Another Ending to a Great Week!

     Another great week of
ministry is over and we had a good time with our teams from Ohio, Michigan, and
Iowa. We have been sticking to a lot of the same ministry that we have been
doing since we started, like fixing up the church, hanging out with retired people,
cleaning streets and parks, and helping out with the Safe Haven program, but we
were able to do a few unique ministries this week as well!

     The first one took place earlier in the
week when we were given the opportunity by the Alderman (similar to a city
council man) to ride on a water taxi through the city on the Chicago River with
a lot of the elderly from one of the retirement homes in our community. We were
able to see some amazing sights from the river with some awesome views of the
city (check out my facebook page to see some pictures!), but most importantly
we were able to build relationships with the elderly aboard and minister to
them by encouraging them, listening to their stories, and allowing Christ to
shine through us. Overall we had an awesome time on the river!

     Another unique ministry that took place
was that we were able to take a few of the older, more willing teens out to
ride the L Train (essentially the above ground subway) through the city and
build intentional relationships with the people who got on. Normally a rider
will be on for about 15 to 20 minutes at the least, which is enough time to
strike up a conversation about a new movie, the Taste of Chicago, or any other
relative event and then lead the conversation into more deeper and spiritual
questions. Some people are willing to open up and others are not, but most are
willing to allow you to pray for them! The teens that did that felt like they
could do anything for God after that and any fears or doubts about sharing
their faith were gone! God gave His children victory that day!

     An age
old lesson that I learned this week (and have been learning my whole life) is
the importance of spending time with God in silence and solitude. When we did
our prayer mosaic on Tuesday we spent some quiet reflective time in prayer and
worship and I shared the familiar Psalm 23 with the group: “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green
pastures, he leads me beside
quiet waters, he refreshes my
soul. He guides me along the
right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will
fear no evil, for you are with
me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my
enemies. You anoint my head with
oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will
follow me all the days of my
life, and I will dwell in the
house of the LORD forever.” Even though we are getting some awesome
ministry done this summer it is absolutely necessary for us to take time to
quiet down our minds and reflect on what the Lord has done and what he wants us
to do next. I will admit it is a hard thing to do when you are on a roll and
have an agenda, but we cannot forget our Groom who desires to steal us away and
enjoy intimate moments with us. Just think about that for a moment…your groom,
your lover, wants to take you by the hand, make sure no one is looking, and
then sneak away to a quiet place to be alone and intimate with you. If you
allow him to do that you will be so refreshed and ready to effectively minister
to those around you. Food for thought!

     We are excited to meet our new friends
today from Arkansas and Canada! There are 62 participants this week and we have
plenty for them to do, like put up brand new dry wall on the walls and ceilings
of the sanctuary at New Life Pilsen and do some relational ministry at Navy
Pier on the 4^th of July!

In Him,

Jonathan Oliveras