Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Winter Mission at Ober Gatlinburg

On a recent Sunday morning at 7:00 as we gave out our donuts and worship sheets to employees of Ober Gatlinburg, one American lift attendant asked for prayer. We talked and then prayed together with him asking Christ into his life for forgiveness and salvation. We meet weekly now to pray and talk together. Our mission is evangelism.

As much as we like snow it can be painful. One of our friends totaled her car on a snow covered road as she drove to work. We responded to calm her fears, to tell her parents in Moldova, to help her find new housing where she can walk to work, and to pray to God ---“breathe in God’s love, breathe out your fears”. Our mission is ministry.

One of our summer missionaries from 2010 returned to be part of our winter mission work over the holidays. His comment was that “I felt like I had come home. This is the most important thing I do in my life.” Our mission is growing Christians on mission.

At a recent dinner for 85 international students who are working at Ober Gatlinburg, we gave away Bibles in 5 different languages. As one girl took hers, she asked, “when do we have to give this back to you?” My reply was that it was hers forever. She said, “I have never had my own Bible.” We are starting a Bible study for these international employees using their new Bibles. God brings the world to us and our work continues!