Posted by: Steven Gallo
Jesus Christ is Lord and He is real. How can one describe the events that have partaken here among the junior class? As I sit here, I face the challenge of putting into words that which is indescribable. I send my apologies for the delay of this blog post, however the following is an account of that which has transpired in the past two days through God's marvelous love:
On Saturday morning, we split into several different groups, and, alongside our disciples, we ministered to those living in the area of Phoenix. Traveling door to door, we got to experience first-hand what it's like sharing the gospel with strangers (whether it was leading people to accept Christ or getting a straightforward rejection.) Some groups, after finishing what many here refer to as "soul-winning", participated in an adopt-a-block ministry. This involved playing games with children in the surrounding area, sharing the gospel with them, and praying with them as well.
It was on Saturday night, however, that the spirit of God touched us all in a way that we never can, let alone will, forget. Despite all of us being really tired, we assembled for devotions (half-reluctantly) and began sharing experiences that impacted us from that day. One by one, the Holy Spirit began working on us as we poured out our hearts, sharing regrets, struggles, and concerns. Never before have I felt the presence of God so strongly in my heart, and many others here have expressed the same sentiment. Our evening didn't come to a close until well after midnight, as we all embraced each other in tears of repentance, forgiveness, and love. There was no discrimination, no judgment, no animosity, no separation--hug after hug, each of us was filled with tears of joy and immeasurable emotion. This was love. Their truly aren't words that I could say that would do justice in describing the night of March 8th, 2008. This class has come together in ways that none of us could ever have dreamed possible, and the power of God has rekindled our hearts, paradoxically, in the most real yet unreal way.
Sunday was truly a day of worship. We had the privilege to attend both Sunday school and a service at the Dream Center following breakfast. Being in the presence of those with a true heart to praise and worship along with an impacting message was a blessing to us all. Within a two-hour period we were singing, dancing, listening, learning, and praying! As our class will testify, each visit to "the Zone" is more and more impacting, and Sunday afternoon we had the chance to engage in yet another outreach to the homeless people here in Phoenix. Serving food, handing out Bibles, and simply being there to talk and listen to these men and women is a ministry to them, and at the same time, a testament to each of us, too. In the afternoon, we faced another challenge and opportunity: you guessed it, a mountain. This one, fairly larger than those we had climbed previously, was a blast to hike. Once we had reached the top, the views were breath-taking and spectacular; we have plenty of pictures to show for it (which I must confess, we have not had the time to post, however we are trying to get them up soon.) Together as a class, but more profoundly as a family, we have scaled many mountains and conquered numerous challenges throughout the trip thus far. We also had the privilege of attending a service at Phoenix First Assembly of God after our third rocky trek.
David Li:
Sunday morning we all woke up refreshed and remembered the most awesome night of our lives. God never stops at anything to win our hearts and the hearts of others. really tries to get in the way of God's people and he's out there trying to distract us from our true focus. He wants us to stay comfortable and cover up our sin. I love how God can use my (our) mistakes and past sin to bring about a love that reaches the depths of my heart and others. Also, just hearing from the disciples here is just an awesome experience. As I sit here, thinking, God is not just a God who hears, but knows and heals. I've realized so much, I can't say how much He loves His children. I can't describe it. It's not a feeling, but it's something that God's doing in each of our hearts. We (me included) serve a God of Love.
Steven (again):
Yep, it's yet another late-night blog entry here in Phoenix, local time - 1:48 a.m. (That's roughly 4:48 in the morning back home, so I sure hope many of you will be reading this by the time we are fast asleep...well, rather by the time I join everyone else in sleeping.) We are thankful for your prayers, and continue to await God's blessings. We are all incredibly renewed, and our own class spiritual revival is a manifestation of the Lord's work and answer to prayer! We especially want to send our regards to Jennie, Kim, Brenna, and Kelsey--we miss you guys and wish you the best back home!
P.S.
There's a correction to make in the previous blog entry. The parenthetical phrase regarding our time of worship at night should have read: "Mr. Spidell really enjoyed the - - - -o-s." Naturally, however, Cybersitter--the filters installed on school-issue computers--blocked use of the term - - - ; hopefully my use of hyphens here will bypass it. Yes, we all enjoyed a rather good laugh after realizing this one! Good night...or rather, good morning!
Jesus Christ is Lord and He is real. How can one describe the events that have partaken here among the junior class? As I sit here, I face the challenge of putting into words that which is indescribable. I send my apologies for the delay of this blog post, however the following is an account of that which has transpired in the past two days through God's marvelous love:
On Saturday morning, we split into several different groups, and, alongside our disciples, we ministered to those living in the area of Phoenix. Traveling door to door, we got to experience first-hand what it's like sharing the gospel with strangers (whether it was leading people to accept Christ or getting a straightforward rejection.) Some groups, after finishing what many here refer to as "soul-winning", participated in an adopt-a-block ministry. This involved playing games with children in the surrounding area, sharing the gospel with them, and praying with them as well.
It was on Saturday night, however, that the spirit of God touched us all in a way that we never can, let alone will, forget. Despite all of us being really tired, we assembled for devotions (half-reluctantly) and began sharing experiences that impacted us from that day. One by one, the Holy Spirit began working on us as we poured out our hearts, sharing regrets, struggles, and concerns. Never before have I felt the presence of God so strongly in my heart, and many others here have expressed the same sentiment. Our evening didn't come to a close until well after midnight, as we all embraced each other in tears of repentance, forgiveness, and love. There was no discrimination, no judgment, no animosity, no separation--hug after hug, each of us was filled with tears of joy and immeasurable emotion. This was love. Their truly aren't words that I could say that would do justice in describing the night of March 8th, 2008. This class has come together in ways that none of us could ever have dreamed possible, and the power of God has rekindled our hearts, paradoxically, in the most real yet unreal way.
Sunday was truly a day of worship. We had the privilege to attend both Sunday school and a service at the Dream Center following breakfast. Being in the presence of those with a true heart to praise and worship along with an impacting message was a blessing to us all. Within a two-hour period we were singing, dancing, listening, learning, and praying! As our class will testify, each visit to "the Zone" is more and more impacting, and Sunday afternoon we had the chance to engage in yet another outreach to the homeless people here in Phoenix. Serving food, handing out Bibles, and simply being there to talk and listen to these men and women is a ministry to them, and at the same time, a testament to each of us, too. In the afternoon, we faced another challenge and opportunity: you guessed it, a mountain. This one, fairly larger than those we had climbed previously, was a blast to hike. Once we had reached the top, the views were breath-taking and spectacular; we have plenty of pictures to show for it (which I must confess, we have not had the time to post, however we are trying to get them up soon.) Together as a class, but more profoundly as a family, we have scaled many mountains and conquered numerous challenges throughout the trip thus far. We also had the privilege of attending a service at Phoenix First Assembly of God after our third rocky trek.
David Li:
Sunday morning we all woke up refreshed and remembered the most awesome night of our lives. God never stops at anything to win our hearts and the hearts of others. really tries to get in the way of God's people and he's out there trying to distract us from our true focus. He wants us to stay comfortable and cover up our sin. I love how God can use my (our) mistakes and past sin to bring about a love that reaches the depths of my heart and others. Also, just hearing from the disciples here is just an awesome experience. As I sit here, thinking, God is not just a God who hears, but knows and heals. I've realized so much, I can't say how much He loves His children. I can't describe it. It's not a feeling, but it's something that God's doing in each of our hearts. We (me included) serve a God of Love.
Steven (again):
Yep, it's yet another late-night blog entry here in Phoenix, local time - 1:48 a.m. (That's roughly 4:48 in the morning back home, so I sure hope many of you will be reading this by the time we are fast asleep...well, rather by the time I join everyone else in sleeping.) We are thankful for your prayers, and continue to await God's blessings. We are all incredibly renewed, and our own class spiritual revival is a manifestation of the Lord's work and answer to prayer! We especially want to send our regards to Jennie, Kim, Brenna, and Kelsey--we miss you guys and wish you the best back home!
P.S.
There's a correction to make in the previous blog entry. The parenthetical phrase regarding our time of worship at night should have read: "Mr. Spidell really enjoyed the - - - -o-s." Naturally, however, Cybersitter--the filters installed on school-issue computers--blocked use of the term - - - ; hopefully my use of hyphens here will bypass it. Yes, we all enjoyed a rather good laugh after realizing this one! Good night...or rather, good morning!
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