Houston Project

This week, I was blessed beyond measure to take part in a city wide service project called the Houston Project. There were 1,093 volunteers at 10 different sites throughout the city. My bible class worked with an apartment complex housing Bhutanese refugees as well as about 4 other nationalities. The Bhutanese people came here to escape persecution from the government. The majority of them are Hindu and the conversion process to Christianity is very difficult. There are about five ministers working with this community alone and while progress is being made, there is much ground to cover. That was our goal - to help lay a foundation for these people. Each day, kids came for VBS, games, a meal, and of course, sno cones. While we worked with the kids, there was a team doing evangelism and prayer with adults throughout the complex.

Each night started with a meal and then we would take the little kids to opening assembly for the beginning of VBS while the teens ate and played games. Our group of kids came with very limited English - much more limited than we were anticipating. We sang the same five songs each night - My God is so Big, Lord I Lift Your name on High, I've Got Joy Down in My Heart, Trading My Sorrows, and Every Move I Make (Waves of Mercy). Then, after that, we would present the gospel to them using a felt board presentation to help make it more visual. They loved to sing and with the help of a translator, really started to get a grasp on the story of the gospel.

I worked on the VBS team with 3 - 4 year olds. We had about 3 different languages going on in our group. Thankfully, several moms joined us so we could communicate more effectively. Throughout the week, during songs, memory verses, stories, and just our interaction, my co-teacher and I came to realize that this was as much of an outreach to the mothers as to the children. They soaked up every word, hug, song, and activity. Yesterday was the last night and we were able to give them a bible for their help this week. You would think that we had given them the world! Immediately, they were flipping through them, reading as best they could, and asking questions. They had such kind spirits and eager ears!

A few things really stuck out about this week: Kids are kids are kids no matter the culture or language. Love is truly the universal language that will break down any barrier (even language). Kids go NUTS for bubbles!

But even more than these, it was SO humbling to watch God move! Despite the language barriers, the kids could tell you that God made everything, who Jesus is, and what He did. They were singing about life in Christ. In craft time and with sidewalk chalk, they drew Jesus on the cross and exact replicas of the felt board presentation - AND could tell you about them! They knew memory verses. The mothers were open to joining story groups with the ministers that work in their complex. Children who were afraid of these strangers who spoke a different language were running and hugging us, clinging on until the sun went down.

I cannot wait to go back and start our follow up activities. God is needed here and is making Himself know. This week was to His glory as are the days to come. As we sang each night, I would get choked up on one specific song. I've sung it for years but to see children who have never known God before this week lift up these words, it touched me very deeply because this was the physical manifestation of the lyrics: My God is so Big, so Strong and so Mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do!