03 Jul Miami Summerlink Update
?Love one another with brotherly affection.?Outdo one another in showing honor.?
Romans 12:10
Our Summerlink team has the unique opportunity to serve Miami. Known as the Gateway to the Americas, as Magic City, and to many on our team, home, Miami is one of the most unchurched cities in the US and is in great need of laborers who are willing to lay down everything to advance the Gospel.
Jeffrey Swindoll (summerlink intern) helping a student edit video.
Our team is composed of 6 men ranging in age from 18 to 34 years old. Talk about a wide age gap! Initially, I thought this would be a hindrance to the effectiveness of our team but it has provided us an outlet to serve and sacrifice for one another.
Summerlink Miami started off at Pastor Jesse?s home where we went over the vision for this summer. We talked about how we want to be men who actively seek the Lord in our personal lives as well as engaging the lost with the Gospel. Some of our team had never shared the Gospel before while others have been sharing the Gospel for years! It has been a blessing to see the older and younger men interact with one another this summer.
Danny Leon (summerlink intern) having a fun moment with the summer campers.
Our team has a schedule that includes personal devotions, service in the community, discipleship training, and evangelism. We start off our mornings by singing worship songs and then split off from one another so that we can spend an hour or so with the Lord. This hour alone has definitely been one of the highlights of the summer and has spiritually prepared us for our work in the community.
After we finish our morning devotions we volunteer at a local City of Miami summer camp.
The area where we minister is a diverse community in the heart of Miami. Our team works alongside camp counselors, playing sports and teaching film production. Our hope and prayer for our time at the camp is to be faithful witnesses to the staff and children. Later this summer we are hosting our own VBS, it is our desire that we see many children from the day camp at church. We are also actively praying for the staff at the camp and seeking opportunities to share the gospel with them.
After our time at the park we pray for each staff member and child specifically in the hopes that the Lord will regenerate them so that they can live in communion with Him.
An inside shot of the camp. Campers are on left.
In the afternoon, we set aside time to be equipped for evangelism so that we can share the gospel with those in our city.
Last week we passed out granola bars and invites to church. This has sparked conversations and forced us out of our comfort zones. It has been rewarding; even if it is fear-inducing sometimes!
All in all, we have gotten off to a great start. I love these guys more today than when we first started two weeks ago.
Please pray for our time at the local camp and for God to give us opportunities to share the gospel with the lost!
by Alex Montalvo (summerlink intern)