GET INVOLVED

​“…Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed, of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation for the world. For I was hungry, you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; I was sick, and you visited Me; naked, and you clothed Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? \’ the King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the lease of them, you did it to Me.”—-Matthew 25:34-40
 
(originally written February 27th)
 
Long time, no talk. I think what I want to do is segue back into the “Unity in the community” theme I’ve had going on for awhile. We’ll see how it works and see where the Holy Spirit guides me.
 
Today was intense in more ways than one. Those that know me will be the first to tell you that I am pretty much fearless. I am a complete adrenaline junkie. I love and thrive on adventure. I rarely say no to trying something new and different. I spent the day at Oklahoma Baptist University at a collegiate natural disaster relief training workshop. It was humbling in so many ways. I’ve never been to one of these before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t have many preconceived notions, but was expecting God to really move. I’m not sure how many of these sessions take place per year but I went with a group from Connors as a rep for Bacone’s Baptist Collegiate Ministry, a student discipleship ministry on both campuses. It was incredible.
 
In essence, what this event can be described as a crash course in various aspects of natural disaster relief. In short, if a natural disaster takes place and a team is called out to a tornado, earthquake, mass fire, etc., the BCM I’m part of, including myself, would be sent out to aid in the disaster relief. Typically it’s a week to 10-day rotation. There are two other training sessions I still have left to attend, which are chaplaincy and another debris removal one. I participated in workshops on caring for children in natural disasters, victim evacuation, debris removal using a chainsaw, and debris recovery. It was beyond my comfort zone and I loved every minute of it. I posted on my social media profile that while I hate the circumstances behind why we have these training sessions—the message is both heartbreaking and rewarding—loving on and being a blessing to people while showing them the love of Christ, despite how dark and bleak their situation may be.
 
As we approach springtime in Oklahoma, which includes storm season, I would be lying if I said I was looking forward to the phone call summoning the collegiate response disaster relief team. It is not a phone call I am looking forward to getting. With that said, I am looking forward to seeing God move through us as His vessels. I can’t wait to see how God will use the volunteers that were at this event and the ones who weren’t there.
 
This. This is why I love BCM so much. This is why I love having mentors like my BCM directors. While I am not as active right now in BCM due to a heavy course load, night classes, and juggling other ministry obligations, seeing the student leaders I’ve mentored rising up in their own leadership is what BCM is all about.
 
While this post is mostly geared to my college-age clientele, the heart of the message is the same for all of us, no matter what age. Don’t be afraid to get involved. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You never know how God will use you. If you’re reading this and you’re a student at the Connors, NSU, or Bacone campuses and aren’t involved—BCM is a great ministry. I would also strongly encourage you to go to an SGA meeting. Be involved in Student Government. Aspire to be the change you wish to see in your college campus. Never ever underestimate the power of your voice.
 
For those that aren’t college students, the same goes for you. Don’t be afraid to get involved in your community. Go to a city council meeting. Sit in on the community forum discussions. Attend a school board meeting. Really be the change you aspire to see in your community. Like I said above, don’t underestimate the power your voice can have.  You can do so much more than you think but you have to get involved.
 
I think I covered everything I wanted to for this post. I have plans in place for future blog posts, I’m just trying to figure out how I want to do it. I do want to cover my licensing in this blog but I’m not sure how I want to do that in a way that isn’t boring or overkill.
 
Also, if you’re reading this, leave me a comment in the downbar and let me know what you want me to talk about next!!
 
Until next time,
 
Love and light,
 
--S. 

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