Mission Miami '05

Wow! I just go back from Miami with 12 of our youth. It was a long week. We served all over Miami through various agencies. I enjoyed the hard work but the most challenging thing for me was to drive everyday through the city. I drove 12+ hours to get there and then had to drive every day. It is not like it is around here if you miss your turn you just go to the next exit. Every exit was a new interchange another major expressway. Needless to say I got lost several times but somehow managed to find my way again. I had one of my youth on my team (Tim Barret) to become the navigator because there is no way you can read a map and drive in Miami traffic at the same time. It's kind of like our spiritual walk. We have a navigator in Christ with out him we will get lost in this adventure we call life, but it we turn to him and follow his way we will be found. There was one day that I was so tired, had a head ache, and could not think straight, I even got lost on the route that we traveled everyday and I knew the way. everything began to look the same. That day I was falling asleep standing up. Todd the director prayed for me that night for energy and the next day I felt so refreshed despite the little sleep we were getting every day. The verse in the Bible where it says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" became very real to me because I could not have done it any other way. I told Alan our youth minister that I DID NOT want to drive in traffic. He didn't even know that we were going to have to do so every day.
I am excited about the fire that was started in our youth. The theme of the camp was Catalyst. I think it did just that, it stirred up in them a desire to serve others and they are looking to see what type of things we can do to serve here in Augusta.