On July 26, 2015, 15 people from the Elmgrove United Methodist Church along with two people from Spencerport UMC arrived in Mansfield Ohio to begin a week long mission trip. The mission, known as the Blue Rose Mission, is called to bring Christ to needy homeowners through home repair. Split off into three groups, we built handicap ramps, painted, cleaned gutters and repaired numerous items within the homes of individuals who are disabled, of low income, or elderly. More importantly, we spent time in conversation and prayer with these homeowners and the leaders of the Blue Rose Mission.

This particular mission is 100% organized and managed by several United Methodist laity in the Mansfield area. Each leader shared their testimony with us and prayed with us each step of the way. Each of these leaders made sure that we spent time with the homeowners and that we felt welcomed and embraced with the love of Christ.

Please take a moment, open your Bible and read Matthew 25: 31-46. Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves: the forgiveness of sins, taking on the punishment that was ours to receive, dying our death on the cross and making the final atonement to bring us back into a right relationship with the Father. Jesus did everything that was needed for our salvation to be possible. All God has asked us to do is to believe and accept this. Once we have accepted this free grace from God, our natural response through our new being is to do the good works that we feel God is calling us to do.

The Blue Rose Mission trip combined with a sound understanding of Matthew 25: 31-46, helped each of us to see this scripture come to life right before our eyes. Think with me for a moment. You finally get to heaven and on your way to stand in judgment before the Throne of God you notice all these strangers saying "Thank you, thank you, thank you," to you. You ask these strangers who are they? And why they are thanking you? One after another shares with you ways you brought Christ into their life; your acts of kindness, prayers, testimony given and good works. According to scripture, this is exactly how it should be when we all get to heaven. Our ongoing response to receiving God's grace brings unknown numbers of people to Christ, so many that in the here and now we do not even think about it, we simply work for the glory of God!