Zechariah 13-14
Revelation 21
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” 1 Peter 1:3-4
Imagine fleeing our home with only a backpack holding a few sentimental pieces and important documents and then travelling many miles to safety. This past summer, some young adults from The Peoples Church (Toronto, Canada) went to serve in a refugee camp at Lesvos, Greece, for seven weeks. The young adults were challenged as they learned what it meant to live out the love and compassion of Jesus.
Each day, the volunteers would meet together for a time of prayer and worship before serving in the name of Jesus. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring peace and blessings to the residents before even interacting with them. Whilst other refugee camps experienced unrest and even violence erupting, there was a tangible peace at the camp in Lesvos, which could only be because His peace was there. Even though the ability to openly share about Jesus was limited at the camp, body language became a huge part of communication to share Christ. The volunteers were encouraged to pray over every interaction, whether it was delivering cleaning and hygienic supplies, distributing much-needed clothing to families or teaching math to children who have hardly been to school at all in their short lives. Christ was noticeably at work and lives were being changed!
One particularly profound moment was with a young girl, Amina*, who had been attending music classes in the camp taught by Rob Perry, a missionary with IAFR (International Association For Refugees). While he was not able to sing worship songs specifically, he was able to sing songs that speak of love and peace. It was a great way of igniting in the children a love for music, which is God’s gift to bring us hope and peace. Since Amina’s family was inquiring about Christianity, one of the young adults invited Amina’s family to church on Sunday.
When the family went to church, Amina and her younger sister were excited to play in the children’s area at the back of the room. As the service started, however, Amina heard the singing and immediately stopped playing with the toys and stood to sing, just as she had been taught in the music program! Although she could not understand many words, she carefully tried to read the text projected on the screen and sing the melody. While the children continued to play around her, Amina was transfixed by the worship and sang from her heart. It was beautiful not only to see how her time in music class had prepared her to worship but also to see a living hope growing in her.
Even in hard and difficult places, seeds of Christ are being planted daily and the Spirit is at work.
Lord God, in the unknown, the unseen and in the secret places, God, You are at work. May the seeds You plant flourish and bring fruit. Thank You, Lord.
Revelation 21
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” 1 Peter 1:3-4
Imagine fleeing our home with only a backpack holding a few sentimental pieces and important documents and then travelling many miles to safety. This past summer, some young adults from The Peoples Church (Toronto, Canada) went to serve in a refugee camp at Lesvos, Greece, for seven weeks. The young adults were challenged as they learned what it meant to live out the love and compassion of Jesus.
Each day, the volunteers would meet together for a time of prayer and worship before serving in the name of Jesus. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring peace and blessings to the residents before even interacting with them. Whilst other refugee camps experienced unrest and even violence erupting, there was a tangible peace at the camp in Lesvos, which could only be because His peace was there. Even though the ability to openly share about Jesus was limited at the camp, body language became a huge part of communication to share Christ. The volunteers were encouraged to pray over every interaction, whether it was delivering cleaning and hygienic supplies, distributing much-needed clothing to families or teaching math to children who have hardly been to school at all in their short lives. Christ was noticeably at work and lives were being changed!
One particularly profound moment was with a young girl, Amina*, who had been attending music classes in the camp taught by Rob Perry, a missionary with IAFR (International Association For Refugees). While he was not able to sing worship songs specifically, he was able to sing songs that speak of love and peace. It was a great way of igniting in the children a love for music, which is God’s gift to bring us hope and peace. Since Amina’s family was inquiring about Christianity, one of the young adults invited Amina’s family to church on Sunday.
When the family went to church, Amina and her younger sister were excited to play in the children’s area at the back of the room. As the service started, however, Amina heard the singing and immediately stopped playing with the toys and stood to sing, just as she had been taught in the music program! Although she could not understand many words, she carefully tried to read the text projected on the screen and sing the melody. While the children continued to play around her, Amina was transfixed by the worship and sang from her heart. It was beautiful not only to see how her time in music class had prepared her to worship but also to see a living hope growing in her.
Even in hard and difficult places, seeds of Christ are being planted daily and the Spirit is at work.
Lord God, in the unknown, the unseen and in the secret places, God, You are at work. May the seeds You plant flourish and bring fruit. Thank You, Lord.
← Older Post Newer Post →