Day Three (Monday)

We went to Egypt in Virginia this morning! We are conducting the VBS curriculum that tells the story of Joseph, so we have done our best to transform the church into an oasis of Egypt in the heart of the Appalachia Mountains. The youth are dressing up in their costumes, telling the story of how God was always with Joseph, and how God worked through Joseph. We sing songs, do Egyptian dances and have crafts with an Egyptian flair. The kids seem to really get into it!
We have seen a number of kids from last year and some new faces. It is great to see these kids come to hear the story of Scripture … sing the story of Scripture … pray the story of Scripture … soak in Scripture! Some have even admitted that they don’t really know the Bible or what it is about. Our prayers are that we would be good servants of Christ and share God’s word with all the children who come.
Our worship in the evening is led by Paul Patrick, chaplain of Erskine. His series is on the church – what it is (and isn’t), the foundation of Scripture, and that the church is for the justified and not the perfect. Each sermon has featured a particular point that hits right home with our situation in Jonesville, VA and Moreland/Senoia, GA. After the worship services, we come back to the girls apartment, talk through the sermon and music, and then break up into our teams to pray for the kids and the next day. We are doing our best to bathe this trip in prayer!