Our first DiscipleTrip to Rapid City, South Dakota was great! Not surprising since the state motto is “Great Faces, Great Places,” referring to the iconic Mount Rushmore National Park which, of course, we had to visit. Seeing the likeness of America’s founding fathers and beloved leaders carved in stone was amazing, but this trip was about honoring the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:20) and partnering with the West Main church of Christ to make Him known in the Badlands.
It all began when our team of 21 disciples began the 700 mile drive north from Amarillo, Texas the last week of July. We traveled comfortably in the Comanche Trail church of Christ bus where we passed the long drive with naps, bingo and devotional songs. At one point, we pulled over to assist a widow woman stopped in the road with a flat tire. She was clearly disoriented and confused, but several of our PEOPLE hopped off the bus to calm her nerves and change the tire. The Lord was using us to offer help and hope in PLACES we never intended. Life Lesson #1: Disciples are “on call” twenty-four seven and must always be ready and willing to serve.
Our first assignment was to lead a youth rally, featuring lessons from the book of Jonah. With this in mind, we marketed the event after the popular show, The Amazing Race: Nineveh. Students from several churches in a 150 mile radius enjoyed a wonderful day of worship, skits, small groups and powerful lessons about evangelism, prejudice and compassion.
One of our primary objectives was to assist the local church with outreach. We did so in two primary ways—via service projects and street evangelism. Weeks before we arrived, the church got on social media to let the community know a group was coming to serve. Several people who had no connection to the church, made contact to ask for help. Projects included yard work, home repairs and concrete work. One lady was so grateful so insisted on feeding us lunch. She ate with us, told some colorful stories and met members of the local church, who invited her to worship and offer help in the future. Another family we served displayed symbols of support for the gay community and Black Lives Matter. One of our team members commented that we blessed people who were different than us with no strings attached. Our goal was to demonstrate the love of Jesus in tangible ways, hoping that those who see Christians as bigots might see us in a new light that draws them closer to the gospel. Life Lesson #2: Disciples are called to help anyone in need, even those we don’t understand or hate (like Jonah, who despised the Ninevites).
Our second approach to outreach utilized a scavenger hunt, downtown, with a list of challenges that would help our team engage the public. Before we sent them out, church planter and local evangelist Tim King, did an amazing job sharing two lessons which challenged our thinking about evangelism. Too many of us think evangelism is for a select few who have the “gift.” Tim taught us that every disciple has good news to share and that our brain is teachable and we are without excuse. The second lesson was “Knowing Your Why!” We spent time remembering WHEN & WHY we came to believe in Christ to connect those emotions to our story as we meet others to talk about Jesus. Then we went to the town square to meet total strangers, offering water, conversation and prayer. Some were evasive, but most were friendly and willing to talk. Afterward, we processed the effort and agreed it was good to step outside of our comfort zones for the sake of the gospel. Life Lesson #3: Disciples can’t allow fear or discomfort to keep us from sharing the good news to those who are lost!
Other activities included a mini VBS, several fellowship meals with the local church and a quick trip to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. It was a life changing week with great faces in great places where we learned that being on mission for God is the AMAZING RACE!