Our last full day here in South Dakota, we enjoyed a day of rest as we prepare for our 30 hour drive home beginning tomorrow morning. Our group spread throughout the city to pick up any last minute items, as well as last minute connections with the community. We invited CCCC members to join us for dinner so that we and them could say “see you later” and share praise and worship to all the Lord has accomplished during our time here. We will all rise early tomorrow to load our vehicles, clean the facilities, and begin our journey home.

But before we go… here’s a little clip of what happens after we pray for the food.  This was taught to us by one of the church’s youth, Annabelle.  Hands, Friends, & Food

Plus, here’s an exhortation from Pastor Greg to the HSE students…

HSE Director, Chaz (Left) & Calvary Chapel Community Church’s Pastor, Pastor Greg (Right)

I saw Proverbs 27:17 lived out in this group: “As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another.” Just to watch you guys sharpen each other and our community was really cool. Instead of being students, you took on roles of teaching as you took the time to invest in our community.

Some exhortations I have for you guys:

• If God is going to use you, He is going to test you first. Proverbs 24:10 says,” If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!”
• The fear of the Lord is to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13). We cannot be neutral on evil. That is a problem we have in the Body of Christ, and it breaks the heart of God because He wants so much more for us.
• Wisdom and experience triumph over youth and zeal.
• The fiercest fighting is at the front lines of the battle.
• Compassion and truth are connected. “Truth without love is brutality and love without truth is hypocrisy (Warren Wiersbe).”
• Don’t blame-shift.
• Choose joy, knowing that God heals the broken hearted.

We started off the day by a real quick visit to the Badlands of South Dakota.  It’s truly an amazing site to see, but within a blink-of-an-eye,  we were back in the vans and on our way!

We had been hoping to minister to the Native American population here in South Dakota, but it’s been challenging to receive permission to enter Pine Ridge, one of the largest reservations in the U.S. However, God did open up some doors to host a free mini BBQ and festival in a small park only a few miles away from Pine Ridge. We packed up all our children’s supplies, as well as the church BBQ with all the food and spent the larger part of the day in this community.

Our hope was to simply plant seeds about the truth of God’s love, as God has unfortunately, at times been misrepresented to this people throughout their history. The Indians shared a song of honor to us expressing their gratitude for our willingness to learn about their culture and to love them simply.

Here’s a testimony from that day…

On the way up to a park right outside of Pine Ridge Indian reservation, we learned about the Native American Culture and customs. We were told the Natives were very stoic in their interactions with outsiders and that it would be difficult to earn their trust. Over the decades visitors had left a bad taste in their mouths, even though some had good intentions, there was much healing and regeneration of trust that needed to take place. Many of us were uneasy about what we would find when we arrived due to the sensitive nature of the outreach. When we unloaded from the vans we were set at ease by the peacefulness of the grassy park. After we set up, people started to trickle in as the heat of the day subsided. A team went out in a van through the neighborhood inviting people to come to the Barbeque outreach. We were surprised to find how receptive they were to accept the invitation. Children dropped what they were doing and ran to the vans to get a ride to the event. Mother demonstrated remarkable trust towards us even though we were strangers. The children seemed to enjoy all the festivities. There was face painting, balloon animals, bracelet making, food and games. What seemed to touch them the most was our willingness to play with them and listen to the ones who had something to share.

“In order to be a warrior the one trait need to gain respect is humility. I took it as a cue that we didn’t need to carry with us all the other reservations we just been cautioned about. We only need be humble and we would earn their respect, I felt like we were on good ground, the kids knew we were there in love and that our intentions were not to exploit them. I was the most comfortable on this outreach because I felt like God was doing all the work bringing them to us and all we had to do was love them. I was learning so much about the culture and it brought my compassion to a different level. I feel sorry for individuals who have prejudice towards these beautiful people. People were coming up to Rich asking for prayer and we never experienced that on the other outreaches. I think he was perceived as some kind of Chief. That showed their openness to us. We have to be willing to go like little children without any preconceptions and just go and exude humility, because that’s what breaks through the barriers and unites us!”  -Dianne

Happy Mother’s Day!

The mother’s of our team were greeted with cards and a Starbucks drink of their choice this morning as we know this time away from family can be challenging. After a sweet church service here at CCCC with Pastor Greg sharing his personal testimony, our teams had multiple options through out the day. Some were blessed with the opportunity to spend time with CCCC members for lunch and even fishing. Other’s visited Hill City with an aim to see the 1880 train. While other’s also returned to the LARPing field to continue to connect with the youth in this area. Lastly, a group visited the nearby Korean Church as they had welcomed them last week and invited them back. All of us have enjoyed the fellowship of this church and the overall welcome we’ve continued to receive here in Rapid City.

We ended the evening with our last TNT (Tacos N’ Testimonies). It’s a amazing what God can do in anyone’s life when you commit the time and are willing to be devoted in where ever He leads.

Here are a few testimonies….

“Today, instead of going to the church service, I went on a hike with Jeff and Chris to scout out trails that we may possibly use for the HSE high school program’s Wilderness trip. I didn’t want to go at first because we had to leave so early (5:00 AM), but it was good to spend time with two godly men. Last night, when Jeff asked us to go on the hike, he said that the hike would be 10 hours; I didn’t believe him.

We ended up hiking a little over 9 hours today.

It was a struggle but it was an awesome experience being able to see God’s creation and spend time with Him. We hiked in one day what would be spread out over 4 days on the Wilderness trip, and we were running low on water. But God was gracious and sustained us. The hike was hard, it reminded me of my Wilderness trip where I had to continue to rely on God to strengthen me. I had to do it step by step or I would have been overwhelmed. It reminds me of how in life we need to go step by step, not looking too far ahead, but at what is right before us. It’s God who gets us through life. Having the first-hand experience of the trail will enable us to lead and guide the high school students better. We can’t lead them if we don’t know where we are going. We need to earn their trust. Most of all, I pray that their trust in God will grow because His plan is best for us.”  -CJ

“Nicole, a CCCC member, brought her two sons to participate in the LARP games our group has been using as an outreach for the last couple of Sundays. The Lord put us together while her sons were playing and I used the opportunity to share the tools that are being taught to me at HSE that reveal the different layers in the Bible. It peeked her interest that there are deeper meanings and levels of understanding in God’s word. Nicole told me that I had ignited a fire in her to seek a better understanding of the Bible.

Later, back at the church during our “Tacos and Testimonies” fellowship time, I had further opportunities to tell people about the usefulness of a Bible handbook, a Bible dictionary and a study Bible.

This experience confirmed to me the need for instruction, discipleship, Bible study and consistent teaching of the Bible within the Church and the city. It was another among many confirmations of my call to come back to Rapid City.”  -Jay

Our last Saturday in Rapid City, we were blessed to set-up CCCC’s parking lot with games, snow cones, and a BBQ grill as we engaged the community to take part in the festivities. It was a nice day here in Rapid City and we were blessed to see many from Laundry World and other interactions from the street visit the BBQ.

Later in the evening, a small team of us put on a Youth Night for the church. The mission was to create a fun and honest atmosphere among Christian youth. The rest of the group participated in a Christian Single’s Panel put together by Saturday Night Live, a Single’s Christian group based in Rapid City. The event aimed to answer the gray areas of being a Christian Single, or at least touch the surface of it. However, the group also clearly enjoyed the fellowship with one another as we enjoyed great snacks, ping pong, and other such games to end the night.

Here are some testimonies from yesterday…

“I met a man named Michael today at the BBQ and asked him if he went to church and was a Christian. He said yes. He goes to church every Sunday, however, and recommits his life to Christ. I asked him if he realized that he didn’t have to do that, and he answered in the negative. I shared with him a track on the steps to peace with God. I went pretty fast because I thought that he already understood and I was nervous.

In the midst of that, Amy walked up and helped me ask him questions to see if he understood. We went over the steps again and he said that he believed. We made sure that he knew he had a relationship with Jesus that was always there and didn’t go away because he sinned. He could pray anytime he struggled.

I went through 1 John 1:9 with him: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. We told him that he could confess his sin to God anytime and God would forgive him and he could be assured of his salvation. All he has to do is come to God, because He alone forgives sin. In the midst of struggles, we assured him that God will bring him through it.”  -Kristen

Today was the youth ministry at the Church led by Jayson, Jonathan, Shannon, and Ezekiel. They had invited many people outside the church, however only the youth group from the church came.

It started as a casual evening just enjoying pizza and root beer floats. Jayson opened up in prayer that led into worship. Jayson, Shannon, and Ezekiel gave their testimonies about their experiences and how they came to HSE. Jonathan shared the word and taught on always striving for more in their Christian walk and not being content in an inferior version of what God has for them. After the teaching Shannon encouraged the group to open up their hearts in prayer and share anything they felt stirring in their souls. They were very receptive and shared their burden with the HSE leaders. Some of what they shared was heart breaking but it was encouraging for the HSE students to see their resilience despite the enemy’s attacks and distractions.

“I think it was really good for them to understand things about their Christian identity. We could tell just being there and listening to them meant so much to them. Something to ignite them and start a fire in their hearts, not going to church is what defines a person it’s who you are outside of church that defines you. It was really cool just bonding with worshiping with them. Gods starting to reveal to me that I need to broaden the age group I minister and get out of my comfort zone of only reaching out to younger children.”  -Jayson

UPDATE:  One of the youth members actually gave me a letter responding to the youth service we led:

“Dear Jayson,

Thank you for sharing worship with us last night. Also thank you for sharing about your current struggles and prayer needs. Through out the years I have had a lot of doubts about God and the church. But after hanging out with HSE I know what the church is supposed to be. Every time I hang out with you guys I feel safe and last night each one of you hit on something I was going through. I thank you for caring and letting me open up. I hope to stay in contact with you. I will also be praying for you and the HSE students.”

“Last time we were at the Art Alley, a guy named Willie came out from a building in the Alley while we were painting and singing worship songs. I made conversation and asked him if he worked in one of the buildings. He said yeah, he owned a boxing gym and asked if a group of us wanted to go check it out. He took us down some stairs into this basement- it was as if it was out of Rocky. Willie went on to say that he owned the gym and was an instructor. He had been the former Junior Olympic gold metal champion. I invited him to the BBQ to come hang out and chill the following Saturday. Not only did he come to the BBQ today but he also brought one of the kids that he instructs. They were taking a break from working out and decided to stop by.

While we were talking he explained how he had been going to school to play football but then got injured and couldn’t continue. I got to encourage him and told him that God has a plan for his life and He wants to work what happened out for good. Willie has been put in a place where he has the opportunity to positively impact a lot of people, especially kids. I then invited him to the single’s ministry event that would be happening in the evening, and he came to that as well! Philippe and I got to sit down with him and talk for a while. As he was leaving he said that he will come to church tomorrow morning. We are praying that he comes and that he grows closer to God.”  -Alan

The week has gone by so quickly and we found ourselves back at the laundry mat (Laundry World) once more to do our own laundry and to offer quarters, detergent, and our hands to others as well. We went from there back to CCCC for lunch and then on to Mt. Rushmore!

We were able to spend some time there as a group, as well as with Pastor Greg and a few others from CCCC. As the evening seemingly was coming to a close, with little time left in Rapid City, we decided to gather all teams and drive to Central High School where we were told “high schoolers hang out.” We had hoped to share the gospel to those that would listen and to offer them an invitation to this week’s BBQ but as we arrived, many were hesitant to approach the few student’s that we’re there. With prayer and much boldness, Shannon, Rich, Mike, and Jonathan went out only to be well received as the student’s listened to our students’ experience of who God really is. The night ended with great fruit that only our Lord could produce.

Here are some testimonies from our students…

“I was really anticipating who the Lord would have me meet at the Laundromat today. I met a woman named Marsha who started opening up to me and telling me about her life. She attends a Catholic church on Pine Ridge Reservation, but no longer lives there. We talked about her family. Her husband was killed in a tragic car accident. She was angry at God for a while and questioned everything and had a lot of sadness. She got through that difficult time and now she wasn’t angry anymore, but the sadness of dealing with the reality that her six-year-old son would never know his father was still there.

Her mom was traumatized from the experience and within a couple months, her brother died, too. Her mom was hospitalized from a virus, which caused a lot of devastation. She didn’t have time to process her own grief because she had to take care of her mom and be in survival mode.

I learned how important it is to just be there for someone and let them share these things in their life. This can be healing for someone. Here I am, a stranger, and she is sharing some of the most intimate details of her life. I felt honored that she would open up with me like that. My experience is that people don’t usually have anyone to just sit and listen to them.

We got interrupted after a while because of a phone call, but I felt that I wanted to pray with her. I still believe it was really good for her and I encouraged her. I was there as a listening ear and had the opportunity to share with her about my loss and open up and share with her, too. We have an ability to minister more effectively to someone when we give them an opportunity to open up about hurts and losses and bring our own experience in and talk about who the Lord is and how He has healed us. My role was to talk about healing and encourage her on her journey to cry out to the Lord.”  -Daryl

“At work in the fields of the Lord: in this case the field was a high school parking lot at 10:00 at night. (These Practicum outreaches find us in some pretty novel situations.) We met a young man named Ethan. He’s graduating from Central High School in a couple of weeks. In July he’s going to National Guard boot camp. He’ll be going to Afghanistan after his training for the Military Police (MP). We talked to him about his reasons for going into the military and I shared a little of my own service back in the early Seventies. Jeff asked him, “If you knew you only had five years to live, what would you do?” His answers revealed what most 18-year-olds think about: traveling, partying and basically getting in all the worldly “fun” one can. He commented that he had determined that he probably wouldn’t make it past forty anyway and he was OK with that. He had no consideration for anyone other than himself.  Jeff pointed this out by asking about his family. Ethan’s response: “Ooo, ouch!” His mind’s eye was opening.

Jeff recognized that despite his youth, Ethan was a straight shooter and would appreciate a straightforward approach. He then outlined a gospel message – complete and unadulterated – focused on man’s fallen state and his need of repentance to turn toward Jesus and become reconciled to God. Ethan asked questions and was genuinely engaged.  Jeff kept pointing him in the right direction – right to Jesus!

The whole time Jeff was talking I wanted to jump in but the Holy Spirit restrained me. (I’m finding the most important part of any ministry is to be swift to hear and slow to speak – James 1:19.) When Jeff had finished, I got the unction to share my testimony with Ethan. I was in his place 39 years ago. I had been told I would probably be dead by twenty. I was about to go out and take on the world. Things didn’t turn out the way I had expected. I shared with him the results of believing Satan’s lies for over a half a century, viz. depression, despair and hopelessness. Then I shared the truth of Jesus. For it pleased the Father that in [Christ] all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself…having made peace through the blood of His cross…And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. (Colossians 1:19,20; Ephesians 2:1,2) This is what Jesus did for me. This is what I shared with Ethan.

When I was done Ethan extended his hand and thanked Jeff and me. Diane prayed for him—that the Holy Spirit would work in his heart and that he would come to know the truth of God’s word and come to Jesus on his knees. When it was all said and done, Ethan’s countenance was changed. He was serious, sober. We could tell that the Holy Spirit was doing a work in him. And they overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. (Revelation 12:11) 

Then [Jesus] said to His disciples, “ The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37) This is what HSE is about and God is blessing us with these experiences of watching Him work through us. Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus!”  -Paul

“Sense HSE I have been struggling with the language. I have cried a lot, even at class. Practicum is the hardest for me because the schedule is so busy, everyone speaks English, the culture is so different-it’s overwhelming. I am shy and I feel awkward whenever I meet strangers because English is not my first language, so it’s very hard to have conversations and share God. Everyday we have outreach, and I get so discouraged because whenever we go out everyone has conversations and when we come back everyone shares testimonies. Even though my heart really wants to approach people and talk, I get scared because I might not be able to understand them and if they have questions I may not be able to answer them. Also because I don’t understand the culture, I’m afraid that I might offend someone. I was so discouraged and homesick. I was doubting about why I am here. I kept thinking, “You don’t have to be here because they are doing a really great job without you.” Last night I was very overwhelmed so I went to Chaz to talk to him. Crying, I asked him if I should go to HSE even though I cant understand or lead other students because of the language barrier. I asked why I need to be here. I want to be used, but I don’t even feel like I can evangelize. God is using the track I wrote but I am not satisfied. I want to be able to talk. Chaz said that I need to be patient. He explained that some people don’t even have the desire or heart to evangelize, but he haw my tears and told me that I have the heart. He told me to look at how I have been used in my class mate’s lives and that they need me so much. I was comforted by what he said but I couldn’t stop thinking, “What can I do?”

When we had the high school parking lot outreach tonight I wanted to go but I was afraid that they may not be able to understand me and I may not be able to understand them. I was afraid that they might laugh at me. When everyone got out of the van to talk I stayed away because there were so many people. I was holding back tears because I didn’t want to be a distraction. Again, I thought, “What am I doing? Maybe I shouldn’t have come here.” When we got back everyone was so excited to share. I was like God what am I doing? Why did you send me here, why do you want me to be here?” I felt to empty and sad.

I felt like I needed to have quiet time with God. After debrief, I went into another room and began to worship and pray by myself in Korean. I really enjoyed the time because I prayed and worshipped God in my language so I was able to truly express how I felt. I couldn’t stop crying, even while I was worshipping. I felt like I needed to humble myself, so I was kneeling. I was singing a Korean worship song that I was listening to, and it expressed exactly how I felt. I couldn’t stop singing and worshipping him with all of my heart. I was praying, “Please use me, it’s too hard. I want to be able to approach people. I am afraid, but I know this fear is not from you.” Because I was listening to music I wasn’t able to hear that Dina, Stossi, Daryl, Caity, and Shannon were praying for me. I turned off my music and then Daryl asked if she could wash my feet like Jesus did for His disciples. I was so thankful that God gave me people to pray for me. As they washed my feet, we sang, cried, and prayed.

I was praying God please use me, and he started speaking to me about Shannon. I asked God to make it clear if He was talking to me. God gave me the ability to speak in tongues and interpret the message to Shannon. This is the message God gave me for Shannon: “Shannon, my daughter, I saw your sorrow. My daughter, thank you for continuing to worship Me. I gave you the beautiful voice to make worship to me, My daughter, how sad were you? I saw the sorrow. I am sorry. I will lift you up. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. The sorrow is over. I will bring your family happiness and joy. Do not be afraid, don’t be sad. Your brother is with me. I am with you. I will bless your family. Whenever you cried out to me, I was with you. I heard you. I was with you, I am with you, and I will be with you. Shannon, my daughter, I love you so much. I pour out my Spirit on you. I will comfort your family and I will be with your family. Your brother is with me. Do not be afraid. I will use you. I will uphold you. My daughter, thank you. I am so happy because of you. I am so proud of you. Thank you for continuing to worship me and not loosing your faith. I saw your heart. Shannon, my daughter, I love you.’”  -Sunny

Today was our last Sabbath before we head home to San Diego. We again broke into groups throughout the day which also included some of CCCC’s members who were gracious enough to share the day with us and provide us with some added transportation. Some opted to stay at the church and have some sweet quiet time, others participated in a Self-Defense class offered by a member of CCCC (a retired officer named Don), while others spent time downtown and hiking among nearby parks and trails.

The ladies ended the evening with a Bible study and connect time. For some it was another full activity day but hopefully we all got a chance to refresh as we head into the final stretch of our time here in Rapid City!

Here’s a testimony from that day…

Today was our Sabbath day so many of the HSE students took advantage of the free time and ventured out in groups exploring the city. However Ezekiel decided to stay at the church with Sunny to rest and felt the need to just wait. After lunch a man named Lowman from the Corner Stone mission came in the church. He approached Ezekiel and Sunny and asked for prayer and told them that he just found out that his cousin was just shot and killed in Alaska. Immediately Ezekiel knew this was a divine appointment because he had also lost a loved one and knew he could sympathize with Lowman in a way few people could. They got the chance to encourage and comfort him. Lowman poured his heart out and shared his question of why God would allow this to happen. As Ezekiel and Sunny prayed for Lowman their hearts broke with his. They were reminded of Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.”

“I could understand what he was going through and meet him where he was at, it was all God, it was not me. It was really cool because now I know why I had to go through the loss of my brother, it was so I could sympathize with the broken hearted. Instead of faking it, God gave me true compassion. Since I had been in the same shoes I was able to encourage him. I told him God was going to pull him through this because he was being faithful even though it’s rough and you don’t understand why these things are happening. God will show you in time and He will use you to minister to someone hurting over the same loss. It was cool to see Lowman’s first reaction to relieve the pain was not to turn to drugs or alcohol but to turn to God and run to Christians he knew would welcome him with love. I was not expecting anything to happen today but we were able to encourage and listen to a hurting man and give him hope so he can continue, so it was a blessing, it was all God!”  -Ezekiel

Today our entire team spent the day at Storybook Island, a children’s theme park here in Rapid City. The park has been in the city for over 50 years and is only open in the summer and during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The park has remained free of admission all this time and is completely run on donations and prayer. We learned it costs approximately $400,000 to run per year.

We were blessed to build, rake, clean, paint, and overall help prepare the park for opening day this month. We left the park by 5pm so that we could start our evening activities with CCCC. Instead of their usual Wednesday night service, we gathered in groups of 3-5 and canvased the neighborhood with fliers for this Saturday’s BBQ outreach. We hoped to encourage the church body here to engage their community. Beautiful experiences came from this evening and it’s surprising who God puts in your path as you are bold enough to knock on a door.

Here are a few testimonies from today…

“We went to Storybook Island today to rake grass and leaves and paint. I wore the wrong clothes for painting and raking and was really uncomfortable and annoyed, to be honest, but I wanted to be obedient. We raked the whole area and when we were finished, I was very satisfied because it looked so nice. I was happy.

Then, a worker came and mowed the lawn again over the same area we worked on. I was complaining in my mind. We took a break and went to lunch, but when we went back to work on the lawn I suddenly realized that I couldn’t complain anymore.

What the lawn worker was doing, I do to God. God cleanses me of my sin with Jesus’ blood and I am forgiven, but I keep on sinning. God’s never upset with me because He is merciful. I don’t deserve to be forgiven. I was humbled and encouraged. I realized that I’m learning even when I’m doing something I don’t want to do. I was being selfish because it was hot outside and the work was hard, but I wasn’t the only one in the heat or working. I saw other people working hard and felt lazy.

God is slow to anger. He washed clean my mind, my heart, and my faith, so why was I sinning? I finally understood. I learned humility.”  -Sunny

“Today I was paired with Angie from Calvary Chapel for the Neighborhood outreach. As we were walking toward a house we noticed that there was a woman sitting in the front, she was texting and had a couple of Bud Lights. We introduced ourselves and found out that her name is Cinnamon. Angie then asked her how she was doing and invited her to the BBQ on Saturday. Cinnamon said that she wont be able to make it because she is working and her Father begins his dialysis treatment on Friday. Angie asked her if our group could pray for her and immediately Cinnamon started crying. She explained that her Mother had passed away recently, and because Mother’s Day is coming up it’s been rough. Cinnamon also went on to say that she works at a jail and has to deal with a lot of tough situations.

We prayed for her and after we did Cinnamon gave Angie a long hug- it seemed like healing happened in that hug.  We noticed that she had a tattoo that says “Jesus Saves” so we asked her if she was a Believer. Cinnamon said that she that she got it because her mother was very religious. As we were leaving I gave her a Gospel of John and encouraged her to read it. We also encouraged her to surround herself with a community of Christian’s so that she could have people there for her. Angie made it very clear that she would be very welcomed at Calvary Chapel. We are hoping and praying that we get to see her again and that she comes to know Jesus.”  -Jason

After getting back from our outreach to Storybook Island, HSE student led some people from the Calvary Chapel congregation to do some neighborhood evangelism and to pass out fliers for the upcoming barbeque. Dani and Rich were pared together along with three others from Calvary Chapel. They knocked on the first door and an elderly man in his eighties came out to greet them. His name was Lloyd and he made it clear he was not the Barbeque type nor was he a church goer, however Rich asked him questions about his beliefs about Jesus and where he felt he would go if he died today. Lloyd realized his need for Jesus and prayed the sinner’s prayer. For Dani it was a special day because she had never personally witnessed a salvation, even though she had been a Christian since she was a little girl.

They went to the next house and met a couple who were due to have a baby girl in two weeks. Rich noticed a bible in their living room and learned they were believers but didn’t often go to church. The team asked if they could pray for them and the birth of their baby and learned the babies name was Ivy which was the recent nickname Dani’s fellow student had given her. Next they met a man named Charlie at the house across the street. He was not very interested in talking to them and seemed to be set in his version of God. But Rich would not be brushed off and continued to poor into this man until he had accepted the Lord. His girl friend Michelle who was struggling with cerebral palsy came out as they were praying for her and she got saved as well.

At the next house was an older woman named Joe whose eyes glowed with receptivity. Catholicism had left a bad taste in her mouth so she sought he relationship with God in the forest on her walks. After Rich explained that being a Christian was not a religion but a relationship they prayed for Joe and she accepted Jesus. The Holy Spirit fell and her tear filled blue eyes shined even brighter than before. One hour, six obedient Christian, and the empowerment and grace of a loving God produced four salvations on one street!

“I had never seen anyone accept Jesus through an outreach like than. I had been so discouraged by countless rejections in my attempts to share the Lord. It seemed like such a daunting and rare occurrence to see someone say “yes, I believe!” The Lord blew my mind today! He used Rich as an example of love drenched boldness to show me that God is still in the business of saving souls. My lack of faith in people’s receptiveness to God hindered me to see God work all these years. I’m so thankful for this experience, and that people from the church were encouraged along with me.”

“It was amazing to see how a person that seemed to be totally uninterested in anything to do with Jesus could be made keenly aware of there need for a savior in only a matter of minuets. You could see a shift in thought and an awakening in sprit that was unmistakable”  -Dani

We had yet to see Rushmore Mall since we’ve been here in Rapid City and so our teams spent the morning and early afternoon time engaging in a “Treasure Hunt” here. Each team spent some time in prayer simply asking the Lord to reveal names, places, needs, and anything else that He wanted us to see with His eyes. As we compiled our lists, we set out to meet these people and really experience what it means to listen to what He has to say regardless if we understand it fully.

Afterwards, we returned to Art Alley with painting tools and instruments to once more worship God in song, art, prayer, and being available to what He had. We did not want to retaliate against those that had so blatantly attacked our message a few days ago and so we chose to place our art in different places and to truly be aware of our surroundings, making sure to be respectful and watchful. Our evening ended with an amazing meal cooked by our food team, as well as some others visiting Jeanette and her family (a CCCC member) as she had so graciously invited us to dinner. A few of us went out once more to close the night in the local coffee shop.

Here’s some testimonies from day 12…

“We went to the mall today to do a treasure hunt. Before we started walking around, we individually asked God to give us His eyes and vision for people in the mall such as their names, clothing, a sickness or prayer request, or miscellaneous characteristics or locations. Then, in groups, we shared with each other all that God had revealed and wrote down common responses. Anything that we wrote down individually that was not a common response for the entire group, we held onto and still kept an eye out for on our own.

While I was praying, God kept showing me neon: bright neon orange, green, pink, blue, etc. No one else in the group was given that word or image, but I continued to look for it as we walked through the mall. Eventually, we passed a Lady Footlocker. The store was screaming “neon”. There were neon work-out clothes everywhere and neon colored shoes.

I walked into the store and there was one girl working. Her name is Alicia. I told her that I was on a treasure hunt and had prayed to God for His eyes in the mall and that He had showed me neon. She looked around the store, laughing, and noted all the color. I asked her if she believed in God. Her countenance was bright and she smiled and said that she was very happy I walked into the store. She added that she and her boyfriend had been talking about joining a church for the last two weeks and desired to change their lives. She had fallen away from God, but knew Him as a child. Shortly after, her boyfriend, Vince, walked into the store to meet her for a lunch break. Alicia introduced us and they were both genuinely excited about God sending me there. They asked for specific prayer and shared about what they are going through and I invited them to join Calvary Chapel this weekend for the BBQ, church and to connect more.

Later, Vince boldly approached Chris from class in the cafeteria. He asked Chris if he was with the San Diego group and they exchanged phone numbers. He shared part of his testimony with Chris about the brokenness he has been experiencing. Vince and Alicia want to join us this weekend!

I am so grateful for being blessed to hear God’s voice and know that He pursues me and wants to talk to me. He is amazing and faithful. It was so cool to witness God’s perfect love for someone I’ve never met and how He perseveres for hearts and seeks out relationships with everything that He is. His omnipresence and sovereignty just blows me away. Faith also pleases God and I experienced that firsthand today. Writing down the word “neon” in my journal, believing God had given it to me, then sharing this confidently with a stranger required a step of faith and obedience. God does incredible things when we walk by faith and He drew me to a couple who was searching for Him. I’m really honored to be His messenger and be able to share His good news.”  -Caity

“Before Practicum, I felt God’s call to become a missionary to China to teach English.  Though I was reluctant at first, I accepted this call on my life. While on this trip, however, I felt like God started calling me to South Dakota, but the instant I was willing to accept this new call, the confirmations ceased. The very next day I met a young woman named Taylor.

After exchanging testimonies, God started to talk to me about China again through her in that she also wants to be a missionary to China to teach English. She told me that God has called her to South Dakota as a detour to prepare her. Like Taylor, God is teaching me things in South Dakota to prepare me for what is ahead. He wants me to be willing to go anywhere and do anything for Him.”  -Jonathan

“The lord knows what He’s doing and what He needs to do to get things done. I felt like today was a day to just bask in the sovereignty of the Lord. I did not feel especially led to engage people today but it was a blessing to just sit back and watch the Lord work all around me in so many people and in so many ways. I’m a very vocal guy so I’m kind of labeled as the evangelist so when I was not talking to people they thought something was wrong. I was not being disobedient,  I was just resting in the fact that God doesn’t need me in particular to do his will but blesses me with the opportunity.

It was a day I could watch Jesus work through my brothers and sisters and see people get rocked by the Lord. When one person is down we are all down, and like today when one person was rejoicing we all rejoiced! Even though I was not being used in the front line it was just a blessing to be there and see Kristen get used and see people be encouraged.

Its important not to have that mentality of worrying if you’re being used in the right way because we are all being used in different ways. The Lords not concerned about what you do but He’s concerned about your heart and how you do it!”  -Chris

“Before we left on practicum, our class held a time of prayer for Rapid City.  During that prayer time, Chaz was given the name of a young lady by the name of Olivia that needed prayer; that needed Jesus. Since we have been here we have kept our eyes out for this young lady.  Today, we went to art alley.  I went up to a girl pushing her baby in a stroller and introduced myself.  She responded with, “My name is Olivia.”  I was totally shocked.  I told her about my pastor and our prayer time, and told her that we came all the way from San Diego, and that the reason I was supposed to talk to her was to tell her that she needed Jesus.  I followed that with asking her if she wanted Jesus.  With that, she burst into tears and said yes.  As it turned out, she hadn’t been talking to God for a long time but just the night before, she had cried out to Him and told Him that she really needed Him.

This was a total appointment from the Lord.  She and I were blown away at how God had orchestrated our meeting and had made it known so long before.  She gave her life to Jesus this day, 5-8-12.  This experience completely solidified for me that it is the Holy Spirit that goes before us and prepares the heart.  He began the work and He will complete the work.  All we need to do is show up and say, “Here I am Lord, send me.”  I thank the Lord for His love and faithfulness to go after His sheep.  He is everything.”  -Kristin

We returned to the Cornerstone Rescue Mission today, but this time with our entire group as they had plenty of areas we could get involved in. Our team was split into 5 groups, one of which went to “Dear Ones”, the Rescue Mission’s child care, to help with the children, another team worked with landscaping and building in this area, another to the “Mission” where they were able to lead worship and chapel for the families in need coming for lunch, the fourth worked with landscaping and planting flowers among the Rescue Mission Apartments, and the last group helped to organize and maintain the Thrift Store.

We were honored to learn all of what Cornerstone has done in it’s 30 years of existence and to do what we could in our short time there.

Here’s some testimonies…

It was around 10:30 when Jeff called Bill while he was up in a tree doing yard work for the Corner Stone mission outreach. Jeff asked him if he would give the message at the Lunch at the chapel which was going to happen in half an hour. At that point Bill was looking like a lumberjack with all the dirt and sawdust in his hair but he agreed and started brainstorming about what he felt the Lord was calling him to speak about. When he got to the chapel he found that there were only two people there besides his fellow HSE students. So Bill started to think that maybe God was leading him to speak to his classmates instead of the people at the mission, and he began to look for new verses for a message. After the worship Bill is called outside to the cafeteria and there is 30 people eating, Bill now had his audience and the time had come for him to give the message God put in his heart.

“It was just a lesson in faithfulness and preparedness.  I like to lead from behind but God keeps pushing me to the front and giving me these opportunities. As often as I run from them, he makes it so I don’t know about them until the last minute so I can’t run from the opportunities that may scare me. It’s ok because that’s just how I learn! I released my necessity for God to give me foresight and just have faith that God will lead me and work through me as I prepare myself. I ran for so long from being a leader but you’re going to have to step out on your own or God will push you out. I feel like now I’m prepared to come into a season where I’m finally grounded enough for a leadership role.”  -Bill

“We were at the Rescue Mission during lunch time. I was in the staff lounge and a gentleman came in and sat down across from me. Normally I would sit quietly but because we’re learning how to reach out even when it’s uncomfortable, I asked him his name. God developed a conversation that lasted the rest of lunch. He shared about a lot of back and feet pain that he struggles with to this day. He had actually been living at the Mission for the past couple years, but over the past month he’s taken more responsibility so they asked him to be on staff.

I wish we didn’t have time constraints of having to leave, but it felt very one on one even with all the people that were in the room. It was time to go but I didn’t want to because He had talked a couple times about God, not in detail, but said that God had gotten him through things. Now it was time to go, so I seized the moment and said, ‘Chuck, could I pray for you?’ and he said yes. It was really sweet even though I wished we had more time.

When we were leaving, he walked out to our van and said, ‘by the way, I didn’t get your name’. We hadn’t talked much about me; we didn’t need to. God is growing all of us to start with the little things and step out of our comfort zones. It was significant to Chuck that someone took the time during lunch to talk to him. Who knows how long he has gone without that.”  -Jan

Our Director, Chaz, was given the opportunity to teach this morning at CCCC’s Sunday morning service.  But before the service started, Kristin was able to share her testimony about her life here in Rapid City as a backslidden Christian.  It was an encouraging testimony of how the Lord pursued her, even after she ran from him.

After the service, a handful of students headed to a Overflowing Life-giving Water Church where Sunny was asked to give her testimony.  The rest of the students had only a small amount of time to fellowship with the congregation because we were scheduled to LARP (Live Action Role Playing) at Canyon Lake Park. This group of young teens we met last Sunday invited us to partake and so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to witness, while at the same time running around on a beautiful day with hand-made styrofoam swords! We provided the hot dogs and they welcomed us into their fold. As it neared dinnertime, we headed back to CCCC to partake in “Tacos N Testimonies” where we shared what the Lord had done this past week in Rapid City and in our own lives.

Here are a few testimonies from that day…

“Today I went to Overflowing Life-giving Water Church, a Korean church. It was amazing because I’ve prayed to God about meeting Korean people in Rapid City. The first day we arrived, Chris asked the class to pray for me to meet Korean people here and Pastor Greg introduced me to a woman named Kyonghee from Calvary Chapel. I met her our first Sunday here and she asked me to come to her Korean church. I wasn’t sure because of our schedule. When we went to Golden Corral a few days ago, the waitress named Ayong was Korean and she goes to the same Korean church. Even then, I didn’t think about visiting a Korean church. Later, Angie asked me to meet another Korean woman named Angela. All three of them go to the Korean church and each of them asked me to come. God asked me to come to a Korean church three times!

So, we got to church. It’s less than five minutes from Calvary Chapel. I went with Jonathan, Jan, Allan, Paul and Bill and we sat in the front row. It was awesome because they sang in Korean and English. It was really interesting because the sermon was all about what we’ve been learning in class. He talked about shepherding sheep on a farm. You know, we went to a farm a few days ago!

We are a lot like sheep. Sheep have bad eye sight, but sensitive hearing and listen for their shepherd’s voice. Especially in Korea, if someone asks another to describe a sheep, they are described as clean, pure and white- all good things, but in the Middle East, they are described as dumb, stubborn and bad listeners. If we go to a farm and see real sheep, we see they are dirty, stubborn and don’t like to clean themselves. It’s like us, we still have sin, but on the other hand, we need to learn from sheep. They listen to their shepherd, and not strangers. We need to be honest and listen to God and not pretend we are perfect. We should be honest, confess our sin to Jesus, and He will save and clean us.

It was awesome because the Pastor spoke in Korean and translated in English. The church building was big, but the group was small- only 20 people. Three or four people were Native American. The church worshipped in Korean and English, too. I’ve prayed to God to meet Korean people and be used for others and God sent Korean people to bless other students through me. God brought me from Korea, to San Diego, to South Dakota and we found Korean people in South Dakota and they invited me to a Korean church! Everyone was so blessed and crying happy tears. God broke our heart in good ways.

We had communion and everyone lined up front. It was different because the Pastor stood, holding a large cup of grape juice and a broken loaf of bread. We broke off the bread and dipped into the cup. We then moved to a prayer railing to remember Jesus.

I was so discouraged before I went and was without confidence. I knew God had a reason for me to be here but I doubted it. I am not good at English and shy about sharing the gospel with others. I was also homesick and wondered what I can do at HSE. I felt way behind where I should be. But, when I went to the Korean church, my heart was totally broken and I was realized how much God has blessed me. I saw Paul, Jonathan and Bill crying and smiling. If I wasn’t here, they wouldn’t have experienced a Korean church in South Dakota. I was thankful to God for using me for others. It was beautiful. I couldn’t stop saying thank you or crying because I was thankful to God. It made me feel at home and all worship songs sang were my favorite in Korean language. It was so cool.

Then we ate Korean food. It was so good. They invited us to come Wednesday to serve homeless people. After lunch, we made bracelets for the Korean kids and shared the gospel with them.”  -Sunny

 
It seemed as if the entire week was building up to LARP day at Canyon Park. Weapons were fashioned from foam and duck tape, and we engaged in late night training sessions to prepare for battle. However not all of us participated in the actual war games, some helped cook, some photographed the day, and some ushered more souls into the kingdom of heaven. Rich noticed a man sitting alone while his wife and children were enjoying the barbeque and began a conversation him. He learned that he had some knowledge of the bible, but when Rich asked if he felt he would go to heaven if he died today, the answer was no. He said “I’m a bad person, so I don’t think I will go to Heaven”. Rich shared the gospel and although he prayed and accepted Jesus, Rich could tell he still did not quite understand. After another 3 times of explaining the gospel, the mans countenance changed and a smile replaced the look of confusion. Rich was confident that he was now saved.

“It was great to see the mans countenance change after I saw that he finally understood what the prayer he prayed meant. I like to borrow the phrase from Pastor Greg and “write God a blank” I tell Him just use me in any way you want Lord!  I’m happy to see the way the Lord chose to use that check. Even more than going out and ministering to strangers I get so much joy being able to minister to individuals in our group and home church, that’s what brings me the most joy. Going out with the group reminds me of when I use to go fishing with my boys. When I would hook a fish I would give it to my children so they could reel it in. It’s just like that when we do street evangelism. I like to hook them and pass it off to someone else to reel them into the arms of God.”  -Rich

“We spent Sunday afternoon live action role-playing (LARP, hitting each other with foam weapons ala Brave Heart) with a group of young people from the Rapid City area. The get-together was planned after an impromptu meeting the previous Sunday afternoon. Our initial meeting resulted in an opportunity to witness to these young people and to begin a relationship around some light hearted fun.

It was impressed upon me how much of an impact we can have in a person’s life by simply validating them; by joining with them in activities they value.  We had many opportunities to interact with these young people on their ground.  I watched God work as Calvary Chapel’s Pastor Greg “Crazy Eyes” Blanc was crowned the individual competition champ and the enthusiasm of individual conversations that ensued as we all ate hot dogs prepared by HSE team members who came to support and engage. Most importantly the opportunity arose because some of our team members were open to the leading of the spirit. Who would have planned for LARP in advance, yet here we were being “fools for Christ.”  This experience will forever remind me that God’s timing and planning are always the best no matter how much I think I can improve upon it.

I had the opportunity to engage a few of the leaders of this small community and discover more about their beliefs and to challenge them to take seriously the claims presented in the Bible. While doing this I also learned that the “right” answer from an intellectual standpoint might not be the best answer from a spiritual standpoint.  I believe God, through this encounter, is challenging me to listen more closely for the unasked question. I am looking forward to engaging these young people again before we leave.”  -Jerry