WELCOME TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: WHERE RAIN PUDDLES BECOME DANCE FLOORS

When Andrew met Jesus, his first act was to bring his brother Peter (John 1:40-42). In the same way, Grace Fellowship of Katy, TX couldn’t keep the Mission Waco Groups Mobilization opportunity to themselves. They invited Westland Baptist to join in serving our community, and with a team of 39 middle school and high school volunteers, Westland Baptist spent the first half of the week serving joyfully and wholeheartedly with Mission Waco.

This group arrived with literal showers of blessing. It rained almost every day, but that didn’t dampen their spirits. Instead, they danced in the rain (yes, really danced) and embraced every moment. When the rains interrupted Street Camp on day one, the team returned to the dorm and decorated pegs with thoughtful and heartfelt messages for each kid at Street Camp which they handed to them the next day.  For a first-time group, they handled every challenge with remarkable grace and contagious enthusiasm. Whether staining fences at the Manna House, picking up trash around My Brother’s Keeper shelter, cutting up a fallen tree at our dear neighbor’s house, all in 90-degree heat, or building relationships with kids at Ashton Oaks and The Villages during Street Camp, these students and their leaders served with joy.

The neighbourhood kids couldn't get enough of Street Camp neither did the student volunteers. With fun new games like “the Blob”, “the cups game”, and even dance parties to KB’s Church Clap, every morning brought new excitement; almost like opening a new mystery box each day. The group taught the kids about Moses and the Ten Commandments and John the Baptist (their minds were blown discovering he was Jesus' cousin). They explained how Jesus simplified the ten commandments to two commands: "Love God and love others." Each child made a crown inscribed with these words as a reminder of what God expects from us.

A major highlight from Street Camp for this group was getting to experience in real time 1 Corinthians 3:6: "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow." The group shared how excited they were to water the seeds that had been planted in the kids by other groups. They learned from the kids as much as the kids also learned from them about God. We love witnessing groups experience God anew through service; their perspectives expanding with every act of love in our communities.

Over the weekend, we had volunteers from Parkway Church. They may have only joined us for the weekend, but their impact resonated deeply - proving once again how small efforts can make a big difference. Their time began at Barron's Branch Street Camp, where they brought the story of the Lost Sheep to life through a creative mini treasure hunt, hiding small Jesus figures throughout the playground to the children's delight. This spirit of joyful service continued as one team refreshed the neighbourhood’s  "Welcome to Our Neighbourhood" sign and mowed the entire entrance yard, while another team cleared overgrown vines at The Lighthouse transitional housing , transforming the overgrowth into neat compost piles.

The weekend's spiritual highlight came during chapel time at My Brother's Keeper shelter, where Parkway led powerful worship that flowed into profound fellowship. Residents opened up about their Psalm 40 journeys through life's “pits”, testifying to God's faithfulness and sharing their hopes for continued healing.

As we look back on this week of service, we're reminded that God works through both the downpours and the sunshine. Westland Baptist came ready to serve, showing us how to dance through challenges rather than just endure them. Then Parkway Church arrived like a burst of sunshine, proving that even short-term service can plant seeds of hope. Both groups reminded us of the same beautiful truth: service  isn't about what we can accomplish, but about being present to what God is already doing.