Summer Update
We are a bit into summer now, and boy have some fun things happened! At the beginning of summer a group of students went on a mission trip to Italy, we had five students go out to Winter Park Colorado for a leadership training, and four girls went out to Costa Rica for about a 3 week long mission trip. H2O has also started the processes of starting a church plant, and though it probably won't be for a couple years, we are praying and searching for a location to plant. Kyle Barta, one of our staff members/deacons, and his wife will be the ones leading that church plant, and they have been praying continuously for God to lead them to a location and have visited several places, the most recent place being China. We don't know if that is where God is calling our church plant but they spent three weeks there to see if that is where God is calling them. So much is happening here and our church is growing in many different ways and I can't wait to see where God leads us in that process.
At the start of the summer Ben and I got to take a short little vacation to Niagara Falls after he graduated and before he started working. It was a great time to just get away and relax together. We got to spend a few days enjoying the beauty of Niagara and each other's company before we began the summer.
This is a testimony from Brenna, one of our students who went on the mission trip to Italy, and was impacted by the trip. "It’s honestly hard to put into words how impactful the mission trip to Milan, Italy was. Going into it, I had a lot of doubts. I didn’t think I’d be able to support raise the money. I wasn’t sure if I had what it took to do missions overseas. However, in all my fears and worries the Lord shone through. I knew without him there wouldn’t be a trip so I prayed and prayed. God delivered in so many amazing ways
on the trip. Specifically I want to focus on the people God brought to me. First and foremost, my team was awesome. We all got along great and it was so encouraging seeing God work through their lives over the week.
Personally for me, I made a few great connections while on the trip. It was so hard going into it knowing I’d be leaving in a week. God broke down so many walls between me and the students. Whether it be language or cultural barriers. God drew two students in particular to me. They were both from China:Miao Miao and Theo. From day 1, they were so open to talking about faith and God. As our friendship grew, I was able to share my testimony with them and tell them about my choice to follow Jesus and the love I have for him, and more importantly the love He has for them. I will never forget what one student said to me 'Christians have a light in their eyes that many people don’t have. I can look at a person, see that light, and I just know they’re a Christian.'
God sent me to Milan to be a light in a dark place. It’s not a place that strikes you as one that needs missions, but in reality there’s a cloud a darkness over it. Relational evangelism is so vital to the great commission.
I’m so glad I answered the call God placed in front of me, and Im praying that God sends me back in the near future! All in all, when God places something on your heart go full speed ahead. You won’t regret it."
The summer has just begun and it's already going well. I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer and am excited for what God has in store.