Day 5 :: July 15, 2008

36Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Acts 15:36

Having "grown up" in the church, I have been blessed to be able to attend numerous mission trips over the years. From Atlanta and New York, to Middlesburough, England or Matamoros, Mexico, I have been to and seen may different churches, and I must say the body of Christ can be a beautiful thing. The above scripture does remind me however, that in all of our "doing good", we ought not just treat missions as a one-stop shop. I believe that is why I love the folks at Crossroads. When I first came and met Sterling and Jenna Edwards in November of 2006, I also met Luis & Jessica Rivera. At the time, they were just new friends of the Edwards and fellow believers. In the 2 years since, Luis has become the first additional staff member at CCLI (Crossroads Church of Long Island) and Jessica has taken an extremely active role in helping with Kidz Camp programing, as well as many other duties around the church. That first visit was the beginning of a relationship between all of us. Though I am not on staff at CCLI, I definately feel like part of the team. We are partners in this journey together, I just happen to live 1500 miles away.

And that is how it ought to be. With a common heart, likeminded in spirit, we work together as the body of Christ to see His kingdom spread.

Please pray today for the efforts of CCLI in this community. There were 60+ children present today at Kidz Camp, each representing a home with a mom, dad, or both, all of whom need to know about the God who created them and loves them. Pray for this week and the children as they learn first hand about Jesus, and for the parents who hear about the activities and stories secoind hand from their children. Also pray for our team, as we serve at Kidz Camp, and in the afternoons on our various work projects. (Talking with Sterling today, we definately see the scope of work this year much larger and impactive than any of our previous projects.) And lastly, please pray that we do not forget Sterling, Jenna, Madison, Emma, and Luis & Jessica. While we are here for the week, they are in this for the long haul. Let us be reminded to encourage them along the road, as did Paul in Acts 15:36.

--Bryan