Outreach to Thailand and Malaysia!

Outreach!!!

I'm so excited to say that I'm on a team of 13 going to Thailand and Malaysia on a mission trip for a total of three months! We leave December 5th, will spend one month in Penang, Malaysia, and then two months in Thailand (in Pattaya and Nangbualumphu).

As far as Penang, Malaysia, the details aren't totally worked out, but it will probably include spending time at a homeless drop-in shelter, a 24-hour prayer center, and helping people who have a ministry with the prostitutes there.

As far as Thailand, God spoke to us about children, so we're working at a children's center in Pattaya (central/southern Thailand). We're going to use our musical talents to spread the gospel as well.

As staff of the mission trip, one of our goals is to set up many opportunities for the students to share their faith and to spread the gospel through works of love. Our team represents the USA, Scotland, Finland, Switzerland, South Africa, Brazil, and Australia!

The team!

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,"

So we're going out in the authority that Christ gave us, the same authority that he used to do his mighty works, expecting mighty, world-changing things, trusting that, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."

If you would like to be a part of this, pray for us: (the staff) Me, Heidi, Mike and Jessi, and their two boys Kael and Owen, and (the students) Hugo, Chloe, Stefan, Esther, Linda, Michi, and Meg. Another way to be a part of this is to help fund the journey financially.

If you're from the U.S. of A., you can send money to 

YWAM

PO Box 3000,

Garden Valley, TX, 75771-3000

If you're from Canada, you can send money to

Project Funding

PO Box 57100 Vancouver, BC

V5K 1Z0

If you don't need a tax receipt, you can send electronically

Go to Paypal

I feel strongly that the Lord will provide all the money, but if you want to claim ownership in what God will do through us, this is how you can give. :-)  Peace to all of you who reads!

Wow!

Wow. So this Discipleship Training School has been one of the best things for me. Even as a staff member, simply being present for the lectures has caused so much thought and heart-change. 

Being in a place of leadership, too, has helped me grow in maturity and the challenge that people are watching how I walk is sobering. Too long had I worked in ministry and only haphazardly pursued a friendship with God. "Too long" was actually only 9 months of being on staff, but far too much time to only be focused on looking after numero uno. In a house of a dozen men, there's more motivation to get up early and have a quiet time. Both because it sets a good example, and also because Lord knows I need it.

Nexia Outreach leaders
From left - Jessi, Heidi, Me, Mike

The lecture phase is over half over now! Outreach is coming up fast, and I'll update you all on that soon. But I wanted to say that I'm growing and changing, that the couple dozen other people in this community are growing and changing to be more like Jesus. It is largely due to prayer and intentional acts. That's a decent amount of what we do - pray, and intentionally seek ways to encourage growth. By "growth" I'm implying a personal, passionate relationship with Jesus, the Savior, and the journey that inevitably accompanies being best friends with the holiest Being in the universe.

I find so much joy in this! It's work with reward and a sense of fulfillment I couldn't find almost anywhere else. The most significant thing that's happened to me recently is a deeper love for Jesus. I'm finding that, more and more, he's the apple of my eye.

Anyway, here's a poem I wrote during worship yesterday.

Jesus! 

Saying your name makes me smile inside

Jesus! 

Your love and your grace make me lighter in stride

Jesus! 

There is no other name that touches my soul

Jesus! 

There’s no other one who makes me feel whole

I see your beauty throughout my days

Your peace and joy clear away the haze

I wave goodbye to fear, doubt and strife, cause

To know you, God, is eternal life

Treasure Hunt

A Treasure Hunt is where a small team prays together for signs, for clues, and then tries to find them, looking to God to provide these people he's highlighted.

A couple weeks ago, these are some of the clues we received:
Hugo - A girl sitting down at Nanaimo park. A worker at the Thai Restaurant on Hastings St.
James - Checkered shirt. Orange.
Linda - Purple and yellow stripes. Children's section at the library.

And these are the things that happened:
The girl sitting at Nanaimo park was talking on her phone. After 10 minutes we started to leave and I saw a guy in an orange shirt. I was outgoingly rejected, though!Then the checkered shirt lady (Linda recognized her earlier) rejected prayer as well, followed by an elderly cycling lady who parked for a moment at the closed library, only to shortly after, shaking her head at me.

Linda then prayed for 2 girls together, one wearing a purple jacket and the other a yellow, and they were open to it! This was in front of the children's section of the library. Hugo had to go to the bank where I spoke to an Irish lady selling Visa cards inside the door. Naomi said we could pray for her grand-dad, Patty. No specifics, but we said, "okay," and prayed after leaving the bank. Then, guess who we saw!The lady from the park! She was off her phone, now, and Linda stopped her, told the whole story, and then asked if she wanted prayer. She was excited to say, "Yes, for me and my boyfriend." So Linda prayed.

Then we went to the Thai Food place, where the owner said her family was suffering from the flooding in Thailand. At the end, Hugo and I offered prayer to Gao, and she said, "I'm Buddhist, so I don't know." So Hugo said, "Okay, I pray at home."

Just another day in the Discipleship Training School.

My Year in Books

My Year in Books (Aug 2010 - August 2011)

Bridge to Terebithia

Peace Like a River

So Brave Young and Handsome

Harry Potter 1-7

Bread and Jam for Frances

Saint George and the Dragon

The Silmarillion

The Hobbit

From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Two Towers

The Return of the King

Blue Like Jazz

The Children of Hurin

Can I?

Can I paint the plants with the colors I choose?

Can I raise trees to their full height?

If strawberries came to fruit by my hands, would they be so sweet?

Can I stretch out my hands and tell the tide to cease?

Can I make the waves slow down or speed up?

If I commanded them not to crash, would they obey my booming voice?

Can I catch a fish with my bare hands?

Can I soar over the sea with keen eyes and an open mouth?

If I reached for a fish, could I be successful enough to provide for my kids?

When the clouds glide in, can I blow them away?

When the sun breaks out, can I send it back?

If I tried to stop the rain, how many drops could I keep from hitting the ground?

When the earth rumbles, can I speak peace to it?
When the ground opens, can I cast a covering over it?
If the winds combine, can I deflect the twister from its path?


Who can do any of these things?
Who can speak "Do" and it does?
The Lord has the power! The Lord is his name!


When he speaks his love for me every day, can I stop up my ears?
When he throws his love at me, can I move aside and avoid it?
If the God of the world declares an infinite intimacy for me,
             could I ignore it?


Not I, but he.
Only he.
And I cannot ignore it.

Circular Thinking

After three flights of stairs we entered Timothy's office. The five of us sat down in his small seating area and gladly gave him the respect he was due. As a gentle, experienced missionary in a very hard place, it was a privilege to spend time with him.

We each sat with slight smiles and focused faces and asked questions. "How long have you been here?" "Is it hard having an HIV/AIDS ministry?" "What is it like living here?" He quietly answered our questions with exceptional English and revealed that he had a partner who began the ministry with him, and this man had passed away.

Quietly, I asked a direct question: "When did he pass away?"

"We started working together 14 years ago," he began. "After we met..." The story continued for a quarter of an hour, as Timothy shared their history as partners, how they served God together, and how the man eventually became very sick. He ended the story, "He died seven years ago."

Leaving Timothy in his office, I had forgotten I asked the question that spurred that narrative. But when the meeting was over and we descended the stairs, one of the girls excitedly pointed out what we'd learned about Circular Thinking - a mindset prevalent in Asia where an indirect answer can be given out of respect or other reasons - and how our host used that when I asked about his partner's death.

I was strongly impacted on how important it was for Timothy to tell the whole story of his partner. Because of how much he meant to him, he had to give the big picture; to list his partner's service and sacrifice for the gospel, even to death. My blunt question was gently answered in an inspiring missionary biography that left me surprisingly refreshed.

"I'm Rich!" (A short story)

"9 bucks? What can I do with this?"  He checked his pocket again. Nothing more. He checked his other pockets... No miracles in there, either.

His hats weren't hot on the market - he had no hits. His persistent peddling wasn't providing pennies and his caps couldn't collect coins. It was killing him.

"God, if you wanna drop some cash from the sky, now's a good time. I could really use it." He pushed his cart uphill, wondering how on earth he could pay his rent in a couple weeks with what he was making.

212 steps to the brown apartments, 403 to the nicer, beige apartments, and 694 steps to the residential neighborhood where some older folks occasionally bought a hat or two for their grandchildren. The salesman was glad he never saw those kids' disappointed faces, for his products were in adequate shape at best. After a swing by the convenience store, it was back around again, walking his routes, rarely leaving those blocks.

"You know, God... I believe you provide. I believe you're with me now. But come on. I need money! I dropped my problems on you and you dealt with them. It's been 5 years since I took that plunge underwater, guided by the preacher, when you spoke to me that day, 'You're mine, now and forever.' I've only been in jail once in 5 years, but the whole time I've been freer than I've felt since I was a kid."

A nice car drove by, driven by a normal looking guy. In the passenger seat sat a beautiful blonde with a silent grin on her face. For some unknown reason, he was filled with frustration and anger. He scowled at the car, "It sucks being poor. It sucks being alone. No one gives a shit about me, here on the street, trying to get by, honestly." He knew that selling hats was honest, but sometimes he had to convince himself.

It was just then he saw Joe's house and the car in front of it. Something about the car was the nudge over the edge. "If I'm gonna make it this month, I need some cash," he thought. "It's time to start collecting what's mine." He left his route, approached a duplex, left his cart by some lawn chairs and knocked on the scratchy door. "Joe? Come on out!" Joe, a shirtless man with a big, round nose, emerged. "Hey man, I don't want impose or anything, but you remember that twenty bucks?" Joe remembered. "Well I need that back, and soon. Can you do that?" He could. "Hey Joe... are those new rims?" They were. "Figured. I'll come by for a visit in a few days, if that's alright." It was.

It was time for bed. After a forgettable sleep, the peddler did his morning routine and set back on the road with his wheeled burden. He felt a little bad about approaching Joe like he had, but sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands.  He thought about praying. Mornings were a bit sunnier when he prayed, it seemed. He saw some nicely dressed people walking down the street, and then some more. Church. They were going to church. It was Sunday. A thought struck him and after a momentary battle, he surprisingly made up his mind. He parked his cart behind the church by their dumpster and a fence.

Inside, he was confronted with bright faces that smiled at him. He didn't recognize a single song, but everybody seemed so happy it didn't bother him. "What are they gonna play that I know, anyway? A Pearl Jam song?" He sat in the back and soaked it in. Words rang through his ears, "Saved," "Heaven," "Jesus," "Resurrection." It felt like his gas tank was filling up. It got even stranger and stronger. His eyes and nose got wet. His chest was tight. "More than emotions," he thought in the back of his head. He'd felt this before - he felt touched... and happy! Trying to put words to this experience, all that came out was, "I feel so rich!"

A quick second later a rock-slide of convicting thought crashed into his mind; "I felt so poor, but I didn't need to! I've got no money, but I'm no pauper. I'm rich! I have so much, so much... Thank you."

On his way home, past the convenience store, he crossed paths with Kathy. He smiled and nodded at her, and she skipped towards him. "Hey there, I've got that money for ya. You don't remember? You lent me 30 bucks for my rent. It was like, 3 months ago. Well here ya go; I'm a man of my word. Ha!" Not two minutes later George clapped his hands and ran towards the cart. "Hey baldy, I've got your cash! Thanks for those hats, man, I was in a real pinch. But my girl loved 'em! Take it easy." Further up the block, he was speechless and now without a smile; lips slightly parted and eyes blank. Of all people, Joe showed up.

"Hey Jim! Here's that 20. Sorry it was late. I'll buy a couple hats as interest, huh? Alright, see ya man. You're gonna make it - we're all in this together. Peace."