Bible Chapel Mission Trip Blog
Start the Day off Right With Worship
There is something that happens when you worship alongside the Faith House girls that is simply impossible to put into words. The smiles on their faces, the joy in their voices, the way some of them close their eyes and lift their faces toward heaven — it draws you right in with them.
If the entire trip had been only this — just gathering together to sing and worship with these girls — it would have been worth every hour of travel. There is a sweetness of spirit here that ushers you into the presence of God in a way unlike anywhere else. A small piece of heaven, right here on earth.
God inhabits the praise of His people. This morning, we felt that with our whole hearts.
Joelle and the Faith House girls sing: Maverick City Music — I Thank God
First Lesson — We Are Builders
Kathleen opened the first teaching session of the week with the book of Nehemiah — a book the girls had never studied before. In fact, when Kathleen introduced it, they had to take a moment together just to find it in their Bibles. That was a sweet moment in itself.
Maria had expressed a desire for the girls to grow in their understanding of their own value and in their ability to set meaningful goals. That desire pointed our team directly to Nehemiah — a man who knew exactly who he was in God, prayed with boldness, and then got to work.
Kathleen began by holding up a safety helmet and asking the girls if they knew what it was for. She used it to introduce one of the most powerful pieces of spiritual armor God gives us — the Helmet of Salvation.
Salvation, Kathleen explained, means “being rescued and brought into God’s family.” God loves these girls so much that He made a way for them to be with Him forever through Jesus. That helmet — the assurance of who they are in Christ — protects their minds and hearts.
From there, Kathleen introduced the story of Nehemiah and the theme for the entire week: We Are Builders. Just as Nehemiah was prepared by God for an important purpose, so is each girl at Faith House. Throughout the week the girls will work together to build three things:
- Their Identity — how God made each of them uniquely and wonderfully
- Life Goals — plans to help them become who God designed them to be
- Strong Boundaries — the rules and guardrails that keep them safe and protected
Kathleen walked the girls through Nehemiah’s powerful 4-part prayer — a model they can use anytime:
- Praise God for who He is
- Thank God for what He has done
- Confess what you did wrong
- Ask for help
The girls then began the week’s centerpiece activity: their personal Identity Mobile — a rainbow of heart-shaped strips, each one built on throughout the week. On this first strip, each girl wrote down her own strengths — what God has placed inside her that makes her special.
The girls writing their strengths on the first heart strip of their Identity Mobile — “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
We fitted each girl with a hard hat and a t-shirt that reads “Arise and Build” — a name rooted in Nehemiah’s own call to his people. Seeing them geared up and grinning from ear to ear was one of the highlights of the day.
Arise and Build — our builders, equipped and ready.
Naw Mua Wah — the youngest girl at Faith House, rocking her pink construction hat and ready to build.
Fun and Games!
Every good building crew needs a break — and Joelle and Bill were ready to deliver. The girls got outside for a relay cone game that had everyone sprinting, laughing, and cheering at the top of their lungs. The focus of the game was simple: teamwork and cheering each other on. The girls took to it immediately.
We cranked up some high-energy worship music to keep the energy going — including one song that became an instant favorite with the girls. If you want to feel the energy of the moment, give it a listen here.
Pure joy — relay games, laughter, and cheering each other on.
Goal Setting — Dream Big
Sally led the afternoon session, tying the day’s theme back to Nehemiah Chapter 2. Just as Nehemiah stood before the King with a prepared heart and a clear plan, Sally challenged the girls to dream big and take steps toward their own goals. The four steps — straight from Nehemiah’s own story — are:
- Care about something important — What matters to you? What breaks your heart?
- Pray and think before acting — Nehemiah didn’t rush. He prayed for days and asked for God’s wisdom.
- Make a plan — Nehemiah asked for letters, supplies, and permission. Goals need real steps.
- Get help and start working — Nehemiah didn’t build the wall alone. You don’t have to do it alone either.
Then Sally shared something that stopped everyone in the room. She told the girls about one of God’s names in Hebrew: El Roi — “The God Who Sees Me.”
God sees you. Not just in general — you, specifically. Your name. Your face. Your dreams. Your hurts. He sees it all, and He cares.
Sally had spent four months before the trip personalizing gifts for every single girl at Faith House — boxes with their names on them, bracelets, pen holders, and more, each one made by hand. When the girls opened them, it was like Christmas in April. Some girls held their boxes quietly, reading their own names. Others lit up with the biggest smiles.
The gifts carry a message that no circumstance can take away: God sees you. You matter. You are known.
Christmas in April — the girls opening their personalized gifts from Sally.
Each bracelet a reminder: El Roi — The God Who Sees Me.
Four months of quiet, faithful preparation. That is what love looks like. That is The Bible Chapel family showing up — not just in person, but in every handmade gift that traveled 8,000 miles to land in the hands of a girl who needed to know she is seen.
Day 2 is in the books. These girls are builders — and they are just getting started.
— Dee, Brenda, Glenn, Joelle, Kathleen, Sally & Bill
