So Long...Farewell...

After 44 days of training, equipping and ministry, Operation Barnabas 2009 is officially winding down.  For the next two days, OB students will spend time with their teams reflecting over the work that God has done in and through their lives this summer and preparing to return home.  It has been one incredible journey and words can not express the immense gratitude and overwhelming joy we have for our God and Savior.  We stand in awe at the magnitude of His unconditional love and faithful provision for us that was continuously evident as we served Him this summer.

For one last time, all three OB 09 teams joined together to worship along side the Worthington Grace Church on Sunday morning.  During the Sunday School hour, Keystone did a program for the children’s ministry complete with puppets, dancing and stories.  Team Central used pantomimes and skits to lead discussion groups in Jr. High while Tri-State did the same in High School.  As pastors and guests from all over the country were pouring into the church for the start of Equip 2009, OB students were quick to mingle and interact with everyone.  They have learned this summer that Barnabas was a greeter and it is clear that they have begun to develop this character trait in their own lives.  

For the combined Sunday Worship Service, the choir sang a plethora of songs in worship to the Lord...and it sounded absolutely beautiful!  When 90 voices are singing in harmony, worshipping at the foot of the cross and responding to the Almighty God...there is nothing quite like it...it is absolutely beautiful.  Students from each team shared the testimony of how God is refining their lives and guiding them to be more like Jesus.  We rejoiced with the congregation at the lives saved as a result of God working through the OB ministry around the country.  During one of the testimony times, Tri-State student Luke C. shared how God has been teaching him that he needs to be 100% reliant on the Lord in every aspect of his life...even when things get tough.  At Momentum, we were all in fervent prayer for his mom who was undergoing an operation.  In an answer to prayer, she was able to return home that same day and we rejoiced in that.  However, yesterday Luke discovered that she was back in the hospital battling the illness and he once again was reminded that God is sovereign and the only source of our peace, hope and healing.  All of the students gathered around Luke as prayers were lifted up asking that God heal Mrs. C. and bring her quickly home to her family.  May God be glorified...      

It was evident that God was moving in that place...His presence was felt and hearts were changed.  Many people committed to living their lives as a daily sacrifice to the Lord and stood to make that public profession as the OB choir sang “I Give You Me.”  We pray that the students will continue to give the entirety of who they are to the Lord even as they return home...all that they have, all that they are and all that they will become.  We pray that they will continue to seek out opportunities to love God and love others through servanthood.  We pray that they will never stop becoming more like Christ; developing a heart for God, a heart for the lost, a heart for encouraging believers and a heart for full time vocational ministry.  

The debriefing process is now underway...TK taught on the pitfalls of returning home and warned the students of obstacles they will likely face.  He encouraged them to remain steadfast in the word and fervent in prayer on a daily basis and to actively seek an older believer to be mentored by.  Teams will now continue meeting and debriefing and hanging out together before goodbyes on Wednesday morning.  

It’s hard to believe...but this will be the final blog for the Operation Barnabas 2009 tours.  From the bottom of our hearts we thank you, faithful blog readers, for supporting our ministry and being diligent prayer warriors.  We have experienced God’s answers to your prayers and we would not have been nearly as effective without your support.  Please continue to pray for the OB students as they travel home and jump back into their daily lives with a deeper passion for the Lord.

From Sara, Phil, Eric and all of our guest blog writers...thank you...thank you...thank you...and adios!

July 25th- The Last Day - More Manual Labor!!!!

Julie H enjoying cleaning some kid toys

Cody R working on a weed-eater

Tahj cleaning some little toys

Matt A mowing up a jungle

Jade L concentrating on painting a railing

6 men and a huge rock

Grand Finale

The days left on the Team Central calendar may be winding down...but the ministry opportunities and long days most certainly are not! Friday was our last full day of ministry as an OB 2009 team and it was jam packed with opportunities, prayer and the sharing of our faith. It is evident that the students have grown more like Christ this summer and are leaving an impact on the churches and communities they have visited. God has done an amazing work in their lives and they are overflowing with joy while serving and loving.

Through an unforeseen chain of confusing events, the morning started off quite hectic. All 34 of us were challenged to practice patience...we are all being refined as we aim to become more like Christ. Patience is one of those virtues that seems to require a lot of practice...and God gave us the perfect opportunity this morning. After we finally hit the road, the students were delightfully surprised with breakfast at McDonalds. Amanda was able to sit and eat with a woman she had met during lunch at Wendy's the day before...how awesome is that?? The chance to make TWO connections with the same lady and share the love of Christ...SO awesome! Team Central students sat and visited with every single person in the restaurant...way to go guys!

After arriving at Ellet GBC, we quickly jumped into ministry. With a program and ice cream party (YUM!) coming at 7pm, the students broke into groups and canvassed the 600 homes in the neighborhood with flyers, continuously praying that God would be glorified and people needing Christ would come to the program. We then hopped over to a local senior housing apartment complex to be an encouragement to the residents. Our choir was beautiful, our skits were hilarious, our puppets were energetic and our testimonies were powerful...but most importantly our conversations were glorifying to the Lord. The students shared their faith and prayed with the residents...and received extremely positive feedback. God is definitely at work in the hearts of the residents and we were thankful to have been a part of that!

The afternoon brought some more manual labor...in the form of window washing at local communities, picking up trash, running a car wash and passing out more flyers. Andrew, Jade, Cody and DeAnne washed windows at a pizza place where they were "paid" with a large pizza and drinks. They took the opportunity to talk with the owner and invite him back to the program that night...they planted the seed of the Gospel message. Joel, Brian and Sam took turns wearing our Quimper head on the street and brought MANY cars into our free car wash at the church. Khyri was our Official Car Wash greeter and was fabulous at starting spiritual conversations and offering cold drinks. No one left the car wash without someone praying with them...in fact, one woman stopped JUST because she saw us praying and needed prayer. WOW!

At 7pm we had our final park program...and what a way to end a summer! In an answer to prayer, the community in Ellet came out in droves. People from the senior center who had questions about the Gospel showed up...people who had their car washed in the afternoon showed up...the guy from the pizza place showed up...people driving down the street stopped. And the common thread between all of them? They were ALL looking for a local church or searching for something to fill the void in their lives. One lady said, "I'm looking for a church...I just feel like I need to go back. Something told me to come here today...I don't know what...but I got a flyer and knew I had to be here. I need to come back to Jesus." Another attendee said, "I saw your car wash and stopped. I don't go to church...but I think this church is where I need to be. Can I meet the pastor?" Awesome??!?! Uh, yea...we think so. It is evident that God is moving in this community...and the Ellet church expressed immense gratitude for the role Team Central played in that the past few days. It was clear that God was present at the program and was tugging at peoples hearts. We pray that those people will respond and surrender their lives to the Lord. The Gospel was clearly presented throughout Ellet all day yesterday...and we praise God for the work He has already begun.

As Team Central sang "I Give You Me" one last time together...they were overcome with emotion...responding to what God was doing in the community...responding to what God was doing in their own lives...and realizing that goodbye is coming quickly. With tears in their eyes, both joyful and sad, they prayed with community members, church members and each other. They prayed that the Ellet GBC would rock this town for Jesus and that hearts would be changed. They prayed with the neighbors and encouraged them to begin attending church. Basically, they prayed, prayed and prayed some more. It was awesome. True story.

The ended the night with team worship time...and a chance to share what God has been teaching them this summer...which is more than any of us can ever express with words. We are in awe of who God is and what He has in store for us...we are in love with Jesus.

July 24th- Our Final Program

Jordan D found a camera buddy

Sam G using some enthusiasm to invite people to the show

Brian S and "Quimper" attract cars to the Free Car Wash

Joel F and Cody R pray for the program

Amanda S, Patrick H, and Julia S pray for people at the program to make decisions for Christ

Andrew P, Kelsey M, Julie H, and Kelly M during one of the pantomimes

Brian S prays for Blake R before he goes up to speak in front of the crowd

DeAnne S dancing with a new friend

Jess W teaching her new friend how to dance to "Don't Stop Believin"

Ben R shares what God has been teaching him this summer

July 23rd- Clouds + Rain = Plan B. Plan B = Bowling!!!

Team Central Leaders looking nice!

Team Central all dressed up for a night at Olive Garden

Mandy J and Hillary B enjoy a conversation with Matt Wheeland over dinner

While bowling a woman requested we dance to "Don't Stop Believin"

Admiring the bowling scores

Patrick H, Carolyn S, and Matt A enjoy a day of bowling and acting crazy

Hannah T and Kelsey M enjoying a relaxing day

Plan B = Bowling

In Case of Rain...Plan B...

Well...despite our prayers, today was definitely not a sunshine filled day. Thankfully, Team Central is flexible and spontaneous...and can have a blast hanging out with each other regardless of the surroundings! The students got ready for a day at Clay's Park for swimming, laying out, hanging out, lunch, and beach volleyball. So, with swimsuits and towels in hand we headed out the door for the day. We handed out allowance and made a quick stop at WalMart, which makes a day exciting just on its own...so at least we had that! As we loaded back into the bus it became quite evident that the dark gray clouds were coming closer and growing larger...showing no sign of letting the sun peak through. In fact...sprinkles began to fall in the parking lot...

...which only meant one thing...no Clay's Park...no beach volleyball...

Determined to still have a fun and relaxing day off we quickly came up with a Plan B...bowling! Everyone loves bowling, right?? Well at least everyone on Team Central does! The Lord blessed us with a fabulous deal at a local bowling alley that gave us 6 lanes for 2 hours...shoes...pizzas and drinks...for the same price as Clay's Park! Definitely an answer to prayer! The students LOVED being silly with each other and bowling the afternoon away. With music blaring in the background, we bowled, ate pizza and just enjoyed each others company. Even though it was a "day off from scheduled ministry" the students still looked for opportunities to talk with people, share their faith in Christ and serve. And...just because its a day off CERTAINLY doesn't mean its a day off from "Don't Stop Believing"! When the Journey song began playing at the bowling alley, you better believe that all of the Team Central students broke out in choreographed dance as if it were a park program. It was so entertaining, in fact, that a woman at a nearby lane requested the song a second time just to see it again! It was a wonderful opportunity to start conversations with other bowlers as the students stood in front of the lanes 30 people strong...dancing. It definitely drew attention...and was definitely a highlight of the day.

Having a little bit more time to pamper themselves this afternoon, the students looked dashing as we headed off to Olive Garden for a nice dinner. The girls were beautiful...the boys were handsome...everyone was still hilarious. It was lovely to strengthen friendships and catch up on life with each other...over pasta and breadsticks.

We ended the evening with some team time and ice cream. The students read through 1 John together...and then split into guys and girls groups for Q&A with the leaders. Matt and Jeremy joined the girls while Stacie and Sara met up with the guys. It was an opportunity for the students to get to know their leaders a little better...and ask any questions they had regarding, well, anything! All joking and silly questions aside, the students were challenged to become godly men and women in every aspect of their lives. It was a sweet time to encourage each other while having a little fun...and a perfect way to end a fabulous day...

We are thankful for the rest we had today...and the energy that we were able to restore. Tomorrow we will travel to our last church before debriefing and pray that we finish this adventure serving the Lord strong...

From Norton...Goodnight!

Rewind...

...since an update was unable to be written last night...here is a recap of Team Central's July 22nd...

Our second day in Hopewell was just as jam packed with effective ministry as our first day...they really did a fantastic job of using the team to the fullest!  Many thanks to the awesome cooks who spoiled us with pancakes, eggs, sausage and other delectable goodies in the morning!  We sure have had many hot breakfasts these past few weeks and it has been utterly wonderful...

We headed off to the nearby town of Saxton to partner with the Saxton GBC church in community outreach.  Half of the team, along with Hopewell staff, helped Pastor Hall and his family beautify the  community park in front of the church.  They planted flowers...scrapped and swept a brick walkway...and painted five park benches...all in the ridiculously humid air.  We were thrilled to be a part of something so encouraging for the Saxton community and pray that the work done will help the Saxton GBC to become better known and grow in their ministry.  The other half of the team walked to a senior center for a program and time to mix and mingle.  With only half of the students present, creativity was needed in order to have enough material for a complete program.  Word on the street is that Team Central leaders Matt and Jeremy stepped in and performed during the "Job" skit.  Apparently it was hilarious!  Hillary used her talent on the piano to encourage the audience and all of the students loved as Jesus would love.  

After lunch the entire team met up at a local school for a mini carnival and park program.  With rain clouds looming, we prayed that the storm would hold off for the afternoon...and praise be to God...it did!  Despite the climbing humidity and soaring temperatures, Team Central pulled out all the stops and served the community with energy and strength that came only from the Lord.  Neighbors and church members alike came to the carnival...ate popcicles...jumped in the bounce house...and heard the Gospel message.  Julie and several other students were able to pray with people who made first time commitments to the Lord...how awesome is that??  We rejoice in knowing that the Kingdom of God grew a little larger that afternoon...

The students all worked their hardest and with cheerful and energetic spirits despite the humidity and sweat...and let's just say that the bus had quite the aroma once all 34 of us hopped on after a full day in the sun.  Good thing showers were next on the agenda!  Many thanks to the local highschool which graciously offered their shower facilities to us free of charge.  Definitely a blessing from the Lord and we are continually thankful to Him!

We ate dinner with the Hopewell family...loaded the Penske in the rain storm that had been delayed that afternoon...said our tearful goodbyes...and then began the long journey back to Ohio.  We arrived at the Norton church around midnight and the students were told that an additional church had been added to our schedule...because they had an abundance of mulch that needed to be put into their planters and playgrounds.  The students were given a schedule for the next day before Team Central leaders said, "Aw...nevermind.  Forget about that.  Let's just have a day off and play tomorrow!"  Cheers and excitement filled our blue bus and smiles were seen all around...no mulch for us on Thursday!

We worked as a team to unload our belongings in the pouring down rain and began to pray for a sunshine filled Thursday so we could go to the lake and play some beach volleyball...

...to be continued...