Day two is done!
Did I say long? Yes. Long.
We started the day by running the church service. Joshua
Salmon lead the praise team of Erin Williams, Jared Smith, and Randi Lanum, and
they did a great job. I preached on 1 Corinthians 15 about the Resurrection of
Christ. A team of students took up the offering, others led the youth, and
others helped with the children’s church.
The thing about a church service at Salmon River Community
Church is that the words “Community Church” aren’t just a name. At SRCC they
really are a community. There are only about 60 people in an average Sunday
service, so they take time to do “popcorn praise,” visitor introductions, and
prayer requests. Pastor Jim starts every service with the phrase, “If you
remember nothing else, know that we love you” and it’s definitely true.
After the church service, we went to the Fish Hatchery for
the Annual Church Picnic. We have great food cooked by the members of SRCC and
spend the afternoon playing games, throwing Frisbees, and catching up with
friends we haven’t seen in a year. This year we played kickball.
After the picnic, we came back and decorated for VBS. Not
only did we decorate however, because about 15 teens from the town of Riggins
helped us decorate. It was unbelievable to see our team double in size, as
local teens joined up with our teams and they will all be running VBS together.
Quite a humbling and wonderful experience to say the least.
There are two kids in particular who have made an impression
on many in our group. The first is a sweet girl named Arianna. She came to VBS
for the last five or six years and struggled with physical handicaps and slight
mental impairments. She had braces on her legs, and severe spine
deformities. She also had a smile permanently on her face. She passed away
earlier this summer, and it’s been a death that has wrenched the heart in this
town. It is bitter sweet to know that she is no longer with us, but she is with
her king. Dealing with the first VBS without Arianna’s encouragement is at the
forefront of many peoples’ minds.
The second kid is Ricky. Last year Ricky had a bit of a
reputation as “the one who was going to be hard to love.” Ricky was a bit of a
bully and a brat last year. In particular, one story from last year stood out, when
he was making fun of Arianna because of her handicaps, and Zach Richard made him run
laps for doing so. He complained quite a bit while running. Well, this year, the talk of the Texas Team was that Ricky is a completely new person.
Erin Hoover mentioned that Ricky had said Arianna’s death had seriously
affected him. He realized that he no longer had an opportunity to take back the
things he had said to her. It changed him. The first description I heard of
Ricky from a team member this year was, “full of joy.” He was actually helping
Erin Williams put up VBS decorations, and encouraging her while she did it. If you had
told anyone in the group that this would happen in one year, no one would have
believed it.
All in all, we were surprised at how much we’ve seen and VBS
hasn’t even started yet! We know that God works all things together for the
good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. We’ve been
called according to his purpose, for salvation and to preach that salvation for
others, and the good for which all things are being worked together is
blatantly evident.
Public Prayer Requests:
- - Energy.
It’s day one and we’re already pretty tired.
- - That
we will forget ourselves and allow Christ to work through us.
- - A
few of us are a little dehydrated or feeling some other illness/fatigue. Pray
for recovery and diligence in taking care of ourselves.
- - For
those dealing with Arianna’s death to receive ministry this week and work through
their grief in a healthy way.
No comments:
Post a Comment