FamilyFEST volunteers report ‘spiritual wave’

It was the prayer of one grandmother that her granddaughter would come to know Christ this summer.

Thousands of miles from home in a quiet schoolyard on an island in the ocean, that prayer was answered as her granddaughter made a profession of faith during Woman’s Missionary Union’s (WMU) FamilyFEST in Hawaii June 30–July 5.

Sue Braun, 73, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, prayed hard about taking her granddaughter with her to FamilyFEST, a hands-on missions opportunity for families that want to serve together.

Braun had been on other missions experiences with her husband, Paul. She said the Lord directed her to take her 13-year-old granddaughter, Rose Stebelton, with her this time.

“I really prayed about this because I wanted her to hear about the Lord and get a different perspective than what she had been getting and I wanted her to see what my husband and I have been doing, and I felt the Lord leading me to take her,” Braun said. “It was my prayer that if she didn’t commit to Christ, then at least the seed would be planted.”

That seed was more than planted, as were many others during the week through 220 volunteers and hosts from 14 states who participated in a variety of ministry projects on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Those projects included construction and repairs, landscaping, prayer walking, day camps, sports camps, Vacation Bible School, car washes, block parties, school repair projects, health clinics, a country crafts fair and more.

Held in Hawaii for the first time, FamilyFEST was a partnership between the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention, Neighbor Islands Baptist Associations of Hawaii, Hawaii WMU and national WMU. In all, 15 ministry projects were offered on both sides of the island — Hilo and Kona — and in between.

Bob Duffer, director of missions for Neighbor Islands Associations, said, “We had good participation from churches here on the Big Island. And all the volunteers were so cooperative and helpful and did what needed to be done.

“I appreciate everything that everyone did,” he said. “This was an opportunity for the Lord to do tremendous work. I think we’ll see the results from this well into the future. From the contacts that were made, the Scriptures that were read, the prayers that were prayed, I expect to see a great revival take place here.”

Many of those contacts were made as volunteers witnessed to those among large crowds gathered for holiday festivities and the island’s fireworks show. Despite rain showers in Hilo, volunteers distributed bottled water, along with tracts that told of the plan of salvation — the same tract that prayerwalkers like Braun used during the week and the same booklet that helped lead her granddaughter to Christ.

Duffer said he noticed the impact volunteers made when he walked through the crowds and saw almost every family with a bottle of water labeled “Showing God’s love in a practical way.”

Kristy Carr, WMU Volunteer Connection specialist, reported that at least 20 decisions were made during the week.

Deanna Aoki, executive director of Hawaii WMU, said this FamilyFEST was the first time her family was able to participate in a missions experience all together and it was a true gift of God. Her husband, two of her sons, one daughter-in-law and her 85-year-old mother-in-law volunteered.

Aoki said God really worked through volunteers to touch particular groups. For example, she said Hawaii has one of the highest drug-abuse rates in the country and volunteers were able to meet and witness to those with addictions.

“We were praying for a spiritual wave to break the bondage of drug addiction and lostness, for people to know God personally and live life abundantly … to see what 220 volunteers from 14 states could do by loving God and loving one another,” Aoki said.

FamilyFEST is not just for families of the same household; it also can be a great experience for church families, Carr said. For example, Braun and her granddaughter were among a group of 11 from Reynoldsburg Baptist Church in Ohio. Nearly half of the group had never been on any kind of missions trip, Braun said, and many have since expressed a desire to do more.

To learn more about how you can participate in future FamilyFEST or MissionsFEST opportunities, call WMU’s Volunteer Connection at 205-991-4097, e-mail volconnection@wmu.org or visit the WMU Web site at www.wmu.com.  (WMU)