline to register is THIS THURSDAY (May 13).