God-sightings at the Hope Epidemic

Today we experienced our community's second annual mission blitz event known now as HOPE EPIDEMIC.  We had at least 1200 people out doing acts of love, kindness, mercy, and grace this morning.  At noon we started a HOPEFEST celebration using a large former food store facility, offering free health screenings, food, haircuts, and many other services.  Throughout the afternoon we heard testimonies of faith in Jesus through word and music.  Holding the event in a public, non-church-building facility we drew even more people that last year's kick-off HOPE EPIDEMIC event. 

Each of us saw the Holy Spirit at work in a variety of days, depending on where our work projects were and how we were involved at the HOPEFEST celebration.  Here are a few of the God-sightings that graced me:

• Seeing so many people of so many different ages willing to work to help clean up neighborhoods in which they'd never been.
• Watching people pray for each other's needs before we even left the church building to head into the mission field.
• Meeting neighbors we might otherwise never meet.  Breaking stereotypes of "those neighborhoods" and finding caring people eager to receive and offer God's grace.
• Watching part of our crew rescue "the Hope Epidemic kitten" - a tiny thing not even weaned.  "Hope" now has a home.  We're about bringing hope to all God's creation!
• Hearing Christian rapper "J-SON" sing and talk about the pain of child sexual abuse, and watching someone being ministered-to and begin to experience the freedom from bondage that only Christ can bring.
• Seeing people respond to baseball legend Darryl Strawberry as he and his wife Tracy invited people to give their lives to Jesus!
• Watching a recent new Christian eagerly share with someone how God is fully trust-able!
• Witnessing people new to Jesus and/or new to our church throwing themselves all-in for giving real hope in Christ to our community.

And that was just my limited experience today!  The church has left the building - FOR GOOD!