Workers for the Harvest
Posted on 9 Dec 2009
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 9:36-38
As many of you know Noelle and I presented our vision and a little of what we are going to do in Belfast to our church this last Sunday. For those of you who were unable to see it, we used puppets and songs to show the audience how G.O. Kidz ia able to communicate creatively to students. The children of Belfast are riddled with fear, hate, and a sense of hopelessness. With puppets, songs and of course, the powerful word of God, students are shown a glimpse of the life and joy that comes from knowing Christ. When I was a intern in the fall of 2001 and I saw the look of pure joy shining on the faces of the students I was hooked. I knew that in this moment, as the songs were going and and the puppets were singing and us interns were doing the worst display of dancing you have ever seen, these children were able to feel love like they never felt before. It was the beginning of God putting a passion in my heart for the children and youth of Belfast. Over the past eight years, my passion for those children and youth has not wavered, but grows stronger and stronger.
In 2001, I was one of eight full-time interns. It was this large number of willing bodies that lead us to be able to reach out to hundreds of students a week. Today, this is not the reality of G.O. Kidz. Now, there are two part-time leaders and only one intern, and another future worker who is still state-side getting her visa and financial support. This means that there are students unreached and not being ministered to, because there is no one to do the work. One of the main reasons Noelle and I are going is so that I can recruit interns from all over the world to come and share in the vision of seeing God’s love reach a cit, and the children in it. I will be not only gathering students to come and serve, but will be personally responsible for there discipleship, spiritual growth, and equiping them with the tools they will need to do the children and youth work. Noelle and I are so excited to know that our roles in Belfast are going to have an eternal impact for the kingdom of God!
We need your help! The task of gathering workers for the harvest is hard, and sometimes seems impossible. Where do we begin looking for young people for the internship program? How do we reassure parents that this six months away from home and school will have a positive impact on their child? How do we share that God will provide money, and protection when their son or daughter is thousands of miles away? Please pray that God would give Noelle and I wisdom in sharing our heart for Belfast and insight into organizing the logistics of the program. Pray that God would compel students to give their time, energy and money to the task at hand. If you know of a young person (17-23 years old) who you think would be interested in a six month internship program in Belfast please encourage them to call or email us.
Seeking After Him,
The Rhodes family