ANTHONY JAIN
I have been involved with OWU for only one year but it was an incredible experience. As an OWU student leader I had been involved with the operation for a couple of months. I was very excited to get to go and I could not wait to share my faith. All of the time that had been spent getting ready for OWU was finally going to pay off.
When the day had finally come God gave me the opportunity to share the gospel numerous different times. In fact, I think that I shared the gospel more in that one day than any other day in my entire life. God clearly showed me how hard work and prayer pays off. God promises that he answers our prayers and I knew that he was going to do great things while we were there.
I also heard many other stories of miracles that happened while I was in West Virginia. I specifically remember hearing that God provided clothes for little children, even though the clothes came out of a box labeled "Women". OWU has taught me to never underestimate God's abilities because He will do things that are better than we can even imagine.
My favorite parts of OWU were the times that I was able to spread the gospel. Sharing Christ is what OWU is really about. Blankets and Coats are handed out but the most important thing that anyone could ever receive is Christ. God showed me how important spreading the gospel is and through OWU he has encouraged me to continue to share my faith because that is what really matters for eternity.
Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
CHRISTINA WAGONER
Each year I look forward to going to the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia for Operation Warm-Up. This was my second year attending OWU. Just like every mission trip I go on I learn something new and it intrigues me to go back next year. This year I got to be apart of the Timothy Project, which is a student lead leadership program. I learned what goes on behind the scenes, put my input in and also helped organize the Commissioning Service.
As we headed toward the Appalachian Mountains I went with a different prospective than last year. I had my mind set that I was not going to just hand out clothes but share the love of Christ with others. In order to accomplish my goal I had to first help the people find the sizes they need and befriend them and then help them out to their car, once all that was done I had the perfect opportunity to witness to them and tell them how much Jesus loves them and that He died on the cross to save them from their sins.
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
Christina
HEATHER FISHER
I started the Operation Warm-up leadership team with blind eyes. I had never gone on the trip, but was looking forward to it. In planning for the trip, I learned just what all went on behind the scene for a mission trip as big as Operation Warm-Up. My biggest surprise came when I realized just how much work and how many people it took to make this thing happen.
Before going on Operation Warm-up, I expected a mission trip to show me something big, to open my eyes to something I had never seen. Wow! I had a big shock coming my way. Operation Warm-up was not a trip about me; it wasn’t a way for me to return home feeling good. I quickly learned that I needed to forget all the luxuries of a home or a hotel and remember the reason I was doing this. It took all of about two hours of lying in bed that night to realize how selfish I was being. There were people out there way worse than me that I would be sharing Christ with the next day and all I could think about was what am I going to get. It hit me right there that I needed to put my mind off of me and on the people I would be helping.
Since Operation Warm-Up I can honestly say that my thoughts are on the people I talked and prayed with that day. My life will forever be changed from this one trip. I am looking forward to the 2007 trip at the possibility of growing more with my walk in Christ. I sincerely hope that each person who takes this trip will leave their thoughts about themselves at home and keep their eyes on God.
Philippians 3:9 “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith”
Heather
BLAIR LANE BYRUM
For the last four years, each December in my life has been marked with a very special event, my time in the Appalachian Mountains during Operation Warm-Up. Operation Warm-Up's mission is to share the love of Christ through warm clothing and the warmth of His children--High School students embracing the opportunity to be emissaries of God's love.
For me, Operation Warm-Up has been so much more than your typical
short-term missions trip. In only two short days, my eyes were opened to a world that I had scarcely known existed--one of poverty, hurt, and spiritual loneliness. Though in the minds of students we were only giving out coats and blankets, to those who received them, we were distributing hope and love. For many of the lost people who came through OWU stations; our simple, nervous prayers were shining a light towards escape from desolate, Godless lives. Through sharing what Christ meant to me and supporting the other members of my team, I know that I have played at least a small part in changing hundreds of lives.
Operation Warm-Up is also a place to watch the faith of teens grow by
leaps and bounds. I expected to work and I expected to serve, but I did not expect to receive such a flood of love and encouragement from the churches of the Appalachia. They were so eager and willing to share with us what they had adopted as their lifelong mission: to reach out to those in their area who are lost and hurting, and to show them the way into Christ's everlasting fold. In them I found many shining examples of what someone who is following in Christ's footsteps should act like. I was also immensely encouraged by the truly awesome experiences of other students. We all saw our lives marked
by events so miraculous that they could only be the hand of God.
My last year, I was privileged to serve as a Student Representative on
Operation Warm Up's Executive Board. It was a blessing to see adults so
committed to seeing Operation Warm-Up--an event that had changed my life and my faith forever--come into fruition, and to get a chance to help them in some small way. I quickly realized that such a powerful weekend does not always come into being without some work on the forefront!
From my experiences with this organization, I have learned that when God pairs churches eager to give and students eager to serve, miracles
happen--Operation Warm-Up happens.
SARA TROUT
I have had the privilege of working with Operation Warm-Up for the past three years. The first year I went I saw people fall to pieces when asked if they needed prayer. I only hoped for an experience like that. The first time I physically felt the Holy Spirit in me was during OWU in 2003. That changed my life. I couldn't turn back and say, "No, this Christian's God doesn't exist." Now that He had shown Himself in that way there was no question in my mind. This past summer I was offered a seat on the OWU Leadership Team’s Timothy Project. I applied and was accepted. It was great to be on the inside and see really how hard and tedious this task was.
I loved being involved in it. It became a part of my life. The other board members were such an encouragement and such a light to me. They really brightened my week. I loved working with them. It was an opportunity that if I could do it again I would. Being able to serve the people of Kentucky in the one way they really need to be helped was indescribable. So, no one I talked to came to Christ but the needs of these people were met.
I was so encouraged by one woman who told me that this is the kind of youth that her town needs. She was so encouraged by us. You could really see her passion for her youth to change. She only hoped that they would see us and move in the way we did. It was important for my youth to hear that because we've been struggling ourselves to stay afloat, but she didn't know because we didn't show it because this was our passion and nothing can hide that.
I would recommend this for every young person... and anyone who wants to. It's something I will never forget; something I planned to be involved in for a while. It's an amazing outreach.
MATT ZIMMERMAN