Posted by: Stephanie Casting
Edited by: Elena Bauer
This morning started off with some of our Juniors marching and chanting around the Phoenix Dream Center at six in the morning. They walked around the perimeter of the building for about half an hour, yelling phrases, such as "Hail Jesus." The purpose of this was to proclaim that they are here for the Lord and wanted those living here to know that, since many are not yet saved.
After marching around the Dream Center, the Junior class had breakfast with some of the disciples. Once that was over, everyone moved over to the sanctuary for a "Soul Winning" service. There, we enjoyed ordained praise and worship lead by a couple of the disciples. Singing "This is Amazing Grace" and "Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord," the class worshiped together with the disciples. In the same spirit of adoration, Pastor Walt, the founder of Church on Street, introduced Mrs. Barnhill as today's speaker. In her message, she went through the five steps of evangelism - Gift, Man, God, Jesus, and Faith and Repentance. She blessed us with a great message.
Pastor Walt then took the opportunity to have some people testify what God has done in their lives. From people gaining back their zeal for the Lord to people breaking the bondages that lead them to prison, people shared their personal testimonies, and described what happened at Mill Ave last night.
The class proceeded to separate into groups for outreaches. The first group went to the Indian Reservation thirty minutes away from the Dream Center. There, the students played with the children, prepared hot dogs, and answered some Bible trivia. Neighborhood dogs also joined in the fun. Some of the children were timid at first, but after a while, they warmed up to the students without a problem and did not want them to go.
Another group went to Glenrosa, an apartment complex in the vicinity of the Dream Center. Students went around, knocking around on doors and inviting people to their outreach. The outreach was filled with the spirit of the Lord, hot dogs, and plenty of fun. Music was being played, faces were being painted, soccer was being played, and friendships were being made.
A brand new door-knocking ministry began too. A couple of students went around town inviting people in the community to Church on the Street and praying for them.
After all these outreaches, the students enjoyed a lunch with the disciples. Once that was done, the class separated once again for more outreaches. Some students went up to their rooms to rest, but others went out to the Skate park to skateboard; others went to the Trailer Park to minister to some more children; others went to Ocatillo, one of the projects. The students who rested went out to 19th and Camelback and 27th and Indian School to evangelize late into the night.
Overall, the students were led by the spirit of the Lord throughout this busy day.
On day three of our mission trip we started the day with facility work, kitchen prep, and team building. After our morning activities, we had a big breakfast prepared by the students. After breakfast, the students worked on the facility for two and a half hours, and then had lunch that we prepared. We had a group game of kickball, and then proceeded to have free time to bond with each other. After free time, we had team building classes. For dinner, we simulated developed, developing, and under developing. We did this by giving three people a big, nutritious meal (which included pork chops, carrots, potatoes, and dessert), the developing countries ate beans and rice, and under developed countries ate bread with water. This taught us about gratitude and how to be aware an help others in need. We will end the night, with a campfire side worship time.
