Final day

Hello Everyone!

Sorry it's taken so long to post about the final day. Our Charlotte crew made it back safely and we all had an absolute blast. What we would love to do is tell you a little bit about Mrs. Charlotte Blue.

Now you've seen Mrs. Blue on this blog before.

Mrs. Blue is a resident of Baltimore and actually lives in the neighborhood right next to Stillwater. She's a deacon at her church and she loves the Lord. As our students were walking around the neighborhood handing out fliers, they came across the house of Mrs. Blue. One of the leaders, Chelsea, explained what they were doing and about the VBS that Stillwater was holding that week!

From there the kids moved on, walking up the street and handing out more fliers. On their way back, Cheslea and the group of students stopped back by Mrs. Blue's house and asked if they could pray for her. What they didn't know is that Mrs. Blue was about to go to the doctor's office. On a prior visit, the doctors told her that they found a mass that they needed to test for cancer, as well as a possibility of gall stones. Chelsea and the students prayed fiercely for the doctor's wisdom and for peace for Mrs. Blue.

The next day something incredible happened. Mrs. Blue walked over to the church and told us that during her visit the previous day the doctors gave her some incredible news. The mass was gone! Her gall bladder checked out completely fine! They told her she was perfectly healthy!

This whole experience was an incredible privilege to be a part of; things like this are proof that God is indeed at work in the city of Baltimore!

Thanks again to all who prayed for our trip this past week - we felt it. The Lord blessed us as a group with friendships (old and new) and abilities to reach the kids in Baltimore. But we have one request - please don't stop here. Baltimore and other cities in the US need the Lord. We all do! Please continue to pray for the people at Stillwater EFCA. Their mission is a tough one ahead but we know that with God's help, anything is possible.

So for one last time we say goodbye and God Bless for all who were involved in our BUMP Baltimore 2011. We can't wait for 2012!

VBS Day 3!

Thursday was also the 3rd day of VBS. We had an ABSOLUTE BLAST! More and more kids came, and more and more of them brought friends. We were also able to facilitate a teens group and an adults group, this is huge. Being able to minister to all age groups is a great desire for, not only BUMP, but also Stillmeadow EFCA. Throughout the week, we've seen so many more kids smiling and having a good time. It will be a challenge saying goodbye, but we are confident in the Lord that this happiness will continue and spread through the surrounding neighborhoods.

Our students from Church at Charlotte, regardless of how tired they were, have had so much energy! It's contagious! We are so blessed to have these students here, it's such an answer to prayer that God has sent these kids students that will bless and love on them.

Tonight is the last night of VBS. We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us!

Pimlico

Thursday was a special day. Many hearts were opened and changed in our group of students from Church at Charlotte. We were given the incredible opportunity to go deep into the heart of Baltimore to do some cleaning and praying. Pimlico, at one point in time, was considered to be the most dangerous part of Baltimore. But thankfully, through the work of many prayers and the Grace of the Lord, it is being redeemed and restored from the inside out. Our new friends, Pastor Brooks and Brother Curtis, have such a fire to reach out to these people in Pimlico. They have changed many lives and it was an honor to be able to walk beside them in the Lord to reach these people. We will forever cherish that time and the memories. No photos were taken in Pimlico because we wanted to focus on the experience; we wanted to make sure nothing was distracting the leaders and kids from seeing the community as God sees it, in love and in mercy. We can't wait for our students to return and spread the stories we heard in the Pimlico neighborhood.

From there, we went to Druid Park. A beaufitul reservoir in a restoring area of Baltimore. This allowed us to walk around and see the entire city of Baltimore from a higher point, making it easier to see everything. From here, we prayed. Prayed for the Lord to redeem this city and to save the people in it. It was an honor to be able to walk deep in the city to know what exactly to pray for; to pray for the people and government of Baltimore.

We thank Brother Curtis and Pastor Brooks for the incredible opportunity that they gave us on Thursday. We know that it will be a memory forever cherished by our staff and students.

VBS Day 2!

Last night was Night 2 of our VBS here in Baltimore, MD. Let me tell you something, God showed up and did AMAZING things! We had over 40 kids here last night which is a huge growth from the night before. Pastor Dave has challenged the kids to bring friends, and they definitely stepped up to the challenge! We were also able to have a small group of adults led by Cedric Lundy (Church at Charlotte Youth Pastor) and Julie Ritter (Church at Charlotte Volunteer). This is a huge blessing, being able to impact these kid's parents is one of our top priorities and prayers. We want this neighborhood to be impacted by Stillmeadow EFCA; and by the looks of things, God is already at work.

GOD SIGHTING: There has been so much joy in this building. It's incredible to see these students allow themselves to be tools of our Living Savior. It is incredibily humbling to work alongside people with such a passion for showing God's Love. We can really see the impact by looking at how much the neighborhood kids are opening up to our volunteers, we are incredibly thankful!

The verse that keeps coming to mind this week is Matthew 19:14 "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" Everyone here is definitely putting this verse into action! We love it!

Thanks again for praying for us as this week continues. We definitely feel the love coming to Baltimore and can't wait to see what's up next for us here at Stillmeadow EFCA!

Vacation Bible School!

Last night was the first night of our Vacation Bible School here in Baltimore, MD. We prayed for kids to show up and boy did they show! We were able to reach out to 33 kids/teens from this neighborhood; we were so excited when they started to show up!

We had a great time making crafts, playing games, singing songs of worship, and eating some delicious snacks! Please continue to pray for the kids from Church at Charlotte, for their courage and boldness to be able to show God's love to this community. Even more, keep this neighborhood in your prayers not only this week, but every week after this! This community needs the love of Christ to be restored!

We can't wait to see what the Lord will bring to us tonight. Whether it's more or less kids, nothing can stop our motivation for reaching these kids and this neighborhood! We love Baltimore and Stillmeadow EFCA!

A lot of the photos you'll see from here on out will be of our BUMP kids with neighborhood kids. This connection has been an unceasing prayer for us; we continue to ask God for these kind of connections. Thanks again everyone for all your support and prayers! We can't thank you enough!

Block Party!

Tonight was the Neighborhood Block Party and it was a great success! Our group from Church at Charlotte did a fantastic job of greeting not only the kids, but the parents as well. There were so many smiling faces and so many fun games played. With around 50 people in attendance, we were really able to get the word out about our Vacation Bible School that we will be holding here at Stillmeadow. We cannot wait to see what God has in store for this city throughout this next week.

GOD SIGHTING: Here at BUMP, we like to focus on GOD SIGHTINGS; plainly put, where we saw God show up today! We were able to partner up with a local school here in Baltimore to be able to facilitate a service project on their grounds. Not only is this a big connection for Stillmeadow, but God allowed two of our people to meet with the Principal as a walk-in! We were told this never happened and we are so excited to see this relationship form in this community!

Here are some photos from this great event for this fantastic community! We love Baltimore!

Off and Running!




Pastor Brooks leading team training.

The Church at Charlotte team arrived safely at 5:30pm EST and hit the ground running with orientation last night.

Today they prepare for a block party at Stillmeadow EFC to launch VBS for the week.

Pastor Charles Brooks (A Better Life Fellowship) is training the 37 youth participating on cross cultural ministry before their preparations begin!

Be in prayer for the neighborhood around Stillmeadow, permanent relationships to be built, VBS planning to come together, and God to be glorified!

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Welcome!

We’re excited to welcome Church at Charlotte youth to BUMP Baltimore 2011, June 26 - July 2, at Stillmeadow EFC! Check back for daily updates and what God is doing in Baltimore through BUMP!