I am excited about Missions at First United Methodist Church, where I am a member and disciple of Jesus. Last Saturday, we had an awesome visit with folks at God’s Kidz in the Hood, and we made some sandwiches for Larry Under the Bridge. Our friend Karen Jesse is in India on a mission trip. She is working with the kids on English as a second language.  Last week, she was able to experience a new year celebration, Pong.  She inspires us.

Things are positive at the Divine Intervention for the Homeless cold weather intervention, where I help out as a volunteer.

We look forward to Packing Rice as part our Second Saturday Servants program at First Church in February. We will pack rice for hungry kids in Tanzania at Simple Hope at Bethesda Community Church in Watertown, Wisconsin, and one of our Bell Choirs will be playing too. We are doing this with our Youth Group, which makes it special for me. For each of us, a registration fee of $25.00 covers the cost of rice and shipping it to Tanzania. We always learn new things with Simple Hope too. And the Bell choir will be special. This will be great!  Simple Hope , founded in 2010, is a Christian non-profit organization, working ecumenically with all faiths to provide hope to compromised communities in rural Tanzania, East Africa. The direct mission of Simple Hope is to save and empower lives through faith, nutritious food, clean water, education, microcredit programs and other identified long term sustainable projects.

Lots of missions going on.  These are a few that capture my attention now.  I’m fired up today!

I remember again the words of Jesus in John’s Gospel (Chapter 20):

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

We are sent!