Band of Survivors Team Update 20 - Special Edition

The following Update is a Special Edition because it takes you back in time to Wednesday, June 9, 2008. Enjoy:


Getting out of bed was a little hard this morning, as we have all been pouring ourselves into the work we’ve been doing. We started off the day with cell groups, which is a time that I always look forward to. The group of girls that I have in my group is just amazing; Alejandra, Moteka, Raven, Maggie, and Lilly. I have loved watching them grow in their walk with the Lord, and it has been great watching them love each other, pray for each other, and support each other. They not only do this for each other, but for me as well. The support and love that they show to me everyday, is such a blessing from God. As we continue to go through the book of Galatians, it’s great to be able to discuss how the book is relevant to our lives today. There are so many times when I feel that I’m learning more from the girls, rather than the other way around….

Yesterday was our first day doing Vacation Bible School at Midwest corps, and it was great! The kids are all so bright and VERY full of energy, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Many times they are so energetic, that they have a really hard time focusing. Everyday that we have with them, we start off with an opening program which includes us teaching them a new song for the day, a new bible verse for them to memorize, and a daily truth for the day. Today’s topic was “Jesus is God’s Son,” and the daily truth was “I know Jesus is God’s son. I can celebrate who He is.” The kids memorized Matthew 16:16, which says “I am the Christ, the son of the living God.”

On Tuesday, we had observed that the old kids, ages 10 and up, were not getting a lot out of what we had planned. They seemed a little too old for the crafts that we were doing, and they didn’t seem to be paying much attention during the bible lesson. We decided to change things up a bit, so we planned something totally different for them; something relevant to what they are dealing with. We chose to go over three topics: school, peer pressure, and betrayal. So that Wednesday, we talked about school and the different issues that they are dealing with; issues that involve drugs, bullying, fighting, teachers who don’t seem to care about the students. I would ask them questions to start a discussion, and the teens really seemed to enjoy being able to talk about this stuff. At the end, we presented the gospel and talked about the sacrifice that Christ made for us all. Three of the teens made the decision to accept Christ! God is so good and faithful! Lisa and I were able to take them aside, talk to them about their decision, listen to their confessions, and pray with them. I felt so blessed that God chose to use me as His vessel, even though I am so unworthy.

When we got back to the CFOT, the worship team for Friday’s Prayer and Praise night practiced, while the rest of the leaders planned out the prayer stations for Friday. We chose different issues that Chicago deals with: human trafficking, drug abuse, poverty, domestic violence, and those who are lost. We did some research on the topics, and put together the different stations. I pray that God will use these stations on Friday to make people aware of the issues around them, and to guide people in their prayers.

The time flew by! We all will be heading home in a little over a week…I pray that while we go through this last week, God will continue to work on us and prepare us to go back to our families, friends, corps, and communities and spread the gospel, as well as all of the amazing things God did through our time together.

I would personally like to wish my sister a very happy birthday, which is on July 14th. So, happy birthday, Jennie! I love you! God bless you all! Bootsma!

-Amanda Keene