Last night I had the opportunity to ride on the Bethel's "Blue Bus" into the Eucalyptus neighborhood to pick up kids for their childrens'' service. I don't know how many kids I was expecting, but I was almost overwhelmed by the number of kids that came running out of the apartments towards the bus. We had over 75 kids on the bus last night. How amazing is that!? They were so excited to come to church.
The service starts off with some worship songs and games. My favorite song was one that said "I'm gonna throw up...uhh... I'm gonna throw up... uhh. I'm gonna throw up... uhh...My hands to the Lord!" So fun! Then the kids go off into their classes to learn life skills and Bible stories. This week the fourth and fifth (?) grade girls classes went to the Artesia Nursing Home to play games with the elderly. The teachers said it's so awesome to see kids interacting with grandma's and grandpa's. It gives the kids an opportunity to serve others and they flourish in it.
I am so blessed by the faithfulness of Bethel's children ministry. They've been taking a bus over to the neighborhood for almost 20 years. I had a chance to chat with some of the leaders that have been helping for 18 years. They explained that it took years to build the trust with the people. As an outsider, I can see the trust and love the neighbors have for the "Blue Bus" workers. As a result of Bethel's faithfulness to the neighborhood and God's work, Kingdom Causes has been able to connect with the neighbors far better than we could have on our own. I praise God for their work and the opportunity to partner with them.
If you would like to help out Bethel by riding on the bus on a Wednesday night, call their office at 562-866-0791 and ask for Nichole. Keep their ministry in your prayers. Also, they're hosting a health fair this Sunday from 11am-3pm. Stop by!
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