So the students left this morning from their training camp. It was a powerful week of breaking down walls and abandonment.
They arrived on Thursday evening and we met them at a homeless shelter called Eagles Nest in downtown Atlanta. After a bit of teaching we led them in 5 different team of 5-8 students each into the heart of downtown Atlanta. It was not until then that they realized how we would be spending our first night; on the streets on Atlanta. Each group had their own area of the city that they were to function in, and each team had two leaders with them. Our role was just to make sure they stayed safe, other than that they were on their own. This night was for them to surrender the trip to the Lord, to experience a bit clearer what it is to be solely dependent on the Lord, without food or shelter, even if only for a night.
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Matthew 8:20
The team I was with was a group of four girl and four boys, they spent the first part of the night being very vulnerable with one another; sharing their fears, giving up expectations, and bringing things from darkness to light. One very important lesson they were able to learn was that while on the mission field we are not able to meet every persons felt needs. As homeless people came and asked us for money they had nothing to offer but prayer and encouragement. All of their money and cell phones had been left at the shelter, all they had to offer was themselves.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
Luke 9:24
As the night went on the group decided they wanted to try and find a place to sleep, we were kicked out of two different sleeping places before we found a place to lay our heads for more than an hour. Personally, I only slept for about 15 minutes, 15 sweet minutes. We made it back to the shelter around 7:30AM the next morning and had some time to debrief and sleep before heading back to Gainesville around 10AM.
The rest of the week was full of teaching on identity and freedom in Christ. It was amazing to see the growth in these students, they are so passionate and hungry for Christ, I am blessed to be a able to minister to them.
Over the course of the week they learned about prophecy, and speaking life over one another. They shouted out the windows battle cries for their nations. They carried burdens in the form of heavy logs to a fire pit where they were burned forever. The week was full of the presence of the living God!
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37:5-6
Can I get an amen?
