July 2009

Buenas!

My trip to El Salvador was absolutely amazing!  God has shown His faithfulness and done so much for me as well as every person on the trip and everyone we came in contact with.  We serve a faithful God!

I loved the culture of El Salvador!  It was so friendly and welcoming.  A lot of the food we had was chicken and rice.  We ate lots of good food!  Breakfasts were usually composed of the same things- beans, fried bananas, eggs, and toast.  I have a suspicion that the beans were recycled from the previous day.  Each day they kept getting to a smoother and smoother consistency.  One day they had even stuffed the fried bananas with beans!  We had lots of bean jokes on the trip…  For lunches the VCH (Victorious Christian Harvesters) intern team would make about 100 PBJs for the entire group.  Dinners were usually at a chicken place called Pollo Campero, similar to a KFC.  For the last three dinners most of the team was chickened out so the VCH group took us to a different style of chicken place, a burger king, and for the final night they ordered pizzas.  All week we ate well.  The water in the hotel and restaurants was non-drinkable for most Americans.  We were always supplied with tons of water and often a soda for liquids.  Everyone on the trip stayed healthy the entire time!  It was a great group to travel with.

A lot of other things were just like most third world countries.  In the colonias (they are like neighborhoods out there) people burn their trash and just let it smolder away.  The colonias were a lot cleaner than the villages that I have been to in Africa.  Most of the time in Africa there would be sewage just flowing down the streets.  In El Salvador, there were restrooms similar to a porta-potty.  The thing that made them different from a porta-potty was that they were typically raised about 4 feet in the air sitting on top of a cinderblock wall holding it up.  The modes of transportation were very similar to most countries.  Cars, trucks, busses and motorcycles without pollution control were practically the only things on the streets.   In the cities there were lots of people that just traveled by foot.

During the trip I was stretched and grown.  Doing the dramas gave me more focus on God and what He has to offer for others.  One time Pastor Ben, my youth pastor, came up to me during a crusade that we were doing and said to me that in ten minuets I needed to get up and share a ten minuet message on what God was sharing with me in my heart.  So frantically I got into the bus to prepare a message.  The Lord spoke to me to preach on my favorite verse in the Bible: Philippians 3:12-4:1.  I basically shared that as Christians we should be striving towards the goal, which is to be like Christ, and that no matter what we need to keep running the race for which Christ has called us!

Before the trip my youth pastor wanted each of us going to write down on a sheet of paper all the things that we wanted God to do in El Salvador while we were there and what we wanted God to do in our personal lives during the trip.  Once I was back home, I opened my paper that I had written all my desires in.  As I was reading through them, every single thing that I wanted God to do in the lives of others He did!  And everything in my life that I wanted to see, God did too!  In the list of things I wanted to see God do, I had a desire to see the passion that I have for God get passed into those that I meet.

During one of the crusades (A crusade is the El Salvadorian word for an outreach type service.) that we were a part of, there was an altar call for those that wanted a refreshing of passion and zeal for God in their lives to come forward.  Once those that needed to receive more passion were all up front, the mission team and I went up to pray for people.  I have faith that the passion God has in me was put also into those young men that I prayed for.

One of the other things I wanted to see God do while in El Salvador was the healing of a person.  While we were on the island Monte Cristo (population 80), we did an altar call after one of our dramas for people that needed healing.  A man came up and said that he had pains all over his body and his eyes constantly hurt.  So a few of the other guys from the team and I began praying for him.  We saw him begin to cry and after the prayer a translator asked if he had been healed.  With tears in his eyes, he said: “God has healed the sting in my eyes.”  God is good!

Before the trip I wanted to be set free for good of some sins that have just been little nagging things in my life.  Jesus died for my sins on the cross, but I am now walking in that freedom!  I also wanted God to show me what my purpose and direction in life should be.  On the second day of ministering, during our evening devotion as a group, I was praying about what God would have me do in the future.  During that time I felt as though the Lord was saying to me that I would be a missionary.  That had never crossed my mind before!  It was a hard word to take.  But I wrote it down and kept it in my mind.  Two days later after finishing up another crusade at a church where we were ministering at, the group and I got back on the bus to head back to the hotel for the evening.  On that bus ride back to the hotel one of the summer interns came up to me and just sat down and asked if I knew what I was going to do with my life in the future.  (Up to this point I had not even talked to her!)  I said, “Well, I thought it was going to be something relating to businesses and starting them, but the Lord has been calling me to do more missionary work while on this trip.”  She then continued to say that every time I had gotten up to explain a drama or share a word with the people that she felt as though I have a calling to be a missionary or pastor.  That blew my socks off!

With the word from God and a confirmation, I feel it was totally God speaking His calling over my life!  I am going to see what I can do to do more mission work within the next year.  It is an exciting journey following God!

VCH offers an intern program during the months of June and July.  As an intern with VCH one goes on every trip that VCH hosts during those months.  The mission trips take place throughout Mexico and El Salvador.  I am strongly considering doing the two-month internship this coming summer.

Thank you for all that you have done to help me go on the mission trip!  Every single prayer that was prayed was manifested in the work that we did.  Thank you.  Thank you also for the financial support!  Without your help, I would not have made it on this life-changing trip for me personally as well as to the thousands we ministered to.  We presented to over 5,000 people, and over 2,000 people gave their lives to Christ.  God is good!

Take a look at this video first…

This is what Christianity is all about!  It’s not about what church you go to, who you know.  At the end of the day it all boils down to “were you following Christ?”  My favorite verse in the bible is Philippians 3:12-21 through 4:1.  Here it is:  “

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. ¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. ²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

¹Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!”

Are we as Christians living as we should be?

I also felt like posting this little soldiers request that I found online.  The pictures are also added just to remind us that men and women die in war.  May we never take that lightly.

Soldiers Request-

“For all the free people that still protest, you’re welcome, we protect you and you are protected by the best.  Your voice is strong and loud, but who will fight for you?  No one standing in your crowd.

We are your father, brothers, and sons, wearing the boots and carrying the guns.  We are the ones that leave all we own, to make sure your future is carved in stone.

We are the ones who fight and die.  We might not be able to save the world, well at least we try.  We walked the paths to where we are at and we want no choice other than that.

So when you rally your group to complain, take a look in the back of your brain.  In order for that flag you love to fly, wars must be fought and young men must die.

We came here to fight for the ones we hold dear, if that’s not respected, we would rather stay here.  So please stop yelling and put down your signs, and pray for the ones behind enemy lines.

When the conflict is over and is well, be thankful that we choose to go through hell.”

Here’s the manifesto:

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

I want to live a life like that!!!

Here is the article:

“WHEN, in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s GOD entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the Causes which impel them to the Separation.”

So begins the document that changed the world. On July 4, 1776, the representatives of the thirteen colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. The document lists twenty-nine reasons why the colonies sought to break with the government of England. Among the reasons were freedom from tyranny and foreign rule; freedom from taxation without representation; and freedom from military oppression. This document set into motion a chain of events that led to the United States of America becoming the greatest nation on the face of the earth. The freedom and independence we enjoy in this country are unparalleled and the envy of people across the globe. However, even freedom and independence can go too far.

We, as individuals and as a nation, should be careful to never declare our independence from God. He has kept his hand on this country for the two hundred-plus years of her existence. He is the giver of all the blessings that we enjoy. He is the one who has established this country as a beacon of freedom to the rest of the world. On this day when we celebrate our independence from foreign rule, let’s remember to celebrate our dependence on the One who makes it all possible.

“Without Him I could do nothing

Without Him I’d surely fail

Without Him I would be drifting

Like a ship without a sail”

-Mylon R. Lefevre

Declaration of Dependence

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Psalms 62:7 New International Version

A big area that the Lord has been working on in me is the area of my life dealing with relationships- especially those with girls. Everyday the Lord has been renewing my life and helping me give up the hurt and pain that I have carried from a previous relationship. About three months after I was dumped, I decided it was time to move on and begin to live a life that actually had life in it. At that time I realized my need to put my trust into God. It wasn’t easy at all to begin to trust God and know that it will be all right. At about the sixth month post break up, I began to see the fruit of how God was really helping me when I was putting my trust in Him, and I no longer longed to depend on another person. I am still having trouble, but it was so much better having God there for me.

Right now, about one year post breakup, I have seen so much of how I can trust God with everything! I no longer need to talk to a person to feel accepted and loved. My trust in girls has begun to come back as well. I am still far from being able to trust girls with everything, but the Lord is working on that with me. The Lord has also really began to show me that when the time comes, he will release me and tell me that it is time to pursue a relationship with the woman that he has for me. Until that time though, I will continue to wait and serve God with everything that is in me.

The article was mainly focusing on the pros and cons of giving ship crew weapons to defend themselves against pirates, but what caught my attention was a quote that Mr. Choong, of the piracy-control bureau, said. “The U.N. and the international community have to find a way to solve the problem,” he said. “The youth in Somalia want to become pirates. They see the opportunity for a good life and to drive nice cars. It’s a way out of poverty.”

I found this extremely interesting! Many of the younger teens want to follow after their fathers and become pirates! I can clearly see why they would want to do such a thing, but it also astounds me that they plan to find a fulfilling life in piracy.  Maybe this will be the way that we can see Africa begin to draw out of poverty.  I know that it is our ships, our men, and other countries that will have to pay for this, however, what if it does work?  What would the world be like if theses pirates begin to come out of poverty and start new interests and businesses?

I also fully know that it was not my life in the hands of the pirates on the Easter morning when the US Navy SEALs had to shoot the pirates to free the captian of a captured ship.  It is a dangerous dog eat dog world out there, but maybe if we can find a way to stay out of harms way, and after the pirates begin to recieve enough loot, then the world may see a huge change in Africa.

The Dark Riders are the best!

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is an exceptional movie. It is the second part in the Lord of the Rings series following the journey of a character named Frodo on his quest to get the ring of ultimate power to Mt. Doom where it can be destroyed.

One may not always enjoy the battles or the need to constantly be stopping the film to figure out who is who and what they are doing, but overall the story that that the movie shares is a very good one. The movie clearly shows every character and his motives, whether they be good or bad.

The strongest reason that I suggest that you see this film is so that you can merely enjoy the epic views of New Zealand that the film has. After watching the entire movie I felt the desire to go and visit New Zealand. The film is well done in the way that they captured the landscapes and the characters in them. The animation is also extraordinary. It is nearly impossible to see where they went from animation to real life throughout the movie. That is a masterpiece in its self to be watched!