Central Baptist Students

Last night the Central Baptist student team arrived safely at Embassy Church in Washington DC. The PPM team, Embassy Church, David's Tent, Seabury Resources for Aging, Martha's Table, and Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center are beyond excited to partner with them this week and serve God and others.

After their arrival, we had a great orientation and time of fellowship. This morning we had the pleasure of visiting Capitol Hill Baptist Church. It was a blessing to worship together, hear preaching from a local church, and meet other people with a heart for Jesus.

As we begin our week please pray for our team to be a light to others and show the love of Jesus to every person we encounter throughout the week. Also pray that the Central Baptist team can grow closer as a group, and that what they start here would continue as they go home, and they can impact the Dunn, NC community as well.

We appreciate all of you back home supporting and praying for us.

We love you guys! God bless!

The team goes through all their songs in preparation for leading worship and prayer the next two mornings at David's Tent. God has blessed this team with some amazing musical talents to use for Him. 

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. Psalm 147:1

I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me

In America, we are blessed with the religious freedom to serve on mission trips like this, but that freedom was paid for by many men laying down their lives for our nation. On Sunday afternoon we got to visit the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial and played some games in the field near the memorial. We are thankful to God and to the sacrifice of our Marines to allow us to have days like this.  

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Psalm 59:16

This Monday morning was better than most. We were able to lead worship at David's Tent for several hours by singing songs of praise and reading the book of Mark. Central Baptist did an amazing job leading worship, and I wish all of you could have seen and heard their heart and song for the Lord.

While we visited the Washington Memorial we were able to stand at one of the corners. The cornerstone in the Bible is Jesus. Matthew 21:42 says, "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?" and 1 Corinthians 3:11 says, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." We had a wonderful time walking around and standing by the foundation of the Washington Monument, but it is even more wonderful to have Christ as our foundation. 

We visited Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center on Monday afternoon, and before serving we got to hear some amazing background, stories, and testimonies that Janet shared. It was an absolute pleasure to speak with her and the other staff at the Pregnancy Center. They do amazing work by supporting mothers and showing them the love, hospitality, and compassion of Christ. It was an honor to partner and work with them for just a few hours. Here is their mission statement and I think it provides a great idea of the powerful purpose they are fulfilling in DC. 

The Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center serves the Gospel of Jesus Christ by providing intervention and abortion alternatives for women and men facing crisis pregnancies; prepares and trains parents through education for pregnancy, birth, and beyond; expresses the love of Jesus Christ through emotional support and friendship; and encourages a lifestyle that reflects godly values, especially with regard to sexual behavior.

A party of us worked upstairs on the Pregnancy Center's paperwork organizing, shredding, cutting, and enveloping it. 

What a blessing to lead worship at David's Tent not just one, but two mornings. The students truly were the salt and the light in the city of DC on this Tuesday morning. The songs, prayer, and reading of Romans and Psalm 47 were powerful and heartfelt. Central Baptist did an amazing job praising the Lord this week. They were a prime example of Psalm 150.

"Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord."

God has blessed our nation and its people for hundreds of years. It was amazing to see the rich history of our country and culture. 

Each of us had to come up with two words for our week and share them with the team. The list is the following: 

Connecting, Unifying, Up-lifting, Selfless, Humbling, Stretching, A Blessing, Fulfilling, Impacting, Glorifying, Emotionally Fulfilling, Memorable, Necessary, Aweing, Meade To Be, Carpe, Diem, Satisfying, Eye-Opening, Inspiring, Enlightening, Together, Christ-Focused, Relationship-Driven, Connecting, Surprising, Enlighting, Humbling, Genuine, Eye-Opening, and Encouraging  

On our final morning, we enjoyed breakfast together and then said our goodbyes.

This week is one I will never forget. God indeed blessed me with an incredible group this week. I loved spending time and working with all of you, and I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget all of you, and if you need a friend, someone to talk to, or any help in the future do not hesitate to reach out. 

I am praying for each and every one of you as we go our separate ways. I hope God will pour out His blessings upon your life. Seek first the kingdom of God, draw nigh unto Him, and love God with all that you are. I hope you take something you learned or grew from this week and help someone back home with it. If I am ever around Central Baptist I will definitely take the opportunity to visit you guys. If you guys are in Michigan you are always welcome to visit me as well.