Go Beyond

Last night our missions ministry hosted the second of our five Summer of Service initiatives. These family friendly initiatives are designed to benefit several of our urban ministry partners. The focus of last night’s initiative was on the work of Kingsland’s Justice Ministry. Our Justice Ministry reaches out to young women who are trapped in the dark world of the commercial sex trade in our own community as well as those that have been rescued from this darkness. We have a team of women that reach out to these girls and bless them with bags containing small personal hygiene gifts as well as a New Testament and hand-written Scripture cards. These bags are opening doors for us to meet and interact with young girls who believe that no one cares about them. It’s amazing how God is using these small bags of gifts and a New Testament to restore a glimmer of hope to these girls who live in the shadows of our community.

One of the very best things about our Summer of Service initiatives is giving parents and their kids the opportunity to serve together. At Kingsland, we are committed to equipping the next generation to love God and to love people. I love watching our families serve together. Last night was no exception. Moms and Dads and sons and daughters filled their bags and then sat together to write encouraging Scripture verses on colored index cards. The women on our justice outreach team have reported seeing these Scripture cards taped to mirrors or kept in places where the girls who receive them can see the cards every day. That is encouraging. Psalm 119:130a states, “The unfolding of Thy words gives light.” God is using His Word to enlighten the hearts of those living in dark places. We are grateful for every individual who helped us to assemble three-hundred bags of redemption and hope that will be distributed by our justice outreach team in the coming weeks.

We also stressed five important prayer points concerning human trafficking. First, ask God to raise up champions who will fight for the rights of the 27 million people trapped in some form of slavery today. Second, pray for the unfortunate victims of human trafficking who are often abused and sometimes killed. Third, ask God to frustrate the plans of the wicked — those who deceive, traffic, and enslave victims in the dark work of the commercial sex trade. Fourth, pray as you travel up and down Interstate 10, the major transportation corridor for those who traffic human beings. Ask God to stop these traffickers in their tracks! And finally, pray that God will use the New Testament and hand-written Scripture cards to bring hope to the girls who receive them.

Our final three Summer of Service initiatives are scheduled for August. Please remember the 400+ Kingsland students and members who will be serving in locations around the world in the month of July. When you have a moment, check out this video thanks from Houston’s homeless for the Bags of Hope distributed by Bobby and Amanda Herring.