This coming weekend, seven groups of students accompanied by Greater Atlanta Christian School teachers will leave our country to visit and serve Christian brothers and sisters in Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Athens, Greece. Please pray for protection and for God’s purposes to be fulfilled.
Over twenty years ago, Matt Elliot and Melaney Cost went to then President David Fincher with a dream of taking high school students to serve the Lord during a spring break. These three courageously embraced a vision without knowing how many kids would be interested.
From one spring trip in 1997, hundreds of students and dozens of teachers have chosen service over other options during school breaks. A team for a new destination has been formed to serve in Thailand this summer where one of our teachers lived while growing up. Most trips begin with a connection someone has with a missionary or ministry in a distant location.
In addition to the ones listed above, these countries have been visited: Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Brazil, Haiti, Puerto Rico, China, Namibia, Kenya, Rwanda, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia, and Russia. There have also been over a dozen different places in the United States where teams have served.
Several teachers have led trips to the same location many consecutive years, building long-term relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ. Kristy Shelton is leading her 15th group to Honduras. Tim Ball has led ten teams to Atlanta’s inner city to serve the homeless during Thanksgiving week and spring break. It is not unusual for several GAC graduates to join him as God has given them His heart for the poor.
I can think of at least a dozen alumni or former teachers who are presently serving God as full time missionaries or leaders of ministries. Of course, God gets all the glory for anything good His children do. He enjoys inviting us to participate with Him in revealing His love to others… and as we go, He always lets us see our weakness and His strength.
God’s vision goes far beyond ours. He knows one day the nations will worship Him. When Jesus commissioned His apostles to go into all the world, He commanded them to make “disciples of all nations.” How do we do that? Surely, we are to take one step at a time remembering He is with us and that “with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
“Great and marvelous are Your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear You, Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.” Revelation 15:3-4