Thursday, October 23, 2014

One of the most special blessings God has given Mission Arlington® is Anna. Anna started at Mission Arlington® when she was just a few days old. She would sleep in a basket next to her mom’s desk. Anna’s dad, mom, and brother (Tim, Debbie, and Nathanael) all work at Mission Arlington® too.

Growing up around Mission Arlington®, participating in nearly every Mission activity year-round, it didn’t take long before Anna wanted to help. One of her first assignments at Mission Arlington® was puppeteer at the summer backyard Bible club, Rainbow Express. She loved being with the other children and soaked up the Bible teaching she heard.

Her most recent role is the one she enjoys the most. Anna participates in a work program with her school. Each day she and her class visit sites around the city gaining experience in a variety of settings. Once per week, the class works in the clothing room at Mission Arlington®, sorting clothes, assisting shoppers, cleaning, and straightening.

The Mission is Anna’s second home, so when her class works, she feels a deep sense of responsibility for the clothing room and the people she serves. When she’s not in school, you can probably find her helping in the clothing room just for fun.

While Anna loves helping “behind the scenes,” she is equally comfortable leading music on Sunday mornings at South Street Church. She picks the songs, stands in front of everyone, and sings. The congregation calls her a blessing.

She has also been known to leave notes with Bible verses in the Mission Arlington® staff’s mailboxes. It’s always encouraging to find a note from Anna
Anna turned 17 this month. We thank God for the day he gave us Anna and for how he has found the perfect matches for her skills and talents.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

When Rebecca began attending seminary in Fort Worth, she needed a job and wanted to do something ministry-centered.  She found herself on the “Tillie Tour” one Sunday morning.  After seeing the different Bible Studies, she spoke with Tillie one-on-one.  She knew that the amount of money that Mission Arlington® could offer would not cover her expenses, but that mattered very little.

She showed up to work the next day and has stayed for sixteen years. God had other plans for how to pay for Rebecca’s living expenses, and he did it by freeing her to focus on the ministry.

Rebecca was assigned to a North Arlington apartment complex.  Initially, she didn’t see how she fit at that complex as she didn’t speak the same language as most of the residents.  She says it was a spiritually dark place.  The majority of the teenagers were in gangs and had no interest in church, but Rebecca stayed put.

Slowly, Rebecca built relationships with the people, starting with a Sunday Bible Study and an afterschool tutoring program.  Eventually, she began an ESL class for the adults and, when she had picked up at little Spanish, she invited the adults to a mid-week Bible Study in their own language.

Now, through God’s grace, this apartment community is completely different.  The mothers stop by to chat with Rebecca during tutoring.  The teenagers hang out with Rebecca on Friday nights volunteering at Mission Arlington® and learning about God’s word.

When she is not at the apartments, Rebecca writes curriculum that Mission Arlington® Bible Studies, and churches in other states and countries, use.  All the curriculum is available here, and, soon, will be indexed in a new way.  It will be easier to find the exact topic or lesson you need.  Check back soon to explore this new feature.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Every Sunday afternoon at 4:00, Mission Arlington®’s Bible Study workers gather to worship together and encourage each other after their morning services in the community.  Barbara did not attend the first 4:00 meeting 29 years ago, but she was there for the second.

Barbara always felt called to missions.  She wanted to share Christ with the world.  When she shared her feelings with Tillie Burgin, Tillie suggested she come see what God was beginning at Mission Arlington.

Over the past three decades, Barbara has taught Bible Study in several apartment communities.  She currently lives in the complex where she ministers which means she is neighbors with all her church members.  The church building is the clubhouse of the apartment complex.

This living arrangement gives her opportunities to be with her people when they need her most.  For example, one night last month she was startled by a phone call and a simultaneous knock on her front door.  It was a message that a church member’s mother had suddenly passed away.

Barbara wanted to visit and pray with the family, and all she had to do was put her shoes on and walk across the courtyard.  By the time she got there, four other members were already there, comforting the bereaved daughter. “Our church was already being a church to her,” Barbara says.

Barbara not only teaches Bible Study with Mission Arlington®.  She is also on staff full-time.  You will likely see her “outback” taking donations and helping load trucks with furniture for delivery.  She says, “Even on my worst day, I know what God has called me to do. That’s my anchor.”  She’s found a place where she can work, minister, and live among the people – all for the glory of God.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Although Mandy grew up in Fort Worth, she did not hear of Mission Arlington® until she was attending Oklahoma Baptist University.  She felt called to participate in summer missions and a college friend recommended Mission Arlington® because she had been a Summer Missionary before.  So Mandy applied and spent a summer serving here.

By the end of the summer, Mandy had grown to love the Mission.  She says it’s the first place she really felt challenged to fully commit to God 100% of the time.  Mandy returned to Oklahoma to finish school, but anytime she came back to visit her family in Fort Worth, she would stop by the Mission office to help, even if it was just for a day or a week.  And when it was time to graduate, God directed her back to work here full time.

Now she works “outback” collecting donations throughout the day and teaches Bible Study three times per week at an east Arlington apartment complex.  She says while she has been teaching in a Sunday School setting since she was a teenager, teaching at the apartment complex has been more fulfilling because she ministers to the whole family.

For example, several parents attend her mid-week Bible Study for teenagers.  Plus, being able to meet each family’s needs through the services available at Mission Arlington helps her dig in.  When a family needs food, clothes, furniture, counseling, medical or dental care, Mandy can easily connect them with those resources while sharing the love of Jesus.

Thank you for the way you give and pray so that Mandy and other Bible Study leaders like her can minister effectively in this community.

Friday, August 08, 2014

Kayla first came to Mission Arlington® as a Summer Missionary in 2003, her sophomore year of college.  She worked each day caring for the community and teaching people about Christ.  When August came, she cried because she could not stay. She returned to Mississippi to finish college and see what God had next for her life, which included finishing school, finding a job and getting married.

In 2010, when her husband became a youth minister, they planned their first mission trip. Kayla suggested they bring the youth to Mission Arlington®. The youth didn’t know much about Mission Arlington® and they inundated Kayla with questions about exactly what it would be like. Kayla explained over and over that they just had to come and trust that it would be a life-changing experience

Since then, Kayla and her husband’s youth group has come on week-long trips for four summers and one Christmas to serve the people of Arlington. They lead Rainbow Expresses (backyard Bible clubs) and work at the main office doing “behind the scenes” tasks. Kayla prays that the teenagers will see their time in Arlington as more than just a mission trip but as a springboard to change their lifestyle and be “on mission” for Christ wherever they are Kayla says the teens often have a list of complaints as the work is hard and Texas summers are hot.

But they know sharing Jesus with another life is what’s really important.  When they get home, they only have one thing to say: “I can’t wait to go back
Please pray for the groups that are visiting Mission Arlington this summer.  Hundreds are being saved because of their witness in this community.

Sunday, August 03, 2014

Marla accepted Christ as a child and began attending a Mission Arlington® Bible Study in her apartment community last year. The Bible Study leader saw her walking home, offered her a ride, and invited her to church.

Last spring, Marla started teaching the children at the apartment Bible Study. “They ask great questions. That’s my favorite part.” Marla says. What a joy helping them grow in their faith!

Recently, an apartment manager in Fort Worth called Mission Arlington®. The manager explained that the people in her complex desperately needed a weekly Bible Study. They had a vacant apartment to use as a meeting place. Marla and another worker, Lisa, started a new Bible Study at the Fort Worth location right away.

After a few weeks, when Lisa and Marla stopped by the leasing office of the new complex, they met a new member of the apartment management team. He was interested in hearing what Mission Arlington® does, so they explained sharing the love of Jesus each week with the residents. The new team member loved the idea and asked if Lisa and Marla could also teach at another community down the road.

Now, Marla and Lisa have divided and multiplied themselves. They still teach together on Sunday mornings at Marla’s complex, then, during the week, they take a set of teenager sisters with them and split between the two new properties in Fort Worth.

One Sunday morning Bible Study is now three Bible Studies, and the teenage sisters are learning to lead as they go. More people are being reached for Christ because Marla and the team was willing to answer the call.

There are even more apartment communities that currently need Bible Study teachers. If you would like more information, please contact Tillie Burgin at 817-277-6620.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Karen grew up attending a Mission Arlington® Bible Study at her apartment complex and now teaches other children about the love of Christ throughout the week.  At the end of the school year, her Wednesday night class had about sixty boys each week, but as summer began the boys stopped coming.

“One week we only had five,” Karen remembers. She says she would see her kids walking off into the neighborhood and wanted to follow them to discover where they were going and why they stopped coming.  It broke her heart to see them leave.

Instead of packing up and moving to a new neighborhood or “taking the summer off” or any number of other options, Karen felt God calling her to do more to encourage the children to come back – and a soccer team was born.

Karen has plenty going on in her life.  She has a job and a son.  When God called her to add on the role of “soccer coach,” she didn’t have extra time.  She didn’t even have a soccer ball.  But while God supplied her with energy, the other staff members at Mission Arlington were on the lookout for donated cleats, cones, and jerseys.

Now on Wednesday nights, the parents and children gather to worship in their small central Arlington church.  After breaking into their classes by age group, they teach the Bible, then Karen and another teacher stay extra late to practice and play soccer with dozens of excited children.  Many of the boys have come back.

The children are learning the Bible. They are learning that Karen loves them, and, most of all, they are learning that Jesus loves them.  Thanks to God that Karen chose to go the extra mile and not let these children slip away.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Summer Missionaries leave their homes to follow God’s call on their life. They are 16-27 years old, and they serve here at Mission Arlington® for part, or for all, of the summer.  These incredible young people volunteer their time, working 61/2 days each week, and 10-12 hour days while they are here.

Their love for the Lord inspires us, and they make such a difference here.  One of our student missionaries has been blogging about her experience. Here name is Summer.

Recently, Summer felt God calling her to be more mission minded and, through the advice of her pastor, pursued several mission options for summer break until only one door remained open.  She now finds herself serving at Mission Arlington®.

Daily she is working side-by-side with a full-time Mission Arlington® missionary, doing everything that missionary does. From leading Bible Studies to delivering food and even meeting with apartment managers to schedule activities, she will experience many sides of multi-housing ministry.

This one paragraph from Summer’s blog tells you what you need to know about this dedicated summer missionary, and about the heart of summer missions work here at Mission Arlington®.

We serve a magnificent God with a strong hand and incredible providence.  I cannot even begin to comprehend it or worship Him properly for it.  I can’t stop praising Him for sending me to Mission Arlington®.  

I can’t stop praising Him for the work that He is doing.  Not only in my life, but in the lives of people around me and in the world.  His will is perfectly orchestrated, and He is providing so much here in so many ways all for the praise of His name.  And His joy brings us strength.

We are pleased to share Summer’s blog which chronicles how God is working in her life during her time here. You can scroll through the several articles she has already published. Enjoy!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Mississippi College BSM (Baptist Student Ministries) assigned Heather to work at Mission Arlington® the summer after her freshman year.  She spent that summer the way all our Summer Missionaries do: working at the office, helping sort donations, and teaching Bible Studies in the community.  When the summer was over, she went back home to finish her college career, telling all her friends how much she enjoyed the ministry.

A few years later, with school behind her, Heather considered where she might want to work. Knowing she wanted to serve God and serve people, a friend reminded her how Heather had raved about Mission Arlington® a few years before.  God was tugging Heather’s heart back to Arlington.

A short time later, Heather returned to Texas and picked up where she had left off.  She now coordinates several Bible Studies on the north side of Arlington.  She says, “I am so blessed to have a job where I get to share Jesus with kids like this. It is such a privilege to lead families to the knowledge and love that God has for them.”

Appropriately, Heather is also one of the primary contacts for the new Summer Missionaries that come each year.  She helps them feel at home and prepares them to minister during their time here. Most importantly, she prays daily for them to be effective ministers.

This year, 28 missionaries are serving at Mission Arlington® from 11 different states.  Please join us in praying for them as God guides their summer.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Cesar began attending a Bible Study in his apartment complex when he was 4 years old.  The Mission Arlington pastors would always knock on his door to invite his family and to bring bread.  Cesar says he thinks his mom trusted the church leaders because of the bread, so she sent her kids to the services.

Even though the church met in a tiny apartment for many years, that’s the place that the people learned to pray, to love one another, to read and use a Bible, and to live in peace.  Cesar says “All my favorite childhood memories are at Heritage Church.”

Cesar accepted Christ at age 8 when his Bible Study took a trip to a Billy Graham Crusade.  He was baptized and really chose to follow Christ day-to-day two years ago. About that time, he came to work at Mission Arlington® full time and began leading Heritage Church as the previous leaders moved away.  He teaches all different ages throughout the week to pray and love just the way he was taught..

When he’s not at the church, you will find Cesar collecting and sorting your donations behind Mission Arlington®.  He and the others in this area work outside in all kinds of weather.  But even in the heat or rain, Cesar wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  He uses his day to do so much more than collect donations.  Hundreds of people volunteer each week, and Cesar loves to hear their life stories.

While these volunteers might not be visiting the mission for a physical need, just by chatting for an afternoon, Cesar has found many people in the midst of a crisis.  He says, “My biggest hope and prayer is that somehow I can be a light for those who are living in darkness.”

We are thankful for the day God brought Cesar to us and for the opportunities to share Jesus’ love each day.