Gracepoint

Smiles of genuine welcome greeted us as we made our way into the building where GracePoint is meeting. GracePoint is a new church, that is opening their doors to everyone, and folks are noticing, attending, and bringing their friends. Coming around the corner, there is Daniel Doss one of the co-pastors welcoming everyone with vigorous hand shakes, and hugs.

Rounding the corner my senses jump for joy! WOW! There is coffee of all flavors, and some amazing volunteers in their GracePoint aprons ready to serve. My eye follows the wall further down and there is a buffet of fruits and pastries calling my name. Here is where I meet another amazing volunteer who enjoys cooking so much, she prepares items to share with her church family each Sunday. The next item along the left wall is a lemon-aid stand. (here is where they are selling tshirts, lemonade, and taking donations for this fresh water for Africa mission)
Sweetie, the boys and I are eagerly waiting in line to share in the joy of giving. Coming away with t-shirts we keep walking and notice that there are more booths with various Christian books to read, music cd's, and some Bibles. Up front is a small stage area where the band has set up for worship this morning. In the middle of the room are several rows of chairs with a information sheet on the Lemon-aid  project. To the right is a bunch of curtains leading to the back, but what do I see? An amazing area for the children to hang out while their parents are in church service. We are greeted warmly even though we don't have anyone to check in. The sweet volunteer shares how she was part of the church previously located in here, and how she is so thrilled to be a part of a growing and reaching church. Following the wall back towards the enterance door is the tech area, there is a nice camera for recording the services, and rows of electronic equipment to help with sound and lights.
It's almost time for service! The lights dim, and the chatter stops as the first note is played. Wow! There is nothing quite like worshiping our Lord with fellow Christians, and other folks who are just learning who God is! After we get all warm and our hearts are overflowing with love for our Savior..Daniel comes out and we all take a seat.
Yes! Time to dig into the WORD! Today Daniel preached on Joshua and his leading the people into the promised land. He starts pouring water into cups set on a table on stage; all the while leading us further and further into the story. Each one of us is drawing pictures in our own minds eye with his illustrations. He then describes the priests as they step into the river seperating them from the promised land on Joshuas word, as they carry the Ark of the Covenant.  As he describes how the water moved away and the ground itself was dry land for them to step on..I hear a child behind me inhale sharply. That kid was really into it! Praise GOD!
They are currently in a series called STEP. Its all about finding your next step in your life. That step could be to learn about God, learn to pray, learn to give, take a step to forgive, community groups, volunteering, or even to take a step to end something.
When Daniel closed in prayer, and the service was over, the folks there didn't rush to go out! No, they started picking up trash, stacking chairs, and helping break down! Again, I say WOW! About an hour later as the last piece of equipment is being loaded into the truck, I stand in amazement and say a quick prayer for all these hard workers who are making such a difference in others lives each week by their service.
If you are ever in Valparaiso, Indiana..stop by Grace Point. Jesus is there, He is walking amongst the people of that town, and through this little church, changing lives. He is using the people that make up this church to extend His love and grace to not only this town, but to surrounding areas as well. This upcoming Sunday, the 12th of September is their 1 year anniversary! Join me in prayer this coming Sunday as they again share their Savior with whomever stops by.

Guatamala Chapter 1.

A friend of ours is on his first mission trip. He is spending two weeks in Guatamala helping to put a new roof on a school in a small village south of Guatamala city. He has experienced some precious children that have warmed his heart in ways he never thought possible. He is amazed that these children just want a person's time and attention! They do want something else if you have it...candy. He was able to see how valuable crayons are to these children. Each day there is a childrens time where they color and hear a story about Jesus. And each day those crayons are coveted. (remember this is a culture that they pretty much live in the jungle, they don't have food storage either, every meal is whatever you find to cook up over an outdoor spit of sorts, and shelter is temporary at best)These children are thankful for anything and it is really something to see. It doesn't hurt that one of the little girls, Maria has learned to say, "I love you Eddie" in english.
He has been able to do some groundwork for upcoming mission journeys by iterviewing several potential orphanages. He and a fellow missionary found one out of several that truly seems to fit. This nun is running an orphanage for girls. These girls have had and been through some major bad stuff,and she runs a tight ship.This was an impressively clean orphanage. The beds were made, the floors were clean, and the children were respectful and working hard themselves to keep things clean. He was very impressed that when they talked to her about what she needed she wasn't interested in money. She wondered if perhaps we could buy her some chickens so she could use the eggs to feed the girls. As time goes by and she gets more chickens she would be able to sell some of the pastries and things she made from them to help support the mission and the girls. She was hoping from that to take some proceeds and buy some herb plants and some fruit trees to plant, so that there would be a continual resource for the children. She said she had been praying for someone to come along and help her. She prayed for God to send her someone. To say the team was impressed is an understatement.
There are many more details coming out of this trip that I can't hardly wait to share with you and the rest of our mission team in future posts. Part 2 is coming up soon as he will be back this weekend and I just can't wait to hear all about the rest of the trip.
God is so good, and as my friend is learning, He does answer prayer. It is amazing when you get to see God's hand at work. Sometimes that is hard in the States. We are a blessed nation and take so much for granted. I will post pictures next time when I have some on hand.