Amazing...

It's hard for me to describe the impact Operation Barnabas (OB) had on me, my family, our teammates and our community in their short visit here this past Sunday and Monday (July 27-28). It was unique in that Trish and I have spent 11 summers (combined) being ON Operation Barnabas serving other churches and communities where we've traveled. To have them here, packing our living room, mixing with our teammates, and loving people in our community-- it was great to be on the receiving end of their ministry.

Much of my summer has been spent dreaming and planning for these two days. That may sound a little dramatic, but I knew that we needed this visit from them and that if we planned well and God answered prayer (which we knew He would)... we could really love thousands of people in Jesus' name and advance awareness of ClearView in a significant manner. So...here's what happened...

OB arrived on Sunday afternoon. They met our family and we quickly got out in the community serving and loving people. A group of 5 or so went through businesses in a local strip mall and asked to clean bathrooms or windows. They had some excellent interactions and were able to pray with a few people. Another group served snow cones at the YMCA and had a great time interacting with families and Y staff. A large group helped us assemble 1,000 summer fun bags (ClearView info., invitation to Monday's program, flavored teas, and candy) to give out door-to-door on Sunday night. Just to tell you how much a group of motivated teenagers can get done... they mowed through this project in about 2 hours and were looking for more things to do before the afternoon ended. We were actually able to get an additional 500 piece mailing together as well (BONUS!). When we did similar bags in the winter, it took my family a whole week (literally) to assemble about 700 bags! During this time, the rest of the team was out in 3 different neighborhoods handing out ClearView information and inviting people to come to our Family Fun Night on Monday.

Dinner consisted of lasagna, salad, and bread. We've never fed almost 50 people (including some of our teammates that stopped by for dinner) at one time... so this was fun. Trish did a great job coordinating cooking in our and 3 neighbors' ovens and the food was great. Our family and our team enjoyed interacting with these quality young people. Their attitudes are great, they pursue people in conversation, they help with chores like cleaning up, they are wonderful with children, and they exude love for Jesus. It made it easy to remember why I invested 5 summers of my life leading OB teams... these students are the leaders of tomorrow and each one of them has the potential to change the world.

On Sunday evening, we loaded the whole team on the bus and went out to 3 different neighborhoods around the YMCA where ClearView meets. In about an hour and a half, OB hung about 800 of our Summer Fun bags on doors and had some good interactions with people they encountered. Again, it took me over a month to get out the winter bags we had prepared...so I was elated to touch so many homes in such a short time. At this point in our church planting work, we're in the business of mass contacts... and God provided a way to get this done big time with OB! After a busy day, we enjoyed some Graeter's ice cream in our back yard ("Thanks," Mark Brock!).

Monday was just as fast-paced and eventful. When the team arrived in early afternoon, we split them into groups again. One team finished hanging the remaining 200 bags and several hundred additional door hangers, helping us make repeat contacts in several neighborhoods. Another group went to the YMCA and served there- some painting, some landscaping, and some giving out free snow cones. A final group worked for the Village of New Albany service department, helping with a brush clearing project. I enjoyed watching the students working with smiles, always willing to go the extra mile to help, and interacting with those around them (inviting them to the program, asking if they could pray for them about anything, etc.). After a hard afternoon of work, we enjoyed dinner together at a local restaurant.

Monday night was the highlight of OB's visit. Our family had worked together with friends Beth and Luke Fields to invite as many people in our neighborhood as we could to what we billed a "Family Fun Night". The event would include an Operation Barnabas program, games, a water slide (thanks Powell Grace!), and free snow cones and cotton candy. I e-mailed many contacts I've made in the area over the last year or so, and I even figured out how to create a Facebook event and used that as a tool to invite people! We also made up 1,000 fliers and by the time OB was done on Monday afternoon... all had been distributed in local neighborhoods.

It was an amazing scene... by the end of the evening there were more than 150 people in our backyard! God came through big time and people showed up from all sorts of networking streams. Our friends invited friends that came. People from soccer teams I had coached, people that we met at the pool, people that had gotten fliers, people from the neighborhood, even a family I met at Creekside all came. Everyone had a great time. Parents were elated at free stuff for their kids. The children present enjoyed the free treats, loved the OB program, and enjoyed the water slide...even on a cool evening (for July!). The most important event of the evening was spiritual movement in people's lives... at least 8 children and one adult invited Jesus to forgive them of their sins and lead their lives. Praise God!

As I reflect back on OB's short visit, I'm so thankful for many things:

• Our neighbors noticed...It's not every day there is a large blue bus pulling in and out of our street several times. They were impressed by the students and OB enhanced our credibility with people as they played with their kids. One neighbor came up to me and asked (out of the blue)... "At the end of your e-mails every week, you put 'Looking for Teammates'...what do you mean by that?"
• It was really neat for our team to see such a turn out at one of our events. We sense God is at work and there is real excitement about the movement we have seen this summer.
• So much was accomplished... helping us reach large goals for contact making that we can't meet on our own. Plus, their hard work for community organizations advanced our relationships with these important people and helps us lay a foundation for future ministry possibilities.
  
• People in the community are noticing us... As he was getting a snow cone, one child at the YMCA pool remarked to an OB student... "Oh... so you are the same church that put candy on my door last night!"
• Heaven rejoiced at the result of Monday's program! Pray for wisdom and opportunities as we follow up with those we know of that made decisions for Jesus!

Thanks for praying for this weekend's ministries. There is MUCH to praise God for!