Welcome to my blog! To get an idea of what this blog is about you might want to read the "About Me and My Family" page as a starting point. You can browse through the archives or head over to the "Articles" page to read on specific topics I've written on over the years. Keep checking back because I'll be posting new articals from time to time.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

In The Gap



My teaching partner and I were teaching them not to cheat!

"Then said he [Jesus] to his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
 Matthew 9:37-38

I know this post is long past due, but here it is at last. During September, October, and November, God allowed me to work in a ministry called In The Gap. A program that teaches Christ-like character in the elementary public schools and conducts after school Bible Clubs.

One thing that I have learned in the past two months that I have been serving in Oklahoma, is that you can serve God anywhere you are. Everywhere you look there are people that need hope and love . . . they need Jesus. But in order to minister to them you have to look for the need and find a way to meet that need. There is a time to present the gospel within the first 5 minutes of a conversation, but then there are times when you have to invest in their lives long before you can expect them to receive the good news we have been entrusted with.

This session they trained 31 interns, including myself, to effectively teach character to children as well as how to run a Bible Club, also known as Good News Clubs. The word that best describes the experience is stretching. I was forced out of my comfort zone to learn new and exciting ways to serve God. I've learned that the best way to teach is to tell and show someone how to do a certain thing, and then have them do it themselves. At In The Gap we were trained and then had the chance to put it to practice.

Me with my accountability group

I saw children genuinely come to know Christ and freedom from the bondage of sin. I was surprised at how many children gave examples of how they took our challenge and went the extra mile at home. I was overjoyed when children opened up their hearts and asked question after question about God and His Son Jesus. I rejoiced over answered prayers and miracles that took place.

I learned that I can serve God anywhere, and I also learned that I could serve God in places I thought I couldn't. Like I heard so many times while at In The Gap, prayer is the work.

It wasn't in God's plan for me to go back to Oklahoma for further training and experience, but I know that God has great things in store for me. Maybe God had a deeper reason for sending me to In The Gap. Maybe I wasn't there just to reach the children in Oklahoma City. Maybe this was a stepping stone to bring my greatest dream into reality.

2 comments:

A Joyful Heart said...

Enjoyed reading this post, Jennifer! It sounds like such a wonderful oppurtunity you had, and it must have been so precious to hear those children ask questions about the Lord and be able to answer them. Hope you are doing well, I'd enjoy hearing from you!

Cheryl said...

I had never heard of this, but what a wonderful ministry! I found you through your Mom's website. Looking forward to getting to know you better. It is so refreshing to see a young person so devoted to Jesus! God bless you. :)