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