Hey Parents!
Hope you had a great Christmas and New Years Eve. Apparently, my waistband enjoyed the holidays. If you're like Heather and me, you are gearing up for another semester of school and filling out your new 2024 calendars. I wanted to highlight something we do at Johnson Ferry that I think, in fact, I know, it's the best discipleship tool we have to partner with you. It's called "the mission trip". When I look at Acts 2, it describes all the things that are happening in the new church in Jerusalem. How the Holy Spirit is using ordinary people like you and me to do extraordinary things for the gospel. Here is a list I made when I read Acts 2:42-47:
- Devoted to scripture
- Co-laborers/business investors
- Breaking of bread/ meals together
- Prayer
- Awe and wonder/signs
- Together in belief
- Selling their posessions
- Distributing the proceeds to all that had need
- Attending large corporate worship
- Meals in homes
- Happy generous hearts
- Praising God
- Having favor with the people
- Lord was adding to their number those being saved.
After 13 years at Johnson Ferry, I'm convinced that not just adults, but students as well, get to experience the same list. When our HS students spend 8 weeks on Sunday nights training and preparing for the Spring Break Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic, it's amazing how much of this list they experience.
- Study the Bible together
- Work together as a Family Group
- Eat lunch together as a Family Group
- Pray together
- They are often in Awe of what God does that week.
- They often give up or sacrifice their Spring Break to the beach with friends
- Distribute food and water to communities
- Attend Large worship gatherings
- Eating meals with larger Youth group
- They have happy, generous hearts that week.
- Praising God
- Have favor with the people in the DR.
- Watch the Lord add to their number people being saved/rescued for eternity.
So parents, I really encourage you to help your students experience a mission trip in 2024. Our maybe you take your whole family on a mission trip this year? There are several to pick from in the new year. Go to our Global Missions page to see more info.
- 2 College Mission Trips to Peru - March 2-8 and March 8-16
- High School Spring Break Mission Trip to Dominican Republic - March 30-April 6
- Middle School Spring Break Choir Mission Trip to Birmingham, AL - April 1-5
- Family Mission Trip to Clarksville, TN - April 4-7
- Family Mission Trip to Anchorage, AK - July 7-14