A little more information

A little more information on the trip. We have three main goals as we go to Denver this summer.

1.) Connect with God

Mark 1:35-38
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."

2.) Connect with our team

Romans 12:4-6
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.

3.) Connect with others

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

With these goals in mind our ultimate objective is to glorify God in everything we do.
We leave on Friday, June 19th directly after the end of Summer Adventure Week at our church. So quickly afterwards in fact, that we don’t even get to help clean up. I think we’re all pretty disappointed about that. But we’ll suffer for Christ and skip the clean up.
We have the fortunate opportunity to drive to Denver in two days instead of one. God is good. However we will still have to log some heavy hours in the church van.
Once in Denver we will be staying at Confluence Ministries. This is their mission’s statement:

“Our mission is to bring together the diverse streams of the Body of Christ, with their talents and resources, to serve our local and global communities with the love of Jesus. Through strategic City Impact, practical Community Development, and compassionate World Outreach, we endeavor to see God glorified and lives changed. The role of Confluence Ministries is to be a catalyst to facilitate and support these efforts through networking, collaboration, hands-on training and experience.”

We will work in Denver for five full days before beginning our trip back. During these five days our schedule will be very full. We will have morning and afternoon ministries, (not sure what these will be yet) and then host a neighborhood Vacation Bible School (VBS) during the night. We will also have much prayer and worship, and continuous ways to set our focus on God.
Some of the ministry ideas could include, free car washes, serving coffee and doughnuts at bus stops in the morning, (sounds great to me), children’s ministries in the nearby park, VBS, homeless assistance, outreach through music events, clothing and food distribution, prayer walking and sports outreach, (hopefully basketball or something I’m halfway decent at). We will also be serving at The Joshua Station which is a place set up to help families make the transformation from homelessness to a healthy, stable living environment.
One of the things I’m looking forward to the most on this trip is listening to God. AIM has set up times for us that are free, such as an afternoon, where we will pray and listen to God and do whatever he directs us to do that afternoon. More on this later.
All in all I’m very excited for the chance to see what God will do through us in Denver. I firmly believe he has special opportunities already prepared for us on this trip, and I can’t wait to see what they are.
I know that it will be outside of everyone’s comfort zone, and am bracing myself and trusting God for strength in that.
Isaiah 40:31
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”