Brian Castelli – With His Heart

Last summer I paid a visit to MFUGE (a.k.a. Missionfuge) camp in Charleston, SC. (See http://www.lifeway.com/fuge/mission/) It was a great experience for our whole team. (40 youth plus 9 adults…) I plan to share some of the stories in this space. This is my first installment.

Our youth pastor, Joe, and several others joined a work team that visited a community center in a bad part of town. The building was an abandoned school that had been pressed into service to house a number of children during the day. Conditions were poor, to say the least. Joe reported that the children were using moth balls instead of chalk. There were reports of children licking the moth balls, even placing them in their mouths. Joe also said that some of the rooms were so filthy that he had to fight back nausea when he entered them. The toys that the children had were in poor shape or broken.

At our evening church devotion time, Joe asked if anyone on our team had pocket change that they might consider donating it to help pay for some Dollar Store chalk? Apparently the description of the conditions touched a few hearts. In the end, the “pocket change” added up to $120. Joe took the money and bought chalk, Connect Four, Candyland, Hula-hoops, soccer balls, and other things. Joe brought the goods to his track team leader and told her that they had been donated anonymously.

The children at the community center were thrilled to receive these gifts. They wanted to take them home! Joe confiscated the moth balls, and the children had a blast drawing with colored chalk for the first time.

Perhaps more important than the gifts, Joe’s track leader was inspired by the reaction and enthusiasm the gifts produced. She is now working to get another MFUGE team to come to her site and clean up those horrible rooms.

God has an amazing way of moving and working. When his people have their hearts open to his leading, they can accomplish great things.

At MFUGE in Charleston in the summer of 2007, the camp pastor was Walt Barnes, Director of BLIHP (By Living in His Presence) Ministries. (See www.thewalter.org) Pastor Walt presented a sermon on Tuesday night of the week I was there that rocked some people’s worlds.

Pastor Walt used colored markers – green, yellow, gray and black – as an object lesson. He held up a green marker and said that the green represents a Christian that is on fire for Jesus. The yellow marker represents someone who was once a green marker but has gotten comfortable. They are saved, but they have lost the fire and the passion with which they formerly pursued Jesus. The gray marker represents someone who is faking it, just going through the motions. They look saved on the outside. They go to church and do all the outward things one might expect, but inside they are disconnected from Jesus. The black marker represents those who do not follow Jesus at all. They aren’t faking it, but they aren’t getting it, either.

Pastor Walt told a number of amazing stories to enhance the imagery of the markers.

Paul McLeod is the proprietor of Graceland, Too, a personal memorial to Elvis Presley he maintains in his home. (See http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/MSHOLgracelandtoo.html) Mr. McLeod has dedicated his life to Elvis, staying open 24 x 7, 365 days a year, choosing Elvis over saving his marriage, and choosing to miss his mother’s funeral in case someone might want to see his Elvis memorial. McLeod once said that he would gladly die to bring Elvis back to life. This man has passion. McLeod has no problem telling anyone who will listen about Elvis. How does this compare to my willingness to tell the people around me about Jesus? Am I a green marker, ready to tell anyone and everyone about my Savior? Or am I yellow, holding back on my passion?

Think about the hottest sports rivalries in the country. I live in NC, and the Duke-UNC basketball rivalry has to be one of the most contentious. When the teams play, emotions run high. The season rises or falls based on the outcome of their games against one another. You know that the avid fans of the winning team shout and whoop and holler! They are in everybody’s face about their team and their win. They have passion. How does this compare to my willingness to tell people about Jesus’ victory? Am I a green marker, spreading the Good News to all? Or am I a yellow marker, comfortable in my church pew and Sunday School class?

Pastor Walt made many kids sit up and take notice. This is one far-too-yellow adult who took notice, too.

She’s 65 and married, but I just feel compelled to refer to her as “Miss Barbara”.

In the weeks leading up to the MFUGE trip in July of 2007, Miss Barbara kept asking, “Why did I sign up for this trip?” She wondered aloud if she’d lost her mind. What business does a retired woman have hanging around with a bunch of middle- and high-school youth? My answer: All the business in the world.

I was leading devotions for our church group on a Tuesday night in Charleston. The kids had studied about Jesus healing the sick, and I focused our sharing time on the fact that if God has the power to heal us physically he also has the power to heal us spiritually. I borrowed some material from Dr. Lutzer at Moody Church and reminded the kids that Peter sinned three times when he denied Jesus. And Mark’s gospel tells is that the angel told the women to go tell the disciples “and Peter” Jesus was alive on the third day. I shared with them that even if they had sinned over and over again that Jesus was issuing that same invitation to them. And Brian. And Mary. And Veronica.

As we came to the close of our church devotion time, I had one more thing that I wanted to share with the kids. Before I did so, I asked if anyone wanted to share what had happened that day on the work sites. Many had something to say, and we shared until our time was almost gone. Miss Barbara raised her hand to speak, but I forgot to call on her. As I started to share that last bit, one of the other adult leaders reminded me that Miss Barbara was still waiting. I called on her to share.

Miss Barbara’s track team had gone to a food bank that day. Due to fire marshal regulations, however, not everyone on the team was allowed to enter the building. A number of them stood outside wondering what to do. Miss Barbara suggested that they go on a prayer walk through the neighborhood. I guess it wasn’t a very nice neighborhood because the track leader was not enthusiastic about it.

No one else stepped forward, but Miss Barbara felt a call to go. She said, “Well, I’m going to go myself.” Two of the boys from our church were there, and they had been “taking care of” Miss Barbara all week – treating her as if she was their grandmother. They said that they’d go with her. This sudden show of support inspired a few others, and off they went into the neighborhood to do some prayin’!

As they rounded the corner behind the food bank, the group discovered a homeless shelter. The building was in horrible shape. Men has been urinating (and worse) outside of the building. The smell and the sight of it were too much for Miss Barbara. She began to weep as she stood there looking at the conditions. She also started to weep as she told us this story.

Filled with emotion, Miss Barbara said, “Don’t miss out, young people! When I was your age, I didn’t even know there were opportunities like this to serve the Lord. I made so many mistakes when I was young! I wish I had listened to my daddy! But I didn’t! I was stubborn. I ran away, and I missed it! I missed it! Don’t you miss it! You have a great opportunity to help. Don’t waste it!” She concluded with, “I’m sorry for crying…”

I looked around the room. Almost everyone was visibly touched. It only took me 1/2 of a second to decide what to do. I said, “I have nothing more to say. Let’s pray.” And we did.

What business did Miss Barbara have participating on the MFUGE trip? She had a message to deliver, a message that came from her heart and touched the hearts of an unknown number of young and old alike.

God bless you, Miss Barbara.