I’ll explain the quote in the title a little bit later.
First, let me tell you what’s happened since our last blog post!
We wrapped up VBS in a stellar fashion yesterday. The kids
were great and the Texas students were great with them. We shared stories and
talked about some of the things that worked and things that didn’t and tweaked
the program for today. After that, lunch and canvasing/service project. We
split into smaller groups and walked around town meeting people and having
conversations. We invited them to the field where we play games in the evening.
One group went to shorts bar, a beach on the Big Salmon
River and met some students, inviting them to VBS. Others walked around town
going to Back Eddy, Mountain River Outfitters, and River Rock. We even went to
the library and bought books from the sale they were having. A few of us took
naps right after VBS and went canvasing a little bit later. Good conversations
were had on these canvasing excursions.
Three students also went to Buck and Jeanie Fitch’s house to
do some work in carpentry and caulking. The service project was a success as
far as I understand.
Then it was a delicious dinner made by Anita, Celia, and
Pauline and off to the field at 6:00. We had a bunch of teens show up at the
field to hang out with us. We threw the Frisbee around and played a game called
“Signs,” before grouping up to hear a gospel presentation from Clint and
testimonies from Nathan and Kirby. They did a fantastic job of sharing their
stories and telling us what God has done with them. After that it was showers
in the houses of congregation members and family time. We wrapped up about
12:10am for bed. Needless to say, family time was informative and the
discussion just kept on going. Again we shared stories about the teens we had
talked with on the field and kids from VBS so that we know how to pray for one
another while on this trip. This morning we were all a little groggy, but we
got VBS rolling on time. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow!
Stories:
A few stories about things that happened yesterday…
While teaching the bible lesson about Jesus healing the ten
lepers, Joshua asked the class the question, “What did Jesus do to the ten
lepers?” Gabe, Pastor Jim and Mrs. Judy’s grandson, said in a serious tone and
straight face, “Burn them to death with fire.” Evidently it was shocking enough
that there was a sizable silence following this statement. Did I mention? Gabe
is 4. We’re going to have to keep an extra eye on this kid.
Last night when I asked for prayer requests at family time,
Benjamin said, “Pray that I don’t get beat up again.” We were all slightly
confused and asked what he meant. It turns out that is second graders led an
organized attack on him and literally took him down. We have a picture of it
that Clint evidently took, which is a perfect example of what we leaders do:
When one of our students is getting beaten up, we don’t help… we grab a camera.
When we announced yesterday that today’s theme would be
crazy hair day, Matthew, Pastor Jim’s other grandson, stood up in the crowd and
yelled “Grandpa! Don’t brush my hair! OKAY?!?!”
While playing at the field, one of the boys we met, Blake,
was messing around putting cups of water on different people’s heads. He put
one on Joshua and Joshua grabbed it and tossed it backwards, hitting Blake dead
on with the water. We all had a good laugh about it and Blake retaliated by
trying to go for one of Josh’s pressure points. Josh calmly responded, “Fool.
Pressure points don’t work on me.”
Prayer Requests:
Megan, one of the teens we met our very first year here and
who came to Christ that year as a result, has been growing in her faith over
the last six years. She also keeps us up to date on what’s going on in Riggins
during the year when we’re not here. She shared with us about a friend of hers
who is going through a very difficult time with her faith. Her friend has been
introduced to a poor mentor who is teaching her false doctrine and causing her
to question her own salvation and drive her into depression and anxiety about
what is true. Please pray that this bad influence will be removed and that if
we can minister to Megan’s friend in any way that we would. Also pray for Megan
as she has more conversations with her friend that she will be a positive
influence that counteracts the negative one.
Another student we met at the field is a rather big talker,
a smart kid, and pretty sure of himself as an atheist. I’ve started talking to
him trying to figure out his worldview and hopefully use some apologetics, as
he is the type of person who would benefit from it. Prayer for me in that
relationship is much appreciated. Pray that I won’t get caught up in the
arguments and forget the heart of the matter, and pray that this student will
be open and willing to dialogue about what he believes.
Two more students, Joshua Salmon and Erin Williams, will be
sharing their testimonies tonight on the field. Pray for them as they consider
what to say, and for me, Stephen, as I present the gospel tonight.
We are suffering from sore throats all around. Between the
yelling and singing at VBS and the heat here, its averaging 98 degrees, we need
to take extra care of our voices. Please pray for healing and more diligence in
drinking enough water!
We are also asking for boldness in VBS, canvasing, and at
the field. We want our timidity exchanged for power, love, and self-discipline.
Finally, those who are teaching have asked for prayers that
they will communicate their lessons clearly to the kids.
Thanks so much for reading and come back tomorrow for more
stories and summaries!
For HIM and only HIM.
1 Thess 4:11
*STEPHEN*(curto)
The attempt on Ben's person caught on film.
Kirby and Michelle are pumped to get started!
Me and Jordan a little bit wiped after VBS. My "Very Hungry Caterpillar" pillow is doing a great job of keeping out light and sound.
The view from the field is always beautiful.
A few pictures of us playing "Signs" at the field yesterday.
