In Indy, this last weekend was nuts.

Friday fast day ended with a neighborhood BBQ. While some folks came and left all through event, the majority of folks were there from 6:30 to 9ish when we had to call it quits. We estimated 150 folks at one time. And 400 some servings were consumed.

Along with neighbors we had the Sisterhood from South Bend down. They did some mission work with us and headed up a crew of women that met with some leaders among the neighborhood girls. The neighborhood girls decided they wanted to sleep over with the gals and form a neighborhood choir.

Also, from South Bend were the CSI guys. The Company is currently training a solid group of young men to be deployable for where God is working. While they were gutting 1435 this weekend (check out video), Charles Chow and I thought we'd round up some boys to work with them. What started as 4 turned into 9 plus a 20 year old, Mark, from the neighborhood. We all tore out brush and pilled it in the back of 1435 and our duplex across the street, before having a talk about being Sons of Our Father and breaking for snack.

And some 9th grade girls with Kathy Gleason topped off the visitors list.

A few more straggled in later that night and we had Lord's Day for 50 on Saturday. Complete with Birthday honorings for Nick Holovaty and Ray Gonzalez. J-T narrated the Judges story of Ehud and Eglon (Judges 3:12) while David Z (pictured here) and I acted it out...can you guess who was Eglon?

Finally, Sunday ended with a lot of goodbyes as we wrapped up our Southside meeting, with a new record of 67 folks. It was a devastatingly exciting weekend.

Don't Stop the Little Children

On the porch sat 5 mid-aged men and women, beers in hand. We had already been walking around for a few hours. "That's the house where Abe told some stories," one of us pointed out as we walked by, so crossed the street and stood at the side-yard fence.

"We're some more missionaries," I said, and quickly one of the louder guys turns and yells into the house, "hey, get out here, there's some missionaries here for ya." The parents explained that what we were going to tell them was very important, and asked us into the yard. "Can we turn down the music?" One of the kids suggested we all go into the front yard, and began leading the 6-7 kids in that direction, leaving the grown-ups to their grown-up things.

They'd already heard some stories from Abe and Ellen, and now wanted more. John told them about raising the widow's son and I told them about Easter. They got excited, while one boy asked if it was true. We taught them how to pray and about reading the Bible and gave them the ones we had.

Next day, we return to check with their mother, if we could use their yard that weekend. She assured us and we made to leave, but the kids found out we were there and burst out the door demanding they know more stories. Other kids we hadn't met before came out too, now 7-8 kids stood on the porch. "Each of you should tell us a story. You, you start." Each of us told a story. We also taught them the Lord's Prayer and even did a skit with them about raising Lazarus. They wanted Bibles for their new friends, but we said we'd have to get more. It took a while to pull ourselves out of there, but what started as an errand became another chance for God's Kingdom to break out.

This has been happening all over the southside. Children and the simple come out with ears to hear, asking us for more stories of Jesus and to teach them. There is a growing kid army here who are coming to know the Lord even in the midst of a culture with 'more grown-up' things to do.

Sweet Video Awesomeness

I just recently figured out some video stuff. In the sidebar you'll see My Youtube and Indy Summer. My Youtube is friends youtube videos I find and add to the playlist. To scroll through just click the left or right arrows on either side of the video box. Indy Summer is series of home videos being filmed here in Indy this summer for our brothers and sisters in the People of Praise. They are our way of sharing life with the rest of the community. The most current one will be up under Indy Summer, but I invite anyone interested to view the rest. Check out other Indy Summer videos.

It Begins

June has arrived and another summer of mission work begins (check out video).

We will be splitting our time between praying and preaching, or talking with the Lord and talking with others. Time to eat and sleep if necessary.

We are two households in Indianapolis with 21 folks and another 2 on the way. I live on the Southside in 1815. We split the household here between 1815 and the duplex next door. People get ready.

Morale is high and the Holy Spirit is moving. We had orientation talks last week and are in our first week of mission work. Pray for us. More mission each day/more days per week this summer means more challenge and more excitement. Going out to do mission for longer, just as praying for longer, the Lord brings up bigger things or at least longer things. I remember last summer bumping into folks that needed more from the Lord or had a lot of stuff to work through when we'd go out for longer chunks of time, and 2-3hrs of prayer always yield new thoughts/work with the Lord. He plans with our plans in mind.

This last week has been a real grace. I always feel a little nauseous before going out and last year it was a fairly constant source of anxiety. You just had to say, 'I feel like vomiting. My King has work to do. I'm not stopping.' You punch through it. Nick, talks about last year feeling this way and having to do some traveling which meant a break from mission. No mission meant no distress, but after awhile he also realized that in the really tough moments the Lord had showed up in power. He returned to mission with a new hunger for it. "Yeah, it's rough, but Our Lord is pouring Himself out on the streets and I want to be with Him." This last week the Lord has been revealing how much He yearns to find the lost and I've found myself a little more moved to go out with Him. Praise be to God.