SummerLINK Boston: The Big Week

BLINK's time in Boston is quickly coming to a close. This past week was our busiest week of the summer. We've spent the past few weeks preparing for this week. This week was Serve Medford with Community Fun Night on Friday. Last Saturday around 80 volunteers from all over the South came to help Redemption Hill Church with different service projects around Medford. Every volunteer was such a tremendous help and we are all so thankful for their time and willingness to serve! Throughout the week projects during the day included:

- Service projects at businesses around Medford Square - window washing, cleaning, organizing, painting, etc.
- Kids Camp at Willis Ave. Community Center
- Working in local parks - laying out new sand and mulch, cleaning, painting
- T Giveaways of granola bars and gum with Redemption Hill invite cards and Community Fun Night flyers

Crosspoint Youth playing with kids at Willis Ave.

Me with the Renewal SummerLINK team after handing out 600 T Giveaways at Wellington Station

The Renewal SummerLINK team and Kerrin cleaning toys at Play Academy 

BLINKers with Judy Lonergan at Lonergan Insurance Agency and Real Estate painting her office

One of the many opportunities that brought us all much joy was giving 15 Jesus Storybook Bibles to the kids at Willis Ave. These kids were "regulars" that we have been able to get to know over the past few weeks. We were allowed to share several stories from the Bible over the past few weeks and were all burdened by how many of the kids had never heard one story from the Bible. It was such a joy to present them a gift that we all pray will change their lives. We were also able to give one to the director, Leah, to keep for the center! It was such a delight to watch each one look through their new Bible! After handing a Bible to one of the little boys, Peter, and his mom, the Lord presented a wonderful opportunity for me to hear that Peter had been asking questions about God after hearing the stories we were able to tell. He and his mom were both so excited to have a Bible for him to have his questions answered and to be able to keep learning!

We all wrote a short note and signed each of the Bibles and personalized them for each kid

Kelsey showing sisters Cassady and Maisey their new Bible!

Aaron giving Davon, Christian and Tony their Bibles!

Peter and his mom, Maggie, looking at their new Bible!

On Wednesday, we were able to take a fun day having lunch with the Reedy's (a couple at RHC) and then going to a Red Sox game with Crosspoint! We all had a blast taking a free day in the middle of such a busy week. The Red Sox played an incredibly long game (15 innings) against the Seattle Mariners that ended with a W for the Sox! Most of our team was able to stay for 14 of the 15 innings. Unfortunately Wednesday also marked a rough spot in our week with several of our team members getting the stomach bug. Even though we had several BLINKers confined to our hotel rooms, God was gracious to grant us strength to finish out the week strong and gave a speedy recovery to most of those who got sick! 

Caitlyn (SummerLINK Clemson), Abbey, Liz and me at the Sox game!

A "wicked" beautiful sunset over Fenway!

God has continued to grant our team unity as we live in incredibly close quarters and work together to carry out specific tasks that have been entrusted to us by RHC. We have had sweet time together during our Worship and Word and Men's and Women's Time learning about Christ's humility, obedience, and sacrifice on the Cross and learning more about one another. I am so thankful for this team who constantly push me closer to Christ by applying what we are learning. I confidently say that we are "brothers and sisters" who in likemindedness desire to see this lost and broken city come to follow and love the Lord. God is continuously growing our hearts to have an even greater burden for Boston.

As our time in Boston finishes up, our team has several prayer requests:
- Continued relationships to be built with those who we made connections with during Serve Medford
- Visitors to come to Redemption Hill Church because of T Giveaways, Community Fun Night, the 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament, and general word spreading about RHC
- Continued recovery from illness and protection from the stomach bug for the team members who haven't been sick
- Boldness in our last few days to have Gospel conversations


Meredith

Summer LINK Raleigh: Reflections on Worship

This Summer I have been working with the summer link team from Open Door. I am doing my internship with the worship pastor here in Raleigh. While doing this it has caused me to think about what worship really is. Yes worship can be considered singing on Sunday mornings for cooperate worship but that is not all worship is. Back in Genesis God created Adam and Eve in the garden and there they had perfect communion with God and were made to have fellowship and to worship him. But, because man chose to sin we are now separated from God. Thankfully, God provided a way though the death and resurrection of His son so that we might have communion with him and be able to worship him. 

This summer I have been doing some reading about spiritual disciplines and about what it truly means to worship. I have been reminded that through Christ’s death on the cross he was the substitute for my sin and because he took my place that it should be no long I who live but Christ who lives in me which is stated in Galatians 2:20. I no longer have to come across God’s wrath from my sin because Jesus sacrifice has overtaken wrath and has covered it with Christ self sacrifice.  Christ death has conquered sin and death in the grave. He took my sin upon himself so that I might live and have fellowship with him. 

Because Christ has done this he has given us a new heart. Our heart is the main organ in our body that keeps us going but it is also an organ that has passions and affections along with desires. But, another thing that comes from the heart is worship. Since our heart’s purpose is to worship we need to guard it.  We need to watch out for the Idols that can come in. This summer I have really been learning this because there are so many different things that I want but I know that they will not be the best for me.   

This internship has been wonderful for me because it has caused me to remember what it is that Christ has done and how he has provided a way for all to be saved. It has also helped me to reflect over my life to see the things that have taken over my heart. It has allowed me to realign my heart with His as he has been transforming my life into something that will honor him and will be an example to the world.

By Josh Poitras 

SummerLINK India: Peace Out I-Town

           This past Tuesday we had a neat opportunity at a nearby public school. We were able to take part in a seminar urging the students to love and care for the elderly.  Josh and Justin gave a presentation on the importance of caring for our parents out of gratitude for their care to us as children.  After the presentations the students asked questions, many had difficult questions on big problems in the home.  Also we were asked to sing for all the students. Then we were taken on a grand tour of the school and fed a traditional Indian school lunch!

Later that day the girls went to coffee with our friend P and her sister. We had a great conversation on the g0spel and the peace we have in Chr1st. The guys went to dinner and then to a Chai bar with our friend A.  They had a interesting discussion on the reason for conflicts between Hindus and Muslims.

                                  

                                  

On Wednesday we had lunch with our good sister P and then divided into teams to go pr@yer walking in the malls.  Later that day the ladies were honored with an invite to our sister G's home for dinner. We spent time with her family and pr@yed over them. They are such a kind and hospitable family.

On Thursday the girls went to a nearby salon for some spoiling with facials and hair treatments. We were also able to treat our sister G to a facial for her birthday.  Later we completed our celebration with cupcakes and hanging out.

While the guys went on another adventure with our friend H to visit some local temples and enjoy some street food.

On Friday we joined several of our brothers and sisters for a hike to Ralamandal! The green foliage and sweeping view made the hike well worth it! At the top we gathered for pr@yer over I-town and India.  We are really going to miss these guys!

As Chris Brown would say, "Don't Wake Me Up!"

How can you be pr@ying for us?
- For safe travels to Delhi and then home on Thursday.
- While we are ready to be home please pr@y that we would be content in our last few days here.
-Our teammate, Amy, now has multiple options for her time her in India! Pr@y that she would have wisdom to discern what to do and that she would find a place to live.

Post by: Anna Chassevent

Summer LINK Raleigh: Ministering Where You Live

I am finding that Summerlink Raleigh is very different from the other SLINK locations. I live in Wake Forest, a tiny town on the outside of Raleigh, so my life is here! I honestly had no idea that our location was so different from the other locations, but hey it is. There have been advantages and disadvantages with serving in the same area I live. Especially at the beginning of the summer, it was hard to balance my job and the relationships I already had in Raleigh with SLINK. I had to learn that my time isn’t actually my time. My time and my life is the Lord’s.

It is really cool that the things I have been learning and practicing have been in my own church! I will be able to continue these relationships I have built with people here. Discipleship will continue after this summer. I have learned from people in my own church body that I may not have gotten the chance to know outside of SLINK, and the cool part is that those relationships can grow and progress throughout my time here at Open Door.

Even as I am trying to write this blog, I am trying to separate the things I have learned from summerlink and the things I have been learning from my life in general. However, I am realizing that the two are not distinct. The relationships I had before summerlink have gone on and they have been with me on this journey. I am doing my life in my local church, with the name of summerlink or without.

This next week, a few of the girls on our team will be starting a youth girls Bible study on Hosea. I am super excited about this study. I have always wanted to do a study on Hosea and grasp a deeper understanding of the book. It can be a difficult book, but it is such a beautiful picture of the gospel. We are just like Hosea’s wife. We are adulators and make idols out of literally EVERYTHING. Hosea sought out his wife when she ran away, found her, and brought her back. We are Christ’s bride. He found us and brought us into relationship when we did not deserve to be brought back. I am excited to study this in more depth and dwell in the richness and the fullness of the gospel.

By Sarah Snow

SummerLINK India: When Life Gives You Lemontree

SummerLINK India

        Last Thursday was an interesting day because the auto-rickshaws we use for transportation were on strike. Fortunately the girls were still able to get to the house of their friend G. They were welcomed to an authentic meal and experienced true Indian hospitality. They even got to play a little cricket!

 

Josh and I went to T.I. mall where we were able to meet with our friend R for several hours. 

        On Friday we had to say goodbye to our hotel, the beloved Lemon Tree. We packed our bags and sent our things off. Then we made our way to a conference of national believers.

Bye Lemon Tree!

The conference was organized by V.F.I. and many of our friends were there. We heard two sessions taught by a guest speaker. Then we had lunch and a time of rest and fellowship. There was an afternoon worship session, after which we left. The believers there were full of joy, they continued despite numerous power outages.

                   

        Saturday was a really fun day for us. One of our friends took us to a waterfall called Patal Pani. We had such a good time exploring the area. The waterfall and surrounding area were absolutely stunning.

                                         

                     

                                                Our Fearless Leader

That evening we went back to the house for an evening with the family. They made us a home cooked meal of American food. We enjoyed it so much. It wasn't even spicy.

 

On Sunday we took autos to church. The rest of our day was nice and relaxing.

        Monday was a busy day for all of us. Josh and I spent the afternoon pr@yer walking with B in a few different areas of the city. He acted as our translator so we could talk to Indians who didn't speak English. We also had the chance to visit his home. The girls spent the day doing the same thing with their friend G. We came back together in the evening for dinner and to debrief what we had done that day.

How can you be pr@ying for us? 

• Pr@y that our last few days here will be fruitful.
• Please pr@y that the friends we have made will continue to pursue the Lord, and that those who do not know Him will continue to be drawn to Him.

Obligatory Justin pic

By: Justin Harrison

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