#BUMP15 -- Final Philly Moments

I got home from this week in Philly and promptly slept for 15 hours. This week was exhaustingly incredible and I wish that I could spend more time in the city I've grown to love with the people that I've grown to love. The second half of the week made me wish that there was another week that followed this one. We all got to know each other and we got to know the kids. There was beauty in doing ordinary things together. Serving with love for the Glory of and in the name of Jesus will change your life like nothing else.

 Wednesday was a day that God designed to His own agenda. We had plans of service and outreach, but He had plans of team building and God-honoring conversations. It was pouring for a good portion of the day and it cancelled our plans to go to Mantua and to the park. We shared testimonies and did a poverty simulation instead. Rejoicing in the work God had done in our lives and then experiencing some of the poverty that so many faced seemed to only fuel the fire that was in the hearts of the students and the leaders there. The desire to share Christ was almost tangible that afternoon. 

When I spoke to one of the students about the poverty simulation he seemed heartbroken for the brokenness that he glimpsed in that simulation. 

"The decisions were easy for us. The hard ones were the emotional and physical stuff. 

It was easy for us because it wasn’t real for us, but these people need this. 

They actually have to make these decisions every single day."

We were split into groups and had to answer questions about whether or not we went to the doctor to get our chest pains checked out or go to work. If you went to work you risked a heart attack, but if you went to the doctor you risked losing your job. We had to tell our "kid" that we couldn't afford for them to join a sports team because we needed food instead. It gave us a tiny glimpse into the lives of some of the VBS kids and deepened our compassion for them. It's a hard lesson, but a good one when you learn to be heartbroken for the things that break the heart of God.

Later in the afternoon a group went to a downtown subway station to hand out food and pray for the homeless. Some accepted the food and the prayers, others didn't want any help. One man offered to pray for our group instead of us praying for him. This day was interesting and ordained by God from start to finish.

Thursday was probably the hardest day of the week from my perspective. It was overwhelming and saddening and made you want to pray with all your might that the Lord would return in the middle of the day. Watching the kids enjoy VBS was energizing and encouraging. Serving with all those people was a joy. It was the day set aside to intentionally share the Gospel in the lesson during VBS. It was a day set aside to fight hard against Satan and the foothold he tried to get in the lives of these kids. It was a day that was to be mighty in the advances for the kingdom of God. It was a day that is counted victory because Christ prevailed and kids came to know Him as their Savior. Heaven was throwing a party this night.

However, the brokenness had never been more apparent. Students heard more heartbreak from the kids and their home situations. The team loved well, served well, and taught well. The stark contrast of the joy of the Gospel and the desperate situations they lived in was a heavy burden. We learned to truly depend on Christ this day and to stand in the gap and pray for these kids with all that we have. Not in our strength, but His.

Friday was our free day. Some of us went into the Philadelphia Zoo and explored downtown while others went in an old penitentiary. It was a great day of rest and relaxation for the team before our final VBS. A week in Philly would not be complete without a stop for cheesesteaks, which we got! More kids came to know Christ at that final VBS and we said tearful goodbyes to kids we just didn't have enough time with. It was a bittersweet day to end the week and be heading home, but saying goodbye to friends who had become so dear. 

This was easily one of the best weeks of my life. The Lord changed a lot of lives this week and I anxiously await to see how this gets carried out long past this week. Continue to pray that the things we learned this week are not forgotten and that the people serving faithfully at Grace Church Feltonville will be encouraged by the fruits of the labor this week. Pray that the kids who came to know Christ would continue to grow in Him and pray that there would be more kids and parents that would come to know Christ as well. 

A Student's View -- The Reality of Spiritual Poverty

     This week has been far more than what I expected. I have grown more than I ever thought possible. I have gone on other missions trips, but those were out of the country. I never thought that poverty and the need of Jesus could be so close to home. 

     I have experienced many different things this week. Both good and bad. On Tuesday we went to the park and played many different games with the kids. I was in the water games and connected really well with one kid named Eddy. Eddy decided that we were going to be on a team for the rest of the water fight. Later that night, he came to VBS. I saw him and went right over to him and talked with him for a while. He then came to the Discovery lab where we have science experiments for the kids to try out. I was in charge of the experiments that night and Eddy followed me around. He was my little buddy. Later in the evening, he told me a story about the parting of the Red Sea. He was so interested in it!! I was trying to think of some other cool stories that I thought he would think are awesome. So I told him the story of David and Goliath. He thought it was the coolest thing. He didn't know how tiny little David could knock out such a big giant. I told him it was because he had God on his side. He said that God probably knocked him out as soon as David hit him. 

     Finally, the night came to a close and we were talking about separation from God. We were singing a song that went "we all fall short, we all fall down..." Eddy then asked me what it meant to fall short or fall down. He also asked me, what is sin? Why do people sin? Why are we separated from God? Can we ever get back with God? Does God love us even though we sin? He seemed really interested and I was beyond blessed to have been the one to answer all of his questions. Throughout the next day, I thought of so many other things that I could've told Eddy. I decided I would tell him on Wednesday night. So Wednesday night came and I kept looking around for Eddy. When I couldn't find him, I got really discouraged. I kept asking around to see if people had found him. Nobody had seen him all night. I was really disappointed that he didn't show. I thought that maybe it was something I said or something I did. Maybe he didn't have fun. What if he never comes back? I began to blame myself for the fact that Eddy didn't show.

     At the end of the night I was just really upset. I didn't cry until my sister, Becky asked me what was wrong. I broke down and told her how I blamed myself. She reassured me that I didn't. She told me I planted a seed in him and whether it be tomorrow or 30 years from now, he's going to remember this week and what I shared with him. It will all make a connection. 

     After every VBS we break off into our church groups and discuss how the night went. Our leader, Jake, shared with the group how I was upset he didn't show. Everyone there told me what a great thing I had done and how Eddy will always remember me and what I said. Even though I may not have been able to water the seed, I planted it. God takes care of the rest. I made an impact on a child's life and that has been far more than I ever expected of this week. "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow." 1 Corinthians 3:6

--Jenny Schwarz, CT Student

#BUMP15 -- Dedication and Determination

The Philly Bump 2015 team is sitting eating dinner right now, as I am writing this, and if a stranger walked into the room they wouldn’t know that the team consisted of three different churches from three separate states. We are 41 strong this week and we’ve come from Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. The unity of the Body of Christ is a beautiful and precious gift.

We arrived over the weekend, some on Saturday and some on Sunday. It was go time from the time our feet hit the pavement. We spent Sunday in church and orientation as well as doing some VBS set up. Monday was all day doing VBS prep work and running VBS itself. The phrase above and beyond does not begin to cover the work all of these students have done. They are a group full of servant’s hearts and joyful attitudes. They engage with the kids even as exhaustion drags them down. They are eager to encourage and cheer each other on as well as their leaders.

The kids who come to VBS are so excited by all the activity and the lessons that are going on around them. Some are easy to love and some are a challenge, but each and every one of them is worth it. One of the preschoolers was so excited by what she was learning she shared the Gospel with her crew leader (who had already shared the Gospel with her)! The kids love the leaders that are here and some even came in requesting certain leaders they had met earlier that day in the park.

The teams have gone out and done work projects as well. They went into Mantua and cleaned up some of the streets around the city. A man named Antonio talked with them for hours about the city and the local sports. This man was one who was so dedicated to the community around him. He knew almost everyone he ran into on the street and he knew them by name. The students serving were given a tangible way to serve the Lord. A way that cleaned up His creation and blessed His people.

We also went into the park for several hours today and played games with the kids there. We had face painting and hula-hoops. Some kids played with a jump rope while others colored with sidewalk chalk. We also had sports and a popcorn machine! The biggest hit was the water games. The kids spent the afternoon pelting each other with water and the leaders loved it just as much as they did.

It has been a joy to watch these kids so selflessly serve and to be the hand and feet of Jesus with such grace and humility. They have stepped up and stepped out. I’m anxious to see what the Lord does with the remainder of this week and how He transforms each and every life that is here.