Texas Update

Happy 4th of July! I hope all of you are enjoying a safe and happy holiday weekend. This morning we are beginning a new sermon series titled "GET SMART; A Course in Wisdom From Proverbs". Proverbs is an Old Testament book filled with wisdom and insight that is just as relevant today as it was when it was first written. In this series on Proverbs we will cover a variety of topics including; money, sex, parenting, choosing friends and more.

This morning we also have the privilege of hearing from some of the teens who recently returned from our summer mission trip. Our group partnered with the EFCA to help residents in the Galveston, TX area with recovery from hurricane Ike. The following is a brief summary of the trip written by Ford Boone, our Director of Missions and Outreach. Ford participated in the trip as an adult leader.

• 22 people (16 youth, 6 adult leaders) headed down to Galveston, Texas as the hands and feet of God on a mission trip helping with Hurricane Ike relief efforts. We teamed up with an EFCA Crisis Response Team who has been working with Galveston Bible Church on relief efforts since Hurricane Ike hit in September 2008.
• We did several projects during the week coordinated by the Crisis Response Team:
  • A roof tear-off and replacement for a lady who could not afford to hire it out.
  • Siding installation, soffit repair and painting on a home exterior for an 84 year old lady named Rose who could not afford to do this critically needed work to her home.
  • VBS at a local skateboard park: Sharing God with them through some activities/games (face painting, ninja warrior, tag etc), talking, spending time with the kids one-on-one.
  • Prayer walks in the areas around our work sites: sharing, talking, encouraging,  and praying for those in the local community.
  • A hot dog cook out event: inviting those from the community around Galveston.

God really blesses us for our obedience in going to Galveston! The Holy Spirit worked through everyone on our team, giving them boldness to talk to strangers, listen to their unique stories, sharing why we were there, about God, praying for those they encountered, and wanting to change ourselves to do more for God! Our compassion fro the Galveston people grew throughout the week. The stories we heard were overwhelming and very heart wrenching. The 90 degree heat and high humidity seemed to fade away as we took in how big our God is, what we can do through Him, and what He has done for us and those we came to serve! We truly thank and praise God fro this opportunity to serve Him, and we thank you at River of Life for all of your support including tool donations (many of which we used during the week), financial support, and your prayers!

-Ford Boone

On the Victory Side,

Dave