Katie Clegg Graduate of Shorter College Served in Greeley, Colorado Summer 2009

My summer in Colorado was such an awesome experience and chance for me to grow! I worked with two other summer missionaries, Lee and Tiffany, from Mississippi and Alabama. We worked with a mission center called the Lighthouse Mission located in a low-income area of Greeley, Colorado. The mission center gives out food and clothing to families in need, meeting the needs of about 150 to 200 families each month.

Tiffany, Lee, and I planned a kids club that we did three times a week; twice at the mission center and once at a government-funded apartment complex. We did games, snack, bible story, and the food bank brought lunch for the kids, which was a blessing because a lot of the kids’ families don’t always have the resources to get lunch in the summers. We also taught Sunday school at the local church that sponsors the mission.

The best part of the summer was being able to build significant relationships with all kinds of people including the kids at kids club, my supervisor for the summer, volunteers at the mission center, people in the community, our host families, and my missionary partners. I saw people who were very different from each other come together in the genuine love of Christ and work together to further His kingdom. I saw children who had never heard of Jesus develop a yearning to learn more about Him, and children burst into tears because of their desire to know and follow Him.

The summer was truly a growing experience where I experienced God’s sovereignty and continuity, His endless and boundless love, and many challenges that strengthened my faith and relationship with Christ. The one thing that really sticks out to me from the summer is that there are needs right here in Rome, GA just like there are in Greeley, Co, and that our God is moving everywhere. There are always needs to be met, no matter where you are, and God is calling you to be a vessel for Him and His work. We should strive to love others radically and live radically for our God! There is a mission field all around you! Go out and be the gospel!

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

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