He Is Risen Celebrations

Easter happened to fall on a school holiday this year called, “Tomb Sweeping Festival”. This is a nationwide holiday where families visit the graves of their passed loved ones. They burn incense, paper money, paper houses, paper Jackie Chan’s and celebrities, fake gold jewelry, and other items of worldly wealth in the belief that the aroma of these burnings will reach their dead family members in their afterlife. This is a deeply rooted tradition amongst the culture we live in.

We had the opportunity to share about the Tomb and the powerful resurrection story of salvation to our students during this time. Becky dyed Easter eggs with her classes and walked through the events of Holy Week with them. 200 students heard the message and the meaning of Easter.

To continue with our weekly celebration of "He Is Risen" Chris took some boys out for an overnight camping trip. The boys got to help one of Chris' friends work on his new outdoor adventure park. They spent the day cleaning a cave, making some new climbing routes, and building steps into the cave. With the sun starting to set they all sat around and had some homemade Texas chili, while watching the eclipse take place. For each boy it was their first eclipse they have ever seen and they all got real excited.

We had a special gathering in our home of 15 students for an Easter meal later that week. This was one of the largest groups we’ve had the privilege of hosting, and several of these students were new to our home. The highlight of the evening happened when we all held hands in a circle around the table and each person pryed. Some of them were nervous, but it was a great opportunity for them to express their thankfulness and experience what it is like to talk to Father. One of the boys we are close with happened to pick up a good book that was on our coffee table, and he said he was interested in reading it to know more.

We continue to be amazed at what Father does when we open up our home to these students. We feel that keeping our home open and hosting dinners is not only a gift of friendship and love but also a multitude of opportunities to share. The Son did not love the lost from afar. He drew near to them, lived life with them, and loved them with a perfect and authentic love. Our desire is to become more like Him as we love on our students.

Please remember us each week as we host meals in our home and have game nights with students. We ask Father to flood us with opportunities and conversations that point to His salvation.