burgers.blankets.bibles

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ - Matthew 25:34-40

take a walk up and down the streets of chicago and look around. did you encounter and come across any homeless people? your answer will probably be, "yes." did you just walk by? did you judge? did you give them the quarter that was in your pocket? did you ignore them and think they would buy alcohol or some type of illegal substance with the money they had?

i am assuming that we can all answer "yes" to these questions. we have all been there, we have all done that. however, i had a different experience this past sunday with about 70 high school students.

it was the annual high school thanksgiving service project and this year we went downtown to hand out burger, blankets, and Bibles to the least of these. we split up in groups, bought some burgers at macdonalds, and started to walk. and oh boy, did these students encounter many individuals that were thankful to see these kids. a simple burger or blanket went a long way with these people.

we didn't just walk by or judge - the students EAGERLY approached every wonderful individual on the street asking them if they would like a burger to eat, or a blanket to keep them warm, or even a Bible to read. they would ask them their name and ask if there was anything they could pray for them about.

one guy's pray request wasn't for himself, but for those people who just walk by, that the Lord would open their hearts to the homeless. ugh - hit in the gut. remember when we said "yes" to just walking by... his prayer request was for me!!

after handing out many, many burgers, a few blankets and Bibles, and walking a few miles - the students were ready to just sit down. it was cool to listen to a few share what they learned or saw while we were waiting for the train and then taking time in small groups to pray for those we encounter. what a blessing those prayers had to be to the Lord!

"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." the students not only served the homeless on sunday - but also our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. how cool. what an amazing picture.

i feel so honored to serve the Lord in this ministry alongside these students. it was so encouraging to see them so willing to give their time and money to help those who hardly have two pennies to rub together. looking forward to serving alongside these students for many more years.

here are some pictures of the students:

Greatest Small Group Girls :)

our group. about 18 of the 70+ that came!

Graduation Season 2010 = Bittersweet

Have I ever told you how much I love serving in the High School Ministry at Harvest? Well, I do. I JOYFULLY and faithfully serve every week and was BLESSED to be the leader this past year to eight INCREDIBLE girls: Becca, Bekah, Elyse, Lindsey, Michelle, Michelle, Paige and Rachael. Did I say incredible? Well, they are.

Sadly, they are Seniors, which means, they graduated. I am so unbelievably excited for them but also torn over the fact that I won't see their beautiful and bright faces every week. They made serving in high school ministry easy. Well, this year at least - let's just say last year was a whole different story. That was rough.

However, aren't we all like that? Our lives are like a roller coaster-up and down, twists and turns, good and bad? But ultimately, getting right back to where God wants us? And what a blessing it was to see as each one of these girls reached their highest point with Christ after hitting some really rough low points. And, in the end, God gets all the glory, right? right.

It has been hard and sad - I am going to genuinely miss these girls. Every time I think about it or pray for them in the morning, I tear up. It is crazy! But, see how much they impacted my life? - or better yet, how God has filled my life with joy by SERVING HIM! Praise God! Now, if I can only take that excitement and joy and bring it back in the fall as I start all over with Freshmen . . . (Lord, give me patience. :)

So, here is to each one of my girls. I hope these few sentences encourage them as they start the next big chapter of their lives . . .

Rebekah Charlier aka Bekah: Bold. Watching her grow over the past seven years has been a joy and of course, comical. She was my comedian of the group and frankly, quite honest - very honest and very bold for Christ. You can witness this through this group of girls - she boldly asked Paige to come to Youth Group and look what happened . . . Bekah: I encourage you to continue to be bold in your faith. Never give up and never be ashamed. We are called to make disciples and be bold for Him. He will bless you . . . "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Michelle Martin: Model. Michelle is a supermodel . . . seriously. And when I think of models, I think of example. And that is Michelle - not only because of her looks (wink,wink) but because of her Godly example that she leads by. Michelle is a genuine leader. A leader after God's own heart. She exemplifies Godly characteristics and has the ability to engage others around her. Michelle - continue to be a leader - stand up and out for Christ! Always lead others in the right decision and always serve before you lead.

Paige Kubicz: Devotion. That is the word that comes to mind when I think about Paige. Devotion to her family, friends, school work, youth group, church, and most importantly, her relationship with Christ. Paige always strives to be a better person, daughter, sister, friend, and child of God. She is completely devoted to Christ. Even devoted to help me become a better follower of Christ. Paige, continue to be devoted to Christ when you are in college. That no matter what happens, always keep Christ first! He is going to use you in some BIG ways - be ready!

Michelle Mitchell: Firm. One thing that I have been able to get to know about Michelle is that she is completely firm in her faith. She never gives up and always trusts in the Lord. Michelle's foundation is solid and I know the Lord has huge plans for this girl! Mitch, I pray that you will continue to stay firm and grow deeper and deeper in your relationship with Christ! I can only imagine how the Lord could use you with your firm foundation.

Rebecca Haraf "Becca": Determination. My volleyball star. Becca is quite the little athlete - playing volleyball at Liberty in the fall. One thing about Becca is that she never gives up, always finishes, and finishes strong - especially in her relationship with Lord. Times got hard and the ground got rocky, but Becca never gave up and never gave in. She always got back up and fought the fight. Becca, college is hard, trust me - but never give up. Always seek the Lord for the strength, wisdom, and encouragement. Remember we are here for a short time, so fight the fight, finish the race, and ALWAYS keep the faith.

Elyse Wegner: Growth. I have not seen someone grow and be so fired up over the past few months then in Elyse. Ever since the Spring Break trip in March, Elyse's need and want to grow more in Christ has gone to another level. Just in the past few months, the joy in Elyse's face is hard to miss - you can see the Lord working in big ways in that girl's life! There is a lot in Elyse that reminds me of myself and for that - Elyse, I encourage you to always have that need for Christ. Continue to be fired up for Him and never let that fire go out. Be that LIGHT in the dark world in the fall. You are not alone.

Lindsey Johnson: Christ-like. I thing I love about Lindsey is her since of style. Lindsey is my little fashionista. This girls gots style, y'all. ;) But not only is she always dressed to the nines, she is always wanting to be more Christ-like. That whatever she did - it would be for Him and because of Him and His Glory. Lindsey, continue to give Christ all the glory in all you do and continue to be the Christ-like example to the many you will encounter.

Rachael Houp - Distinguished. I picked this word for Rachael because I think she has a very distinguished personality. She completely portrays the "gentle and quiet spirit" women are called to have accordingly to 1 Peter 3 (that I so lack . . .) but also completely portrays a fun and strong side. No matter what happens, no matter what the obstacle or circumstance is, Rachael endures solely on the Lord with her gentle, quiet, strong and fun personality. Rachael - continue to set your ways strong in the Lord. No matter what happens, whatever obstacle you will have to jump over, God is there, holding your hand helping you through.

There you have it - Eight incredible, God-honoring/fearing beautiful young women that I am proud to call some of my greatest friends.

I am beyond excited to see how God uses each one of you - I can only imagine what He can do with eight fired-up girls all across the United States. Keep your eyes always on Him. He will never let you down.

Always here. Always praying.

Your former leader, now friend for life - Danielle

(Missing: Becca Haraf and Lindsey Johnson)

Aren't they all beautiful?? ;)