Lasting Relationships, Lasting Impact
-by Frank Schmidt, Living Hope Ministries, Minneapolis, MN
God opened my eyes to see His beauty and majesty while at the District Youth Conference in January 2008. I repented of my sin and trusted in Christ for salvation and God has been drawing me to Himself in greater ways ever since.
Right thing to do
The following summer, just before my senior year, I went to BUMP with my youth group. We served at Living Hope Ministries in Northeast Minneapolis. Having been recently saved I did not yet understand missions or why we do them. I just thought that BUMP would be a fun time and that it was "the right thing to do." Little did I know that God was up to something much greater than me just spending the week at BUMP.
Desire to serve
After BUMP was over I was still unsure about what God wanted me to do. God gave me a desire to serve Him but I did not understand what that meant. During my senior year of high school I decided God wanted me to be an elementary education teacher. My plan was to go to school, get a good job, raise a family, live a comfortable life, and then retire. God’s plans for me were much different!
Response required
While I was a student at Northwestern College, God placed a clear call on my life for urban missions. God spoke clearly to me through passages like Luke 9:23-26 and I knew that I needed to respond.
Serving in the city
I want to spend my life living and serving in the city. There are far too many people who commute into church on Sunday and then are detached from the community for the rest of the week. God desires people who will commit themselves to living and serving in the city. He wants people who are willing to live among the people they are serving.
God used BUMP in my life to birth a passion for urban ministry. Though I did not know what God was doing at the time, I can now see the incredible impact God has had on my life through BUMP. This summer (2010) I am serving as a missionary in Northeast Minneapolis with Living Hope Ministries, a connection built through BUMP two years ago. I have gone from being a student at BUMP to being directly involved in the planning of BUMP and the leadership at a BUMP site. Praise God for the ways that He has been working in my life!
