August 2017 newsletter

August 2017 calendar

Minute for Mission by Lydia Lytle (Fall 2016)

Today for Minute for Mission I will share a little story from the Fall 2016 “Afternoon on the Town” for Michigan Tech students.

Our cookie giveaway was entirely successful. We received many happy smiles and watched as students took bites of each other’s cookies to be sure they wouldn’t miss any flavorful opportunities. Many bookmarks and brochures were also distributed. The colorful bookmarks that say “God is still speaking” were especially well received.

But a special highlight of the afternoon was the music that Susie Byykkonen, our church musician, shared from our church’s front lawn. The keyboard and amplifier were situated in such a way that the music resonated all over the Michigan Tech campus, bouncing between buildings. We watched as a girl sashayed down the street with her flannel shirt outstretched to the song “He will raise you up on Eagle’s wings… bear you on the breath of God… make you to shine like the sun… and hold you in the palm of his hand.”

The people from Canterbury House next door also shared their enthusiasm for the gorgeous accompaniment during their grill out.

But the sweetest aspect was when a young man came and sat himself down on the picnic table next to us on the church lawn. He said that he had heard the music from a few buildings away and he couldn’t help but search for the source.

This young man had arrived from Nigeria only the week before. He was beginning his PhD at Tech. He reflected on his surroundings:

“Everything here is new for me. The school is new, the people are new, the clothes are new, the air is new, the trees are new, the grass is new, the smells are new, everything is new –– except that song. That song is familiar. So I had to come and find the music.”