This
week's experiences have taught me more than any other mission trip I've
been on. I experienced the Holy Spirit in enormous ways- ways that the
secular world would never believe, but ways that true Christians with
their priorities straight should be expecting. From feeding the
homeless, to leading a vacation bible school for kids in an unsafe
neighborhood with unstable families, to learning about the history of
Uganda and what work needs to be done there, I have learned that taking
advantage of the power of the Holy Spirit which is offered to us
through Christ is something not enough people do. As Christ-followers,
I learned that as a family in Christ we must all unite and work as a
team in order to reach each and every person we encounter. Whether it
be waiting in line at a fast food restaurant or taking a walk in
Centennial Park on a hot summer day, I now realize that my life as a
missionary is permanent and must be a consistent effort on my part.
This week the Holy Spirit has helped me reach out to a ten year old boy
named Denorris. I felt the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart everytime I
looked him in his independent yet innocent eyes. I learned that he has
participated in drugs and in the beginning of the week he acted
extremely abusive towards everyone, calling himself "Big Dog". By the
end of the week, I realized Denorris calmed down a lot and really
showed affection towards me. He reached out for hugs and promised me
that he would read letters if I send them to him. Saying goodbye was
one of the hardest things I had to do this week, but with the Holy
Spirit comforting me through the struggles I know that everything will
be okay in the end, and one day I will be together with my family from
Atlanta again for eternity. Please keep Denorris in your prayers if you
wouldn't mind, he has impacted my life in ways I cannot even
understand, and I know God has a huge place in his heart for him.

Though we still have several days left here, this trip to inner-city
Atlanta is surpassing my highest hopes for the Rozetta Baptist Church
short-term missions program. Co-leader Diane Stumphy and I are in awe
of the seismic spiritual shift we are seeing with this group. For some,
this experience has challenged them to hunger more powerfully for God
and to serve him with a deeper, more mature level of devotion.

There
is a sweet spirit of fellowship between the two teams, the type of
loving connection we have only seen once before, but it was never
established as quickly as it has been here. Spontaneous worship breaks
out several times a day, as the guitars come out and voices are joined
to praise the name of Jesus. We also are frequently amazed by how
readily some of our members are dying to self as they reach out to
their peers, to the at-risk kids at the Atlanta Children's Center, to
the elderly at the Crestview Nursing Home, and to the homeless men and
women they are serving here at Eagle's Nest Ministries.

When we
carry the Gospel out to the streets, the public transit system, and the
parks, our youths are smiling and assertive, ready to offer kind words,
prayers, tracts, and the plan of salvation to whomever will listen. God
gets all the glory for raising up leaders like Toya and Kim, who have a
natural rapport with the teenagers that inspires and motivates them.
Pastors Larry and Harold have been an uplifting influence, encouraging
everyone to just be themselves and extend respect and love to these
suffering people.

One thing that hasn't changed is the exhaustion at
the end of the day, but in spite of it, some of us are having trouble
drifting off to sleep. It's hard to calm down when you're this excited
about what God might do tomorrow!

Hello Everyone!

The
trip so far has been going great! We've spent a lot of time in various
ministry projects, each one seems to teach us something different and
put us in new situations. Since we arrived we've: hosted a cook-out for
the less fortunate, rode the MARTA metro just to visit with people,
helped out at a pre-school facility, visited a nursing home, and made a
trip to a near-by park to interact with the local kids (duck, duck,
squirt was a huge hit there)! By this point I think we all have met
someone memorable and people who have stories to share. And it's only
Tuesday! The two missionary groups (Rozetta and the Virginia group) are
getting along great-there is no end of encouragement, prayer, singing,
and other forms of worship here at the base. I can't wait to see how
God works throughout the rest of the week and please keep up the
prayers!-Justin

God
has been at work. As a youth pastor, I often fail to think about that
fact that God wants to work in my heart just as much as he wants to
work in the heart of the youth. So far this week, God has been holding
me accountable, convicting my heart and demanding that I relinquish
control to Him. There have been so many times already that God has left
me awestruck as He is reaching the city of Atlanta through our ministry
teams. It reminds me that God often used young people in the Bible to
expand His Kingdom. The Disciples were young men, many of whom probably
were teenagers themselves. But, so often, because of the culture we are
in, we lose faith in the youth of America even when God longs to use
them for His purposes. It has been an honor to be a part of this trip
and a privilege to watch God's love explode out of these youth and pour
into those they meet. God has been calling them to surrender; they
have. God has been calling them to worship; they have. God has been
calling them to love; they are. Praise be to God and all the glory is
given to His holy name.