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This has been a very good, and different, experience for all of us. Some of our students had never really shared the gospel with anyone before. None of us knew about the LDS faith to the extent that we do today. We have learned a lot and God has used this group to do some amazing and exciting things.
On Thursday we finished our 3 day VBS on a high note. We had a great time getting to know the kids and loving them. Many of them were from nearby churches and some of them brought LDS friends who heard the gospel clearly every day. It was great to see our students allowing the kids to jump all over them or throw things at them or cuddle with them during teaching times. You could see in the kids eyes how much they appreciated and loved our students.
Right after VBS we served the city of Springville by cleaning one of their parks. They had a lot of weeding to do on some of their paths and in planters and our team got right to it. One of the girls even told me that a lady pulled up to them, rolled down her window, and nearly started crying when she thanked them for doing that work. We fought mosquitos, pulled dandelions and stickers, and worked hard for Jesus in plain view of Mormons who are not used to being served so freely. It was plain to us that our idea of a mission is different than theirs and we were happy to serve them to show them love.
When we got back from the service project we hosted a Rock Band Night for the community. We have passed out flyers and invited as many teens as we could. All our time getting ready, inviting people, and walking down the street to buy more pizza was worth it. John made contacts with 6 local teens that he had never met before and is going to follow up with them and invite them to join the group they have going at GBC. Around here 6 new teens in one night is a big deal and John was thrilled to have an opportunity to connect with them.
Friday was a fun day full of water slides, swimming, and enjoying being around one another. After playing at Payson pool we went to Derrick’s (the senior pastor) house. They cooked up some brats and fed us really well. Then we had a great time to simply worship Jesus and praise together thanking Him for all he has done. Just as we were wrapping up Derrick asked if we would mind going outside and singing a few songs on their patio so the neighbors could hear. Without hesitating everyone ran outside and started singing loudly. It was a great time of worship together to the glory of God!
We have learned a lot and done the best that we could. God is bringing people in to Utah that I believe will have a great impact on this area and I am glad to have met some of them and to have done what we could to be a part of what happens here.
There are a few things to pray for as we wrap up our trip:
This has been a great journey and I am excited to see what God does in the future as a result of our obedience to Him.
- Jared
Another great day of VBS!! This evening Pastor John told us that about 25% of the kids here were first timers and had never been in the doors of the church. They were LDS friends of the kids that come here. He also mentioned that the hardest thing is just getting them to come in the doors sometimes because they think that everything the evangelical church does is weird and scary. When them come in and find a friendly place that is relaxed and allows them to be who God made them to be and ask some hard questions they are always surprised.
After VBS we put ourselves to work on a few service projects to help the church. We spread some fliers out around town with information on a radio station that is updating their programming and we sorted clothes for Saturday Grace. SG is a program that began at GBC (where we're serving) and now has 4 locations. One Saturday each month they will open the church for a few hours and allow people to come in and freely take anything they need from a selection of food and clothes. This has been a huge ministry to the community because they are not used to true grace. I have been told that the LDS church is more than happy to help people who are members but will refuse to help those who are not at every turn. In fact, as one woman's story goes, a church official told her they would help her if they allowed the LDS church to baptize her daughter. That is not how grace works and the program here has had such an impact that even the LDS families in town give to it.
In sorting the clothes we found some real treasures (if by treasures you think clothes that would be great for skits and props for youth ministry). There were all kinds of clothes that you would not imagine and we had the honor of sorting it all out. We kept the good stuff and put it in labeled boxes and we disposed of the things that would not be of good use, after wearing most of them of course. It was hilarious to see the articles of clothing that different students were wearing and not taking off at the first opportunity. I know that you are dying to see a picture but you are going to have to ask to see them when they get home. I am not going to post them out here for the world to see. The director of Saturday Grace, Joy, told us that we probably did as much as would take them months to do so we know that we were doing something that will really help.
After service projects and dinner we did something different and took our team to the mall to hand out flyers and invite students to come to Rock Band Night. It was great to hear some of the stories that came out of that and it was obvious to see who is extraverted and who is not. We handed out a ton of flyers to people and personally invited them. Rock Band Night is something that John has put together and we are helping them with it because we want to connect the students here to John and Grace Bible Church. This church has an amazing heart for the Mormon people and we want to do all we can to encourage them and help them build bridges into the community.
Please be in prayer for VBS and the Rock Band Night events. Pray that students will come, that God will open their hearts, and that they will come to know him as their savior and put their faith and trust in him alone.
- Jared
Hello to everyone, Chris here, Okay where to begin Wow what a trip, it seems like we have been on the road for months and it is only Wednesday! Everyone is doing well, all of our students have gelled and so far have not moved into clicks. Just so you know we are eating well and know that we have settled in we are resting well. Our first three days were fast and furious with little time to rest or take a break, but it has been worth it! Today was our first day of VBS and it was awesome! We had twenty four little ones and boy did they have fun! Our students were great! Today we rested in the afternoon and took some down time before our outreach challenge tonight. Before I try to explain or outreach tonight I must tell you of the preparation that we have been going through to prepare our hearts for this work. We have learned about Moronism from one of the best, Jared has hit upon this in his previous blogs. Then we toured the temple grounds right after learning about the truth or the lack of truth of there beliefs. It is a dark web of lies that the thief has spun around these people and the power is strong, but not greater than He who is in us (1John 4:4). As a group we have been praying with great expectation and last night we truly cried out to God at the moment when we were at the end of our ropes with extreme tiredness. It was a beautiful thing when we thought we all had nothing left but one common desire to go to bed we found ourselves praying for one another and finding a deeper strength and energy that could only come from God! It was a valuable lesson on dependency. I have to believe that none of us have been the same since that moment! It is so truly exciting to depend deeply upon God and to have ourselves emptied out! Tonight we went to hang out and be relational with LDS high school students. We thought we were going to hang out at a park but we had a tip about the reservoir where a lot of people hang out. Well since they county that we are in is 92% LDS then we were bound to meet and mix it up with LDS high school student there. The reservoir was beautiful and the water very cool and refreshing! The place was packed and we rolled up in our church vans unloaded our grills and food because we were going to eat dinner there and to say the least we were noticed! It was not heard to meet the people around us or to start conversations the people here are very friendly. Matteo was in the water in a flash and started up a conversation right away. For the rest of us it was a slower beginning but once dinner was cooked up and we started to invite others to join in on our dinner we had a ton of people hanging out around us and the conversations were flowing. I had dinner tonight and when I bought the chicken and the fixings for caesar salad I did not know that we had any plan to feed more than our group, but I looked at the line and it just keep growing. By grace we feed everyone that wanted to receive our offer and we had hot dogs to spare. I must admit that is is only by Gods grace that we had enough food! Thank you Jesus and praise be to God it was cool very cool! The stories that came back to us were very encouraging and such a testimony of our students faith. That asked questions and listened to the stories of the people they were meeting. The stories stated that they were confused by what they believe and yes they have questions. We have been given truth from our education on LDS that we have received here and we have been told that we know more than they do. Which is a powerful truth since one of the lies is that most young LDS know all there is to know about what they believe which leaves any one who is willing to engaged filling unequipped. Tonight that lie was torn down in our group and we know that they do have doubts... Matteo's conversation lead to the young man sharing that he did not feel like he could ever reach the higher levels of the LDS faith, due to his past. Matteo shared about grace and how it is by Jesus alone that we are ever good enough. Matteo stated that this new friends face lighted up as he continued to speak about Grace! Continue to pray for us we are so excited to be here and wait with expatiation to see how God will use us tomorrow! Chris Chris Henderson Next Generation Pastor Crossroads Church of Aspen
How’s it going friends and family of our mission trip team? This is Pastor Lance and I just wanted to share with you a little bit of how things are going here in Springville Utah. The first thing I want to say is how great a God we serve! His working in our lives and this trip has been truly amazing. The next thing I want to say is that our youth on this trip have been blowing my mind! They have been shining so brightly for the Lord; I wish you all could see it for yourselves.
The unity of our team has been growing like wildfire. I really felt like there was a breakthrough with our group in this area the night before vbs started. Everyone, and I mean everyone, jumped in to help, got their responsibilities ready for the next day, and did not hesitate to help with decorating and setting up. Then things went to another level when vbs started. All were excited in the Joy of the Lord and determined in their hearts and minds to be the face of love to these kids. Many have LDS kids in their group which is a major prayer request. We had about thirty kids here today, and history shows that in this area that number has a tendency to grow and possibly even double in the next few days. Please pray for the kids that God would have come to vbs. The afternoon finally offered us a chance to slow down a little and recharge our batteries. Many took good advantage of this and it showed in the evening outreach. We decided to do our outreach at the Spanish Forks Reservoir instead of the park. This decision offered many opportunities for our youth to interact and talk with people. We grilled dinner there and fed numerous other people at the lake. Things were very difficult for everyone to talk and share at first but the free food opened up the floodgates of opportunity to talk with people.
Praise God! I can’t even begin to describe how proud of every single one of the youth on this team. They ALL stepped out of their comfort zone and just showed that they cared about the people around them! Please thank God for how these youth have been responding to this call at this time in life, but also please ask for God’s protection. Satan does not like seeing these youth stand firm in truth and LOVE. He will attack and attempt to divide our team unity and divide our hearts. But, again, what a God we love and serve! His strength is what we want and what we seek. He will continue to do mighty mighty things here, as long as we let Him!
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers,
Pastor Lance
Day 1 of VBS was AWESOME!!! We had 24 kids! The churches in the area are very excited that we are putting on a VBS and many of them brought their kids. Some of their kids even brought their LDS friends! We had a number of kids that we know come from Mormon families and we are excited to be able to share a very clear gospel message with them that we pray will bear fruit.
Our students and leaders did an amazing job of loving the kids that were in their group and it was a lot of fun to watch them bond together through the games, snacks, crafts and lesson. Please pray that the kids that came will continue to come for the next two days and bring their friends.
After VBS we had some much needed down time. We have been running hard, almost non-stop, and really need a chance to rest. Nearly everyone fell asleep and you could see how much they needed the rest when they woke up. It was written all over their faces in sleep lines that you could read.
During the rest time John (the Youth Pastor here) approached us and asked if we would consider going to the reservoir instead of the park. John mentioned that in the summer a lot of the local teens will go there to swim and hang out so he went to see if anyone was there. When I woke up from my nap (I needed one too) John came back and said that there were a lot of people there and it would be a great place to go. We have been telling our team since we started that we need to stay flexible and do what God leads us to do. One of the primary reasons we are here is to reach teens so we go where they are, which means we got on our swimsuits, loaded the vans, and headed for the reservoir.
John was right, there were a ton of people there and many of them were teens. Hopefully you can imagine what it would feel like to see 3 vans of teenagers, with BBQ’s, coolers, and supplies unload in a small town like Spanish fork. Everyone knew we were there before we had even made it to the water.
We sent our teens out to walk around the reservoir and try to strike up conversations with others. I wish I could tell you all their stories, you’ll have to wait for them to get home to hear what has happened, but there are a couple I would like to highlight.
One of our students from Aspen literally ran right to the water and started talking to Ryan. He spent at least an hour and a half with Ryan and they talked about everything from the economic status in California to the grace of God. Please pray for Ryan and his cousins. We invited them to come to the church and are hoping to connect with them again this week.
Two of our girls were walking around and began talking to a group of students who were not very far from us. It only took a couple of minutes to find out that it was all the students from a nearby ward. Needless to say they were outnumbered and yet they continued their conversation and shared what they believe with the students who were more interested in talking than swimming at the moment. It was inspiring to see their boldness and grace as they shared with others.
We also took two BBQ’s and a bunch of food to cook up. I cannot explain how cool it was to see people start coming by and simply hopping in line. We invited a lot of people to eat with us but as the line grew others just assumed the invitation and got in line behind them. We didn’t mind because it gave us a great opportunity to talk to them and find out about them.
I met two brothers from Idaho who both play for BYU’s football team. We had a great conversation and the seed a grace was planted. LDS members do not understand unmerited grace. They will tell you that they will get to heaven because of Jesus and what they do. Mormonism is a works based religion and anyone who is being honest with you will admit it to you. So they don’t understand why they would be shown real, unearned grace. Even if it is something as simple as a free meal it can have an enormous impact!
Please pray for Jared and his brother. Pray that the seeds that were planted today will grow and they will see the error of a graceless religion.
Also please pray for us as we continue our ministry. We would love to go back to the reservoir but it does depend a lot on the weather and there is a huge storm on the horizon. Please pray for the weather to hold back. Even if it does not we will do our best in everything we do. Please pray that God will be glorified through each of our actions and words.
- Jared
Sorry for the long delay between posts. We had some technical problems but have gotten them figured out and won’t have any of those issues again (doesn’t mean we won’t have others but we’ll do our best to make sure we update regularly). Here is what has been going on the last couple of days.
On Sunday we had a great time at a picnic. There were 9 churches that gathered together for a time at the park and a worship and prayer service in the evening. It was really encouraging to see the churches come together and how much they love one another. One thing I have learned since we got here is how lonely the Christians are. Roughly 92% of people in this area are LDS and the evangelical Christians are rejected and ostracized by most of the people they are around. Seeing them together and the strength they draw from worshiping Jesus together was a great blessing. Please remember to keep the Christians here in your prayers as it is really easy to become discouraged.
Monday we went to visit a lady named Sandra Tanner. She has come out of Mormonism and, along with her late husband, has contributed to over 40 books that reveal information about the LDS church that is not well known. She is very knowledgeable and loving toward them but knows how deceived they are and has a heart and desire to see them meet Jesus. She barely scratched the surface of the Mormon faith in the hour and a half we had with her but our students were absolutely stunned by what she was telling them. They had a hard time really comprehending it all because it didn’t make any sense to them. We were very grateful for our time with Sandra. Please keep her in your prayers as she is constantly attacked by LDS officials and Satan.
After visiting Sandra we went to the temple grounds and took the tour. Two sisters were very nice and helpful. They knew their history and answered our questions well. All the students were thoughtful, polite, and asked good questions. It was great to see how our students shared their faith by their actions and by not mocking or being condescending toward the sisters or their faith. We got to watch a video that is a reenactment of what happened in the Americas during the time of Christ that provided us with a lot to talk about in the vans. Our students were great at spotting fallacies and problem points and we had some great conversation about what we saw later.
We also got to tour the conference center where the prophet will speak new scripture two times a year. Our host, Dean, mentioned a number of times what a great group we had and we really enjoyed having him show us around the building. It is not a stretch to say that it is one of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen and you can’t help but be in awe when you see the scale and attention to detail. Seeing such an impressive building helped us to see the kind of influence and power that the LDS church has over many millions of people. And knowing that caused us to pray for them and for their blindness to be removed
Please pray for us that as we serve, love, and give that God would use our actions and words to communicate his unending grace and love to people who so desperately need it.
- Jared
Here is a guest post from one of the students about our time in Salt Lake City and our first day of VBS.
Yesterday when we went to the temple it was very overwhelming. My brain was filled with so many thoughts. Some were confusing, others very clear but I knew it was all wrong. It was all very beautiful and breath taking. Although learning about what they all believed and whatnot was confusing. Almost nothing they said made sense. They would say one thing and then say something totally different. I understand that what they believe is a big thing to them but why make it so complicated? Jesus is the only way. You don’t need to do any good deeds or get married in the temple, or wear funky clothes or have hand shakes to get to heaven. God doesn’t need us, he wants us. Why would He make it so complicated to get to heaven if He wants us there? It’s not a contest to see who is more worthy than the other. If you believe that Jesus is the son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins and by his grace we are saved, that’s all we need. Nothing more.
Today VBS was great. We had more kids than I thought we would get. Some had some trouble concentrating on the lessons and other things but they got what we were saying. They understand more than we give them credit for. They are just being led in the wrong direction. Mormons aren’t BAD people. They are just like us, but are being deceived.
Denie
We are going to learn a ton about the LDS beliefs simply by being exposed to them and being thrown into the culture. After we were unpacked and set up we went out and had a big dinner together. It was great to walk downtown and see the shops and streets that are normally so littered with people that they are hard to walk. However, today they were nearly empty.
We arrived on "Pioneer Day". I had never heard of it before today but it was obvious to us that it is a bigger, more important day, than July 4th. Downtown was almost ghost town like in its emptiness and I cannot begin to tell you how many people were at the park we went to in Spanish Fork to watch the fireworks. There were people everywhere and we had park about a mile away just to find a spot (in front of a house in fact). Let me tell you, the people here know how to put on a great fireworks show! It was a pretty long show but some of the fireworks they lit off were really impressive and we were close enough to feel the blast of more than a few.
We also walked down to the park where we will be meeting teens and doing our best to engage them in spiritual conversations. After we showed them the park we split in to groups and walked back while we prayed for the town and each other. Everyone has had a great attitude and it has been really encouraging to me to watch as they have responded to each request and each instruction with excitement and a desire to serve.
I am really looking forward to tomorrow as we get to go to church in the park and meet many of the Christians from around the area. Roughly 8 churches are coming together to worship, sing, hear the word preached, and play. It will be great to be a part of an evangelistic community int he heart of an area that is dominated by religion.
Please continue to pray for us and for our witness to the community we are serving this week.
- Jared
Here's the update I promised last night. We met at New Horizons Foursquare Church in Grand Junction to gather together and get to know one another before we head out to Springville and it has been great! It is great to see how the body of Christ works together to share in ministry and New Horizons has been amazingly generous in hosting us and giving us a fantastic place to gather.
When we met last night we began by introducing everyone to each other. They had to make their way around the circle a seat at a time and many of them ended up sitting on one another's lap. After playing basketball and volleyball in a hot gym for 45 minutes it was a very "bonding" experience. After that we spent time together sharing testimonies and prayer requests. It was great to see students and leaders from different churches and different backgrounds opening up and being incredibly honest and vulnerable with one another so soon after meeting. That fact encouraged me greatly as we do our best to join our churches into one team.
Lance led us in a time of singing praises to God that was really rich and it was obvious to us that God is working among us and is doing some great things to bring this group together. I pray that this will continue and that God will bind us together tightly as we work for His glory.
We concluded our time at New Horizons with an activity called "Our Town" that illustrated to the students what it feels like to be blind and alone. A few of them were frustrated with the activity but as we discussed what it happened they seemed to understand and grasp the idea that they will meet people who, though they don't look like it, are alone and blind. As I watched from the sidelines, and ensured that people didn't walk out in front of cars, it was clear to me that God is going to do some great things in and through this group throughout this week.
Please keep us in your prayers as we head to Utah today. We know that God has called us to Springville for this time and we want to do His will!
- Jared
I just typed and tried to post about our first night together but did not realize that my session had timed out so I lost everything I posted. I will retype and post the details tomorrow but I will include prayer requests here (and get you all caught up tomorrow). In short, tonight was GREAT!!!!! We are really excited about what we are doing and how God has brought everything together.
Prayer requests:
- Jared
3 Churches from the Western Slope of Colorado have come together to glorify Jesus in Utah. Through relationships, service, and grace we will spread the Good News about Jesus to everyone we see. These are our stories.