Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Some Houston Testimonies

Here are some testimonies from Houston, with more (hopefully) to follow:

"The best part of the mission trip for me was my group. I got to know the people that I served with a lot better. To be around people so full of joy and love for an entire week non-stop is awesome. They were a blessing to me. God wins!" - Drew Nall

"When I think about the week in Houston, the lyrics, "...our God is an awesome God," come to mind. Houston really proved those to be true. It opened my eyes to the homeless. It made me realize that they are people too. They are just like us. This trip brought to mind the fact that I could become homeless too. Most of them became homeless overnight. Going to Salvation Army was amazing. The guys that live there were so happy that we were there. They each greeted us & asked where we were from or how we were doing. My team, Shell, went to a place called Open Door. We talked to a man who had only been there a month, but you could tell he was on fire for God & turning his life around. That was a great thing to see. A few days later we went to a place called Ujima, the kids that lived there were so full of life and loved playing. Our group decided to play water games, since it was so hot. I got soaked & got a bad sunburn, but I realized I got that sunburn for God, while showing his love and serving him. That day was the best day of the week for me. Houston was hot, sticky, humid, & full of bugs, but most importantly it was a place full of hope, impact, & love." - Hillary Caldwell

"Houston was a lot of things. 1. Hot. 2. Long Drive. 3. A blessing. But what stood out the most was the appreciation of people's faces and knowing that helping out for just a couple of hours lasted a lifetime. There is nothing more than the feeling of being fully satisfied by working in several ways for Christ. But even if I was satisfied enough, there is always the want & need to do more. Houston was awesome, I can't wait for next year. GO TEAM NASA!" - Sydney Ozbun

"I think the image that will stick in my mind for a long time is when we were at the Operation Hydration. It was me, Casey, Dawn, Taylor and a few other people. We couldn't really find any homeless people that didn't already have water. So we were just walking around. and we see this man sitting on the ground. We go over and Dawn asks is he wants some water and he says yes. We give him some water and then Dawn asks him a couple more questions. She then asked him if we could pray over him. He says sure and Casey starts praying over him. I start by only putting one finger over him and then I eventually put my hand over him after I realize that even though he's a homeless person and he's dirty and kind of smells, he's still human. He's not some kind of disease. He's not a fungus. And he's not some rag someone threw out in the street. He's a person and he has thoughts and feelings just like the rest of us. So I got over my personal feelings and just let the Holy Spirit come in me and pray for this guy who has made mistakes in his life and who has sinned just like the rest of us. That image of him crying as we prayed for him and just told God to help him out will remind me that homeless people are just people who are homeless and have made mistakes that we could make ourselves in the future. That image made me realize that nobody is better than anybody and we are all equal." - Megan Stone

"Houston was my first mission trip. I was really scared because I didn't know what to expect. I had an amazing time & I'm so glad I got to come. One image that is in my mind is a guy at the Open Door Mission. He was graduating from the nine-month program. As I was talking to him, it was just like talking to my best friend. I had an amazing time. Toward the end of our conversation he told me, "Never give up. God is always going to be there." He just went on and on about it. This guy impacted my life more than I probably helped him. He taught me that they just don't need prayer, we also need prayer. I really enjoyed this week & God has taught me so much! I can't wait to see what other things he has in store for me! God is awesome & incredible!" - Whitney Bramlett

"This mission trip was very impactful for me and I learned a lot about myself. I appreciate all that CSM and all the SIMYs did for me. They helped make this trip worthwhile. I thought filled me with so much wisdom throughout the whole trip. My group had a lot of fun. We had a lot of leaders instead of followers on my team and it made my job a whole bunch easier. I really connected with God on this trip and I felt I opened up to God a lot and let him come back into my life. I hope to make this trip meaningful and be able to to bring it back to Cape. Thanks again!" - Myles Edwards

God was at work this past week. Pray that God continues to work in and through the lives of our students.

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