Last week I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Nashville, Tennessee. I went with my youth group from Rolling Plains as a female leader. The trip was not a long trip. It was not something that people from all over the world are going to hear about. It is not a mission trip that may have physically saved the lives of people. Yet, it was a mission trip where God was shown to many people. God was there and His love was shown, and is continuing in the lives of those we were given the opportunities to come in contact with.
For this trip, we were able to go to a local food bank and sort through food for a couple of hours. We were also given time to go to a small apartment complex and just show the love of God to some awesome children. The youth did a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the kids of that complex. They played games, colored, got in water balloon fights, and read books. At first the children did not really want us there. They would hit, run away, argue, call you names and just did not really want much to do with us. But seeing the youth just shower them with love was simply amazing. They went from all of that, to the most loving children you could have ever met. We came to try and change their lives, but left with our lives changed.
As a leader, I was fully expecting to see God work through the lives of the youth to touch the lives around them that week. I expected to see how God can use such young people to start a ripple of the love of God throughout the small community we worked with. I did not expect to have my own world wrecked. God has a great sense of humor when it comes to things like this. He allows you to have all these expectations and thoughts for yourself, then He rocks your world and makes it so much more than you could ever hope for.
For me, God spoke through the homeless. There was one night where we partnered with “The Bridge”. Every Wednesday night, there is a church service held underneath the Jefferson Street Bridge. This service is complete with beautiful music, preaching of the word of God, and a delicious hot meal for those attending. Most importantly, God is there. When we first arrived I found my way to this wall where I had just seen many people sitting by. On this wall the verse from Matthew was written. It is this verse that helped my friends and I get through our last months of college. It was this verse that made me tear up. Seeing it so raw and there for ALL to see:
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33
With tear filled eyes, and a broken heart I was able to worship an Almighty God. A God that provides. A God that knows everything about us. One who does not discriminate against us because of things we have done, or the skin we were born into this world with. A God that loves us no matter what our circumstances are. It was under this bridge in Nashville, Tennessee that I was able to witness how God can take all of this brokenness of this world and make into something beautiful and glorifying to Him.
Before we left the bridge that night, I heard a man say, “When you keep showing up for things like this, trying to make a difference, and just giving your time, eventually they will put you in charge of something.” It made me think of the work of the Lord. When we constantly seek after Him and give our hands to the work for His kingdom, He will put us in charge of things. He already has. He told us, “Therefore go! and make disciples of all nations!” (Matthew 28:19).
It was during this week I saw our youths’ hearts change for the kingdom. They have such a passion for those who are hurting and are in need. I saw it before we went on the trip. I see it now that we are back. As I sit and think of the things from our mission trip, I am constantly coming back to my moment of seeing “seek first the kingdom”. In all things, that is what this world needs. “To seek first the kingdom of God.”
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore so not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.” Matthew 6:33-34 NIV
Seek First The Kingdom.
