Final Words...

At the start of the summer, I had no intention of being  a LifeChanger. Actually, I planned on working at a Dairy Queen or Chik-fil-A so I could save up enough money to buy a much-needed car to drive me from Mesquite to my school in downtown Dallas everyday. Well, clearly my plans were not what God had in mind (thank goodness!). God intended to open my eyes and heart to urban ministry, and teach me how to love Him in any/all circumstances.  

Proverbs 16:3- "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." My advice to any future LifeChangers would be to simply commit their summer to God, and embrace the "missionary lifestyle" (you will understand when you put on the T-Shirt!) and let it become your way of life. Most importantly, love God in everything you do by being a servant for Him and His people.

p.s.-- I bought my car today. God provides!!! 

Thank you for all of your prayers,

LifeChanger John-Michael

Apartment Ministry

Hey,

 Apartment Ministry. 

It's run by an elderly couple that is devoted to God and His work. Seeing them give everything they have to God has really made me ask myself, "What am I giving to God?" and, "What am I holding back?". Jesus says in Luke 9:23, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." When we make the commitment to follow and obey Christ we all need to give him everything we've got. Our time, our money, our possessions, everything, .....Everything,  

LifeChanger Jeff

Homeless?

HOMELESS??

 Yes. I took  part in a Poverty Simulation (Which are two big words that basically mean, "You're livin' outside kid,"). I never thought that I would say goodbye to my hair mousse and bed mattress and become a "citizen of the street", but I guess I did. I came across several huge issues that must be tackled in prayer. There is so much poverty going on right now... What can I do? What should I do? What is the church doing? What should the church be doing? How can I even eat a snack, when I know that thousands are going without food for days? How far to the extreme should I, and the rest of God's children, go to help those in poverty?

LifeChanger John-Michael

What about you???

What about you??? Are you ready to spend a summer serving God in the Dallas metroplex? Do you have a heart for people and for God? If so, this is the place for you; LifeChangers is for you. We are looking for students for our 2008 LifeChangers Summer Missions Team. If you are interested and would like to learn more about it, then click on the link to our website and read up on us. We want to hear from those of you who are interested or maybe know someone who would be perfect for LifeChangers. We need you!

Good-bye and Hello!

We are so grateful for all that God did and allowed us to do this summer as LifeChangers. We were not only able to serve, but were also able to learn and grow. I can't speak for everyone on the team, although I think that they would agree that it feels as though we received way more than what we gave. Isn't it funny how it usually turns out that way? There is something about serving God where and when He wants you to serve Him that always turns out right. I always walk into a situtation thinking that I'm the one who is going to minister to others and I always walk away being the one ministered to. God is good!

We sadly say good-bye to LifeChangers 2007 and begin to say hello to LifeChangers 2008. Thank you LifeChangers 2007 for making the summer what it was. We would not have been able to do all that we did without you. May God bless each one of you as you continue on this journery called life. You will always have a place here with us if you should decide to come back. We love you all!

Thanks to everyone who participated with us in some way, shape, or form. Your prayers, thoughts, gifts, comments, and letters were so much appreciated. May God bless each of you as well!

With a grateful heart,

Stacy

Hard Questions

God has been working a theme in my life this summer. This truth becomes more obvious to me with every week that has gone by. This past week we served a church in a very low income neighborhood. I was saddened to know that 85% of the children we were working with will, statistically speaking, be high school drop outs. Many difficult questions filled my head as we served at this location. Questions like... God, what kind of difference can I make in 4 days? Why these kids? Why are they destined to fail before they even really begin? So many more filled my head. I don't really understand it all, but God has definitely reassured me that He is still the God of Love in this instance. He is still the God of Mercy in this instance. He is still Sovereign in this instance. His grace is still sufficient in this instance. I think that I might be coming to a conclusion about these difficult questions, but I'm not completely there yet. There are a few things that I do know. Like... One person really can make a difference. God can do anything He wants in whom ever He wants to do it in and can do so wherever He so chooses. We can and NEED to be the change that we want to see in this dark world. Love or lack of it makes or breaks a life in desperate need of it. And lastly, but definitely not least, I can't solve everyone's problems, heal everyone's wounds, pay everyone's bills, or save everyone's soul. Only God can do these things. Now, He can definitely do things through me, but I can't do them by my own power, that's of God and not of me. Wow, that was hard to say. But to God be the glory and not to me.

Like a child

We are to believe Christ like a child believes. I have long since forgotten what exactly that means even if I am just entering adulthood. As we get older we complicate things as we try and find our place in the world. Sometimes this means questioning God's place for us and trying things out on our own for a while.

This week we were at a day camp and there was a little girl not much older than five. This girl attached herself to me, why I don't know, but she did all the same. There was just one problem she spoke only Spanish and I have a hard time ordering at taco bell. It didn't matter though, she still hugged me every chance she got and would talk a million miles a minute even though I had no clue what she was saying, nor did she know what I was saying. That little girl would have followed me anywhere completely unquestioning and I doubt there was anything I could have done to make her not want to run up and just hug me. It got me to thinking about Christ's love and how it doesn't matter what language you speak, what part of town you're from, the color of your skin. He still loves and loves unconditionally. Because of that little girl I am reminded of what an awesome and loving God we live for.