Summer LINK Raleigh: Joy in the Midst of Suffering

When I first began to serve Open Door through Generation Link I never could have imagined how much of a blessing this year would be. Likewise, I didn’t know what the Lord was up to when I was given the assignment of leading Summer Link Raleigh. But, now that we are more than halfway through Summer Link I can see in many ways that God’s timing and plan have been perfect. I have been able to make some great friends and be part of a great network of people who are passionate about the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am so thankful that the Lord has placed me within the NACPF and Generation Link family. It’s truly an honor and gift of God’s grace to be a part of such great partnerships for the sake of the gospel and his greatness!

We have learned some great lessons in Raleigh this summer. Two of the major themes that have been present are humility and joy in the midst of suffering.

Humility: Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phil. 2:4)

Pride makes demands. Pride says, “What about me?” Pride is self-focused and makes us turn inward on ourselves. Pride produces grumbling and complaining. If pride takes over we will never experience great relationships within the body of Christ because we can never get past ourselves to see how we can love and serve others. Humility teaches us to stop worrying about our own glory. It teaches us to pour out our lives for the sake of others. Humility yields everything for the sake of others. Without humility there can never be unity. This is why Paul calls the Philippians to unity by giving Christ as the ultimate example of humility (Phil. 2). Here in Raleigh we have learned that effective ministry will not happen without humbly yielding our expectations and desires for the sake of the gospel.

Joy in the Midst of Suffering: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Phil. 4:4)

When Paul wrote this verse he was in prison chained to a wall in a hole in a ground. His crime was simply loving Jesus and proclaiming his gospel. In Raleigh this summer as we have studied the book of Philippians we have been continually amazed at Paul’s joy in the midst of such terrible circumstances. Paul was so in love with Jesus and so focused on the priority of the gospel that he was able to rejoice in the Lord while in prison. He trusted in a God that is sovereign, good, and wise.

As we studied these incredible words of Paul my family had no idea how God would use them in our lives. After enjoying a great time of fellowship in Myrtle Beach with new friends during Seminary week, I decided to leave Friday night instead of Saturday because my sweet wife was having light contractions. She was 37 weeks pregnant and I couldn’t miss my 4th baby’s entrance into the world. It was a good idea because we were headed to the hospital 5 hours after I got home.

After being in the hospital for more than 12 hours, we were getting close to meeting Isaac. As the doctor came in to check Emily, much to everyone’s surprise, Isaac was coming out backwards. As we were preparing to have a C-section, a nurse informed us there was not enough time. Isaac decided to come into the world bottom first. A rush of doctors and nurses flooded the room for an emergency delivery. I stood back against the wall as I watched two frantic doctors try to deliver Isaac. His head was stuck for 4 minutes. They finally were able to pull his lifeless, pale body out. There I stood, my wife in pain, my baby not breathing or moving. All I could do was cry, pray, and cry some more. But, suddenly the Lord reminded me of his sovereignty. I felt a calmness come over me from head to toe. It was as if he settled my spirit and reminded me that he is in control. I knew then that we would trust in a faithful God no matter what the outcome would be. Isaac never lost his heartbeat and they were able to help him breathe pretty quickly. In the following days, Isaac lay there unable to breathe entirely on his own, bruised and swollen, with wires and hoses connected all over his little body. All we could do was trust God with our child’s life. We knew we would have to respond in faith even if we lost our child. So with open hands we begged God to heal our baby. And by his grace that’s what he did. Isaac spent 11 days in the NICU. We watched him battle with a persistent strength as he gradually got better and better. Now he’s at home breathing and eating like a normal healthy baby! He should have no lasting problems due to his traumatic delivery. We are overwhelmed with the graciousness of our Lord!

So we rejoice in a great God! We have learned that no matter what the circumstance whether prison, conflict, opposition or traumatic experiences if we trust God and pray to him the peace of God which surpasses understanding will guard our hearts and our minds (Phil 4: 6, 7).

As we approach the closing weeks of Summer Link Raleigh, we are thankful for the Lord’s work in our lives. It has been great to watch our team’s excitement about the Lord grow and grow throughout this summer. We are eager to see what the Lord will do throughout the remaining weeks. We expect great things!

Me holding Isaac for the first time

A current picture of Isaac

By Paul Whitfield, Summer LINK Raleigh Director

Summer LINK Myrtle Beach: A Life Proclaiming Christ as Authority

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2

With only ten days remaining of SummerLINK Myrtle Beach, it would be easy to cruise along and focus our minds and hearts on what awaits us this coming fall and lose sight of what our Lord wants to do through us and in us as we conclude our summer in this dark city that seeks to fulfill our every shallow, worldly desire at every street corner, but right now, in this time of conflicting desires to finish strong or to focus our minds on how close we are to going home back to our comforts, is the time when we need to see Him rightly. God is our Helper and ultimate Authority who will give us the desires of our heart if we ask Him to keep us centered on His mission, for perseverance, and to rid us of our inwardly-focused hearts and selfish minds that are eager for the end because we may be growing weary. I must realize that I gain nothing from worldly comforts except a wrong idea of why I even have breath in the first place. The Bible says that even the Son of God did not have a place to lay His head, and Paul suffered for the Gospel in prison over and over again, so why am I concerned with these shallow thoughts centered on myself?

I desire to see the Lord as my ultimate Authority and to depend on Him above all else and others. Luke 14:26 tells us that, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Throughout my life, I have depended on my mom and other believers and friends around me for guidance, clarity, advice, and direction because I liked how it sounded and what it did for me. This summer, the Lord has been teaching me that He is the only voice I need to listen to because He is above all, and no one has been, is, or ever will be even close to like Him. He tells us in Matthew 28:18-20 that, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Since we are confident in what His Word says, I just wonder why I do not believe this every single moment and realize that making disciples is my only purpose  for being on this planet--not for eating, working, exercising, studying, or having shallow, small talk all day long. 

The Lord of the smallest grain of sand and of the most grand galaxies is WITH US and is in total control and wants us all in His kingdom. He promises us all these things, so instead of rushing through these last ten days and dwelling on all that the Lord has done these past two months(and He has done a ton!!), I want to have the mindset of seeking to complete all that He wants me to do to conclude the summer and to talk and share His Gospel with all that He puts in my path and not waste a second on myself and my worldly desires or emotions that do not proclaim His name or truth. I pray that this will always be my attitude, and that I will never fall victim to Satan's lies that what I do for the Kingdom is not enough or not good enough because the truth is that we are not saved by works, but only by the Lord's sovereign grace! The Lord is pleased with me when I am obedient to Him, but my relationship with Him is not a checklist. I love that His mission is never ending and that I can live missionally anywhere He places me.

This past week has been teeming with evidence of God's goodness and faithfulness in answering the prayers of His people and just being who He says He is as our team continually saw Him and still see Him in our day to day lives. For example, last Sunday we learned about Psalm 121 through Scott Moody, an Elder at Cornerstone Church. It was humbling to be reminded that "self can't help," and that God is our Helper and Keeper always. He is big enough to handle all our doubts and struggles, and He never sleeps! We have all experienced the not-able-to-form-words-right state of almost drunken consciousness after being up all night or after not getting our eight hours! It was so good to learn that He watches over us constantly and does not even need rest. Praise Him for being so high above us!

Also, praise the Lord that Sunday,the Lord allowed Logan Pierce to help Him fill over a row of seats with his co-workers and one of their families at Cornerstone! The Lord is at work, and it's beautiful to witness the growth of His kingdom.

Monday night, we switched up routine and heard from Andrew Flowers as He led our Bible study at the Seamist on Psalm 121 as we dug deeper into God's Word and discussed highlights from Sunday's message from Scott. I always love to hear how the Word is working in the lives of my teammates and how the Lord speaks uniquely to us as individuals who seek Him. Michelle Ellis assisted Andrew by passing out note cards so that we could apply what we learned from this Psalm in the coming week. We prayed about and wrote down how we could practically trust the Lord and lean not on ourselves and our own understanding. I really appreciate the thought that these two put into preparing for our time studying the Word together and the encouragements that they both are to me.

Tuesday, we all gathered at the Scott and Jessica Moody's home for a night of dinner and fellowship while discussing what our biggest takeaways are from reading Life Together this summer. We had the opportunity to play with their beautiful three boys, Sam, Cole, and baby Elias, to hear Scott and Jessica's testimonies of how the Lord brought them from darkness to light in Him, and to be reminded that Christ is the glue of any Christian community seeking to please Him. We were also reminded of our need for each other in fellowship, confession, bearing burdens, and being transparent in order for a Gospel-centered community to exist fully. Praise the Lord that He does is so patient and loving to constantly remind us of His truths and goodness because we forget so easily and often.

Yummy food prepared by Jessica!!

Wednesday night was unique in that we had the opportunity to participate in prayer meeting at Cornerstone, led by Paul and Jenny Moore, a mission-minded couple whose love for Jesus is evident in how they speak and live intentionally for the Lord. We got to gather together and pray specifically for the lost that we know, for healing and physical needs, for every part and person of Cornerstone who has and will enter, and for every neighboring business surrounding Cornerstone and all the people who enter the doors daily. What a precious evening spent in community hearing the needs of our church body and going on a prayer walk. We always have time to talk to our Lord, and He loves to hear from His children! Afterwards, we each had our own reflection night where we take time to seek the Lord and dwell on what He has done and pray in expectancy for what He will do. I love these intentional times set apart to spend with our Creator, and I always walk away feeling convicted, refreshed, and with more hope in the Lord and His attributes than ever.

Thursday night was much needed after a hectic day, at least at my workplace! We all met at Mr. Fish for a splurge dinner because the Lord has been providing more meals by families of the church and by others than expected. It was such a blessing to fellowship with each other and talk about our days and enjoy some high-class seafood together for the first time since we have been at the beach! Yum! I love going out together and ministering to our waiters and just trying to show them Jesus in the way we behave and speak with her. Kristy was her name, and let's continue to pray for her salvation because the Lord desires all to be saved! Then, we split into men's/women's time where the ladies played tennis and discussed Biblical womanhood and what it actually is, and the men talked together about Biblical manhood at Cornerstone for the remainder of the evening. What a blessing to have a time set aside for intentional bonding and discussing our separate roles in the Kingdom that the Lord has created for a purpose! 

I had been looking forward to Friday all week because it meant taking my new friend, Lucie, a lifeguard from the Czech Republic, to dinner and to Walmart on our free night. It was the first time we spent together outside of the mornings when we set up her chairs and umbrellas on the beach together, and I had asked many people to pray for our time together on Friday. Mackenzie and Michelle joined us at none other than Cracker Barrel where we enjoyed seeing Lucie devour her first ever sweet potato that she ordered only because I always talk about their tastiness to her almost every morning I am with her! I loved watching her take pictures of every little thing and her getting to know Mackenzie and Michelle and just experience community with us as we blessed the food and held edifying conversation. Lucie has been such a blessing in my life this summer, and I know she is one of the main reasons the Lord placed me on SummerLINK MB this summer. He is so faithful in answering my prayers for perseverance, for opportunities and boldness with Lucie, and so much more. I pray daily for her salvation and am confident that the Lord is planting seeds in her. Praise be to God for his sovereignty and for giving me the desire for her to know Christ as her Savior and Lord and for all of our desires for the lost to be saved.

Saturday morning our outreach included helping the lifeguards near the Seamist set up their umbrellas and chairs, giving them frozen waters and popsicles, and just spending time talking to them, especially Alex and Lucie who we have been in consistent contact with throughout the summer. I praise the Lord for his faithfulness in building these relationships and for these opportunities to serve together and proclaim of His Gospel and  love to the lost.

Thanks be to God that He has given us ten more days to serve and love and witness to the lost throughout Myrtle Beach. His timing is perfect, and He is sovereign and will guide us in His perfect will if we seek Him and trust Him wholly, above all else. Let's ascribe to Him all the glory due His name and seek Him in both the small and large daily things in life. He is constantly at work in us as we seek Him and have faith that He will complete the good work He began in us. 

"Your works are wonderful,
I know that full well." Psalm 139:14b

Hannah Watkins

Summer LINK Raleigh: Mission Trip to Boston

This summer of Summer Link has taught me so much. From our first Equipping Night at Zach Nelson’s house to this last week in Boston I have learned what it means to give of myself in service and to depend on the Lord for strength and purpose rather than searching for it within myself. The Lord has stretched me and pushed me so much this summer, and while it has been hard, I am grateful for it. I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Boston with Open Door, and that week was definitely a highlight of this summer.

This was my first time on this mission trip, and it was definitely a blessing to be able to go. I had been hearing a lot of great things about Redemption Hill and it was amazing to see how this church plant had grown over the past three years. I was so encouraged by the faith of the Pastors and leaders of Redemption Hill, and how they truly did trust God with their church and the work they were doing in the Medford Community. While we were in Boston, our primary focus was Soccer Nights. Through Soccer Nights we were able to reach out to a great number of parents who were watching their kids play. I thought it was so awesome that there was an outreach team and their specific job for Soccer Nights was to share the gospel and love on the parents who were there. It was so encouraging to see the heart of the outreach team to reach these people. Almost everywhere I looked, there were people engaging other people, loving them and trying to share the gospel with them. It was definitely a great reminder of how essential the gospel is and how there are people who need the gospel. It was also a great reminder to be bold with my faith and to be a light to the people around me, not just in Boston, but at home in Raleigh as well.

 Overall, Boston was an amazing trip. I enjoyed spending time with the people from Redemption Hill and serving them and Medford through Soccer Nights. I left Boston encouraged and challenged, and I am thankful for the opportunity to go.

By Taylor Hendrickson

Summer LINK Boston: Serve Medford

We begin our "Serve Medford" week this week! This is an exciting week for our team. Lots of things that our Blinkers have been working on this summer are all going to come together in the next week or so. 

The pastors at Redemption Hill have challenged us to "display" and "declare" the Gospel around Medford. We will have many opportunities this week to display the Gospel by doing children camps, service projects for local businesses and cleaning up some of the parks in Medford. Hopefully through these displays of the Gospel, we will also get to declare the Gospel.

Here are 3 big events that our Blinkers have been working with the Redemption Hill staff to pull together: 

1) SERVE MEDFORD- There are about 8 churches that have come to Medford to partner with Redemption Hill and serve the city. They will be doing various service projects around Medford. 

2) Our team has also been working with the Redemption Hill staff to pull together a huge Community Fun Night for Medford this coming Friday night. There will be food, games, fellowship and lots more. We are expecting about 1,000 people to attend.

3) Monday night there will be a student summer bash with a 3 on 3 basketball tournament. This is the first time this event has taken place. 

Please pray with us that: 

-Logistically everything that the Summer LINK team has set up will work out

-Community Fun Night will attract lots of people from the community and hopefully then to Redemption Hill

-The student summer bash would be a great way to connect with the youth of Medford

-People of Medford will see the Gospel displayed and hear it declared all over the city 

posted by: Christy Ferrell

SummerLINK India: Papa, Papa, Paparazzi

On Monday, some of the girls traveled to a women’s training to encourage them in their walk while the others met with our friend G for lunch and a bible study.

….Meanwhile, the guys had a great time spending the day at Tincha Falls with our friend H and driving through the beautiful countryside.  

  

The next day, the group had lunch with a Christian friend who runs an elderly home for the elderly. We had the opportunity to hear more about his ministry, and of course, had some delicious lunch and chai!

Finally, on Wednesday, the team took a day trip to Ujjain, an ancient city that is considered one of the seven sacred cities of Hindus and attracts millions of Hindu pilgrims from around the country. We started at the Mahakaal Temple, the most famous temple in the city created for Mahakaal, which translates to “Lord of Death.”

  

 Afterwards, we visited the city's holy driver and drove to another famous temple where we got to learn about more Hindu "pooja" (worship) practices: 

After our Ujjain day trip, some of the girls attended a women’s bible study, while the rest of the team went to meet with the students from the local English coaching school as we usually do each week. However, when we arrived, we were met by a surprise! Rather than meeting with our usual group of 10-20 students, we were greeted by badged escorts who brought us into a packed auditorium filled with English students and seated us in the front of the room. We were introduced to cheering students as “American diplomats” and proceeded to lead a Q & A session and small group discussions on American culture,with students asking us about topics ranging from our impressions of Indian culture to commentary on the US defense budget. The night ended with an enormous dance party set to Bollywood music and the team being swarmed by students asking for pictures, Facebook requests, and phone numbers. It was definitely the height of our American celebrity status!

How can you be pr@ying for us? 

• Please pr@y for the people we are seeing regularly and for all who we will meet in our final week here!
• Please pr@y for the unity and energy of our team so that we might finish strong in pursuit of God's vision for this city!   

Token Justin Diva Pic

By Amy Calfas

Adventures in the Pink City: Our Indian-Style Vacation

Last week our team had the opportunity to take a break from the work we have been doing this summer and explore the city of Jaipur. Our journey began early (like really early) on Wednesday morning at the train station at 5:30 a.m.

We were surprised by what we found there. Let’s just say our train didn't quite compare to the trains in America. This fact, coupled with the fact that Anna Grace could not come because she was sick, made us kind of sad.

But we decided to make the best of it and the next 11 HOURS flew by. (That’s right! We got to experience the wonders of Indian public transportation for most of Wednesday. You can be jealous.)

Needless to say, we were thrilled to arrive in the Pink City, a common nickname for Jaipur. We rode in rickshaws to our hotel and Justin was once again linked to Justin Bieber by one of the drivers. (Ask Justin to sing you a Bieber song when he gets back home. He would love that.) We spent that night resting in our wonderful hotel and making a plan to see the sights on Thursday. This is where we stayed. (Okay, not really.)

We made an early start Thursday morning and were so excited to start touring the city. Ten minutes later, the car that we rented broke down, (Oh, India!) but luckily our driver was able to fix it without too much trouble. We eventually made it to Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory that was built in the 1700s. Among other things, we saw the world’s largest sundial, standing 27 meters tall.

After that, we visited Gatore Ki Chhatriyan, a hidden gem of Jaipur. It was used as a royal crematorium. This site was surprisingly unknown by most tourists but was absolutely incredible.

We loved it so much we took a lot of pictures.

Next stop was the Amber Fort. It was built in 1592 on top of a high hill overlooking a lake. Another beautiful site.

 By the afternoon, we were worn out and hungry. Our solution? We had a super classy lunch complete with swirly straws.

Our last stop of the day was Nahargarh Fort. It is located on a mountain and we had to ride on a one lane road to reach the top. It was touch and go for a while, but we made it just in time to see one of the most amazing views of our whole trip.

There was a perfect view of Jaipur spanning as far as we could see on every side. As I looked down on this city, I could feel the burden the Father has for His people here. These lyrics came to mind: You're the Light in this darkness/You're the Hope to the hopeless/You're the Peace to the restless… For greater things have yet to come/And greater things are still to be done in this City.

Then we headed back to the hotel to recover from our busy day and to prepare for our journey home the following evening. The next day we did some shopping in the markets which is always a special experience. (Even cows need to shop for souvenirs.)

We were sad to leave the hotel later that night but were thankful for the short time we spent in the Pink City. It was a great taste of true Indian culture and a unifying experience for our time. What could be icing on the cake of a great few days? The night train, complete with summer camp style bunk beds. 

How can you be pr@ying for us? 

• Please pr@y for our team member as she continues to discern God’s call for her after our trip. She is looking to stay in India to do more work after we leave. 
• Pr@y for the health and energy of our team. We currently are all in good health (a very rare occurrence since we have arrived), so pr@y that this continues.
• Pr@y for the people that we are seeing regularly and for the people we may meet in the coming weeks. 
• Pr@y that we would finish the summer well for His glory.

Before I go, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
Justin with a snake charmer.

Jill Collins

   

SummerLINK Myrtle Beach: The God We Serve

 Wow. Where to begin…

As I sit and write this blog in the Barnes and Noble Café, thoughts and feelings overwhelm me as I reflect on SummerLINK.  Even if I just reflect on this week, I see how God has moved in my personal life and the life of our team.

God, in His perfect sovereignty, has placed James Wilson and Michelle Ellis as the leaders for the second half of these 10 weeks.  Because of His sovereign will, they are the perfect leaders for our team in these next weeks.  Continually, I am able to see and experience personally how both of these Godly people serve, support, and direct our team forward as we continue to live life on mission.

One of the most incredible things for us in these past few weeks has been to see the fruit that has come from the work that the Lord has provided for us (Ephesians 2:10).  I look out on Sunday morning and see people sitting in the congregation that, if not for God’s work through us, would not be in church otherwise. 

As this time is a limited time in Myrtle Beach for our team, it is easy to be discouraged and to feel like our work is not done here.  To feel like we could have done more, or that we should do more.  Though sometimes the Lord calls us to stay and continue ministry in a certain place, many times He calls us to move.  Though this can be troubling at times, I find comfort that the growth and movement of God’s kingdom is not in my hands, but He controls it.  We get to join in His mission, and as we move where He calls us, we trust that He will complete the good work that He has begun through us (Philippians 1:6).  He is a faithful and trustworthy God.

This past Sunday, our pastor at Cornerstone Church, Russ Bennett, returned from a mission trip to Costa Rica.  To say that the Lord had given him a renewed spirit and passion from Russ’s time there would be an understatement.  As he and another church member, Paul Moore, shared about their time in Costa Rica, our team’s hearts were convicted and empowered to continue to live missionally.  The Psalmist writes that we are to “declare God’s glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all the peoples” (Psalm 96:3).  But why?

“For GREAT is the Lord and most worthy to be praised” | Psalm 96:4a

This is a huge reminder for the followers of Christ.  We worship our God with our lives not only because of what He has done, but also because of who He is.  He is great.  He is worthy.

Monday was our reflection night, and Barnes and Noble has become my regular place of reflection. My mirror, if you will.  Reflection nights have been huge for me simply because I get to sit back and see how God has worked in the past week, and how He is continually present even in the routine of daily living.

Tuesday, we were incredibly blessed by another family in the church.  Home nights have been some of my favorite nights.  We get to here testimony of the Lord’s goodness from the lives of the families, and we discuss Bonhoeffer’s book on Christian community (Life Together) as we continue to pursue the community that God calls us to have.  This specific week we were able to discuss confession and the importance of it in community.  Confession is not for our embarrassment, but for our healing (James 5:16).  God does not call us to wallow in our sin, but for us to be continually healed and sanctified!

Wednesday, Logan Pierce led our small group where we were able to reflect on what the Lord had done on Sunday, but also to look forward and see that we are to declare his glory and deeds among all the peoples.

Making a joyful noise after bible study at the Raleys!

Thursday was a time we got to celebrate Mackenzie Morgan’s birthday as a team.  Needless to say, with help from Chick-fil-a hats and a Despicable Me birthday cake, we celebrated!!!  Thursday was also a time for the men and women to spend time within our own gender groups.  The men were able to continue in practicing James 5:16 and then went out and made a little clothing purchase…Ryan Heard…be prepared…

Saturday, we were able to serve with the church within the church as we built and painted an addition to the stage for Sunday morning worship.  Working, painting, and cleaning were some small tasks we could do to repay the blessings that the Lord, through this church, has given us.

That Saturday night we had our social at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball game.  Appropriately, it was Clemson/Carolina night and you already know that we rocked out the cadence count!

1-2-3-4! 1-2-3-4!   C-L-E-M-S-O-N   T-I-G-E-R-S!
Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers  Fight! Fight! Fight! Woo!

Our current time as a team in Myrtle Beach is coming to and end, but it is incredibly exciting and encouraging to look back on the Lord’s faithfulness to us. He was faithful to Abraham.  He’s been faithful to our team all summer.  He will be faithful as we move on in the future.

It’s just who He is.

“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise”

- Andrew Flowers

Humility of Christ: SummerLINK Boston

Our time so far in Boston has been incredible! We've been busy almost the entire time but it's been an incredible experience thus far!

We've been volunteering our time at several different locations, including the Boys and Girls Club, a low income community at Willis Ave, Soccer Nights last week, and lots of other planning of events! At the end of each day we come home exhausted but well worth our time and effort. One of the first things we started when we arrived in Boston was the Boys and Girls club. We got there the first day with around 10-15 kids but were promised that the next time there would be more. They weren't kidding as every time since then has been 40+. We have a blast every time we go and enjoy playing sports with the kids, arts and crafts, cooking, board games, and plenty of screaming to go around, sometimes a little more than our ears can handle though.

We have also been volunteering at a place we call Willis Ave. It's a low income community with a small community center where some of the kids like to hang out. The only complaint we have had is the heat as the kids love to play outside. They enjoy having visitors come and play with them and get attached very quickly. We play board games with them and play some sports and other games outside. We have also started a Bible Story time with them, starting with creation and through some of the Old Testament stories and hope to get through Jesus Christ and his life and death. It's always hard to leave the kids there because they get so attached, emotionally and literally.

The church plant here in Medford, Redemption Hill, has been an incredible encouragement to me. Most of the local businesses know of the church and know the pastors by name. They have done a fantastic job with outreach and evangelizing. Tanner and Jon, the two pastors, are very encouraging to our team and help us out as we plan different events throughout this summer. This past Sunday they had a few new members join their church. As a part of this process, they had them sign a covenant affirming the church's beliefs and such. What I liked in particular though was that as they became new members, they also commissioned them essentially as missionaries to the city. Being a part of Redemption Hill church and also the Church as the Body of Christ, to them, includes and requires evangelizing. This is just a testament of their passion and their desire to serve God.

I have been going through Philippians with our leader during the trip and it's been convicting and uplifting. One thing me and Chad keep pointing back to is that Christ and his mission is always on the forefront of his mind. He is in jail while writing his letter and yet he rejoices because he is able to expand the Kingdom because of it. Paul tells the church to be humble because Christ was humble. He tells the church think and act in unity because Christ alone is their salvation. If he dies, he will see Christ. If he lives, he's at work spreading the gospel. Paul lives and breaths the mission of Christ. If only I could have this mindset. I listened to a sermon from my pastor back home a few days ago and was severely convicted at my lack of intentionality. Now I pray that my mindset is to always be looking for a way to communicate Christ. My pastor brought out two quotes from Spurgeon: (my paraphrasing) "Don't let anyone go to hell unwarned or unprayed for," and the second "If they go to hell, let it be leaping over our dead bodies." I earnestly want this physical, emotional, and spiritual drive to spread the Gospel. One thing I pray for myself, that I don't allow myself to think that the words I say will bring someone to salvation, but only the work of Christ on the cross.

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason, also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11

Things to Pray for:

• The events we are planning - Community Fun Night, Serve Medford, 3v3 Basketball tournament
• Unity as a team, patience with each other (been great so far) 
• That we would be bold in proclaiming Christ

Aaron Rice
Summer LINK Boston

Summer LINK Boston: Unity

We were able to take the day yesterday and drive about an hour and a half away to Cape Cod for a midsummer excursion. We had the opportunity to sightsee, relax at a beach and spend some great time fellowshipping together and enjoying each others company.  As we spent time praying together and reflecting last night, I became so thankful at how the Lord has knitted our team together in the couple weeks we have been together.

We have prayed for unity for our team for the past few months and the Lord has been gracious to bring us together for the sake of the Gospel. As a director, it has been such a blessing to watch these people who had very little history together prior to Boston, unify to proclaim Christ and serve Boston. 

Here are a few group pictures from our time together so far. I am thankful for the privilege to serve alongside this group! 

posted by: Christy Ferrell

More Masala Please!!!!! - SLink- India

Masala is a spice that Indians use on everything, and it brings us to tears every time we eat it, because it is so spicy!!  They literally put it on everything, from chicken to their drinks to popcorn. There is an ongoing joke among our team, that just when we thought that we escaped food with masala in it, it seems like they add more and more to the dishes that we eat, and then they bring out an extra side of masala.  

Scootin Around Town

We have found a new way to get around town- on the back of Rachel’s moped! There is no better way to face the crazy traffic in India, than on the back of a scootie (as the locals would say)! 

We met with some students from the English class that Rachel teaches at, outside of the classroom, hoping that we could have some less scripted conversation with them.  We really wanted to try to build more intentional relationships with them.  A lot of students showed up and we got to hang out in smaller groups, and tried to help them improve some of their English. We didn't know that they were going to be quizzing us on our Hindi though!  One thing that they really try to do is to have motivational phrases that they are working on.  One that they shared was “Life is best for those that enjoy it.  Life is worst for those that criticize it, because attitude defines your life.”  This was great for how we were feeling, we were all going through some culture shock, and it was time for us to change our attitude and perspective. Our negativity was getting in the way of what God was trying to do.  

We had lunch with a guy named Amon at a traditional Indian restaurant.  He ordered a ton of new things for us to try.  We were all pretty nervous, but it turned out to be pretty good!  

Because of these things called Vegi lollipops, we have learned to say “This is YUMMY!”, as a warning to the other members of our group that actually this particular dish is absolutely disgusting, and if they ask if you want any, reply that you are full.  There was confusion at one point, where everyone was just lying when they said something was good, when it was really awful, therefore everyone thought it was a safe choice, and we all ended up tasting it. 

Amon then took us to a place called Regional Park! This pic is great because when Amon first saw Justin in the mall, he wouldn’t approach him because he was so intimidated by Justin’s huge muscles! Now they have a nice bro-mance going on!

On the way to Regional Park, a couple of people were talking about how grey India is and it is depressing because we are missing God’s creation, which is something that we took for granted in the States.  There is a little green, but it is covered with trash.  There are rivers, but they are filled with trash.  The smog is so dense that we don’t see any sunsets or sunrises, or the stars or the moon.  And we couldn't remember the last time that we saw flowers.  As soon as we finished talking about it, we had arrived to the park, and we looked around, and the park was filled with so many flowers. It’s like all of the flowers of India were gathered and put in this park.  God is so good to remind us he is still in control.  We needed to be reminded of his beauty and splendor and creativity, and he provided it!

Regional Park was good for a lot of reasons, but mostly because it just refreshed us in reminding us how great our God is and how beautiful his creation is.

The girls went to an apartment for a bible study with some of the national believers here.  It was mostly all in Hindi.  We studied Ephesians.  We were reminded that the same God that I love and worship and and serve, is the same God that these women worship and love and serve.  God is cross-cultural and bi-lingual, and multi-generational.  We have nothing in common with these women, but in Christ, we have everything.  It brings such Unity among believers being able to pray and worship together.  It is such a great picture of what Heaven will be like one day.

We went to the English school for Rachel’s last day there.  We spent time teaching them how to use “a, an, and the” correctly.  It was hard for us, because this is just something easy we don’t even think about, but having to break it down for them, was really confusing for most of us!

Amy teaches a Zumba class at the gym, so we went to support her! It was super intense! Ask Josh to show you some of the moves that he learned! He will probably be teaching Zumba when he gets back to America!!

We went to Rachel’s going back to America party! India will miss her!

Josh’s new best friend in India! I see the two of them getting into some trouble while we are here!

We went to a fancy going away lunch for Rachel at the Radisson hotel!  The week that we got to spend with her went back way to fast, we miss her already! 

Josh being Josh

Josh, “What is the right angle to take a selfie, but not make it look like you are taking a selfie?”

I do realize that Josh has been the focus for the last couple of pics, but it is important for everyone at home to know that Josh is addicted to Corn that he can get on the side of the road!  His record is 4 in one day! 

Josh and Justin got to go and play Cricket with some guys at 6am! They then went to breakfast.

2 Thessalonians 1: 9-10 “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because of our testimony to you was believed.”

-          This is a verse that we studied in one of our bible studies and it just reminds us why we are in India.  That the reality for the unbeliever is eternal separation from God.  This motivates us to be intentional with our time here and love the lost. 

Please be praying for: -one of our team members is staying long term and is having trouble finding a job.  - the health of our team, specifically Anna Grace has been sick the most.  –That God will provide more contacts for us so that we can build more meaningful relationships. -continued unity among our group -steadfastness. India isn't the easiest place to stay for a month, please pray that we will seek God in those trying times and remember that we are here to reach the lost.  –pray that we will be led by the holy spirit

By: Kayla Dickson