One of the really cool ways I saw God work in the community while we were at BUMP was getting to be part of a church plant that was going on during the first BUMP week. Redemption Church, planted in South Philly in the Point Breeze neighborhood, was gearing up for it's first service at the end of that week. We were able to walk around the neighborhood talking to people about the church and it's first service, and far more people than I ever expected to be interested kept asking us about the church and what it was about. We even prayed with some people, and one guy prayed for us on the street that the church would have success. It really encouraged us as we went out to talk to people about the church. We also helped Pastor Will clean up the church building in preparation for the service. While I wasn't able to be physically present at the first service, Pastor Will and the group that went were incredibly happy with the turnout and the interest in the community. It was clear that God is filling a need in that neighborhood.
It was also awesome to see the students growing and serving over the course of the week. In the second week of BUMP, we did a VBS with the church. After the first night of debriefing, I asked the students to pray for kids who they got to know. One of the BUMPers prayed for one of the kids, Daemar, who had acted up a little during the VBS. We prayed that God would open his heart and bring him back for day two of VBS. The second day he was a little crazier and his Mom ended up coming and taking him home before the end of day two. We prayed for him again, and he came back on the third day and was participating more and helping other kids with the games and crafts. On the last day, Daemar accepted Christ because he wanted to be more like his BUMP rotation leader, the one who'd been praying for him all week. It was an amazing answer to prayer, and a privilege to witness God working in the life of Daemar.
In general, it was really awesome seeing the BUMPers change and grow over the course of the week. Both weeks the groups came prepared to serve and had a lot of energy, which was amazing. They also persevered remarkably well, in the case of the second week they kept up the energy at the end of the week for the VBS even though they were tired, and in the case of the first week the group they stayed excited to do the often inglorious work of cleaning up the community, assisting with the church plant, and working on a new room in Grace Church. It was encouraging to see the groups have deepened relationships with each other and hear them talk about how they were seeing God work in their own lives and each other.
As for myself, I one of the most important things I learned about myself is that all you need to serve God is a willing heart. I was nervous about being the point guy for the week for an awful lot of people. I wasn't sure if I was up for the task, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle it. I also wasn't sure if I was good enough to lead in God's name. I struggle with things all the time, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to model Jesus for the people looking up to me. Of course, I make plenty of mistakes and I'd rather not think of myself as a worthy model, but I do know that I am broken and that God can still use me. He fills my deficiencies and used me to further his purpose, and I am very thankful that God used me over the week and I hope that I was able to follow His plan faithfully through the week. It was great personally to look back over BUMP Philadelphia and realize that I am a capable leader, and that God can use me, and that I can make a difference in the lives of other people. I think that was the most powerful thing that I learned, and it's something that I know I'll need to be reminded of. I suppose that's the great thing about mission work: God never gets tired of using us, He always has work for us, and He can always continue to show us things about ourselves. I was incredibly fortunate to be able to work with the leaders at Grace Church in Philadelphia and with the three groups that came over the course of the two weeks of BUMP Philadelphia.
At the start of the week, I wasn't sure how much I'd like the city. As was pointed out to me by the site leader at Grace Church, Walt, Philadelphia's motto Philadelphia Maneto (written on the city flag) comes straight from Hebrews 13:1. The words of scripture have power over the city, and it was inspiring to serve God there and also feel his love for a city that needs Him. The city has a real need for God, and it's so easy to forget how we need to fulfill God's call to reach the nations in our own cities. It was a real joy to serve in Philadelphia alongside so many others dedicated to the city. It was great to grow myself and see others develop a passion to serve God and find His will in their own lives. It was an unforgettable BUMP.
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