REMINDER: Sunday Night Recap of Chicago Mission Trip

Just a quick reminder that this Sunday night (July 26) the Elliotts and the Morrows will share more about our recent mission trip to Chicago with any members of our class who would like to join us. We'll show some pictures, tell some stories, and answer any questions you might have. We are so grateful for your prayer support while we were there. You were so active and supportive in so many ways that it truly was a full-class mission effort.

We will gather at 6pm Sunday, during the regular evening church hour, so small kids will have childcare already in place (older kids should feel free to join us). I think our plan is to meet in our normal classroom upstairs, unless it happens to be in use for something else (unlikely at 6pm on a Sunday, I suspect).

Genesis 42-45

A lot of ground to cover this week, as we near the end of Genesis. This week's lesson takes us through an elaborate deception Joseph uses to alternately test, measure, and even "mess with" his brothers as they come to him to both symbolically and literally fulfill the prophecy of Joseph's original dream (they would bow down to him).

We can learn a lot from each of the characters in this story, including Joseph, Israel, and more than one of Joseph's brothers. The climax of the whole story, though, occurs when Judah, referring to himself repeatedly as Joseph's "servant" offers himself as the substitute to pay the penalty for the theft Benjamin is accused of. This is the same Judah who had cooked up the scheme to sell Joseph into slavery for profit and subsequently fake his death. It also is the same Judah through whose lineage would come another servant who would offer himself as the substitute to pay the penalty of others. How beautiful is God's word to explore?!

To download this week's lesson notes, click here.

God Bless You.

Matt

Friday/Saturday: Wrapping Up & Heading Home

TODAY'S REPORT:

Last night I laid down next to Alex to help him fall asleep and guess what... I was out as fast as he was! Normally I post to this blog after he falls asleep, so it can show up in subscribers' email the next AM. As it is, I'm posting Saturday morning just as we pack the van to head home.

Yesterday was a long full day of prayer walking, VBS and the VBS Parents' Night party (followed by borderline gluttony at Connie's Pizza). The kids (the ones here and the ones we brought) all did great. As Rachael and I help teach Bible stories, it is amazing how many of these kids have never seen a Bible. Most do not own one. One little boy asked Rachael if he could touch my Bible. Then, when she looked up and showed a few children our memory verse, they acted as if they had just seen a magic trick: "Do another. Do another."

Another boy told Jim that he had looked up his Bible story from earlier this week in the one Bible in his home. When his older brother saw what he was reading from, he took the Bible away from him, threw it in the kitchen sink, and turned on the water, ruining the only Bible the boy had access to. The families in this area are mostly immigrants from southeast Asia, Africa or Latin America. A diverse mix of religious tradition & belief has accompanied them here, and not all are open to the truth we share.

However, the reactions of the children wanting to explore further are encouraging. We hope and pray their reactions mean they are hearing our message that this is no ordinary book. That it is written by the hand of God and therefore can be believed fully - unlike any work of man.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. As we complete our portion of this mission, our prayers remain with the people of this area. Please join us in praying for:

• God's Word in the hearts and hands of these families. For those who don't know, our group was the second in a series of three groups from Second Baptist to conduct this project in Chicago. The final group will arrive next week. With them will come a Bible for every child. I firmly believe the stage has been set for many of these children to pour over the pages of their Bibles when they receive them. Pray that, after our work here, they would be ready to receive God's word, and that their families would not be an obstacle to their study of it. Pray also that their families might be influenced by the quiet faith and study of their children.
• The Harvest. God's word reminds us: "Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor (John 4:37-38)." As the middle group of three who will be here on this mission, we get to do a little sowing for the third group and a little reaping from the work of the first. Most importantly, we will pray for a bountiful harvest at some point to come from the work God is doing here through His people. Pray that His name would be glorified and that these children would become trophies of His grace.
• Safe return home. For Jim, Heather, Rachael and I, this has been an incredible blessing. Even our kids seem to have connected with the children here in a very short time and the older ones understand that God is doing an important work. We all are excited also to come home, and we pray for save travel today. Please pray the same.

Tomorrow is Sunday and we will be back together for our ABF class at Second Baptist. I'm hoping to get some time in the van today to refresh my study of tomorrow's lesson (I honestly haven't looked at it in nearly a week). We so are looking forward to seeing you all and sharing more (Both the Elliott camera and the Morrow camera have lots to share as well - I'll work to get pictures up on the blog later in the week, once we've had a chance to share with each other).

We love you and are so thankful for you. Thank you again so much for your prayers and words of encouragement this week (even this morning I received another Facebook note from Amanda Booth encouraging us and sharing what she is praying for us).

God's bless you, and we'll see you tomorrow!

Matt

Thursday: Make Disciples of All Nations

I've included these pictures (above), but they are from my camera phone, so not the best. Tomorrow I'll work to remember to bring our actual camera and hope to have some better ones to share with you.

TODAY'S REPORT:

Yesterday I reported that we had planned for a max turnout of about 70 kids, and were excited to see approximately 135 on our first day. I neglected to mention that planning for 70 was expected to be overkill, as the largest turnout before this week had been 44 kids. The nature of the population is such that even over a three-day program, some kids come and go. Today we had about 110. Tomorrow could be more or less. Either way, God has blessed our work here beyond anything we could have anticipated.

Today's Bible story for the children was the story in John 21 of Jesus appearing to the disciples when they were fishing and telling them to throw their net on the other side of the boat (after fishing all night and catching nothing). Following the miraculous catch of 153 fish, the disciples recognized Jesus and ate with Him. Our Lord asked Peter three times if he loved Him, and each time Peter affirmed his love, Jesus responded by directing him to "feed my sheep."

Accordingly, our memory verse for the children today was the gospel of Matthew's account of the Great Commission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:16). Rachael put together an activity for the children where they constructed a map of the world and marked places on the map where they knew people. They keep the maps as a reminder that Jesus has called us to make disciples of ALL nations, and to share the love of Christ with their loved ones no matter where in the world they are. Many of these children have family in Asia, Latin America, or Africa, so that message was especially meaningful to many of them.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. We have so many praises already to report. Not the least among them has been the performance of the Elliott and Morrow children (as the youngest members of this mission trip). They really have been champs. The older kids are taking active part in the VBS activities with the local children. The younger ones are cooperating better than we could have expected (Alex today for the second day in a row napped through two of the four Bible story sessions - sleeping on a mat on the hardwood floor in the classroom!) Daily, new opportunities for prayer support become clear. As you continue to pray for our efforts, today please pray especially for:

• Receptive Hearts. Several of the children we are working with seem to really soak up the lessons we are teaching. Many have memorized key Bible verses. Eighteen have expressed interest in coming to know Christ personally as their savior. Please pray that all the children would come to VBS Friday in their very most sensitive and receptive state. Friday will be our last chance to share with them, and we don't want to miss the opportunity.
• Parents of the children. Friday night will be our parents' night. All the kids will come with their parents to show their crafts and VBS projects. We will be there to meet their parents and to share God's love with them. Pray that God will present opportunities for us to share our own testimonies, His gospel, and the salvation He offers with these parents. God may well have pre-ordained that some of these very people will become the core membership of City South Church as it begins its important work here in Chicago. More importantly, He may have marked Friday night as the night some of these parents come to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.
• Needs of our loved ones at home. Primarily to members of our Sunday School class: in your constant prayer for our efforts here, please do not forget one another. Reggie shared this week's prayer list via email a couple of days ago. Please remember, for instance, that Mendie's important doctor's appointment & echo are Friday. Pray for God's protection over her and for an encouraging prognosis. "Pray without ceasing" for one another.

I cannot begin to tell you how encouraged we are here to know that you are lifting our efforts to the Lord in daily prayer. We feel the strength of your prayers daily. Today was a critical day and there can be no explanation for how well things went except that the Lord delivered us and answered your prayers on our behalf. In addition to the immeasurable power of your prayers, I'm so grateful for your constant encouragement. Jeff Kallenberger called me yesterday to see how things were going and to encourage our efforts. Naomi called Rachael the day before that. I got a text from Greg Chadwell (from Dublin - by the way, we are convinced Greg doesn't really work for a video game company, but that his "vocation" is merely an elaborate cover for his double life as a secret agent for the CIA). This week we've received emails and facebook notes of encouragement from many in our class (many were mentioned in earlier blog posts). I am personally overwhelmed by the work God is doing in our Sunday School class - by the powerful sense of Christian community He has built among us in such a short time. I am so grateful for each and every one of you.

One side note: There are stories from this trip that simply must be told in person. A blog would never do them justice. Some just because they are funny (ask Jim to tell you about the nickname he was given by a little girl he helped across the monkey bars today, for one). When we return, Jim, Heather, Rachael and I promise to share stories with you. We so look forward to being back with our cherished brothers and sisters in Christ.

Once again, please share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for a succesful mission trip. We want to lift God's name and to share Him with those who do not yet know Him. Sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and thank God for you. Please know that you remain in our prayers daily as well.

Blessings,

Matt

Wednesday: VBS Opening Day & Prayer Walk

TODAY'S REPORT:

We started the day with a group Bible Study / devotional about of 2 Kings 5 (the story of Namaan, who was healed of leprosy by Elisha). Then we spent the morning prayer walking the streets of south Chicago, followed by opening day of Vacation Bible School at James Ward Elementary.

We had planned for a max turnout of about 70 kids, and were excited to see approximately 135 on our first day. That is a wonderful blessing, but it brought with it a fair amount of logistical and planning challenges. All in all it was a fairly exhausting day, but God was certainly in the center of it. Today's Bible story was on the resurrection of Jesus, and children were led through not only the dramatic story, but why Jesus made such a sacrifice. When given the opportunity, eighteen children marked down that they were interested in learning more about how to make Jesus their personal savior.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. Today especially, new opportunities for prayer support became clear. As you continue to pray for our efforts, today please pray especially for:

• Unity in Christ. Our team is diverse. The group that has travelled from Second Baptist represents pretty much every stage of life. And those helping us from other churches are from far more different backgrounds than most of us from Second. But it is so critical that we all remember that we are here for ONE purpose, God's purpose. An important lesson in the Bible study from 2 Kings is that God's answer to our prayer may not always look like we expect it to look - but that doesn't mean God isn't answering that prayer in His own, better way. Pray that we will have unity of purpose as one in the Body of Christ.
• Physical Endurance. This is one that was shared with me by one of our fellow workers. Her concern was for the physical endurance and strength to get through some pretty long days on her feet with the kids, after prayer walking all morning. But the need is for all of us. The Elliots and Morrows have small children with them that are overtired. That kind of makes their parents overtired, too... you know the domino effect of that. Pray for rest and phyiscal endurance.
• God's blessing on His children. For Jim, Heather, Rachael and I, this is our first real mission trip (at least as adults). All of us desire deeply to see the face of God in the work we are doing here. Pray that the work we are doing here will not simply be work, but that -through the work we are doing here - we will see attributes in the character of God that we had not before had opportunity to encounter. Pray also for affirmation that the work we are doing here makes a meaningful impact for our mighty and glorious God.

Once again, please share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for a succesful mission trip. We want to lift God's name and to share Him with those who do not yet know Him. Sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and are so thankful for you. Please know that you all remain in our prayers daily as well.

God's Blessings,

Matt

Tuesday: Preparing the Way

TODAY'S REPORT:

The rest of our crew from Second Baptist arrived in Chicago today. We all spent the afternoon over at the school preparing for the opening of VBS tomorrow (Wednesday). We worked on setting up the various rooms / stations for the kids (Bible story, crafts, recreation & games, music & dance).

Tomorrow morning we start by prayer walking the neighborhoods surrounding the school in the morning, followed by VBS in the afternoon.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. As you continue to pray for our efforts, today please pray especially for:

• Smooth Opening. Registration is tomorrow for the VBS program and many of us are new to this. We also will be working with volunteers from other area churches on this, and many of those people we haven't yet met. Please pray that all would go smoothly and that we will hit it off with our new partners in this effort.
• Making Connections. One of the goals of this mission is that each of us will make at least one lasting connection with someone who we can stay in touch with after we leave. That will be difficult, no longer than we are here, but we trust God. Please pray for success in this lofty goal.
• Expanding our comfort zone. Many of us (including me) will be asked to do things we haven't really done before as a part of this mission. Many of those essentials of this project will be outside our normal comfort zone. Among the things that will be new for some of us: teaching kids, prayer walking, witnessing, sharing testimony, etc., etc. Please pray for boldness and that God would expand the realm of that which we find "comfortable."

Once again, please feel free to share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for a succesful mission trip. We so desire to lift God's name and to share Him with those who do not yet know Him. Sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and are so thankful for you. Please know that you all remain in our prayers daily as well.

God's Blessings,

Matt

Monday Night: Long Day of Travel, Safe Arrival

All in all it turned out to be about ten hours on the road today. A special shout out to Reggie and Andrea Breshears for the mix CDs they burned us for the ride, and the goodie bags they packed for the kids to keep them entertained. Ten hours would have seemed like 50 without their thoughtful provision.

Also thanks also to all who prayed and passed along their encouragement yesterday via email, blog, and facebook. We heard from members of out Adult Bible Fellowship (Naomi Kallenberger, Amanda Booth, Vickie Windmiller, and Greg Chadwell from LONDON, of all places); past members of our ABF (great to hear from Suzanne Vest and Mark and Lee Ann Price - we cherish your prayers); and of course family (Rachael's sister Samantha and my mom both checked in). This certainly is what Paul had in mind when he wrote descriptively of the Body of Christ and how the church should serve as a Community of Believers.

TODAY'S REPORT:

Today was mostly about getting here, and preparing our kids for what is in store for them (as best we could). God answered our (and your) prayers for safe and bearable travel. And, of course, pizza at Gino's East.

After a full day, we didn't arrive at the hotel and get the kids in bed until almost 11pm. That's something we'll have to watch. It won't do anyone any good to have over-tired little ones demanding extra attention. It will be early to bed tomorrow night to be sure.

Tomorrow the rest of the crew from Second Baptist Church will arrive, joining us and the Elliott family here in Chicago. We will have our first organizational meeting at the school tomorrow afternoon after they arrive, then dinner together with the full group and Eric Arnall. This is Jim and Heather Elliott's first time in Chicago, so I suspect they will want to see a bit of the city tomorrow night, but for the Morrows (and our younger children), I suspect it needs to be an early night.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement. I can't tell you how cool it was to read your e-mails, facebook posts, etc. to Jim, Heather, and Rachael as they arrived in my inbox en route to Chicago. What incredible affirmation and encouragement!

As you continue to pray for our efforts, today please pray especially for:

• Preparation. Rachael especially has worked so hard to prepare for the Bible stories portion of our Vacation Bible School curriculum, and I'm eager to see how God uses her preparation. Please pray that we all would be well-equipped and prepared for whatever God brings our way. Also pray that God would prepare the hearts of the young people we and others we will encounter. We know from His Word that only God can touch a person's heart and make them fertile ground for the gospel.
• Safe and timely arrival for the rest of the group. Most of our group arrives tomorrow. Pray for uneventful travel.
• Finding a core membership for City South Church. One of the goals we have while here is to meet committed believers who God will lead to be a part of the core membership of the new church that He is planting here in south Chicago. On faith alone, we are trusting God to bring people who have a passionate heart for Him across our paths so we can encourage them and build a relationship with them. Without their even knowing it, we are confident God has prepared work for them in this calling, and we are praying He will bring these people into our paths. Please pray for the same.

I wrote yesterday to members of my Sunday School class (and I still do, as they are our primary prayer support for this mission). But I am so grateful and amazed at how others already have found this blog and are also praying for us! God is truly amazing! He grants us ten times what we ever ask!

So, to all, please feel free to share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for God's name to be glorified. You (or they) can sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and are so thankful for you. Please know that you all remain in our prayers daily as well.

God Bless You.

Matt

Sunday Night: Packing and Planning

Rachael and I have spent the better part of our evening packing and loading up for this week's mission trip to Chicago. Jim and Heather Elliott almost certainly are sleeping peacefully, having worked ahead on their prep. Shame on them for their failure to procrastinate!

I'll be keeping this blog up with daily posts at the end of each day of our trip. The purpose is to keep our ABF class in the loop about what is happening, what our prayer needs are, and to share the praises of what God most certainly will do to bless this mission.

TODAY'S REPORT:

For those who aren't familiar with the goal of this mission, it is really quite exciting. Second Baptist has been working with local people in Chicago to establish a church "plant" in the south side of the inner city (read more about that here). It is an area in desperate need of God's transformational power and of a true, Bible-believing church. It is our prayer that City South Church will be what God uses to meet that need. A quick browse through the City South Church website gives you a really good flavor for what the goals of the church are. I am particularly encouraged by the "Non-Negotiables" link in the upper right hand corner of the site. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself.

The most exciting thing to me about the whole project is that it is precisely the model described in the New Testament for church growth. I have nothing against big churches (I love being a member of one, in particular), but the New Testament model for church growth was never for a single church to grow to the size of a stadium. Rather, it was for small church-plants to take hold all over the place, receive God's blessing, and bring Him glory, honor and praise as they spread and grew. A lot of people say the believe in God's word. But the best way to demonstrate that is to actually follow the Biblical model, in spite of what popular opinion and the latest trend (even in church circles) might otherwise suggest. I love that Second is doing this!

So, what is our role in this important mission? Well, God has granted us an unbelievable opportunity to penetrate the surrounding neighborhoods in the city-south area. This year, funding was cut for the area's summer school program, so the program was reduced from its normal full-day schedule to half-days. Parents and students alike wanted to keep the full-day program, but there appeared to be no options. Eric Arnall (Second Baptist member who has moved to Chicago to plant this new church) offered to provide a Vacation Bible School program for the kids in what would be the second half of their days as a sort of "after school" program. The school jumped at the chance. This in an environment where the church can't even get a permit to host a picnic or recreation ministry in a public park in the same city! Instead, we actually are inside the public schools, sharing God's love and hope! Only our sovereign God could providentially orchestrate such an amazing opportunity, and we are so honored to help carry out His mission with these kids (K-5th grade) this week!

Rachael and I will be part of the Bible story team & Jim and Heather will be part of the recreation team (although I suspect there may be some trading around). There also is a crafts team and a music team. The kids will bounce to all four "classes" each afternoon.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Perhaps the most important reason for sharing this blog daily is because we are counting on your prayers to support and strengthen our mission. Please continue to pray for us daily! There are many challenges facing this effort and it is only through God's grace that any success will come. So, each day I will share a few specific items that we would ask you to pray over for us. Thank you in advance for your commitment.

As we prepare to depart, please pray for:

• Rest. I'm a better dad and husband when I'm rested. My kids are more agreeable when they are rested... well, let's face it - all of us are. With a nine-hour van ride ahead of us tomorrow, we could arrive exhausted or we could arrive ready to hit the ground running. Please pray for the latter.
• Cooperative kids. The adults are outnumbered! Jim, Heather, Rachael and I are outnumbered by our combined five kiddos on this trip. We are trusting God that they will cooperate and be blessed by this trip as well. Please pray that they will not be a distraction to the children we are trying to reach or to the others on this mission trip. Pray also that they (even as little ones) would grow closer to God through this experience.
• Safe travel. It is a nine-hour van ride, after all. And we are told that the part of town we will be in, while not the most dangerous we could have found, is also not an area where one would want to be found alone after dark. Please pray that God would protect His servants on His mission.

Finally, I know that each of you have friendships and circles outside of our class where you may also know people who you can count on to pray. While I'm blogging primarily for you, as our prayer support for this mission, please feel free to share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for God's name to be glorified. You (or they) can sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and are so thankful for you. Please know that you all remain in our prayers daily as well.

God Bless You.

Matt

Genesis 39-41

This week we'll pick up the last chapter (Genesis 39) from Lesson 13 in our Genesis study, and move directly into the first two chapters (Genesis 40 & 41) in Lesson 14. We are probably going a little faster than I would prefer, but working toward completion in time for the start of the fall schedule and our "Cultural Delimmas" church-wide curriculum, which will explore the fundamentals of our faith.

As we study the life of Joseph, I am struck by how well and consistently he lived according to God’s standard in the present. His life and future were in God’s hands, and he was at peace with that. Whether he was in the highest of worldly positions or in the lowest, his character and his desire to serve God faithfully was always the same. We should seek to pattern ourselves the same way. God often uses our “waiting” periods to prepare us for what he has in store next. We don’t need to know what that future is, in order to be sanctified and used by God today.

To download this week's lesson notes, click here.

God Bless.

Matt

Genesis 37:12 - 38:30

I trust everyone is having a great Fourth of July weekend!

This week when our class meets, we will continue working through chapter 13 in the study guide. Last week we left off in Genesis 37 with Joseph receiving dreams of prophecy from God. These dreams were not well received by his brothers and father. This week, we'll pick up in verse 12 of chapter 37. Chapter 37 notes can be downloaded by clicking here.

Then, we'll move to the story of one of Joseph's brothers, Judah, and his rocky family relations. Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar is mistreated in various ways in the story. Ultimately, Judah comes to terms with his own sin... which is the first step toward his transformation under God. For Chapter 38 notes, click here.

God bless you.

Matt