I really don't know where to begin. Last week was so amazing. God did some great things in and through me. I knew I would grow, but I didn't know how or in what areas. It was so fantastic. I have 12 new brothers and sisters in Christ that I truly consider family. They have encourage me so much in so many ways. I think I'm just going to give a brief description of what we did each day when we were in Miami. I apologize in advance for the length of this post.
Sunday We went to church Sunday morning. That service was incredible! Thanks to Chelsea for inviting us to her church. It was so spirit-filled. The people there were overwhelmingly loving and encouraging for us. The sermon was about giving up idols to the Lord and described that idols are anything that we put first before God. It was humbling and perfect as we began our week serving the Lord in Miami. The rest of the day was kind of a chill day. We ate lunch, bought groceries, hung out at the pool, and ate at a really great Cuban restaurant. Bonding with the team was so wonderful.
Monday morning we served at Christ Fellowship church in downtown Miami. This was one of the most humbling experiences for me. Ty, Nathan, and I had the opportunity to clean bathrooms that were used for homeless people on Sundays. We scrubbed showers, toilets, and floors while praying over the building. It was great knowing that we were not only blessing the church, but also many homeless people in the area. We later joined the rest of the team in painting and putting tables and chairs together that are for the elementary classrooms of the church. This was so much fun, mainly because Sharon and Steve (workers at the church) were overwhelmed by our presence. Sharon expressed her gratitude probably over 100 times to each of us and hugged all of us when we left. It was so great.
After some pool time, we went on a boat tour around some of the keys in Florida. We saw mansions that cost in the upwards of $40,000,000 (that's 40 million!). Though the mansions were cool, we were much more excited to see the dolphins that jumped up next to the boat. It's always great to see God's creation! We ended the evening with dinner at Bubba Gumps, some gelato, and a little more team bonding.
Tuesday we began sharing at Florida International University (FIU). I had the pleasure of sharing with Brett and Holly B. Brett and I talked to some really sweet girls that have strong desires to know the Lord and we also met a man and a woman who love Jesus. We actually sat down with them for like 30 minutes and listened as this man (David) talk about different symbols that occur throughout the Old and New Testaments. It was encouraging to meet other believers on campus. Holly B. and I had the pleasure of leading one girl to the Lord! She was so great to sit and visit with and I think she's excited to now know a God that she can put her trust in. That evening, we ate dinner at the hotel (which was really good) and played some games after sharing highs and lows.
Oops! I forgot to tell a really sweet story about the trip to FIU that morning! I was one of the drivers for that week (we drove rental cars). We were driving on the highway in the far right lane. There was an exit next to us and a car from the left lane tried to turn over into the exit. He should have hit the driver side of my car, but the Lord gave me a fast reaction to turn right and slam on the breaks. We should have been hit by the driver side and the passenger side, but we were not hit at all! It was so great to be saved by the Lord and to know that He was in control of the car and not me. I didn't need to put pressure on myself to make sure that all of my passengers were safe because the Lord does that for me. :)
Wednesday we shared at Miami-Dade community college on the Kendall campus. Before we started sharing, we went to the CRU meeting in the afternoon. It was so encouraging to see and visit with believers on campus. They love the Lord so much and love to worship Him. Luke and I were partners for that day. God really challenged us and stretched us in ways we were not expecting at all. We talked to a high school PSEO student who was an atheist, a man who was in a wheel chair and couldn't talk, and a young woman who was raised in a home that practiced Santeria, a cult that is somewhat prevalent in Miami. She said she didn't like Santeria because it involves talking to spirits, and that scared her. Even so, she said she believed in a lot of things, like that heaven and hell are real, but there's no way of knowing if you're going to get to either place. She believes that there is a God, but that there's no way of actually knowing. Luke and I visited with her for just over an hour. The Lord spoke many words through us and we know that seeds were planted that day. We felt burnt out and sad after sharing, but we knew that it was God who does the work and not us. That evening, we shared our highs and lows of the day, and then spent 2 hours praying over each other. This was extremely encouraging as the Lord had wonderful things to say to each of us.
Thursday we shared again at FIU and went to their CRU meeting later that afternoon. Mason and I were sharing partners for that day. When we first started sharing, we felt disconnected so we sat in a gazebo and bonded for a little bit. Then we started sharing again and we were so encouraged. That afternoon, everyone we talked to either already knew Jesus or knew that they needed Jesus, they just weren't ready to make Him more of their lives. The CRU meeting was a super great time of worship and a speaker that talked about being fully in the place that your in. My favorite quote is this: "Go where you are sent." The speaker talked about how wherever you are, that's where God has sent you and that's where your ministry is. We ate dinner with the CRU students on campus, which was super great. LD, Katie W., and I visited with two girls, Tiffany and Annie. They were hilarious to sit and talk to. That evening was funny. We had some free time that we wanted to use for the pool, but there was a private party going on. Instead, we played telephone-pictionary in the girls' suite followed by sharing highs and lows of the day.
Friday was beach day! We went to Bill Baggs, which is an island that required us to drive on a high bridge over the water. This was such a great day! We sat on the beach and shared what God taught us that week and then spent some quiet time with the Lord. The rest of the day was spent making sand castles, turning Mason into a merman, swimming, and getting fried by the sun. I think only 3 of us didn't get sunburned. It was so worth it, though, because this was my first time seeing the ocean. It's so big and glorious and shows how awesome our Creator is. That night we ate a fancy Italian restaurant. All of the employees were from Italy, so that tells you it was authentic. My lasagna was delicious! We went back to the hotel and went to bed very early as we had to leave the hotel by 4:50 eastern time (that's 3:50 central time).
Saturday we flew back to Minnesota. I was sad to leave Miami. There are so many lost people there, but I know that there are just as many lost wherever I am. Our team became super close over the week. I've shed a few tears every now and again knowing that the trip is over. But, the best part is, we can continue bonding and growing as a community in Christ. I'm not joking when I say that I gained 12 new brothers and sisters last week. I love all of them so much and I long for us to continue encouraging and challenging each other. I learned so much about my faith in God and feel so refreshed and renewed. I'm not exactly excited to go back to class this week, but I know that God is bigger than classes and that all I have to do is give it up to Him and let Him do the rest. Be blessed.
