Operation Barnabas 2015
Micah Stucki
Preparing for Operation Barnabas
(Counting down the days until June 15th, 2015...)
Orientation (6.15-6.22)
There is probably no one who could guess what God had them in for when they signed up for OB. But somehow God brings these 25 strangers together and makes a team out of them. But prior to my leaving, I had several months of excitement and mixed with a little fear.
The reason I went was because of a few of my older friends who had just graduated in 2014 and gone on OB that summer. Two of them told me that it would be a fantastic experience for me and that God would teach me so much. At the time I really didn't even know what OB was, I just knew it was 6 weeks long and these friends of mine who had been so shy before came back almost glowing with the Spirit of God and talking about how much God did that summer. All I really had to know then was as I looked at them, I wanted what they had.
After my decision to go, there was an application I had to fill out and send in the mail. It included questions about my faith and the reasons I wanted to go. They also had me send in letters of recomendation from my pastor, a teacher and another adult. They really care about who comes onto the team to serve with them so that they will be the most effective for Christ's Kingdom as they can be.
Towards the end of the application, they asked "What is your vision of what Operation Barnabas could look like?" I replied "I envision OB to be a trip where I will dramatically grow in my relationship with God. I think He will use me in ways that he never has before, and I hope to glorify Him with what I do there. I also think that I will be able to meet new brothers and sisters in Christ and glorify God with them."
I would say, however, the thing I was thew most worried about was spending almost the entire summer away from my friends. I feared that I would return to find that my friends had forgotten about me or not really cared that I had been gone, or noticed for that matter.
In the end, my fears didn't matter. God had called me to go, so I went. I had so many people support me financially and in prayer in response to letters I sent out to tell people what I was doing. I was blown away. I spent hours writing thank you notes to everyone who supported me because there were so many. God wanted me there, and he provided a way, because left up to me, I would never have been able to pay for it.
The first week of Operation Barnabas is Orientation. Orientation was in Winona Lake, IN. We mainly were around Grace College Campus and Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church. It is probably the most awkward and difficult week of the trip; they really start you off going hard. Full of new people, many choir and other practice sessions in a day, and plenty of spiritual grindstones to hold your nose to. There is always that weird feeling when you get there that some of these people on your team will be some of the closest friends you have ever had. But they are complete strangers. And it is so true! It is all about preparing you for the amazing and incredible things God is about to do through your team.
The first night was rough. I didn’t know anyone and I was scared. I actually considered calling my parents and telling me to take me home once or twice. But I’m so glad that I stayed because God used the rest of the summer to grow me and give me experience and prepare me for things later. But all that to come…
Here are several of the big things that I took away from Orientation that first week:
Heart Searching: This is an activity that we did Wednesday night to help us get rid of sin in our lives. We spend an hour or two alone looking at scriptures and asking questions the leaders gave us to help guide. It is designed to make you look objectively at your life and see the sin you couldn’t see before. God did amazing things that night through all of us. A lot of tears were shed and a lot of hugs given. We then paired up and were told each other things that we were going through and prayed with each other. I had never been so open with another guy before. My partner was named Ben and though we didn’t end up on the same team, he was one of my best friends during orientation.
Meeting people: We started out as one big team of 45. The leaders spent the week getting to know us and getting us to get to know each other. Lots of getting to knowing. On Thursday (6.18.15), Teams were announced and the only bad thing about that is when your brand new best friends aren’t on your team. I was put on Team Indiana. We had 21 students and 4 leaders. Team Ohio had 24 students and 5 leaders.
Work To Be Done: During Orientation, we practiced choir (sometimes four times in a day), had challenge times where leaders would teach us things to prepare us for serving God in various ways, worked on puppet songs, skits, pantomimes and dances that were performed during programs at churches and other ministries we went to throughout the summer. It was hard work and the leaders pushed us, but it brought us together as a teams and none of us would have been prepared for or appreciated much of what happened later without it.
Sunday Morning: Both teams Ohio and Indiana put on a combined program during the service at Winona Lake GBC. This was the first time we had done a full program for people before and the first taste of tour. That night we had “team time” where our team went and had what is called “The Two-Dollar Dinner” where each student is given $2 and we all go to Wal-Mart and buy stuff for dinner and return to the church to make it while the leaders go out and have dinner. We figured the easiest way to do this was to pool our money and get bulk food for everyone. However it did not go so well and our team was able to learn a lot about each other and how to work as a team, not as a group of individuals. There is sacrifice that has to be made in ministry of your own personal desires for the sake of God’s glory.
There is always that weird feeling when you get there that some of these people on your team will be some of the closest friends you have ever had. But they are complete strangers...
This is the night we did our heart searching. It was a powerful night. And though it isn't really in this picture, there were lots of tears of joy and sorrow as we realized truly where we were spiritually, but also given the chance to allow God to fix us.
Here we are learning the art of balloon-animal-making. It was one of the many things we had to know how to do for the ministry we would be doing that summer. Much of our ministry was with kids.
This is one of our many, many, many choir practises that week. I think most of our voices were worn out by the end of Orientation...
The grand finale of Orientation was leading worship Sunday morning for Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church