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Another week of World Changers is done. Ft. Walton Beach has been transformed. Nineteen different crews worked on 14 different roofs and re-painted 3 houses. All of our participants worked diligently responding to God’s call to serve. Students and adults have learned what it means to be set apart as God’s chosen people. We have learned God’s call for each of us to “Go!” During the week, each student was challenged to live a life that looks different. The work and faithfulness to the Good News of Christ certainly shined through each of our participants this week in Ft. Walton. It has been a blessing, not only to us as a staff, but to all those in the Ft. Walton Beach area. There were a total of 55 presentations of the Gospel and one confession of faith recorded. Though the labor is hard, it was not done in vain for God is planting seeds and continually preparing His harvest. May He continue to do His good and perfect work in Ft. Walton.
“Open up, O heavens, and pour out your righteousness. Let the earth open wide so salvation and righteousness can sprout together. I, the LORD, created them.” Isaiah 45:8
“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these command that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again…Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-6 & 9
Over the course of this week our students have written the name of Christ on several different roof tops in the Ft. Walton area. Their service and hard work has not been in vain. Their allegiance to Christ shines with every nail that is pounded. Every shingle that touches the hand of a World Changer bears the name of Christ. We are writing His command of love on every doorpost and every gate.
Our participants have learned what it means to be SET APART. Our theme dives into the very reason why we are different. The Christian life is to be marked by a certain change; a supernatural change that causes us to be a people SET APART. God’s holiness–the very character of God–is the thing that produces change. To be holy is to be set apart.
It is our prayer that all of our participants have had a week of change. With only one more day of work left, all of our participants are preparing to continue God’s Kingdom work back in their home cities and towns.
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23
Each of our student participants are willingly working this week. The work that is being done this week will produce wonderful results. Beyond the actual physical labor, students are learning how to actively share their faith through their actions, their speech, and their love. They are continually reminded that this is God’s work, and they work as if they are working for the Lord. This type of work leaves an impact—an impact for Christ’s name. God is changing hearts and leaving His holy mark on Ft. Walton Beach.
“’But you are my witnesses, O Israel!’ says the LORD. ‘You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God—there never has been, and there never will be.” Isaiah 43:10
As God’s people we are called out to be witnesses unto His name. We have been given the privilege of knowing, believing, and understanding that He is God alone and it is our duty to represent him to the people of Ft. Walton Beach this week. This morning all of our students circled up to be sent out to build God’s Kingdom in Ft. Walton. We must go; live to feed the hungry. We must stand beside the broken; we must go.
Every night after a long day of work all of our participants gather for worship. It is a time of sincere refreshment for the next day. Tonight your students and adult leaders learned about the character of God. We learned that He is the King of justice, the Lord of Lords, and the keeper of truth. They learned that it is during this week that they will have the opportunity to share their knowledge of God with the Ft. Walton Beach community. Our “Set Apart” theme allows the students to dive deeper into God’s character of holiness. It is going to be a dynamic week of worship because we serve a God who is dynamic in every way. We are reminded of who our Savior is and what He promises to do: “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:12) I wonder, do you know him?
After a wonderful night of worship, each of our students and adults participated in the first night of CREW OLYMPICS!! This is a time of intense crew bonding. Though each crew will bond over the course of the week, Crew Olympics is the jump-start to building crew relationships. “Ivory and Ebony” was the event for the night. Each crew chose four volunteers to catch a chocolate covered marshmallow in their mouths. Four other crew members were responsible for dropping the chocolate covered marshmallow into the catcher’s mouth. Crews raced against the clock. The first crew done had to sing “Ivory and Ebony” and sit down. It was a little messy, but a lot of fun.
All of our churches have finally arrived.
“Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.” Ephesians 1:15-17
Welcome to Ft. Walton:
Bethel Baptist
Calvary Baptist
Dry Creek Baptist
FBC Ponca City
FBC Wagoner
Little Escambia Baptist
Northshore Church
Sedalia Baptist
The Fellowship
Westwood Baptist
Williams Blvd. Baptist
With all of our arrivals, everything has begun. Welcome Celebration was a blast and opening night worship brought a several challenges for the week. We, as a staff, have been anticipating the arrivals of our participants and are praying that God fills you with His spiritual wisdom and insight. Here we go! 
Welcome to Ft. Walton Beach! We are so excited that you are here. The week of intense work has yet to begin. We hope that each of you arrive with hearts aching to share the Good News of Christ. Jeremiah 20:9 says, “ But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his words burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!” It is our prayer that your hearts would be hurting to extend the confident hope that we have in Jesus Christ. May you not be worn out from trying to hold it in.
The past few days have been spent preparing for your arrival. As your staff we are excited to see what God does this week in and through each of you.
Let’s meet the staff:
Project Coordinator-Jack Lister
Construction Coordinator-Lee Jernigan
Associational Coordinator-Hershal Adams
World Changers Summer Staff:
Office Manager and Team Leader-Allison McMickell
Music Leader-Collin Malaney
Audio/Visual-Blake Stephens
Missions Communications Specialist-Addie Shue
World Changer Summer Staff: The Florida Team