I don't want to write everything and all the encounters that I had at SD because that will take forever and this post will become really really long; however, what I want to say that is God works great things with sinners like us. I learned that anything is possible with God. Not that I didn’t know this before, but I was reminded again how powerful God is. By praying for the campus, the students, and the event daily and devoting my time to inviting new students, God was backing me up with powerful words and strength. Before the mission trip, I had the fear of rejection and fear of starting conversations, but after I got through those fears and after reminding myself that what I fear doesn’t matter with God, everything went smoothly. I eventually overcame those fears. Now I can flyer confidently and go outreaching at the dining commons. God provided me with numerous windows of opportunity, and it was my responsibility to take those. In this mission trip, there were numerous instances where God gave me either that opening to go into a spiritual conversation or someone who is sitting by himself. When I took those chances, I know that God used me in different ways. I can see myself being used by God for his Kingdom, and this is a lifestyle that I would like to have: working for God along with others.
One thing that I really experienced at this retreat is the community that I have at Gracepoint. There were times when I had bad encounters or bad conversations with strangers, and even if my day didn't go as well as I expected, hearing successful stories of fellow workers energized me and made me excited. Each night, we had a team time, a time when we can share encouraging stories that happened throughout the day. All the stories that I heard, even though they didn't involve me, it made me happy and excited at the same time. The fact that more than hundred of us are reaching out to numerous people on this campus is an amazing site to see. Everywhere I went, there was someone from my church reaching out to someone random that they have never met. Along with that, each night, we had a Team Time, where we can share our experiences throughout the day and our wins and losses. Whatever the story was, we cheered each other up or praised the Lord for working through us. Jin's message and reference to the Incredibles truly came to life these moments. During the Middle School Retreat, he showed the final scene in the Incredibles when the family and Frozone is fighting off that big metal monster. Each has different roles in the fight and by working together, they are able to defeat the monster. In the same way, we are all different soldiers "attacking" (by spreading the Word) the people on the campus, and we come back together each night cheering each other on or congratulating on the success of the mission. I felt like I was on a secret mission or something.
I also experienced how powerful God is and how he can use anyone, even a sinner like me, to bring people a step closer to Christ. One thing I will cherish and constantly remember from this trip is the parable of the sower. A lot of times, I can be caught up in the result of the conversation, whether it turned into a spiritual conversation or the person came out to the event. A lot of times, I found myself not being satisfied with some conversations. However, that is not the case. Maybe, God has been working in that person's life, but he's not ready yet. Maybe, God has been working and he is ready. Whatever his state might be, if I trusted God, I probably made some kind of an impact on that person's life whether or not the conversation didn't turn into a spiritual one. I am just scattering the seed.
Mark 4:3-8
"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times"
I really enjoyed this trip, and I am excited to go back to Berkeley. Because the experiences that I had in UCSD applies directly to UC Berkeley. I can use the same tactics and strategies on our own campus. Thank you God for this awesome opportunity.
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