Youth ‘bowl over’ Marquand with loving service
December 9, 2004
MARQUAND – The village of Marquand, population 233, could hardly get over what hit it on Oct. 16 when 32 young people at Camp Caanan blessed the townsfolk by serving them in various ways.
“People in the town were still talking about this three and four weeks later,” said Robin Miller, administrative assistant and wife of Bobby Miller, director of missions, St. Francois Baptist Association, which sponsored the Fall Youth Retreat Oct. 15-17.
The youth told the Millers they wanted a fall retreat, so plans called for most of Saturday to be spent doing hands-on mission work. The youth put together 55 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, cut and hauled wood to residents’ homes, delivered tracts and Gospel videos around the village and baked cookies for senior citizens under the banner of performing random acts of kindness.
On Sunday, the final day of the retreat, two youth professed saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ under the preaching of Scott Brawner, Missouri Baptist Convention youth evangelism specialist.
“It was a missions-packed weekend,” Robin Miller said.
On Saturday, the youth enjoyed a fish fry at Brush Creek Baptist Church near Zalma, where the Millers are members.
A total of seven local churches from two counties, Madison and Bollinger, sent youth to the fall retreat. Other denominations were also represented, Miller said.