Reveal God and Change Lives
by D'Anne Early

This year the youth of HRBC have participated in two service night missions just for them. We called the nights “Reveal” nights; time for God to reveal his plan for us, time for us to reveal God to others through our actions, and time for us to see God in action. I have had the pleasure of being responsible for making these nights happen for this past year, and I wanted to share some of what that experience has been like for me.

I came into this not knowing what I was going to do. I was worried that I would not come up with activities that our youth would want to participate in. I was worried about the "wow" factor...I wanted activities that would grab our youth, engage them, show them how God can work through them, give them the opportunity to show God to others, and find a way to give them some ownership in the missions HRBC is already engaged in. Yep, I wanted all of that to happen in an hour and half on a Wednesday night. I worried that I was expecting too much.

The obvious problem with my plan was that it was mine. Did you notice in the above paragraph how I said what I wanted? I was forgetting to go to God and listen to what He wanted to do through me. SoItook a step back and God stepped forward. At the first youth ministry team meeting I attended, I talked about feeling a little lost as to what to do, but I also felt convicted that our mission activities need to be more than just a one night thing. Suddenly, I had 7 other voices helping to guide and shape our first Reveal night. We called it Hyaets’ Helping Hands. Our kids were provided with an item that our friends at Hyaets needed. Nothing too big: after lunch snacks, gift cards, laundry detergent. Then we got together to wrap these items, write out Christmas cards, and make chrismons for them to place on their tree. But that was not the best part of this mission.

The week before our Reveal night, our kids were given a name of a youth at Hyaets and a prayer request for that person. Our kids participated in a week of intentional prayer for a youth they did not know. But wait, it gets better. That same week, youth at Hyaets were in prayer for an HRBC youth. The folks at Hyaets were eager for their youth to have a mission experience as well and to show how a reciprocal relationship really exists in missions. The night in December when we got together at HRBC, the youth of Hyaets gathered with Helms and Greg to share about their week of prayer. Our mission, though it had a tangible piece in providing items of need, was about building relationships through God. I’m eager to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. In this way, each of us will be a blessing to the other. Romans 1:12-13.

God provided for all of those things that I was worried about when I started out and more. No surprise, I know. But I was struck by how much God can accomplish with just a little act on my part. Being a part of the youth missions this year has reminded me how vital our relationships with each other and the relationships with those to whom we serve are to His ministry. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12