Ocean City Missions Trip

What a week it was in Ocean City. It was truly a blessed time full of stepping out of our comfort zone for God, preaching and dramaing on the boardwalk. I learned so much on this trip and I would like to share some of the happenings.

First of all, I am really thankful. Paul Adams and his crew of evangelists were so instrumental in preparing us for the boardwalk. They were kind and helpful, walking us through the ins and outs of the Open Air Campaigners (OAC). OAC uses a sketch board to convey the Gospel message.

They go to Ocean City and other various campuses to share the Gospel. I have a lot of respect for these men who sacrifice their entire lives to bring the good news to unbelievers. They taught us all the letters and the riddles that catch people's attention. They then showed us how to neatly transition int

o the Gospel message. Much thanks to Carmina as well for teaching us the skit. The skit was a tremendous success and attracted a lot of people.

Secondly I can see the power of the Lord. Throughout our missions trip, I continually prayed for God to give me the words to say, the courage to stand in front of unbelievers, and the strength to be bold. I truly felt no fear for my strength was grounded in the Lord and his saving work. I did not fear persecution for we should

count it as a privilege to suffer beside our Lord. When people attack you while you're giving the Gospel, they attack the author of the Gospel. I was truly able to see first hand how God can use a weak, needy servant for the furtherance of His kingdom. This week is probably my most meaningful week in terms of expanding God's Kingdom. The first week I preached the Gospel with no fear. I could feel the Holy Spirit give me clarity of speech. Every second that I spent sharing the Gospel was so joyous. I've never experienced such satisfaction in the Gospel and I pray that I continue to find joy in it. I pray that this evangelism thing wasn't just this week but the next chapter in my life where I look for opportunities to share.

Thirdly I was encouraged. Whenever I gave a message, I was blessed to have a lot of believers in the crowd that really encouraged me after the message was finished. I really get the "edification" of the body now. I want to be the same way, encouraging and spurring others on towards the Lord. I was also encouraged by the people I spoke to on the board walk. There was one person in particular and his name was Chris. He grew up in the Christian home just like me and really didn't have a relationship with Christ - basically not living out the Faith. He had fallen away for a couple years and the message on the boardwalk really hit him. It was as if God was continually pursuing him all these years. I pray that I can be faithful in encouraging him to live for Christ. What was also awesomely encouraging was seeing others step out in faith too. Watching Greyson and Mikie preach with conviction was amazing. It's really encouraging when you see people that love God preach God's love. Seeing Yolanda, Mary, and Alisa perform the drama and talk to people one-on-one about the Gospel really showed how each one of them have grown. How they were unafraid and unashamed of the Gospel. THIS IS HOW WE MUST LIVE!!!!! UNASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL!!!!!!!! We must find ultimate satisfaction in the Gospel and cling with all our might to it.

Application Time

So now that I'm home and back to into my normal environment, there are many things that I need to work on. First of all, I need to get into the Word more. When speaking to people on the boardwalk, I encountered a jehovah's witness. I must be able to defend the Bible and it's truths. I must also not be so naive in thinking everyone has a firm grasp of the Gospel and what it means to be saved. Given this, I need to preach the Gospel to Christians, my friends, non-believers, and also myself. The Gospel is the basis of our Christian faith. Therefore, we need to be living a Gospel-centered life, fueled by prayer.

So these are just a few tidbits from OC. If you would like to hear the details, just hit me up. I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE MORE!!!!

BTW...I haven't forgotten about my notes from WorshipGod. I shall be posting them up this coming week before school starts.