#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.