A Week in Newark

This week has been my first back in the office after a week-long mission trip that I took with my family and other members of our church. We spent a week working with kids at a housing project in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Certainly not exotic, but it was a great week!

During the day we held a basketball camp, jumped rope, face painted—anything to interact with kids and get to know them. We then invited them to come to an evening Vacation Bible School held at a nearby multi-cultural Newark church. Our goal was simply to share the love of Christ through our actions and words.

I was struck by several things:

1) The kids we worked with craved attention and love. As soon as we walked into the project courtyard we were surrounded by kids eager for a game or a hug. It reminded me of Jesus’ words that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Over 50—way more than we expected—came to VBS in the evening.

2) God loves the poor and oppressed—and expects the same love from me. Whether protecting women and children from human trafficking in India or just spending time with a little girl in Newark whose only jump rope is an electrical cord, part of our mission in this world is to show God’s grace and generosity to those who are poor and downtrodden.

3) I need to be intentional about sharing the gospel and serving others in all of life. It is too easy to focus on myself, my family, or my busy schedule to the exclusion of all else. Taking a week out to focus on others was a great reminder of what my priorities should be.