by Alisa Howard
What a glorious day walking with our Lord. After breakfast, we presented three young girls from England their own personal New Testament. Their father would not allow them to accept the gifts unless they promised to read from them every day. It was wonderful to see the young girls eyes light up when they received their Bible. At 8:45 am, Alan Pope began our morning devotional. He read from Romans 5:12 - “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
In this passage, Paul compares the imputation of Christ’s righteousness with the imputation of Adam’s sin. Just as Adam’s sin resulted in a sinful race, the gift of grace through the righteous act of Christ results in a spiritual race. The principle of imputation that reduces all men to the same ultimate condition also provides for all men the same ultimate answer—the righteousness of Jesus Christ. “By one man sin entered.” The entry of sin into the world is traced to its human source from which all human kind came. “All have sinned” refers to a point in time when all sinned. It points to the moment when all were in one man, Adam. When he fell, the entire human race was “constituted sinners.”
Before leaving Notre Dame, MI, we stopped by to view the mural of "Touchdown Jesus" as Alan Pope so lovingly calls it. With only one pit stop at a McDonald’s before lunch, we made our way closer to Bellaire, MI, our first “mission” stop. We decided to stop at a Burger King just off the highway, and arrived in Bellaire, MI, around 3:45 pm. We left the hotel at 4:45 pm to head out to First Baptist of Bellaire. The Village of Bellaire, MI, has a population of approximately 1500 people, of which only 14% are churched. There are five golf courses, so I can guess how most people here spend their Sundays. The service began at 6:05 pm with a quick message and then our first puppet number. Anne Davies gave her testimony, followed by our first and only skit. Brian Manus gave his testimony and rapped a song called "Gratitude" from his newest CD.
After the service we ate and fellowshipped with members of the congregation. Kathy Mashburn, Breanna Brackin, and I went prayer walking back to the motel. It was a great day all around, with everyone getting to know each other even better. I truly feel the Spirit moving upon this area. His blessings upon the pastor and his family are very evident. I feel the Spirit moving upon our mission team as well. I feel the team getting closer and becoming stronger in the Lord. Please continue to pray for God’s will to be done.
In Christ,
Alisa
