So there they were…dumbstruck, awestruck, star-struck…STUCK …standing there looking up at an empty sky with silly grins on their faces like they were waiting to see His next trick.

Enter the angels.

"Ahem. Yep, we saw Him fly into the sky too. But he said you were supposed to be His witnesses to the whole world, so….um….it would be cool if you kind of got started with that.” (Acts 1:8-11)

It’s Friday morning and on a Youthworks site, that means it’s time to grab your “Gogurt” and go! Your mission trip is over and it’s time to head home. It’s time to stop gawking at the sky, turn around and face the mission field that Jesus called you to. What does it look like?

Me first? Okay. I’ll start. I’ve got two ideas for the summer.

One, my family and I are going to commit to being “72-Hour Lutherans” with our church so that we can be prepared to help our neighbors in the event of a Hurricane emergency. My kids are going to help me pack the boxes.

And two, I’m going to call a nursing home close to my work and see how I can be of service there once a week during my lunch hour.

Your turn. No really, I honestly want to know. And so do all the other readers. We need to pool our ideas and get the buffet going. Let me see some comments. What have you been considering about this whole Service thing? Where are YOU going to give a FULL SERVING? Dish. It. OUT!

This week’s posts are dedicated in loving memory to Terry Desmond-Chiarello. I never imagined one amazing Youth Ministry service project could produce such a gift for my heart. I am forever changed and forever indebted.

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At the beginning of my first Youthworks’ summer, I remember marveling at how excited the local kids were to see us. We were a staff of four, and with the exception of one of us, we were total strangers to the kids. And yet, when those kids first saw us, they ran to us as if we were beloved family they hadn’t seen in months. And as the summer progressed, I continued to marvel at this same eager acceptance week after week as the local kids couldn’t wait to meet the next round of youth groups that had come in for a week of mission.

I imagined it would be difficult for the kids to meet new missionaries every week. And when you add to that the diversity of the visiting groups, I would think the kids would be downright cautious every time a new group came in. But they weren’t.

It was this observation that led to a profound understanding of Christ followers that I have kept with me ever since. You see, Youthworks is non-denominational. And every week of mission at a Youthworks’ site brings a new variety of Christian denominations that manage to powerfully serve together side-by-side. As Christians, we may worship differently on Sunday mornings, read different versions of the Bible and disagree on some of the finer aspects of our faith. But as children of the Father, we all carry the same Love. It was this same Spirit that drew the local children to us with such enthusiasm. It wasn’t us they beloved…it was Jesus. And through us, they saw Him week after week after week.

Oh Lord, may we all carry your Spirit in such a way that You are recognized wherever we go. Amen.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4,5

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When things got dicey, Peter split. His focus made him a coward. And while I’m sure there was a lot Jesus could have said to Peter when he saw him again after the resurrection, Jesus simply said, “Feed my sheep.” This is the best and hardest lesson that has stayed with me from mission work.

My mission experiences are full of moments when I’ve been tempted to run. I’ve been made fun of because of my weight, laughed at, blatantly lied to, as well as lied about, stolen from, scammed, treated with an ungrateful attitude and generally disrespected all while actively working in the mission field.

Jesus never said, “Feed my sweet sheep.” He just said, “Feed my sheep.” In fact the only thing we know about said sheep is that they belong to Him. And I think, when we’re trying to take a head count of who we’re supposed to serve, that’s all we’re supposed to know.

Feed the sheep that belong to Jesus.

That’s true in every mission field… including those with crabby neighbors, difficult coworkers, cranky kids, and snarky spouses. And you know what? You can’t feed folks like these if you focus on them. You’ll chicken out like Peter. But if you change your focus, like Peter did (Acts 4:13), you will no longer be cowardly. If you focus on the One to whom those sheep belong, you will be bold; courageous even!

Be brave, the world needs a full serving. It’s a jungle out there. Don’t serve because they deserve it. Do it because Jesus does. And he totally deserves it. He’s the King of the Jungle.

Roar. (Amen)

And for those of you still struggling to dole out a full serving to those who “get your goat”, here’s a little math short-cut to help you count the sheep that belong to God…

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”- 1 Corinthians 10:26

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There is a season for everything under heaven and, for me, June marks the beginning of the Summer Mission Trip season.

I have had a long love affair with Summer Mission Trips. During the summers of 2004 & 2005, I had my first taste of mission work while serving as a leader of a Youthworks mission site staff team. Imagine eight weeks of hosting 50-70 visiting youth and leaders a week, and a summer full of amazing, shock and awe, God-adventure. After my Youthworks staff days were over, I became a Youth Director and led my own youth mission teams for several memorable summers.

And now, as June 2011 has arrived, I greet this summer with a little regret. For the first time in seven years, I will not be participating in a summer mission trip.

Life has changed a bit for me. I am concentrating more on my own little youth group of two (Noah, nearly 3 yrs, and Simon, 7 months). They keep me busy and are a bit too young yet to paint houses by day and attend the wild worship that is Youthworks' “Club” by night.

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