I have heard since we decided to adopt that you are automatically accepted into a community of others who have or are in the process of adopting. I thought that was nice, but never really thought anything else about it. Of course you have an instant connection to others who have adopted and maybe an even closer connection to others who are adopting from the same country you are, but today I experienced genuine community.
Today could of possibly been one of the most frustrating days for me in our adoption process. Yesterday we received our final document that we have been waiting on, so that we can send everything off and go on the waiting list. I won’t bore you with all the details. Anyways, I went to The Rutherford County Clerk, so that could authenticate that our notary was legit. Upon arrival I was told that it was $7.00 dollars a document. Even the lady behind the counter felt bad charging me $126.00 dollars to print 18 pieces of paper and sign them. Once I completed this task, I then went to downtown Nashville for the to authenticate that Rutherford County could authenticate our notary. Are you serious? Their fee was a nominal $2.00 a paper. I had more here to authenticate. But here is where community happened.
When the lady took my papers she asked if I was paying by check or cash, I promptly said, debit card, in which she promptly replied we don’t take those. I said well I guess I will be going to an ATM huh, since my wife doesn’t allow me to carry a check book :) A gentleman who was also their authenticating said how much do you need? As I opened my wallet to look to see how much cash I had, he handed me a ten dollar bill. He said hopefully you won’t have to leave, where are you adopting from. I told him Ethiopia, and he told me he was adopting also. The lady said it will be $44 dollars, and I looked in my wallet and smiled at him and said yeah I gotta run to the ATM, and proceeded to give him his $10 dollars back. He refused and said hey we are here to help each other out right, God bless you, and walked off.
Community happens when people come together for a common cause. God continues to blow me away with how people are so willing to be apart of this adoption! Pray for us this weekend as we scan everything and send it off. Wow God is so good.
That is the question that was just asked to me when I opened my front door. I then proceeded to tell him no, but he lived in Knoxville, that I lived here. He then told me he was looking for the pastor. I then again told him that was me. I guess I am not getting as old as I feel sometimes.
I meet part of his family at our garage sale. They just moved here from Germany. He is going to be coming to our college ministry on Wednesday. I love meeting new neighbors.
So it finally happened today. Something I have been praying to happen for a while now. We finally got our approval to bring an orphan into the United States of America! Dawn called me this afternoon to give me the news. I told her I needed her to bring the paper tonight to church for me to believe her! It’s TRUE. From here our paper work goes to Washing DC and we go on the waiting list for our referral. WOW! Makes it all so much more real now. Gotta get some cash together now:) I’m sure Dawn will post soon our adoption blog with details I have no idea about!
This morning was one of my proudest moments in ministry. It didn’t have anything to do with the amount of students we had this morning, the number of students we baptized this morning, or that I taught some life changing message from the stage. This morning I had the opp0rtunity to release a high school senior into ministry. Let me give you a little back ground to help you with the story.
Four years ago our student ministry took a bold step in challenging our high school students to not just learn about their faith but to live out their faith weekly in our Sunday morning environments in what we call MaxImpact. Each week we see high school students serving all over our campus, from preschool, children, and student ministries, or being the first face many people see as a greeter/usherand in our world cup cafe or to making sure people have an incredible experience in our worship environment for adults by being apart of our tech crew.
About a year ago I approached a student who was serving in a ministry area where she wasn’t being stretched in her ministry. Her name was Lauren. I told Lauren I really believed God could do some amazing things with her in serving middle school students on Sunday morning. To be honest I think she thought I was crazy because of how quiet and shy she could be at times. All of last year it was incredible to see Lauren stretch herself by stepping up to help the adult in the room, or by substitute teaching when the teacher would be gone.
At the end of last school year Lauren challenged me to allow her to take her own class to teach this year. She told me she knows the material and was ready to teach. This morning Lauren started just that. She had her first class of students. She came up to me this morning telling me what all she had studied and what supplies she needed. To be honest she was more prepared than many adult workers I have seen before. Thank you Lauren for stepping up and serving. I know this year will be amazing for the students you serve, and the example you set for your adult helper in your class room :)
Thank you to everyone who made our yard sale so successful! We had a great day today, with a lot of traffic, and made over $1000.00! Praise God for your generosity, your prayer, and your encouragement!
I’ve heard of many pastor’s who describe their Monday mornings as their “Holy Hangover”. I feel like I experience this many times on Thursday mornings after our “go day” in student ministry. I can honestly say I have finally “sobered” up after what probably was the most intense, draining, exciting spiritual week of my life. Ten days ago we got home from Camp Whatever and all I can say is wow. My prayer was God will you do something here that only You can do. He did just that. I could write forever about this week, but I will just invite you Wednesday July 9 to our Camp Share Service. I am just now able to put into words a little bit of what happened. Here are some of the highlights of my week.
-Seeing forty students cross the line of faith and totally surrender their life to Christ.
-I had the opportunity to lead a 7th grade boy to Christ on Tuesday morning after his quiet time. Yes God spoke to a 7th grade boy in a quiet time. WOW!
-Our adult leaders are amazing! No amazing I’m serious. Many leaders had the opportunity to lead someone to Christ for their first time. Way to step!
-Over 25% of the students who accepted Christ did so at a time other than after a worship service. One student said he couldn’t sleep because he needed to give his life to Jesus. Wow the Holy Spirit works at all hours.
-My team is amazing. David, Mel, Canaan and Scott.
-Our staff team that went are my hero’s. Our church is amazing for allowing that many people to go to camp. They believe in what we do. I love my church.
-Hasn’t happened yet but the 20 students we have baptized after tomorrow night, with at least 20 more to come! Praise God.
In about 7 hours I will be heading to the church to load up and leave for camp! It is going to be amazing week. Dawn and I have had an interesting day before camp. As always I spent most of the day at church packing and doing last minute things. After that we went to eat our “last meal” at the Barrell. When we returned home I was putting in one last load of laundry and packing. When I went down stairs I found our entire kitchen and laundry room filled with water! What a night!
Pray that we keep our spirits up. It’s going to be an amazing week if the enemy is already trying to get to us this early. I can’t wait to see the way God is going to move. Pray for our students and follow us here…www.fbcsmyrna.or/campwhatever
Every year we recruit leaders to be small group leaders in our student ministry. Our hope is that they will stay with a group of students through middle or high school. We don’t ask then for a three or four year commitment, but they understand our desire is for them to be with that group till they move to the next level. This helps build relationships and trust. In a three or four year period alot can change in a student’s life and having someone constant is important. These leaders go through alot with these students. There are moments they laugh together, cry together, and moments leaders are ready to be done with these students. Three years ago I recruited six leaders to start with a group of 6th graders praying they would be there three years later. I am so proud of these six leaders because they have done something not many can say, they stuck with it. Through the past three years we have seen these groups multiple into 11 small groups. Most of the leaders we multiplied these groups with have stuck with it and there accomplishment should be applauded as well. Thank you so much Matt Couch, Charlie Mitchell, Mike Scott, Becky Scott, Sara Couch, Susan Garland for beginning something great for our student ministry!
Although I am the Director of Student Ministries at FBCSmyrna, the words in this blog are mine and mine alone, not that of the church...not that of Pat....or even the student ministry team i work with...you have been warned.
