Hello everyone, I feel like I should have updated sooner but I didn’t no what to say. So I did get an option to go on a domestic mission trip. So I’m currently in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It’s a tourist city and the self proclaimed “Water Park Capital of the U.S.” I’ve been here since last Tuesday, so a week now. When they gave us this option they described it as working at a food bank that had a went from 70 families a month to 250-300 a week because of COVID and spending time with international students from places that don’t really have the Gospel. Doing things like Bible studies.
A few of us have had the chance to go to the food bank on Wednesday taking shopping carts full of food and putting them in the back of cars very similar to Open Door Ministries on Michigan Ave. for any of you who have been there.
I’m rooming with a South African guy and on my second night there we had a long talk about the Bible and I found out he didn’t have a physical Bible just the Youversion Bible App. So I went out and bought him a Bible. He was so excited when he got. I’m thanking God that I get to share a room with him and have the opportunity to help him really grow beyond just being a Christian in name. The only sad part is that I don’t get to see him a lot because he works a lot and I get back late and he is usually asleep.
One of the hardest parts of this trip for me and my team is that we had to get an actual job at Kalahari. None of us knew that was what our ministry partner wanted us to do when we got here not even our leaders. So most of this trip has been very go with the flow. Or as my old youth pastor Dan Pratt would put it “Be fluid because flexible is too rigid.” So we are working at Kalahari 3 days a week for pay. Most of my group members had to become lifeguards but me and a few others decided to work at the amusement park. So I’ve had to do stuff like run a rock climbing wall and a child roller coaster. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal for us if we weren’t getting paid. That has really bothered us since you guys were the ones who paid for this trip and now we’re getting paid for being here.
My team is feeling more relaxed with what we are doing now after talking with the pastor of the church we’re partnering with Bridgepoint Mission Center. His name is Jay he basically addressed all the fears we were having about this mission trip before we even said them. He was telling us that while this wasn’t what we expected or planned this is exactly where God wants us. Talking about our ministry not being what we expected but that working for Kalahari is our ministry just as much as the food bank by just loving the customers and coworkers and taking care of their kids among other things.
Thank you guys for your support in prayer and financially. I’m going to try and update regularly throughout this trip.
