Life Is Precious

Over the past week my life, my friends lives, and the lives of those around the world have been struck with tragedy. Some of you knew or at least heard about the Blackburn shooting up in Indianapolis where a missionary couple who working at a church plant had their house broken into and Amanda Blackburn and her unborn child where killed by the intruders. ( watch his amazingly powerful interview here  & part 2 here) This morning I get word that a friend of mine and many other people I know, Nate George, passed away unexpectedly. A young married man full of life. Along with the Paris ISIS attacks and the persecution and chaos of the refugees fleeing their home countries out of fear of their lives.  all this reminds me of the verse in on James “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”  James 4:14
Its hard to find peace and answers for such difficult times. The questions race through many of our minds of “why him or why her?” “how could God let something like this happen?” “has God forgotten us?!” … NO God hasn’t forgotten us BUT we live in a world that is full of evil and sin. God loves us so much that he lets us choose to follow him or not and in that he lets us also decide to sin or not. Sadly a lot of  the world has decided to take their own path. They have decide to reject the free gift that God gives us. Doesn’t mean God stops loving them! His heart breaks  for those that cause the pain as much as those that receive the pain. its crazy to think that God loves those in ISIS as much as he loves us a orphan child or a good old southern boy!  God calls us to love those people too. that’s not a easy thing to swallow or even easy to do but that’s what we are called to!  People look at these moments and questions God but for me it makes me push into him even more. It reminds me how much darkness is in the world, and how hopeless people are without Christ, it emboldens me and makes my burden for the lost even stronger. This doesn’t make the loss of a friend, co-worker, wife, or mentor easier by any means. but please in these moments press into God more instead of running away. We cant see the full picture of what God is painting with our lives. we see a tragedy and only see hurt and loss. We can only see a  tiny spec of the picture, while God is working on a master piece of our lives and  unto its finished, when we all are called home, we wont fully see what He has been is working on. We have to trust that what he is up to is good and beautiful. who knows what those brush strokes of “loss and pain” actually will become they might become brush stokes of “redemption and freedom.” Trust Him in the pain, lean into him in the pain, and grow closer to him in the pain. I’m also reminded how precious life is and how often we take it for granted, either our own life  or those around us. life is short and again our plans aren’t always God’s plans. Live your life as if it was you last. Who would you spend your last day on earth with, what relationships who you mend, where would you go, what would you do, how would you act and what would you do differently? Cherish every moment you have but also LIVE! go and do and be. Have an adventure, risk a little bit more, talk a little less but listen a little more! For us Christians we have have hope after this life but many including refugees, the homeless man in town, the drug addict on your street, the prostitute, the sick, the terrorist, and single women who decided to abort her child, if they don’t have Christ, they are hopeless, so if it wasn’t your last day but was for one of them…how would you interact differently, how would you talk with them, what would you share with them? The thing is none of us know when are time will come. None of us are promised tomorrow. ALL life is precious! How will you make sure someone you come in contact with today knows that their life matters?

Thanks for reading my rambling, welcome to my mind! but really hope you where challenged to think a little differently after reading this.  Go enjoy life with those you love but maybe haven’t had much time with them lately, tell your mom and dad you love them, take a friend out grab a beer or water and talk about life and the deep stuff, and maybe just maybe pray for a stranger, talk with a homeless person, or just share love with someone that might not get it anywhere else! we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Jesus thinks every life matters do you?

you rock,

Jon Stegenga

 

 

Nate George, thanks for being you! your live for life and God was inspiring. you had a way to engage teens with the bible and caused people to think deeper and still  have fun! Guys lock-in, lick it for 10, “slap of the bass” and many more great memories will be remembered! you truly where a stud and Heaven has gained a great one!

Davey and Amanda Blackburn, thanks for serving God faithfully and fully. I didn’t you know but thank you for sacrificing so much for the Gospel. Amanda your passion for God, life, your family will no be forgotten! the Kingdom of God grew and will continue to grow throughout Indianapolis  because of your faithfulness. Davey stay strong, continue to lean into God, let him use this tragedy for his glory! you are strong and many will come to know God because of you, your wife, and child! 

Refugees, You are not forgotten. God love you and the Church is here for you! may God show himself to you and may a massive kingdom movement happen through you guys

 

PARIS, FRANCE We morn with you and are here for you! you are strong and will will endure. I pray God shows himself through this tragedy!

There Is No Going Back

As I sit in a small little coffee shop and reflect on my summer I can’t help but think of the ending quote from Frodo in the Return of the King…

“…We found ourselves looking upon a familiar sight. We were home. How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on… when in your heart you begin to understand… there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend… some hurts that go too deep… that have taken hold. Bilbo once told me his part in this tale would end… that each of us must come and go in the telling….You cannot always be torn in two. You will have to be one and whole for many years. You have so much to enjoy and to be and to do. Your part in the story will go on.” …

I feel just like Frodo…well besides the whole part of dealing with having carried a ring of power for 13 months, traveling through orc infested lands, almost eaten by a giant spider, getting my finger bit of by Gollum, and saving the whole world by destroying Sauron. Beside that we are basically in the same boat, well I guess not that either (those that now LOTR would get that reference 😛), anyways here Frodo states how its so hard to come back and pick up from where he left off and try to live life as he  did 13 months ago before any of this happened. The thing is he couldn’t. I find my self asking the same question. Somethings will never be the same and sometimes you don’t even know where to go or what to do next. You have seen things people couldn’t even imagine and experienced people, placed, cultures, and situations that will forever change the lens that you see life though. The thing that even makes it harder is trying to live now surrounded by people that haven’t been where you’ve been or experienced what you experienced. it doesn’t make you any better and doesn’t mean you don’t love those people but sometimes its impossible to relate or to explain what really happened to you. Yes you can share where you went and what you did, but can never make them feel what you felt in those moments of brokenness and confusion or have them experience what you experienced when you watched God show up in the craziest ways. So “How do you go on… when there is no going back?” I don’t think there is a simple answer or formula to follow. I’m figuring it out day by day and moment by moment. With all that being said now how do I summarize my sum summer how do i put words to explain what really happened?

God showed up in powerful ways all throughout my time in Colorado and Africa but not always in the way I expected or even wanted. I was reminded throughout these moments that neither I nor any man is in control and we have to…no we get to trust God and know that his plan is at work amongst all the chaos and confusion. That we can rest in knowing that He has gone before us and has prepared a way. That way might not always be clear or the “safest or smarted” path to take but if we walk into those places, decisions, and even moments we will begin to discover so much more of who our God is and just maybe even a bit more of who we are or what we are capable of. I walked away from my time from Colorado and Africa with a better understanding of that the Kingdom is alive and is at work all around us in such tangible ways. I got a  better sense of what community could be. I realized and stepped into a deeper lever of maturity and responsibility. I saw and experienced the richness and value from being poured into by people older and wiser then me. I rediscover how sweet it can be to be fully you in God’s presences and how to be with Him for a long period of time, sometimes for a awkward and a painful amount of time, but how life giving it can be. I saw and experience the pain of persecuted and despised people. I experienced moments of Gods divine timing and guidance and witnessed the start of “future greatness” as Laura said as we watched Branson connect and discuss, with future partners, ministry ideas for the people group that God has laid o his heart (not specified for safety reasons) and watched as moments of travel between locations became ministry opportunities and where people surrendered  their lives to Christ. But how I felt a long the way and what God did in my heart and life there isn’t really a way to explain it. But that’s ok! I don’t need to you understand everything I felt and went though. You aren’t aren’t suppose to what your suppose to do is go and experience God on your own adventure in your own unique and personal way, that I nor anyone else will  fully understand. That’s the beauty of the Kingdom!

But know what?!

As Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin found themselves home after a very life changing adventure I find myself in a very similar place. After four years in college and four summers of world travel I find myself at a place where I haven’t been very often, HOME. For me personally, unlike the four hobbits, I was dreading going home. I didn’t want to give up the life of adventure and community that I had at college or trade a place and people I hold so dear like in Colorado and Africa for a place that I don’t find rest or community. I feel restless and stuck. Maybe its because I don’t want to fit into that stereo type of post college life and living with your parent or maybe I just wanting to know what is next and go on that next great adventure or “become an adult” with my own place but whatever it is find myself, even as I write this, coming into a place of contentment and peace and feeling God calling into a time of rest and being still. For me as this traveler at heart it is kind of a hard thing to do. Maybe it’s symbolic or just me but as I sit here in a coffee shop in “Travelers Rest” I cant help but laugh and kind of wonder if God is trying to show me something. On top of that today’s verse on my phone is “Be still and know I am God!…” It is funny sometimes how God can get a hold of you and speak something to you. I don’t know what the future holds for me, what job ill have next, what new friends i’ll make, when i’ll meet my wife or if i’ve already met her (praying she is out there). I don’t know where ill be living in a year or what countries i will visit next, and I have no clue what I will be doing for the rest of my life. But that’s OK! I don’t need to figure it all out. I just need to walk faithful into today and let tomorrow worry about itself and try to be a traveler at rest.

Keeping with the Lord of the Rings theme I leave you with the song of Bilbo…

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

Thanks for reading and happy adventures!

Your Friends,

Relentless Warrior

A Smile for the Kingdom

I was walking on 16th street downtown Denver tonight, camera in hand,  with the 16 Day student ready to capture some shots of them doing different ministry outreaches around the city when I hear this voice behind me “hey man could you take my picture for me?” I thought to myself that this is probably a drunk guy messing with me but instead it was this veteran who wanted to share his story. Little did we know how big this moment would turn into for both Jeff and I. Jeff is a Veteran who has served in Afghanistan for 4 terms and watched friends die, had to things which still gives him nightmares and brings tears to his eyes, got shot in the leg, and has to deal with everything war does to a man on top of that. He deals with PTSD and  being Bipolar, having Dyslexia and on top of that he is managing a broken neck, that he got recently, and is trying to get to his mom in Florida that he hasn’t seen in 5-6 years. Despite all that he is going through he still has a smile on his face. Actually the first thing he told me after asking me to take his picture was this “hey whatever you do make sure to smile every day so that you can make someone else smile and help make this city a better place” he would tell everyone he could that same thing as they passed him on the street. He was super grateful that I would stop and listen to him and actually care about him. I was just doing what God has called us all to do, love people. He wanted me to share this though about him and many others on the streets. I don’t  know how accurate this statement is but the guy that was with him said about 80% of the homeless people here on the streets are veterans. apparently the system there doesn’t really do much if anything for our veterans and so many of them end up out on the streets with nothing. He wants to raise awareness of this that something might be done. He carries this american flag with him wherever he goes. his love for his country is inspiring and made me a little more proud of my country as well and gave me so much more insight and respect for our men and women that risk everything day and day out and to find out that they have to continue fighting for their lives once they get back state side it breaks my heart and that should never happen. We need to make sure our soldiers are taken care of as much once they get back and not only when they are overseas. Even if it simply you thanking them for their service. The first thing I did when I saw he was a veteran was to thank him for his service and he then went on to say that hardly anyone has ever told him that, that blow my mind. So even that small act can be a huge encouragement and blessing to them and it lets them know they are not forgotten. I promised i’d share that so there it is I know there is a lot of things being done for our service men and women in places but there is still a huge need that needs to be met. This is where the story gets really awesome. he told me that someone asked him why he is always smiling and he laughed and said “I don’t care how crazy I sound but I find my strength in God. I make it a priority to read a chapter a day from the bible and that is why I can smile each and every day!”  we began to talk about God and I felt led to pray over him and he got super excited when I asked if i could. I began and almost immediately began to cry my heart began to break for this man and everything he has gone through. I began to pray for emotional healing for all the things he has had to deal with in war I prayed over his body for physical healing that his neck would be healed and these disorders he has would be healed as well he soon was crying as well and as I was closing up he began praying over me and speaking truth and life into me as he prayed. I felt so honored that this man would pray for me. I will never forget that moment as long as I live. we continued to talk about life, God, and random things he then pulled me a side and told me something he has only told one other guy, He said while back he came to this moment where he fell on his knees and told God that he has always been a warrior but today I am going to be a warrior for God and that Satan has nothing on us now. So that is why he smiles all the time and why he believes he is there on the streets. I encouraged him to share that more freely and to live into that calling as a soldier/warrior for God more fully. before we parted ways he grabbed my arm as they do in the movie “Gladiator”  and said this his how true brothers greet and then I went on to say a quote from the movie that goes a long with the embrace “strength and honor” which he really thought was cool and thanked me for that. I then said a blessing over him and we parted way. Later this evening I observed him engaging with people and asking them what he asked me to do, “just smile so that you will cause someone else to smile so that we can make this a better place!”

Never had I seen such a vivid and clear example of God and His love then tonight with Jeff. I learned so much from him about what it looks like to love people, be bold in the faith, and live a devoted life to God. A moment that I felt like I might get to minister to this man turned into not only that but this many ministering and blessing me in a huge way. Remember guys just smile and see what happens.

thanks for reading you have been prayed for!

PS: sorry for the bad rambling, grammar, and spelling of this blog post its late but had to get it up before I head out in the morning with the 16 days students up into the mountains for a few days.

Walking Into a New Chapter

A NEW CHAPTER

(Walking by Faith)

I’ve been in Colorado now for about 25 days. I’ve finally been able to step back and breath to reflect on the past 4-5 months. It has been non stop with running, preparing, finishing strong, hanging with friends, fundraising along with all the normal day to day tasks. It’s has been overwhelming and emotionally draining but as well as life giving and energizing. I can’t believe that my college carrier is over and that I’m also back in Colorado working with Forge. It is good though. I was dreading graduating for so long not because I love classes, that’s the farthest thing from the truth, but just the community I had to give up and all the goodbyes I would have to say. I am people oriented and grow attached to people that I spend time with and I grew really close to a lot of people in my four years at School. The day came and the tears flowed my heart was breaking knowing that this would be the last day we all would be together at one place on this earth at least! How do you leave and say goodbye to people that have become family? I don’t think there is any easy way to do it but it is something everyone faces in one way or the other. Part of me wants to hold on to the past four years and live in those amazing moments but I know that God is taking me into a new Chapter of life. It would be easy to live in the past and never move on but God has’t called us to live in the past but He has called us to live in the moment that we are in right now! I’m not saying that i’ll forget the memories, friendships, and even hardships but I won’t relishing in them so much that I don’t see what God is doing in my now and where he is taking me! I will always cherish the times I had at SWU and the family that I gained but that time in  my life has come to a end and God has called me to a new time and place! I don’t know where that is or what I’ll be doing but I am ready to embrace the future no matter what comes at me. It is hard saying that and I’m even getting emotional as I type this. It scares me to let go of something so good and to leave my community and comfort zone but God hasn’t called us to a life of comfort! I’m ready to take the next steps into “adult” hood, ha even though I don’t feel like an adult by any means! I still feel like a little kid in a massive crazy so that isn’t very exciting nor do i look forward having to start paying loans and all kinds of bills but it is good for me I know! what I am excited about is taking the next steps into my ministry. I’m ready to move forward into just being that Relentless Warrior and Risk Taking Artist that God has called me into in a new and bigger way. I Can’t express in words the amount of anticipation I have to see where God takes me and next the people God will put in my life! Over the past few weeks while I have been here in Colorado God has been re-awakening my heart and rekindleing my passion for missions and the lost. There is something stirring in me, this desire to give everything for the sake of the gospel. While I was college that was my mission field to live a life that shined God to those around me to just be myself. God gave me  a burden for my campus for a season, and I still have that burden, but at the core of who I am there is a deeper burned a bigger passion and that is for the nations. God has called me to the mission field in some from or fashion and now I can begin to embark on this new chapter of my life which is what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life however short or long that will be! The trip to Africa I’m doing in August is just the start and glimpses of what my life will be like. You can read about that trip HERE and i’ll touch on it a little more below.  You could say im a little crazy and you’re probably right but honestly “crazy” should be the ordinary for the life a Christian! That is what I want, at least for my life, to make the “crazy” moments the norm in my life. So when I am not doing things for God that is when I and others notice and questions whats up. So in a nut shell I’m walking into this new chapter of life with basically no answers with fear of being adult but at the same time I’m walking through this new door with great anticipation of God just leading me into bigger and greater things!

Summer Update

So the students here are incredible! There are 22 students two of them are from overseas, Haiti and the Czech Republic. They are super teachable and wanting to be pushed, stretched, taught, and challenged. Granted some are being pushed and stretched farther then they want or thought they could go but it is in those moments where the real transformation begins. Within the first few days the students where forced to face their past or maybe their current  situation and begin walking through the process of forgiveness and then the following day they went into a time of open confession of personal sin in their lives and finding freedom from it. They have been in the classroom pretty much the whole first two weeks until they go overseas on Tuesday. They have been taught by numerous people on wide variety of topics from, their unique ministry, identity, apologetics, time alone with God, reintroduction to God, and so much more. they have also done extended times with God, experienced international worship, gone on hikes, met biker groups, and have done some spirit led ministry in town. It’s been a intense time of learning but they soon will be able to put these things into action as they go out tonight to downtown Denver to do ministry in whatever way God leads them, as they go overseas, and throughout the rest of the summer and even as they go home. They did though just get back from three days of a simulated missions trip where they had to face and overcome many obstacles to reach a tribe for the gospel. Some had to face their greatest fears, some had to walk into new boldness, some found out how prideful they are, some caught a vision or burden for some place or people group in the world, but they all had work as a team and were pushed out of their comfort zones to some extent. Through all this many of them found new life, a better understanding of God, themselves, and the mission field. Some big breakthroughs happened and they are beginning to walk into the identity God has given them more fully and freely! It is aways so exciting to watch this process and watch the students come alive and it’s only the beginning! Please keep them in you’re prayers as they soon will be headed overseas! pray that this will be another transformational time in their lives and that God’s agenda, not ours, will be done. Also pray that they will continue to walk into deeper areas with God and that they will continue to be redefined by God. That can be a messy and even painful process but through that beauty and life comes springing through! A really cool way to join us in prayer is joining the Forge Prayer Team with weekly updates, prayer request, and personal tips and encouragement for your personal prayer life. God is at work!!

ME

It was weird when I first got here it felt like I was in a dream trying to wrap my head around that I was actually here But the first few days the interns got to go on a small retreat up in the mountains and i began processing that I was back with Forge. God has been doing a work in my life already since being here. As I said above God is doing a work in me and rekindling my passion for missions but He is also just lavishing his love on me and reminding me who I am in his eye. It has been a sweet and life giving time so far. I just have this deep desire to be with God right now and I have a new hunger for the world and a desire to just learn. Im not saying it has been all easy and fun their has been a lot of long days in the office and early mornings, coffee is a most. There has been plenty of low moments from physical tiredness to spiritual attacks to just getting over pride and self. I have been leaning to live and work with a variety of personalities. But I really am blessed and doing very well and God is doing a work in my life. I’m learning a lot about working as a team, growing in my media skills behind the camera and in post-edit. This is the first summer that the interns have specific rolls and positions so being able to walk into that roll, compared to previous years where we did whatever and not a lot of direction, is really good! it is cool to see how we, the interns, are able to come in and bring life to the staff and students. There are times where we might not feel like we are making a difference or loving what we are doing, but it is just a joy and honor to be able to work along side and for such amazing people and ministry. As interns this year we are also getting some classroom time with some of the speakers and getting to be poured into and challenged by them as well as the staff here! When the students leave on Tuesday for Honduras, Mexico, and Haiti we will be soon prepping for 16 Days, a high school program, and Deep Camp. We, The Interns, will also be going on a three day camping trip where we will be spending extended time with God, WAAWG, and I am really excited to see what God does there in me!

Last thing is a quick update about my Africa trip in August, https://vimeo.com/128042475, So every day I get more excited about this trip and what God will do in and through me and the other going and those we will be interacting with over there. We don’t really have a game plan beside going and seeing what God does. The first half isn’t completely nailed down on what exactly we will be doing but excited to see how God moves there and begins to do a work in Branson’s heart as we seek to find connections and information about the place God laid on his heart, location is secret for safety reasons. We then will head to Tanzania to Ukerewe Island where my heart has been burdened for. Again there is no agenda or plan once we get there beside going and seeing what God does. I am and will be praying for a specific vision for this place. I don’t know why God is given me this burden for the albinos here but Im excited to see what it might become! Some really excited news about the trip is that Laura, one of the forge staff members will be joining us now on our trip to Africa, read her awesome story HERE, and there  is potential of another staff member joining us as well! When the students where doing their Missions trip simulations/training I got to meet up with Caleb Bislow and Branson to connect real quick about the trip. It was good and life giving to be with them and refocused and reenergized me for the trip. Please be in prayer for me that I continue to walk into boldness and obedience even now as I prepare my heart for the trip. Pray that I and the others will being getting a vision for the people we are going to. Pray that our team will unified and Kingdom focused. Pray that our funds will come in.  Pray that the people we will be interaction with will begin, even now, to sense God’s presence.

Thanks for all your Support and Prayers

You too are being prayed for as you read this blog!

God Bless,

Jon Stegenga

Relentless Warrior

ENJOY SOME PHOTOS BELOW RECAPPING THE PAST TWO WEEKS

2015 Experience Team

  

Following God’s Heart: My Summer Journeys

This post is just a informational. telling you guys about my summer and what God called me to! hope you enjoy the read!

“I exist as a risk taking artist to show and inspire people that there is joy in passionately and fully living for God.”

This became mission statement as ended my time as a student on The Experience three summers ago. At the time it didn’t make complete sense, yet I knew this was who I was! In the past three years God has revealed much more meaning behind this mission statement and has reawakened dormant passions in my life. He has given me a huge passion for photography and videography and a deep passion to use these talents to further the Kingdom all around the world.

This summer I have two awesome opportunities:

First – a media internship with Forge.
Second – visiting an Island in Tanzania to follow God’s promptings from two years ago. Both of these are opportunities to pursue my passions.

The first part of my summer will be spent interning with Forge. This is specifically geared to help me enhance my skills and use my passion with photography/videography, editing, and producing while still doing up close ministry with high school students and young adults who are part of their 16 Days and Experience equipping programs.

For the second part of my summer, I will be traveling to Ukerewe Island in Tanzania. Two and a half years ago, I went to Kenya and Tanzania and heard about this Albino Island. As soon as I heard about this place, I felt God placing a burden on my heart to go there. When I returned home I began to research this place and found out about Ukerewe Island and the persecution the albinos go through.

This island was a place people would send the albinos to for one of two reasons: to either protect them from witchcraft or because their families see them as inferior. Witch doctors will pay people to go out and hack off the limbs of an albino person with a machete because there is a myth that their body parts hold magical powers. Albino people are seen as inferior or even ghosts, which is another reason why people cut their limbs off. They don’t only deal with harm from other people but also from natural elements. Because of the lack of pigment in their skin they are very susceptible to skin cancer. The average life span of an albino is 35-45 years because of all the things they face. The more I read and researched the more my heart broke for these people and the more I knew I had to go.

My original plans was to go between December 2015 and February 2016 but recently was offered the opportunity to join a couple of guys returning to Africa and get to visit Ukerewe Island. I don’t know what lies before me but I do know I’m supposed to go. My purpose in going is to pray for a vision for the island. This vision could be for a humanitarian or spiritual need. However, God’s plans may be different and this experience could be to test my obedience and help me grow personally. Whatever it might be I’m excited to be able to reach out to these people.

I’m really excited to see what God does this summer, but I can’t do this without your help. Would you consider supporting and praying for me as I follow my calling to Ukerewe Island and as I do my internship in Colorado?

hope you enjoyed and will consider partnering with me through your prayers and support. I have to raise $7200 by May first witch is a lot of money but at the same time I serve a God of enormous riches!

Click HERE to download a copy of my support letter click HERE to visit my Donor Page and click HERE to read more about Forge ministries.

Reflections on the Summer

Looking Back 

have had some time to reflect on my summer and wanted to share some of my take aways enjoy!

Looking back on my summer and my time overseas I can see how much God really did in me and how much the places and people had an impact on me. Some of the biggest lessons I learned this summer came in ways I never thought. One thing that was evident throughout the whole summer was this idea of not having to be everywhere all the time. To be able to sit back and not be where the event was happening. I didn’t have to be there for the team. Basically I was reminded it wasn’t all about me and I had to get over myself and let the team go and do things that I didn’t have to be a part of. This happened a lot this summer with me traveling overseas but only being in each locations for a several days to a week while the teams were in their location for 18 days, also there was a week where they were in a city in the US and no leaders were with them and also a lot of other things here and there during their time in Colorado. This was really humbling because I love being in the middle of everything and always love seeing what God is doing and being a part of it so sitting back is not in my nature. Another big take away from this summer is just feeling and being reminded of God’s love for me. Coming into the summer I was coming out of a very low and dark time in my life personally and I needed a change. This summer did just that. I wasn’t fixed or had all problems sorted out but I did feel Gods presences again in a very personal way time and time again this summer and just a sweet reminder that I am his cherished son. One of the biggest blessings I had this summer and reaffirmed that this is something I want to do the rest of my life. That was living life with these incredible 27 men and women and watching them let God do a mighty work in their lives as they let go and found new hope and identity in Christ, were broken, challenged, found courage and boldness, walked it obedience, stepped into leadership or down into servant-hood, and found a life purpose and vision and are then sent back into the world. Being a part of something so life changing is the best reward I could ever ask for and having my life changed and challenged by and along with the Experience students is just icing on the cake … well  maybe a scoop of ice cream and hot fudge covering it as well. Another thing that was reaffirmed and strengthened in me is my call to missions. Last summer I surrendered my call to overseas missions and this summer is has been, over and over again, reaffirmed. From conversations to the actual time overseas, to small nudging from God, specific class room and Deep Camp messages, and then lastly Slingshot, where I got conformation from God and really got focused on a specific location, Ukerewe Island (Albino Island) in Tanzania on Lake Victoria. Read about Slingshot HERE. It looks like a little over a year from now in the fall or early winter I’ll be going on a scouting trip either by myself or with one other person for about 10-14 days to see what kind needs are there and hopefully get a vision to start a kingdom movement there among the locals and persecuted albinos there. Lastly I just have found more joy and opportunities in using my passion for photography and videography and discovered a world of opportunities that come with a camera.

I think if I had to describe the summer for me in one word it be the word ‘Awakened’ or ‘Revived.’  My soul was refreshed and awakened this summer. Over the past year I had been distracted by the busyness of life and I lost sight of my calling and purpose, but now im refocused and recharged to go and do the mission, the great co-mission with God to “Go and make disciples of all nations…” I have rediscovered the joy in my salvation, felt Gods love, grace, and presence and refocused on the whole purpose of life. My Soul has been reawakened. It is hard to put words to what exactly I went through and what I experienced this summer and for the most part there aren’t really words to accurately describe it but that is just part of living a life for God, you just can’t quite capture it and through that I think comes the great opportunity to inspire others to go and the same, to go experience God for themselves in new and exciting ways that will strengthen, challenge, grow them im awesome way and they will further the kingdom.

Relentless Warrior

A QUICK REVIEW OF THE SUMMER THREW PICTURES

Answering the Call: Slingshot

The day after the Experience graduation Me and four others (Charlie, Stacey, Branson, and Nathan) made our way from CO to join up with six others (Matt & Chelsea Sroufe, Bailey, Stephen, Trey, & Eric) to do a week long training program called Slingshot ran by Caleb Bislow,  who is a KBM Itinerant speaker, who has his own sub-training program called Unusual Soldiers. Joining me was two KBM staff members (Stacey & Charlie) an experience student (Branson), one guy who went to Africa with me last Aug,st (Nathan), a married couple who did the experience with me two summers ago (the Sroufes), one from last years’ experience team (Eric), and three who did Caleb’s other program Stranded earlier this summer (Stephen,Baliey, & Trey). What is Slingshot?

Like the picture says It is the last stage of Caleb’s training for the few people that have a burden and senses a call to take the hope of Christ to the dark, dangerous, and despised and sometimes distant places around the world. As the week unfolds students will learn how to develop a personal strategy to ignite a disciple-making movement or a humanitarian initiative in their specific region. This conference will also train students with many ideas, cautions, and tips on how to do ministry in a treacherous part of our nation and world. Full Details of this prgram can be found at http://www.unusualsoldiers.com/training/slingshot/index.html.

This wasn’t something I had planned for when I started my summer but throughout this summer God kept prompting me to do this, but I didn’t know if I could or if I would have enough money for it. As the summer drew closer to an end it became more and more evident that I needed to go and one thing after another that was hindering me cleared up allowing me to go, but I was confused a little about what area to focus on, I had two places on my heart. first off I had the this “Albino Island” on my heart, which come to be when I was in African last summer. At the beginning of our time in Africa Caleb mentioned this place that we could visit in Tanzania, this “albino island.”  We were not fully sure if it was an actual place, but something in me wanted to go then and there, I had a heart tug. We never actually went nor did we find out if it was an actually place but when I got back home I couldn’t get it out of my mind so I  began to research and found that it is a real place, Ukerewe Island on Lake Victoria. The more I found out the more my heart broke for this place. The island has the largest Albino population of any other place in the world and they are their because family members would abandon them there because they are seen as worthless, lesser people as well to protect them from witch craft. Witch Doctors would have people go and hack body parts off these albinos to perform these ceremonies for people in hopes of good heath, powers, and blessing on their home and crops. In some sever cases the albinos would be eaten in hopes of super natural powers. This is very similar to what happens to the pygmies in the Congo, but a UFC fighter, Justin Wren who also went with Caleb to Africa and Slingshot and is now living with them to help free them, build water walls, and give them land and a sustainable way of life. His organization is called “Fight for the Forgotten.” So I have this place on my heart but then toward the end of the summer I all of a sudden had this burden for Somalia, which terrified me but also excited me, I know im crazy! The big thing with this was I wasn’t sure if it was God or me because several people this summer including the one experience student, Branson, was going for Somalia and had been talking to me about it. So I had a lot of confusing going into it. The crazy thing was when we were there sharing about the locations that where on our hearts six of us has Somalia as either our first or second place. But with-in the second or third day God spoke to me and told me to wait on Somalia and began to put a big passion and focus on the Ukerewe Island. I think there is a reason why six of us had Somalia on our hearts and im excited to see what the future might hold for that place. It is one of if not the most dangerous places in the world right now, especially for Christians. But the two people that focused primarily on Somalia got a crazy awesome vision for this country to “Redefine the Horn” to change the culture of Somalia and something even crazier is they had a vision and dream that one day the Horn could be a launching pad for missions around the world. If that doesn’t give you goose bumped and send chills down your spine there is something wrong with ya! So I began to dive into the Ukerewe Island and began developing a vision for it. This week consisted of a lot of class room training and teaching along with travel tips, times of worship and prayer, and research on our areas. We were taught about what it looks like to start a discipleship movement, what to do when faced with rebels and in a hostage situation, how to relate to the people we are reaching, how to be “wise and s serpent but innocent as a dove”, we talked about how to come up with a game plan, preparing yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually for whatever you might face, and took simple but big next steps, along with a lot of others stuff. It was an exciting week, mostly just being with like minded people preparing themselves to go all around the world to take it for the kingdom.

For me the Ukerewe Island where I don’t know for sure what I’ll be doing but I know God has called me and possible headed there on a scouting trip next fal or winter after i graduated college. Then there is Bailey, 19 years old, who wants to move to Romania and start a movement to end the sex trade once and for all across the world. Then you have Charlie and Nathan, who will be traveling to Tanzania in October for 3 months to the Hadzabi tribe, the last hunter gather tribe in the area, to start a discipleship movement among the tribe. Charlie has already been there on a scouting trip and saw God begin to changing lives there. Then you have Stacey who has a passion for India and wants to work with rescued girls from the sex trafficking industry and Matt and Chelsea Sroufe who have a passion for Dadaab In Kenya to help with the Somalian refugees, who have fled their country that need a lot of medical attention along with a lot of other needs. Then you have Eric who has a passion for outdoor ministry and wanted to disciple people using the outdoors. He doesn’t quiet know what the next steps are but knows God has some big things in-store for him in this. To Branson and Tray who wants to begin a movement in Somalia, the most dangerous place in the world, to change the culture of the horn and Stephan who has a passion for videography and wants to travel to and with others to capture the stories and mission of what people are trying to do. to help share and spread the mission and maybe even inspire a few others to go and do the same. What a crazy group of radical world changers, Unusual Soldiers.

Top L-R: Stacey (India), Branson (Somalia), Me (Tanzania) Bot L-R: Bailey (Romania), Stephen (everywhere), Chelsea & Matt ‘Purple shirt’ (Dadaab), Nathan (Tanzania), Trey (Somalia), Charlie (Tanzania), Eric (MI or somewhere outdoors)

  UKEREWE ISLAND

This concludes my blog post about the summer. thank you again for joining me this summer and being apart of this incredible journey whether that was supporting me through money to help me get out here or praying for me or writing me note or just reading me blog. You all had a part in this summer and all had a part of this Kingdom movement this summer through so many  young people including myself. I can thank you enough not a single penny wen to waste!

THANKS,

Relentless Warrior 

a small town in CO that we stopped by on our way to Slingshot full of Somalian Refugees

  

Adventures of the Experience: Only The Beginning

 Deep Camp – Graduation & A Personal Thanks to You All

Team Photo on top of Mt Evans

As I sit here at a table and it being over a week since the Experience gradation im still wondering where the summer has gone? I leave back for SC in 2 days and it feel like yesterday I was boarding a plane to head out Colorado. But as I look back at the summer It feels like years that ive been out here when I reflect on all that God has done, how close the team got, and all the places Ive gone things Ive done. Every summer God continues to mold and shape me into more of the man he has created me to be and I humbly try t walk into obedience. I cant say thanks enough to all those who supported me this summer financially, spiritually, and emotionally through your generous giving, prayers, letters, txt messages, and facebook post. Nothing went to waste, worth every penny you sent to this summer. God didn’t only transform me but he transformed every student that when through the program. From students finally finding and feeling love, and discovering and walking into their unique ministries and gifting to people finally being comfortable in their own skin by finding their identity in Christ alone and students finally being able to forgive someone that hurt them deeply and on and on from walking in boldness and courage and learning to be a leader or a servant, to getting a gimps  of what the body of Christ and its community could look like, they where challenged Physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally to go beyond anything they every thought they could do, to look past themselves and see the bigger picture, or see past their narrow view of the church and God but the most important thing that happened to these students was that they were pointed to Christ to guide them and make them more dependent on God and not look to a program, person or an experience to help them move on. “the greatest gift you will ever give this world is your intimacy with God” …the students heard this phrase over and over again but the reality and truth of this is so powerful and is the goal of this summer that through this hearts will be set on fire and lifes set on purpose to take this world for the kingdom and that is whats happening right now. These students are world changers! It was a honor to work and life alone side them for two months and the ways they have impacted me will have a life long impact. God truly showed up and out this entire summer in ways we could have never planned!

EXPERIENCE STUDENT UPDATE: 

zip lining at Deep Camp

I never got around to another blog post after my two blogs about overseas so here is what the experience team experienced the rest of their summer and for a more detailed idea of their time check out KBM’s Blog. After the three teams came home from overseas they soon headed up into the mountains to the YMCA of the Rockies to Deep Camp where they were small group leaders leading discussions after the services they also helped out with the kids camp, led afternoon activities and games, and took part in morning and evening services and afternoon breakout sessions. God did a might work that week in the team as well as the students and families they poured into.

    

After Deep camp the Experience teams had a day of rest and and team building and then the three international teams headed out for wander week. The DR team headed to Las Vegas the Haiti team made there way to Dallas and the Honduras team went to Downtown Denver and they where on their own the whole week no leaders, no set plan, no guidance just the team and a city. Each team had two leaders chosen and money was given to them and a initial contact to meet when they first got there. Each team came into team and other conflict in some matter or the other from deciding on  groceries to dealing a church with a very different theology, sickness, and planning on where to eat or do for ministry. through all this though they all saw God do amazing things in and through them all and watched the Kingdom of Heaven come to Dallas, Denver, and Vegas. here are a few stories about and from  the teams.

Connect one the first day with a young teenage girl that had a fiery passion for God and through her they ended up at Red Rocks Amphitheater for a incredible night of worship with all these teens and collage students from Denver.  Haiti/Dallas: as they arrived in Dallas they soon arrived – (Denver)

“So we were out on the streets just praying for people and I was paralyzed by fear of my past with men to even put my hand on the shoulder of a man I was praying for. My team notices something is wrong and takes time to listen to my fears and then they shower me with truth and pray over me. I feel totally overwhelmed by the truth they spoke over me about who God is and how God can use me regardless of my fears and how He is even more glorified through me stepping outside of my fear and less than 10 minutes after that I’m standing next to a man, talking about his life, and praying over him and speaking the same truth my team spoke into my life just before that. God uses you in your brokenness” – Hannah Reed (Las Vegas)

 

“we met this little elderly woman named Ida while we were there. She spent some time with our hosts. When we first met her, she wouldn’t really talk or laugh with us and had always been that way with Jim and Becky too. But towards the end she began sitting and talking with us voluntarily. And we got a call from Becky recently saying that she continually asks about us now and talks a lot more. So we weren’t even trying to accomplish that with our hosts, but our team dynamic ended up blessing them tremendously” – Lyndy Barnes (Dallas) 

 

“Hey a huge way that God showed up in Dallas was through our host family, Jim and Becky Elam. They just showed us what ministry for them looked like as missionaries in Dallas and they loved us really well. Through them we were able to become familiar with the city and find ministries to serve.” – Drew Boland (Dallas) 

 

“Well a night that we decided to go out on the strip and talk to people on the strip, Mikey Karolina and I ran into a bucket drummer and were able to talk to him for over an hour. He had grown up in the church but always had questions that people didn’t answer and turned away from Christianity as he got older. At first he told us his name was sal but later in the conversation he told us his real name was Joel. It was really cool being able to tell him about who God really is and answer a guys questions who was just honesty seeking truth in his life. It was one of my favorite things that happened the entire Vegas trip.” – Branson Despres (Las Vegas)

Team DR on their way to Vegas

 

            

Once they all got back to the office they entered into their finally week. this week was life planning which included some fun times at staffs homes, a trip up to the top of Mt Evans, class teachings, and 1-on-1 one life planning sessions along with hanging out and doing as many fun things a s a teams as possible  like late night ultimate Frisbee games, hotel pool, Half off apps at Applebee’s, thrift store and Starbucks runs, meals with staff and interns, team dinners, movies, dressing up as cows for free Chickfila and just hanging out at the office.

 

 

SC CREW

 

                                      

It is a busy but such a impactful week that really helps the students put words to what has happened to them this summer and help them see, develop, and plan next steps, whatever that might look like, as they go back home to broken family’s, difficult jobs, unclear futures, collage campus, and ministries. during their 1-on-1’s each student developed a Life Purpose & Life Talents an example of this is what I got two summers ago LIFE PURPOSE: “I Exist as a risk taking artist to show and inspire that there is joy in fully and passionately living a surrendered life to and for Christ” & LIFE TALENTS: Discovering Adventurer, Loving Engager, Inspiring Father, & Relentless Warrior (which became my new God given name).

                 1-on-1 life planning

  

These help the students put words to who god has created them, what makes them tick. I have found that these things have really helped me over the past two years to see and live into these things that make me me. Also this week there was a Father’s Blessing ceremony where any fathers who were there and then for others a staff member would give a blessing/prayer over that person as a right of passage from boy to man or girl to woman. Powerful stuff especially for the fathers and family members that where there to do this blessing over their child.

The Fathers Blessing

                             

At the “Last Super” the day before graduation the students surprised us by having all the staff, interns, and family come up and wash our feet and pray over us. nothing like this has ever been done and was one of the most powerful and humbling experiences of my life. I was so blessed and teary eyed. Just another reason why these guys are awesome I cant wait to see how they serve this world! “Today they washed our feet, tomorrow the world’s” Dwight.

The Students Washing the Staff, Interns, and Families Feet

                                                                                                                

The summer ended with a graduation service which was live streamed and recorded and can be watched HERE. here the students shared personal testimonies of what God did in them and ended it  with us commissioning them out by praying over them. It was hard to see them leave but God continued to remind me that this is what it is all about. We dont have them raise money and come on the experience so they all can live as a family together forever in CO. The Purpose of this whole summer is to equip them and send them back out to the world to change it. So it was sad and I didnt want to say goodbye but I got and still am so sticking stoked to know they all are sped out over the country and the world changing and redefining the environment they are in. No they didn’t all their problems fixed or find the way to have a happy life. but what they go this summer is greater…They got a new idea of what the body really looks like, who they are in Christ and found a greater dependence on God. 

Graduation

                                                                             

they will have struggles and hard days they will have times they fail or want to quit and feel all alone but they discovered something great and that is”The greatest gift you can give this world is your intimacy with God.”  So who knows where they will go, who they will meet, and what they will do! This is not the end but only the beginning and the best is yet to come! 

Thanks for reading and again for all your support! 

– Relentless Warrior 

 

 

 

 

 

Commissioning Prayer

 

Adventures of the Experience: International (Part 2 The Dominican Republic)

The past 11 days while I was overseas have been some of the most incredible days of the summer.  I got to work with two awesome teams, one in Honduras and another in the Dominican Republic. It was a crazy adventure with a lot of different plane, bus, and taxi rides but also included many life long memories where I watched God show up in the teams in really amazing ways.  This Blog is the second blog covering my time overseas “Part 2 The Dominican Republic ” and if you didn’t read you can read “Part 1 Honduras.”

THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Back Again 6/7-6/13

The original plan was when I landed in the Dominican Republic around 3:10 I would have to get through customs, grab a taxi and make it to a bus station a hour away to meet up with the team as they depart at 4:30 to head off to their new location that they will be at until coming back to CO on June 19th (my birthday)! It left little to no time for delays without having to figure out a whole new plan to meet the team. But plans changed before arriving to The DR and CMA, the boarding school the team was headed to, picked them up in Puerto Plata, where they had been the first 5 or so days, and then swung by the airport and picket me up before heading to CMA (Caribbean Mountain Academy).  This is the first country I have been in more then once. Last time I was in the DR was two summers ago when I was on the Experience and we spent 6 days in Haiti and then came over to the DR to work with the students at CMA.  It was so good to be back in the country I didn’t realize I missed this place so much until I landed and walked out of the airport. I was greeted by Nate (KBM staff) and Mikie (one of the students) and soon I am greeted by the rest of the team in the van, my team! the weeks leading up to the international stage there were several occasions where there would be team dinners and I was with the DR teams during these meals so I claim the DR team as my team. I was super pumped to be reunited with these guys even though for the first 30 minutes I kind of felt distant and was afraid I wouldn’t connect but those where all lies from Satan and soon I felt welcome and apart of the team. They shared with me about there past several days in Puerto Plata, click here to read the KBM blog about that time. They were all on fire and saw God do some awesome things! Now with the team we made our way to Jarabacoa about a hour from the airport to Crosswinds where we would based out of for the rest of the time in the DR.  We spend te first few hours getting settled in and one of the CMA staff gave the download on CMA and got reunited with Hunter Yates, a 2013 Experience Alum that is now full time staff there. We went into town with some of the staff and summer interns  for an authentic DR meal, super good!

   

  

Already I feel super connected to the team and I feel ive been with them the whole time. It’s really cool to the way the team has shown love to me and made feel part of their family. When they found out that I was not staying with them the whole time they found my passport and hid it and kept telling me that I need to let headquarters know that im not coming back and they need to accept that, which I was perfectly ok with. I never saw my passport until the minute I had to leave.  The next day was Sunday and Tiana and Jesse  lead the worship portion of the service which was awesome to see Tiana because she had never lead worship outside of her church. After Church the guys (both KBM & CMA students) went into town to go play soccer and basketball and the girls went on a hike up through a river in the jungle to a large waterfall.  I didn’t realize how much I missed playing soccer but it was such a blast getting to play and also it was a great way to begin building relationships with the CMA students. That night The DR team started their hot seats. Laura shared her story first and then Jesse D shared his story.

The valley where Majaguita is

The next morning we packed up and headed to  Los Calabazos/Majaguita with some of the CMA interns, a village about 30 minutes away that we would be staying at for the next 2 and 1/2 days. When we got where we were staying looked from on top of the hill into this beautiful valley where the village was, just completely blown away by the view. as we made our way down into the valley to the village down the 180 something stairs. I had been in this village once before two years ago but it was only for several hours so i was really excited to be staying here for multiple days. I recognized several of the kids and Julito, the man who is like the leader of the village and has a huge heart for God and has desire to see the whole community come to Christ. Such a sweet guy with a huge heart for god and the people of Majaguita. After a short download about the village from Julito we made our way across a wooden bridge which had been repaired and no longer had massive gaps where you stood, and then made our way up the other side of the valley to this area where a house had been build, but it had collapsed on one side and needed to be re dug out and filled with rocks. for some reason there was this barb wire fence right next to the house and i walked under it but Grant, who was right behind me, didn’t see it and ran into it with his face and had a nasty cut right above his eye and had to leave for a little while and get a stick. So while Grant was running into barb wire the rest of us built a assembly line  from higher up the hill and moved a pile of rocks to the house but had to end after that we moved the rocks because we didn’t have any tools to dig at the house so we went back down the hill to the village where we got to play Frisbee and basketball with the kids and soon were served lunch after we got a tour of the whole village. This village a tourist attraction just because of the beauty of its location and use to be a rafting location but this village is not under the government in any way and basically doesn’t exist they are self-sustaining  village with their own hydro-electric system that powers the whole village, they make their own methane from sewage, they have a restaurant, and grow hanging food crops and raise pigs,  they have fish pools that they use for food for themselves and for tourist that come where they can pick their own fish out and then the people from the village catch it and cook it up for them. The whole village works to keep the village working they all take turns cleaning the cabins that visitors use and any and every maintenance needs that come up Julito and the village are right there to fix and help keeping the village functioning.  After we toured the village we spent some time down at the river and the inner wild man came out of several of us and there at the river the Vegetation Tribe was formed. After dinner the Julito who loves bonfires built one and we all, team and locals, gathered around the fire. Jesse and Darren played some worship music, Mikie started making finger shadow puppets for the kids, and Mikie, Tent, and I did some goofy skits and then some of the teens of Majaguita put on a few skits of their own, that were actually had a spiritual lesson in them. It was just a really awesome night where the team engaged with the village, jumped into activities with nothing planned, and saw the Dominica’s engage in a way the KBM staff have never seen before from here. It really help build a connection between the locals and the team.  

  

After Breakfast we played some basketball and interacted with the kids until several of the CMA interns came with work tools and then the guys went back up the hill to the house to move more rocks and dig out a trench on the side of the house and the girls went up the hill on the other side of the river to paint some houses. The work we did was some tough manual labor and there was some sweet, tears, and blood shed. mostly because Darren was tossing me rocks in the assembly line and instead of one of the rocks going to me hands it went to my shin and then to my toes… but at least we didn’t have any more run-ins with barbwire. We finished up as much as we could in a few hours and then made our way back the village for lunch then the team had some time to plan for the nights session around the fire while they were planning i played with some of the kids and then they took me over to this massive mango tree that is in the middle of the village and pointed way up to the top of the tree and where there was several mangos. The next 15-20 minutes I spent throwing sticks, a soccer ball, and then a hard mango up into the tree until finally i knocked down 2 very ripe mangos! 😀 several of the guy CMA students came and we all went to the river. CMA students went up river and then the rest of us went and jumped off this massive rock into the river which was below the bridge. We made our way up the river and met up with the CMA students. after several hours of this we went back to the village and then Branson, Jesse, and I went back down to the river to take a shower…which turned into the three of us jumping off this 25-30 foot bridge into the river and then turning back into the vegetation trip and then washing again. The DR team as a whole is just a crazy bunch and It is a beautiful thing! The next few hours we just spent with the kids which become one of my favorite memories of the trip. Karolina, Jesse, Tiana, and I and then later Branson as well, were sitting on the porch of one of the cabins and playing with several kids. Somehow it turned into “zombies.” It made our day when they knew what zombies were so we chased each other around like zombies infecting each other and hitting the zombies with big blow up balls! so much fun! we did this for about 30-40 minutes. This kids were the cutest things ever especially Emily and Ricky, if I could I would have adopted them both. Emily was the cutest little girl ever and it was so funny watching her run away from the zombies and being a zombie. Then several of us got the kids on our shoulders and raced around the village. Highlight of the trip. We finished up the day with another bonfire with worship, the Everything skit, and other games.

                                                                                                                                                                                

the last day in the village started with Hannah sharing her story before breakfast and then just spent some time playing basketball and then more of the team jumping off the bridge. Before we left Julito shared about the village and his dreams and hopes for it as well as prayer request for the village and the people of Majaguita. Then the team surrounded him and prayed over him and the village. At this time and right after several of the students had a breaking point where they where touched and burdened for the kids and the people of the village so cool to see God work in their hearts. It was one of the hardest things to do but we had to say goodbye to all the kids and families of the village. several of the students were in tears or close to it including myself. we left part of our heart in Majaguita. several of the students helped carry up our stuff and made the steep climb to the road, where we said our finally goodbyes. Once back at CMA the students had a time to debrief and talk about the past several days with their highs and lows and heart tugs this then led into a awesome time of opening up and sharing about struggles they saw in themselves or the team and they spent the next hour discussing their strengths and weaknesses and how they could better work as a team. This team is already super close but this time brought them even closer and what was cool to watch was that they didn’t only talk about things they need to do different but over the few next days that i was with them they fixed those things and just thrived as a team and individually and they were already working great but after this they just flourished and came alive. This team has such a wide variety of personalities and skill sets but they all began to shine in their individual ways and all brought awesome things to the team!  they became the working body of Christ in so many ways! A beautiful picture! that night we had our first youth service with the CMA students this first night was spent just getting to know each other and the team put on the “doctor office” skit to introduce themselves and had several games that got everyone involved. the students loved it and we were told afterwords that they never get this and it really was a big blessing it helped to begin to strengthen the relationships even further between CMA and KBM students. Afterwards we had to more hot seats Darren and Mikie.

                                                                         

 

the next morning until until 1:30 int he after noon we worked on to work project at CMA. A group of guys went and hand made concert and then laid it and made sidewalk porch area on the side of the house. it was hard work but very satisfying when completed and the others did some gardening. After lunch we played some soccer with the guys int he field by there church building for a hour or so and then had some team time where they planned the evening youth service. Then we all went and watched the opening game of the World Cup. That night we had the second Youth night starting with some minute to win it games followed by worship and then Mikie and Branson sharing part of their testimonies. to end the guys split into two groups and the girls into another group to discuss and ask questions. they were not sure how this was going to work but the student began opening up and asking lots of questions and sharing their beliefs and thoughts.  Some deep stuff but so incredible to see the students actually engaging and listening. So many cool things happened that night including Pedro, one of the students, sing to the worship, this was his first time ever singing in public like this! God blew all our minds and expectations of the night!! Afterward we debriefed about the night and the team shared stories of what happened. Karolina then shared how she felt that we need to usher the holy spirit in if anything was to happen and to cover this place in prayer. so we all picked a student to pray for specifically and just entered into a time of praying without stopping.

                                 

Today the 13th was my finally day with the team. As we left CMA to go to a village I remembered the team still had my passport hidden so they had to go get it. But it was locked in a room so when Hannah wen to throw the key to Tiana so she could get my passport Hannah throws the key but instead of going to Tiana they went on the roof but luckily I could walk on this ledge shimmy around to a back porch and get into the room. So i got my passport back even tho i didn’t really want it back. We entered this village that Melisa, our CMA host/guide, works with and where a family has adopted her as their daughter. She shared some about the village and then we went on a walk around it. First place we came to was school house where a group was catching a chicken. Once they caught it they strung it up to kill it. In sheer shock and curiosity most of us watched as they killed the chicken. It was something you wanted to see but you couldn’t take your eyes off it…poor thing.  we walked around the circle that made up the village on one side was this wall that separated this poor village from this wealthy mans property but what was so cool was the wall was covered in art work. paintings of all kinds covered this wall in so many colors and pictures…it shined rays of hope and joy for this village. we made it back to Melisa’s adopted parents home where we had juice..some after it was time for me to leave but before that happened the team, my family, surrounded me and prayed over me. I then handed out personal notes to each of them that I had been writing the past few days. It was SO hard to leave these guys. I love them also much and wanted to be there to share in the rest of there overseas experiences and be apart of what God was doing in and through them. On my way to the airport I road with David’s dad, George. David was a student that had just came to CMA a day or two ago. On the way to airport and at the airport George shared about his son and why he was at CMA and over a meal that George payed for we shared stories and I prayed over him and David. As I walked to the plane i almost was in tears! my heart was still int he DR  with the CMA students and my DR team but God blessed me on that flight from DR to NJ because I got a row of three seats to myself, the two flight attendants where so funny and joking around with everyone the whole time, and when I went to buy a $9 meal the guy took my card handed it back to me winked to me and walked off. So i got a free meal. God knew I needed it. I had an incredible time in the DR and basically became part of the DR team. They are crazy and so diverse but they work so good together and God used them all in mighty was when I was there and after I left. So proud of all of them all!

Thanks for reading! continue to pray for the whole experience team as they enter the deep camp and then wander stage of the Experience! Excited to see what God as next for them all!

Love,

-Relentless Warrior

the team giving me there goodbye hugs

 

                                   

I Love this team and would do anything for them! proud of you all!

Branson aka Cousin Chad

Darren

Grant aka Uncle Grant

Jesse aka Grandpa Disney

Mikie

Karolina

Hannah aka Aunt Gerney

Tiana

 

 

 

 

 

Trent aka Dad

Adventures of the Experience: International (Part 1 Honduras)

The past 11 days while I was overseas have been some of the most incredible days of the summer.  I got to work with two awesome teams, one in Honduras and another in the Dominican Republic. It was a crazy adventure with a lot of different plane, bus, and taxi rides but also included many life long memories where I watched God show up in the teams in really amazing ways.  This Blog is first of two blogs covering my time overseas “Part 1 Honduras ” and next will be “Part 2 The Dominican Republic.”

HONDURAS

Across the Seas 6/2-6/7 

My Honduras adventure started before I landed in the country and actually began in the Denver Airport as I was waiting to board the plane. As I was waiting for me plane to Texas then to Honduras i was reading my Bible and i happen to look over and there was this lady and it looked like she was reading a bible too and she was! as I was boarding the plane we had about a 30 second  conversation and found out she was headed to Honduras as well but this was her fourth trip. Once we landed in Huston around 1;30 we reconnected and then had close to a 2 hour conversation. Her name is Jami she has been to Honduras three times before for about a week each she is now over there for a little over a month and then she plans to, after graduating in a year, to move to Honduras for at least two years to live at a girls home in San Pedro Sula. We both shared stories of  different trips overseas we have been on, I shared about my time at KBM the past three years, and we also shared about our lives where we have come from and where God is taking us it was an awesome time that was life giving and a big encouragement to the both of us. We both then tried to get some sleep since it was about 3:30-4 am. somehow I manged to get a little shut eye, but I was soon awakened by what was a empty airport but now was a very busy and full airport within a hour. before we boarded we prayed over each other as we headed off for the same country but on different missions. I’m excited to see where God takes Jami where and whatever it is it’s going to be world changing.

When I landed my heart was very excited and i couldn’t wait to meet up the team. I had left about 7 hours after the Honduras team but was suppose to get there about 10 minutes before them but when I was headed down the escalator there was team Honduras to great me they had got there about 10 minutes before me! We got through customs pretty quickly. The airport lost power for a second that and the humidity really made reality sit in that i was once again overseas and i couldn’t be happier we were soon greeted by Marcia, who was on my experience team two years ago and hadn’t seen her since. I would have never imaged i would get to see this incredible women in her home country but God is good!

We all pilled in the van and made our way up through the mountain about 4 hours away to Copan where the team would be staying for about a little over a week. As we made our way there the team gazed out the windows in amazement at the beauty of the country side. We made a stop at a small gas station where some of us grabbed some cokes, for those that have been overseas and know what im talking about, Coke and over pop is so much better then it is in America.we finally made it to Copan and to Hotel MarJenny

  

when we got to the hotel we explored around it was a nice hotel but very different from in america we made our way to the upper roof area where there was about 5 hammocks, it soon became our favorite place and every time we were at the hotel we where up in the hammocks.  As we got settled and enjoying the hammocks Devin pulled his Guitar out and we entered into a sweet time of worship. The team then had a meeting discussing what the their time there looked like or what it might look like. Overseas plans always change! While the meeting was going on you could see a storm roll over the mountains and head for us. Honduras is in its rainy season so this was, like clock work, a daily occasion. As the storm rolled in we all stopped what we were doing and watched it! It was a refreshing moment not only physically but spiritually as well and was a perfect beginning to the time in Honduras! That evening we headed into the town to eat dinner at Marcia’s favorite restaurant. we ended up eating there about 4 times in the amount of time i was there. It was really good food but it might be the cause of why i got sick for the last two days in Honduras. That night Loren Hayes, one of the leader, did his “hot seat” where you share you God stories.  It is in three to four stages. First you share your story, then people can ask questions, and those that listened to the story then speak encouragement and truth into the persons life, and then you finish by circling up and praying for them.  It is a awesome way to grow as a team and let God get the glory from your story. It is super powerful. try it sometime!

    

The next day we started off with  a traditional Honduran breakfast and then spent some time for personal devotional and then headed back to the same restaurant for lunch and afterwords we went back to hotel and started getting ready to go on a hike to go see the Mayan Ruins but we got word that a bad storm was coming and wouldn’t be safe so we had to cancel those plans, which was slightly disappointing, but what more disappointing was that the storm never came… so we just took the afternoon to go down into the town center to a open square area where the team did a team building activity called “The Abyss!” If you know anything about this activity its frustrating and takes a bit of time to accomplish! one group of people took over 8 hours to complete! This team spent two hours up til dinner trying to figure it out but never did. I’m not sure if they have gone back to trying it but to my knowledge they haven’t completed it yet. About 30-40 minutes into the activity that storm, that was suppose to come around lunch time, came through and the team continued on soaking wet. While we watched the team try to figure it out the leaders met a couple that where missionaries in Copan. We got to hear their story and hear their heart for this area.  After drying off and getting dinner we gathered back in the hotel in our favorite spot and Jamey shared his “Hot Seat” about this time is when i started feeling sick with stomach pain and a head ache.

 

                  

The next morning I work up worse and skipped breakfast. The team was going to a village that day and I didn’t want to miss out because I was leaving the next day. Luckily by the time we were ready to leave i was feeling somewhat better so i joined in. I probably would have gone anyways just because of who i am and that im the photography and I “needed” to be there to take pictures.  We all pilled into the back of the truck and headed out. we went back through the mountains and then off the main road onto a dirty/rock/mud road to some remote mountain villages. Where Marcia and couple do a lot of work at. As soon as we arrived we were met by two little boys who soon ran back down the hill and about a minute later about 10 kids show up. most of them are really shy and wont come up to you but just starred and then ran off. As we entered the village we saw that there where a lot of kids in a classroom. We made our way into the school which consisted of one room with one teacher but 4-5 different grades. The next 30-40 minutes consisted of some introductions of who we are and where we were from and slowly the kids warmed up to us and the team did a few skits and songs and then the kids asked us questions and taught us a game. some of the team had a hard time engaging because they didn’t know Spanish and the kids didn’t know English for the exception of a few of the team that knew at least enough to have conversation but as time went on and as they went to another school house, which was a lot smaller, they began to look past he language barrier and started engaging more with the students with games, songs, chasing/being chased by the kids, and wrestling with them. Several of the Experience students began picking up some Spanish quickly and started interacting by speaking to some of the kids and adults which was cool to watch. The team came alive and loved well. i personally felt like crap and wanted to sleep but watching the team interact gave me life and i was able to capture some of these photos below. After spending time with these kids we headed out around lunch time and made our way down to a another village where there were some adult or elders of the village were who Marcia works with. They are going through a lot with little water supply, death and injuries, and spiritual darkness. The team and got to pray over the village and the people there. At this time my stomach stopped hurting but i then had some of the worst heartburn i’ve ever. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the chest with a knife. Andrea saw that i was not feeling good and turned from the group and prayed over me. pretty soon the heartburn decrease and i was feeling a little better. While I was sitting there a massive turkey decided to come right up to me and almost charge me. Id like to say i stood my ground… but it might  have it startled me and i might have jumped up and away pretty quickly, and a old lady might have come to my rescue and scared it off with a stick… but dint worry when it came back i stood my ground and even lightly kicked it away with my foot!

                                          We made our way back to the hotel where i slept for a good bit in one of the hammocks till dinner which was brought to us that night. After that Heather shared here God Story. It was the first time she had every shared this. It was awesome to see her open up and let us into her life on a deeper level. It brought a lot of freedom for her and helped us know how to love her better. In the morning we got mangos and that just made the whole day better! At this time I was feeling somewhat better but know I had bowel problems and had diarrhea and actually still not 100% recovered from that still! in the morning we headed off for another village. But because of all the rains we couldn’t make it all the way to the  village so we climbed this hill to a open area that the kids play soccer and did just that play soccer. For a while it was just the team and we played some soccer. Parts of the ground was muddy and wet and a lot of us took some hard falls into the ground or on the edge of the field where drop-offs and holes and I fell down one once chasing the ball. soon the kids showed up again they where very shy and timid and it was hard to get them to interact with us. slowly by kicking the ball to them we got them to play along and eventually got them taking turns shooting on goal and then finally we got a game going on. It was so hot that day and i got a major sun burn but i didn’t care at all I could have stayed there all day and played with the kids it was so much fun playing soccer and watching the kids and students fall into the mud. as the photographer I played while holding my camera and taking pictures all at the same time! such a blast! Sadly we had to rap things up, b/c of me. I was headed out pretty soon to head to the DR, but before we left there we handed out little booklets and candy to the kids and also gathered them all up with the parents that were there and prayed over them all Once I got back to the hotel i had to quickly pack to head for the bus station and had not time for a shower so i traveled coated in mud. As I prepared to leave the team came around me and prayed over me and sent me off with their blessings. It was hard to leave but i was excited to work with the DR team.

                                

I made my way to the bus station where i said my goodbyes to Marcia and got on the charter bus which took me back down the mountains 4 hours to San Pedro Sula where i spent the night in a  Hotel by myself. While at the hotel I tried to head out into the city to maybe buy something with my lempiras and get some food but the security guard tried to explain to me in Spanish that it was to dangerous to go out after dusk so I had to stay in the boundaries of the hotel, which lucky it was a very nice hotel almost like one in america. Since i could go out to get food i ordered Pizza Hut and spent the night at the pool swimming and eating pizza.

In the morning the taxi driver that brought me from bus stop station to hotel picket me up and took me to the airport. I found a gift shop inside and got to spend some of my lemiras. wow my time in Honduras was over before i realized it. Even though i was sick for most of it and only spent a few day there i really saw God work in the students lives as they interacted with the kids and themselves. God is doing some big things in there lives and can’t wait to hear all about it! Next stop Panama for a connecting flight and then its off to the Dominican Republic!!!

-Relentless Warrior