BUMP 2011 has come to an end. The teams have returned home and Luke is now trying to find words to rhyme with twelve which may be even more difficult than eleven.
Now comes the time to reflect...
There has never been a BUMP with hotter weather. Great. MPR Radio reports:
"3 consecutive days with 80 degree dew points at MSP Airport. (First time that has ever happened according to UM climate guru Dr. Mark Seeley)
82 degree dew point new all time record high dew point at MSP Airport. (May have been as high as 84 degrees in between hours!)
119 degree heat index (3:53pm) at MSP Airport ties all time record heat index at MSP!
A record high minimum temperature was set on July 18th, when a low temperature of 80 degrees was recorded at Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport. The previous record was 78 degrees which was set in 1986.
The record high minimum temperature was tied on July 17th, with a low temperature of 79 degrees. The record was previously set in 1936 and 1942."
Apparently on one of these days the only place hotter and more humid on the planet was in the Amazon. Seriously?
Has there ever been a BUMP with more visible signs of spiritual activity?
We always know God is working whether we see it or not. But this year, it was obvious!
Reports of nine salvations at one site that could only hold VBS for two nights because of the heat. Thirteen at another where they discovered their neighborhood has been anxiously waiting for a VBS.
Students had opportunities to share faith at the Mall of America, wading pools, Urgent Care, to receptive neighborhoods and they liked it.
Every single student from one 20-member team shared their faith in one evening.
Four BUMPers from two different teams requesting to be baptized at the conclusion of the week, stating this was their point of never being the same.
The Twin Cities local churches energized, their congregations united through BUMP.
Team unity was so strong that when you showed up at a site you didn't know who traveled here with who.
Dijea Young, leader from Northfield EFC, summed it up well at the Pizza and Praise Rally with Romans 5:3."More than that, we(F) rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering(G) produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and(H) hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love(I) has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ESV
The week could have been defined by the weight of the trial, showing itself even in the heaviness of the air itself. As God provided the strength to endure rather than relief the end result was clear and defined hope.
With that hope we go back to ordinary life "on mission" and prepare for BUMP 2012 - the 20th BUMP here in the Twin Cities - hoping for another one for the record books!
Rosanne Wood, BUMP Admin Asst
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Faith E. Free Summary
Although some teams left on Friday and Saturday, the "Pomaha" group stayed throughout the weekend. On Saturday we were scheduled to put on a car-wash at the church but due to storms we decided no one would be in need of a car-wash. Even though we were unable proceed with our plans, God stepped in a provided us with an opportunity to serve; a neighbor whose children had attended VBS and hung out around the church with us had a very large branch fall on their yard and driveway. As our team arrived at the church during a downpour, we immediately began breaking off the smaller branches and piling them on the yard. Later on, we rented a chainsaw and made short work of the rest of the fallen branch.
We then headed to a nearby lake for the baptism of four of our team members: Lynae from Pella, and Ben, Chasen, and Alexis from Omaha. Pastor Jon from Pella shared briefly about what baptism is and then each student gave their testimony. Each person was then baptized by Pastor Tom and their youth leader; it was truly a memorable moment and we were all blessed to be witnesses to our friends publicly professing their faith.
Unfortunately all good things must come to end, and BUMP 2011 was no exception. Sunday rolled around we cleaned up our dorm rooms and packed our stuff into the vehicles. We all attended the Sunday morning service at Faith E. Free and worship was led by a group of students from our team. After being served another delicious meal by the church we began to say our goodbyes. It was heart-wrenching to split up our team because we had bonded so well throughout the week and it was even harder to say goodbye to the children that were there to see us off. Knowing the environment they live in each day and what they go through each day didn't make leaving any easier, the only thing that we could console in was that we had shown them the love of Jesus Christ to our best ability and how much God cares about them. We will all remember each other and how our lives have been changed through this trip; thank you for your prayers throughout the week.
- BUMP 2011 Pomaha -
Posted by Matt Blom of Pella
We then headed to a nearby lake for the baptism of four of our team members: Lynae from Pella, and Ben, Chasen, and Alexis from Omaha. Pastor Jon from Pella shared briefly about what baptism is and then each student gave their testimony. Each person was then baptized by Pastor Tom and their youth leader; it was truly a memorable moment and we were all blessed to be witnesses to our friends publicly professing their faith.
Unfortunately all good things must come to end, and BUMP 2011 was no exception. Sunday rolled around we cleaned up our dorm rooms and packed our stuff into the vehicles. We all attended the Sunday morning service at Faith E. Free and worship was led by a group of students from our team. After being served another delicious meal by the church we began to say our goodbyes. It was heart-wrenching to split up our team because we had bonded so well throughout the week and it was even harder to say goodbye to the children that were there to see us off. Knowing the environment they live in each day and what they go through each day didn't make leaving any easier, the only thing that we could console in was that we had shown them the love of Jesus Christ to our best ability and how much God cares about them. We will all remember each other and how our lives have been changed through this trip; thank you for your prayers throughout the week.
- BUMP 2011 Pomaha -
Posted by Matt Blom of Pella
Payne Ave ends with great service & carnival
Payne Ave Free Church had a great wrap-up to the week. All week long we handed out invites to the Sunday service, including a lunch and carnival. We had a great group of kids come on Sunday. One woman shared that she believed the Lord wanted her to come because she got two invites, and she had been looking for a church home.
Those attending the service heard a great Gospel message from Pastor Larry (with the help of three men in Bible stories), had a visit from Spartacus a Roman soldier who helped crucify Christ ("and he let us do it to him"), saw an illusion performed and heard the Gospel using the five colors as part of the VBS logo. After that, we had lunch and a carnival. Lots of fun games, Icees outside and two VBS kids won t-shirts in a drawing.
God used our BUMPers this week to help carry the egg for Pastor Larry and everyone ministering at Payne Ave. Free Church. We built some great relationships at/for the church, and God did some great things in our BUMPers lives as well. Before it was all over, our kids were thanking God for the heat. As one person said, "Now I feel like I could do anything with God's help." Boone, IA, Hot Springs, SD and Northfield, MN teams are ready to return to their communities and serve the Lord.
Those attending the service heard a great Gospel message from Pastor Larry (with the help of three men in Bible stories), had a visit from Spartacus a Roman soldier who helped crucify Christ ("and he let us do it to him"), saw an illusion performed and heard the Gospel using the five colors as part of the VBS logo. After that, we had lunch and a carnival. Lots of fun games, Icees outside and two VBS kids won t-shirts in a drawing.
God used our BUMPers this week to help carry the egg for Pastor Larry and everyone ministering at Payne Ave. Free Church. We built some great relationships at/for the church, and God did some great things in our BUMPers lives as well. Before it was all over, our kids were thanking God for the heat. As one person said, "Now I feel like I could do anything with God's help." Boone, IA, Hot Springs, SD and Northfield, MN teams are ready to return to their communities and serve the Lord.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Faith E. Free Update
On Thursday both of our teams had a day off and both Pella and Omaha went to the Mall of America. Unfortunately a one of most fun, energetic students from Omaha, Emily, fell on an escalator and had to be taken to the ER for eight stitches in her knee. The Pella group hung out at the mall for the entire afternoon and Omaha was adventurous and went kayaking on the Mississippi. Refreshed from a day off and cooler weather, we returned to Faith E. Free, rejuvenated and ready to serve. The kids continued to come and we were blessed by them in every way while we had the chance to love on them and show them the Gospel.
On Friday we went to another morning rally, where we were challenged not to let this be a one-time trip, but that it would be the start of a new normal. This week has definitely been life-changing for all of us and we can't wait to share more about what God has done this week. In the afternoon we split our group in half, each going to do different service projects. Our first team went to playgrounds in search of children to minister to and to invite to VBS. However, due to heat, they could not find any children; not discouraged at all, the team packed back into the vehicles and went into the heart of downtown to distribute Gospel tracts to the people on the streets. Our other team helped an elderly man whose house had tornado damage. We helped by unloading things from his attic and then putting them into a U-Haul van. After about two hours of loading, we helped the man unload all the items in a large storage unit. The last night of VBS was a very sad, yet rewarding night. The children continued to come back and we had a great night with crafts, water games, and another presentation of the Gospel message. At the end of the night it was time for goodbyes; although we would be able to see some of the neighbor kids on Saturday and Sunday it was hard to say goodbye to the other children and to think that we probably won't ever see them again. All of our hearts are broken for these children as we see what environment they live in and that we can't do anything more to help them. Our prayers will be with them and we hope to stay in touch. God has blessed us with opportunity to love on these children and each of us is thankful for the time we were given to love and encourage them, as well as share the love of Christ with them. The "Pomaha" team will be staying in Minneapolis Saturday and Sunday; due to internet problems at the college we haven't been able to keep this updated but we will write a final summary on Sunday explaining all we've done over the weekend. Thank you for your prayers.
Blog by Matt Blom
East E. Free Friday @ CrossCultural EFC
East E. Free Friday at CrossCultural EFC
Hello Everyone! We had a wonderful day today! After the fact that we woke up in pools of sweat, we headed down to breakfast. We had french toast sticks which are usually a hit cause hey, who doesn’t like fried food?! After breakfast, we went to our last morning rally in the ever so refreshing air conditioning. We always get there early to soak up as much as we can. We started with some amazing worship and then Jamie Buchanan spoke to us for a few brief minutes. After that, a lady whose name has been misplaced in my mind gave us some great tips on how to memorize bible verses and that even with all the technology today we should still keep our minds filled with bible verses in case we don’t have any devices to help us out. The last thing we did at the rally was fill out a sheet a paper asking about our week. About how God has changed many lives and how we can stay close to him when we return home.
We ate lunch and planned to meet at 12:15 to make a quick run to Starbucks but knowing us we were all late and didn’t have time. Once we got to CrossCultural Church we listened to their Pastor, Mike Rice, talk to us about his life and how he got into ministry and became the Pastor there. Once he was finished, a majority of the group went to a nearby park and pulled weeds. (The other stayed behind to finish some painting.) The park consisted of a bunch of Burdock in which I kept calling Burlap and I now know that they are two totally different things. Once we got all sweaty and itchy we went back to the church and ate our dinner.
We had walking tacos. If you have no clue what that is, I’ll explain. Just think of a general taco with the meat, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and whatever else you like…all crunched up and in a Doritos bag (baig J). I’m still neutral on the whole concept of a taco in a bag; I haven’t come to terms with it yet. Anyways, after that, we started getting ready for our last VBSL. All the kids had a bunch of energy that night; it was super exciting because it made everyone have more energy which leads to a better time. I even saw the leaders have more energy when they were dancing; it’s true even if they deny it!
As we split off into our own groups, I took a little autistic boy, Johnathan, to the room where they were having the lesson time. The previous days I had been working in the nursery where we usually had 2 kids and 3 workers so this last day I decided to stay with Johnathan since he needed more attention than most of the other children. I had only encountered him a few times the nights before so I didn’t get to spend much time with him or really get to know him. I knew that on Thursday he didn’t have a very good day at VBS because he was very rowdy and just didn’t want to pay attention. I think just having that one-on-one time with someone just helps those kinds of kids cope better. But today, he seemed like a normal kid who played with other children, shared his toys, and participated in activities. God works in amazing ways because before this trip I was leaning on a few different options in what I was going to major in when I go to college in a year. Helping children with disorders such as Autism, Down syndrome, or Asperger’s, was one of my options. God really just opened my eyes and opened my heart to fulfilling this as a career but keeping my options open too. He works in amazing ways!
Almost done guys, sorry! After VBS, where there were quite a few tears, we went to the night rally. Some people shared the stories of things they experienced this week. It was very powerful! Then they gave us pizza! It was a FABULOUS week!
Thanks for all your prayers!
Kennedy Beck
Riverside Day 5
Our week was a fantastic one. Day 5 brought 19 kids to VBS and we had a total of 29 come at some point during the week. Seeing how in day one "Murphy" showed up and brought his cousin Daryl, his other cousin Daryl and his uncle Chester - everything that could go wrong did. But GOd prevailed through all of it and the team of kids were not fazed by anything that came our way. They rolled with it, adapted when needed and did a fantastic job in all their individual areas as they had prepared well and knew what they needed to get accomplished, and were able to do that effectively.
Sarah - our quiet one, decided to tell us on Friday in our debrief time, that she led a little boy to Christ on Thursday. His name is Antonio and heaven is rejoicing at the conversion of this young heart. Several other kids prayed this week to reaffirm their faith in Christ too.
The rally last night, where all the sites come together and give testimony of what they saw God do at their sites or in what God did in them, four of our kids (Chris, Kaitlyn, Cory & Kati) all went forward to share what God did and to challenge kids to take this experience home with them and not leave it behind. Many kids did come forward to share last night, but proportionately, our kids were obviously well impacted by the week.
We have a trip to Mall of America today to kick back and relax, going to see Cars 2 as a group today and a final dinner before we do worship service again tomorrow with Narrow Road band leading worship and I am preaching. Please be in prayer for this as though VBS is over, we still have one more opportunity to minister to this body here. Pray also for a safe trip home without incident - seeing how we will be heading back through the Dells with other families going home.
A couple of our last "Are You Serious/No Way Jose"awards went to Jack who on Thursday finally realized that the "Bus Stop" sign I had made for the skit done last week is identical to the ones they have in Minneapolis. His powers of observation were stellar! Then the final one actually went to a leader, Audra. In the morning rally we all needed pens to fill out evaluations. I asked my team who had pens and she did not - she left hers back home and has been borrowing from others. Are you serious??? a teacher leaving a pen behind. So the craft team more than willingly made a pen for her with very nice stickers and her name on it!
Thank you all for praying for us prior to and throughout the week - but it is still not over - please keep praying. God is not done. "Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city!"
Sarah - our quiet one, decided to tell us on Friday in our debrief time, that she led a little boy to Christ on Thursday. His name is Antonio and heaven is rejoicing at the conversion of this young heart. Several other kids prayed this week to reaffirm their faith in Christ too.
The rally last night, where all the sites come together and give testimony of what they saw God do at their sites or in what God did in them, four of our kids (Chris, Kaitlyn, Cory & Kati) all went forward to share what God did and to challenge kids to take this experience home with them and not leave it behind. Many kids did come forward to share last night, but proportionately, our kids were obviously well impacted by the week.
We have a trip to Mall of America today to kick back and relax, going to see Cars 2 as a group today and a final dinner before we do worship service again tomorrow with Narrow Road band leading worship and I am preaching. Please be in prayer for this as though VBS is over, we still have one more opportunity to minister to this body here. Pray also for a safe trip home without incident - seeing how we will be heading back through the Dells with other families going home.
A couple of our last "Are You Serious/No Way Jose"awards went to Jack who on Thursday finally realized that the "Bus Stop" sign I had made for the skit done last week is identical to the ones they have in Minneapolis. His powers of observation were stellar! Then the final one actually went to a leader, Audra. In the morning rally we all needed pens to fill out evaluations. I asked my team who had pens and she did not - she left hers back home and has been borrowing from others. Are you serious??? a teacher leaving a pen behind. So the craft team more than willingly made a pen for her with very nice stickers and her name on it!
Thank you all for praying for us prior to and throughout the week - but it is still not over - please keep praying. God is not done. "Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city!"
Friday, July 22, 2011
Post 2
Written by Gabe Casciato, Grace EFC, Huxley, IA serving at Living Hope Ministries, NE Minneapolis
Well go figure, I got time for another post.
The heat has finally broke! Praise God for that. We found out that on Tuesday a place called Morehead MN was offically 134 degrees with the heat index and "the hottest place on Earth." Here in the cities the highest I have heard is 119 but it was the hottest day ever on record for the cities. The high 80's to 90's feels like heaven.
Because the heat broke we were able to have our first night of VBS and it went really well. We had one of our students pray with a kid to receive Christ! Numerous students were able to share their faith with kids. Our students taught the lessons and did REALLY well. I was really pleased even if some of them were insecure. It was awesome! The VBS actually ended up being really smooth and there were some good connections made. From our perspective, it would have really been awesome to do this all 4 days like we did last night, but apparently God has a better idea and experience has taught me that His ways are better.
We did take some down time yesterday and go to the Science Museum. Some of us elected to see the King Tut exhibit. It was truly fascinating to see how much time and energy the Egyptians used to put into their preparation for the afterlife. I can't help but evaluate my own time and energy for the same topic. I have no intention of being beat out by pagans.
Below are some pics of our work and play.
Because of the Cross,
The Bump Missionaries
The heat has finally broke! Praise God for that. We found out that on Tuesday a place called Morehead MN was offically 134 degrees with the heat index and "the hottest place on Earth." Here in the cities the highest I have heard is 119 but it was the hottest day ever on record for the cities. The high 80's to 90's feels like heaven.
Because the heat broke we were able to have our first night of VBS and it went really well. We had one of our students pray with a kid to receive Christ! Numerous students were able to share their faith with kids. Our students taught the lessons and did REALLY well. I was really pleased even if some of them were insecure. It was awesome! The VBS actually ended up being really smooth and there were some good connections made. From our perspective, it would have really been awesome to do this all 4 days like we did last night, but apparently God has a better idea and experience has taught me that His ways are better.
We did take some down time yesterday and go to the Science Museum. Some of us elected to see the King Tut exhibit. It was truly fascinating to see how much time and energy the Egyptians used to put into their preparation for the afterlife. I can't help but evaluate my own time and energy for the same topic. I have no intention of being beat out by pagans.
Below are some pics of our work and play.
Because of the Cross,
The Bump Missionaries
View their photos at http://gefcyp-theblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/post-2.html
Payne Ave E Free Prayer Need
Dear friends,
We wanted to share a few tangible God-sitings we've had in the last few days and also ask you to pray with us for these situations. A few of our students were given a "divine appointment" the other day when God led them back to the church from their prayer walk on a different route. They encountered 5 children and 2 adults that essentially asked to hear the gospel.
That night, all 5 children and MORE came to the VBS program. It went fairly well the first night with them, and remained manageable. Last night, however, it was evident that some of these girls were out of control. One started to get violent...others couldn't follow any instructions...others were just doing whatever they could to be disrupting. As VBS leaders, it was miserable. But walking these kids home last night, we heard stories, saw their homes, and gained a little perspective. These children are living in places where the same bath water is used for all the children so the parents can save on the water bill. The beds are uncovered moldy mattresses with no pillows. Cigarette butts litter the rooms and explain the round scars the children have on their arms. It was depressing. In a moment, it clicked: "So that's why they're acting this way."
After dropping the kids off, we decided to pray as we walked. Shortly after praying, several of the kids rushed up behind us just to give us hugs and run back. It was as if God said, "I heard you. I'm using you and using them in your lives too."
We wanted to share a few tangible God-sitings we've had in the last few days and also ask you to pray with us for these situations. A few of our students were given a "divine appointment" the other day when God led them back to the church from their prayer walk on a different route. They encountered 5 children and 2 adults that essentially asked to hear the gospel.
That night, all 5 children and MORE came to the VBS program. It went fairly well the first night with them, and remained manageable. Last night, however, it was evident that some of these girls were out of control. One started to get violent...others couldn't follow any instructions...others were just doing whatever they could to be disrupting. As VBS leaders, it was miserable. But walking these kids home last night, we heard stories, saw their homes, and gained a little perspective. These children are living in places where the same bath water is used for all the children so the parents can save on the water bill. The beds are uncovered moldy mattresses with no pillows. Cigarette butts litter the rooms and explain the round scars the children have on their arms. It was depressing. In a moment, it clicked: "So that's why they're acting this way."
After dropping the kids off, we decided to pray as we walked. Shortly after praying, several of the kids rushed up behind us just to give us hugs and run back. It was as if God said, "I heard you. I'm using you and using them in your lives too."
Thursday, July 21, 2011
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