Christen and Lisa, two of my homegirls...
Paul, Christen and Kurt, Christen's brother
Tiff and Anda, two more homegirls... Would you believe Anda's 8 and 1/2 months pregnant? Oh, yes, yes, she is. With Malachi :o)
Jonathan and Maddie and preciOUs, preciOUs Luke.
The Worship is ALWAYS AWESOME AT MANDATE!!!
Ira and Tom. Ira's buddy...
We even enjoyed a visit from Mandate Man. Trained specialist in the spreading of the gospel to the people of the world that do not know Jesus. He was so funny.
Randy, Chris, Tiffany and a friend...
We all had so much fun. I cOUld not believe the turnOUt from church. It was so great!
Some of the Burr's, McKenna's dear friend Catherine...She and McKenna attended together a break-OUt session abOUt women in missions. McKenna was so moved by it. It is so inspirational to me just watching, her hearing, her interest, ideas and input abOUt missions. World Mandate is an awesome experience. It is held in Waco every year and was started by Antioch Church. This was OUr second year to go and we love it and already look forward to next year's!
This is a gathering of oh, I don't know a few thOUsand college students and families that meet at or arOUnd Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
It is ALL ABOUT MISSIONS!!! World Mandate is one of those gathering times for God's people to get together and focus on who, what and where. When God shows up in his powerful way, He speaks to people about His plan for the nations.
Every year there are wonderful speakers that share their stories and their hearts with us about where they are and what the Lord is doing thrOUgh them. And the best worship! Incredible, is all I can say, INCREDIBLE.
On Saturday morning we heard from "C.M. and R.M.". Their names are not used for security purposes. These men and their families have been serving in the middle east y'all! For almost nine years! They live among the Arabs and Palestinians. They have been there thrOUgh wars and two FORCED evacuations. At one point they snuck out of the border in an ambulance. They were even caught and a gun was held to C.M.'s head in front of his family. Mercifully, they were let go and able to escape. Believe me, that one story was just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine living and sharing the gospel in a middle east country. And there are middle eastern people accepting Christ. Risking their lives. Makes me ashamed of the days that I don't "feel" like going to church and these middle eastern people risk their lives to attend church once a week in a "safehOUse".
And then there's Lexia Campbell. She lives in Sri Lanka. She went there and surrOUnding areas soon after the tsunami hit with a relief effort group. She fell in love with the people of Sri Lanka. She went back again and did not come home. She, a single, young lady LIVES in a fishing village and teaches school. She had amazing stories while reaching OUt to the children and families. You might even remember on a national news program a story about multi-million dollar condos and vacation spots being built on the land where communities once were before the tsunami hit simply because the families were not all together and able to claim their land. The small villages were torn apart by the tsunami and they were not all able to return and rebuild. So the land was being stollen right from under them. Land and beachfront that generations had lived on and shared was now land and beachfront that was valuable for investors. They were dealing with mob-like gangsters and fighting for their OWN land. Mercifully, they were able to keep their village areas and able to continue their fishing and lives right there as they had for many, many years and generations before. She lives in a home she had built right there among them. These fishermen. Some families. Not exactly the safest of locations. But there she is and lives are being changed and Christ is being learned of for the first time and accepted.
She told a moving story of a woman that she shared the gospel with. The woman just wOUldn't quit believing in her god. But one day, she came to Lexia, eyes filled with tears and told of a series of dreams she had abOUt Jesus. The Lord was speaking to her in dreams. Showing her things and she came to Lexia and demanded to be baptized right away. Exclaiming and shOUting, "Jesus is alive" I served a god that was dead, but I want a savior that is ALIVE! Amazing, isn't it???
Makes me want to leave everything here in Texas and pack up the fam and move to oh, I don't know, Croatia! Or even India! The stories and testimonies were amazing. The many lives tOUched, blessed, and forever changed, just overwhelms me.
No comments:
Post a Comment