Father, hear my prayer
I need the perfect words
Words that he will hear
And know they're straight from You
I don't know what to say
I only know it hurts
To see my only friend slowly fade away
So maybe this time
I'll speak the words of life
With Your fire in my eyes
But that old familiar fear
is tearin' at my words
What am I so afraid of?
'Cause here I go again
Talkin' 'bout the rain
And mullin' over things
that won't live past today
And as I dance around the truth
Time is not his friend
This might be my last chance
to tell him that You love Him
But here I go again
Here I go again
Lord, You love him so
You gave Your only Son
If he will just believe
He will never die
But how then will he know
What he has never heard?
Lord he has never seen mirrored in my life
But here I go again
Here I go, here I go
This might be my last chance
To tell him that You love him
This might be my last chance
To tell him that You love him
You love him, You love him
What am I so afraid
What am I so afraid
What am I so afraid of?
How then will he know
What he has never heard?
-Here I Go Again by Casting Crowns
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Words We Say...
Words. Speaking. Talking. Language. Communication. The ability to verbally express ourselves is a wonderful thing. We can talk to our friends and family, tell others about Christ, buy and sell at the store, and say funny things to make others laugh.
The tongue is a powerful part of our body. It can have a tremendous impact on another person—positively or negatively. The tongue is such a small muscle, but it is such a strong force that our words can build other up or cut someone to the heart.
I used to think that words did not make affect people. If someone said something hurtful to me, I would just blow it off. As the saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never hurt me.” It is not true. Words do hurt. They can change relationships dramatically. We can apologize for what we say, but we can never take back what comes out of our mouth.
In James 3:3-12 we learn about the power of the tongue:
“If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”
From this passage we can see the impact that the tongue has on others. It may be a small part, but like a forest fire, our words can take off and become an uncontrollable blaze. How often does a little gossip grow into a malicious rumor that hurt someone? Or how many times have we cut someone else down in front of a group of people?
Recently, I have seen the effects of the words that people speak and write. When someone tells you that you do a good job at something, doesn’t it give you more motivation to do better? A hand written note from a friend or a verbal affirmation from a co-worker can make a significant impact that the sender of the message may never realize.
All of this has made me step back and examine what I say. Am I building others up or tearing them down? Proverbs 12:18 tells us, “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Words are powerful. What we say has consequences. Think before speaking. Build up others.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” —James 1:19
The tongue is a powerful part of our body. It can have a tremendous impact on another person—positively or negatively. The tongue is such a small muscle, but it is such a strong force that our words can build other up or cut someone to the heart.
I used to think that words did not make affect people. If someone said something hurtful to me, I would just blow it off. As the saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never hurt me.” It is not true. Words do hurt. They can change relationships dramatically. We can apologize for what we say, but we can never take back what comes out of our mouth.
In James 3:3-12 we learn about the power of the tongue:
“If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”
From this passage we can see the impact that the tongue has on others. It may be a small part, but like a forest fire, our words can take off and become an uncontrollable blaze. How often does a little gossip grow into a malicious rumor that hurt someone? Or how many times have we cut someone else down in front of a group of people?
Recently, I have seen the effects of the words that people speak and write. When someone tells you that you do a good job at something, doesn’t it give you more motivation to do better? A hand written note from a friend or a verbal affirmation from a co-worker can make a significant impact that the sender of the message may never realize.
All of this has made me step back and examine what I say. Am I building others up or tearing them down? Proverbs 12:18 tells us, “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Words are powerful. What we say has consequences. Think before speaking. Build up others.
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” —James 1:19
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Success in Failure
Yesterday I finished a challenge to read through the Bible in 90 days. The only problem was that I took more than 90 days to finish the plan. It took exactly 6 months to the day, which is kind of cool, but the goal was 90 days.
Last September the pastor at my church in Shawnee told us about this challenge and I was eager to accept. I had never read the Bible all the way through like that, but was looking for something like that to do.
The plan was called the 66-45-90 challenge. By reading about 45 minutes a day, for 90 days, we were going to read the entire Bible. It was going to be a challenge, but I wanted to see what God was going to show me.
The first two weeks started off great! I was reading every morning before school and was learning new things daily. Then I got behind. I missed one day, so I would double up the next day. A few days later I might not read all that I was supposed to, and before I knew it I was weeks behind.
When it came to the point where I was not going to be able to finish in 90 days I wanted to give up. It would be easy to say, "Well, I tried. Maybe next time." While I knew I had no shot to finish it in the scheduled time, I wanted to finish it, so I pushed onward.
When I finished yesterday it felt so good! Even though I had failed and it had taken me twice as long, I had completed what I set out to do. It was so rewarding! God showed me so much in the last six months. I was able to put events and things together and see the whole picture. He taught me so much!
One of the things that stuck out to me about the Old Testament was how the Israelites just did not get it. They strayed far away from God, by sinning and chasing after idols, but God was patient. He always called his people back to himself and gave them so many chances. There is no limit to his grace and mercy. He saw how horrible mankind was, and new how evil we would be, and chose to send his son anyways. There is no greater love. There is no one as faithful as the Lord.
In this study I found success in failure. Where I failed, Christ succeeded. When I grew frustrated and felt like I wasn't learning anything; he would show me something new. Even though we fail time and time again, He will never fall short. Isn't it awesome to know that He promises to always be there?
Last September the pastor at my church in Shawnee told us about this challenge and I was eager to accept. I had never read the Bible all the way through like that, but was looking for something like that to do.
The plan was called the 66-45-90 challenge. By reading about 45 minutes a day, for 90 days, we were going to read the entire Bible. It was going to be a challenge, but I wanted to see what God was going to show me.
The first two weeks started off great! I was reading every morning before school and was learning new things daily. Then I got behind. I missed one day, so I would double up the next day. A few days later I might not read all that I was supposed to, and before I knew it I was weeks behind.
When it came to the point where I was not going to be able to finish in 90 days I wanted to give up. It would be easy to say, "Well, I tried. Maybe next time." While I knew I had no shot to finish it in the scheduled time, I wanted to finish it, so I pushed onward.
When I finished yesterday it felt so good! Even though I had failed and it had taken me twice as long, I had completed what I set out to do. It was so rewarding! God showed me so much in the last six months. I was able to put events and things together and see the whole picture. He taught me so much!
One of the things that stuck out to me about the Old Testament was how the Israelites just did not get it. They strayed far away from God, by sinning and chasing after idols, but God was patient. He always called his people back to himself and gave them so many chances. There is no limit to his grace and mercy. He saw how horrible mankind was, and new how evil we would be, and chose to send his son anyways. There is no greater love. There is no one as faithful as the Lord.
In this study I found success in failure. Where I failed, Christ succeeded. When I grew frustrated and felt like I wasn't learning anything; he would show me something new. Even though we fail time and time again, He will never fall short. Isn't it awesome to know that He promises to always be there?
Sunday, February 21, 2010
In the Hands of the Potter
This blog was created about ten months ago for the mission trip that I went on to Mombasa, Kenya. God did amazing things on that trip and if you haven’t heard, read about it below. God has been working in my life since I was a child, but recently he has been stirring within me a desire to know Him more.
In June 2008, John McCloy went with Reaching Souls International to Malawi, Africa on a mission trip. When he came back home he told me all about it and told me that I should go the following year to Mombasa. At first, I did not want to go. Growing up, the one place that I did not want to go was Africa. Have you heard about all of the bad things that happen there? I did not want any part of it.
I started to pray about it. I sang hymns of praise to the Lord about His greatness and how I would go wherever he leads me, but my songs and the words I spoke did not line up with my actions. Africa was off limits. As I prayed, God spoke and began to change my heart. By the end of the summer, I wanted to go to Africa.
After spending time in prayer, I knew that is what God wanted me to do the next summer, but how was I going to pay for it? The answer—God’s people.
We sent out support letters to all the friends and families that we could think of and many responded with support and prayer. It was so amazing to watch how people would give so generously and so quickly. Every time someone gave funds I was humbled by their willingness to invest so that I could go on the trip. People gave above and beyond what I ever thought, and in a short period, I had all the funds I needed to go to Africa. Those of you who were able to give, thank you so much!
The Lord worked in such a mighty way in my life on that trip. I don’t need to tell you all about it (read below if you want to know more).
In the months before going on that trip he began to change my heart towards evangelism.
I love people! I love talking to people, meeting new people, making people smile, laugh—I just love people. As much as I love people, God showed me that I did not share the gospel like He called us to do.
I am a people person, but I was terrified about sharing the gospel with other people. I am ashamed to admit it, because what God did for us is the greatest gift we could ever receive, but I was afraid. I cared more about what man thought than what my Father thought.
I went been through every excuse in the book. I don’t know enough about the bible. I am not a pastor. Someone else will tell them, someone more qualified. I finally ran out of excuses and Jesus was there—will you tell the world about me?
In January, God gave me the opportunity to go to Nepal with Laura, Daniel, Alana, Kevin, Phoebe, and Austin to work with Pastor Dhan. We worked with the youth at three different conferences. It was a blessing to go, and see how God is at work in Nepal.
To read more about the Nepal trip click on this link: http://nepalteam2010.blogspot.com/
At Kawasoti, I met a man who was Hindu (He told me his name, but I could not understand how he pronounced it). We got to talking and I shared the gospel with him. I was nervous the whole time, but God gave me the words to say just as he promised he would in Matthew 10:19-20.
He did not accept the gospel but we invited him to come to church the next day. I remember thinking the next day, “There is no way he will come. He is Hindu. He won’t come to church.”
After I had that thought I think the Holy Spirit chided me for thinking that way, and so a prayed. I prayed to the Father who can do all things. Later that afternoon the man and his son came to church.
I was so happy to see him and so glad that God heard my prayer and brought him despite my moment of unbelief. We were doing the Lord’s Supper, and I explained what was going on and shared with more about Jesus and what he had done for us.
He still would not accept the gospel, but God is the Almighty One who can change hearts. God planted the seed. I am grateful that he allowed me to be part of his work. Please pray for that man and that his eyes will be open to the truth.
This post is already way too long, but I wanted to share what the Lord has been doing in my life. There is so much more God has been doing, and I look forward posting more in the coming days and weeks.
I am still a work in progress. God is at work in my life. I am still afraid sometimes, but I am tired of being afraid. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
I want to live every day for Christ. Not just Sundays or when I go on mission trips. There is a mission field all around us and I want to serve Him wherever He leads.
Jeremiah 18:6 says, "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."
I want to be the clay in the hands of the Potter. I want the Lord to mold me and make me according to his purpose, not mine.
For the rest of the year starting tomorrow, I am going to send out a bible verse everyday via text message. If you would like to be part of this text me or shoot me an email.
In June 2008, John McCloy went with Reaching Souls International to Malawi, Africa on a mission trip. When he came back home he told me all about it and told me that I should go the following year to Mombasa. At first, I did not want to go. Growing up, the one place that I did not want to go was Africa. Have you heard about all of the bad things that happen there? I did not want any part of it.
I started to pray about it. I sang hymns of praise to the Lord about His greatness and how I would go wherever he leads me, but my songs and the words I spoke did not line up with my actions. Africa was off limits. As I prayed, God spoke and began to change my heart. By the end of the summer, I wanted to go to Africa.
After spending time in prayer, I knew that is what God wanted me to do the next summer, but how was I going to pay for it? The answer—God’s people.
We sent out support letters to all the friends and families that we could think of and many responded with support and prayer. It was so amazing to watch how people would give so generously and so quickly. Every time someone gave funds I was humbled by their willingness to invest so that I could go on the trip. People gave above and beyond what I ever thought, and in a short period, I had all the funds I needed to go to Africa. Those of you who were able to give, thank you so much!
The Lord worked in such a mighty way in my life on that trip. I don’t need to tell you all about it (read below if you want to know more).
In the months before going on that trip he began to change my heart towards evangelism.
I love people! I love talking to people, meeting new people, making people smile, laugh—I just love people. As much as I love people, God showed me that I did not share the gospel like He called us to do.
I am a people person, but I was terrified about sharing the gospel with other people. I am ashamed to admit it, because what God did for us is the greatest gift we could ever receive, but I was afraid. I cared more about what man thought than what my Father thought.
I went been through every excuse in the book. I don’t know enough about the bible. I am not a pastor. Someone else will tell them, someone more qualified. I finally ran out of excuses and Jesus was there—will you tell the world about me?
In January, God gave me the opportunity to go to Nepal with Laura, Daniel, Alana, Kevin, Phoebe, and Austin to work with Pastor Dhan. We worked with the youth at three different conferences. It was a blessing to go, and see how God is at work in Nepal.
To read more about the Nepal trip click on this link: http://nepalteam2010.blogspot.com/
At Kawasoti, I met a man who was Hindu (He told me his name, but I could not understand how he pronounced it). We got to talking and I shared the gospel with him. I was nervous the whole time, but God gave me the words to say just as he promised he would in Matthew 10:19-20.
He did not accept the gospel but we invited him to come to church the next day. I remember thinking the next day, “There is no way he will come. He is Hindu. He won’t come to church.”
After I had that thought I think the Holy Spirit chided me for thinking that way, and so a prayed. I prayed to the Father who can do all things. Later that afternoon the man and his son came to church.
I was so happy to see him and so glad that God heard my prayer and brought him despite my moment of unbelief. We were doing the Lord’s Supper, and I explained what was going on and shared with more about Jesus and what he had done for us.
He still would not accept the gospel, but God is the Almighty One who can change hearts. God planted the seed. I am grateful that he allowed me to be part of his work. Please pray for that man and that his eyes will be open to the truth.
This post is already way too long, but I wanted to share what the Lord has been doing in my life. There is so much more God has been doing, and I look forward posting more in the coming days and weeks.
I am still a work in progress. God is at work in my life. I am still afraid sometimes, but I am tired of being afraid. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
I want to live every day for Christ. Not just Sundays or when I go on mission trips. There is a mission field all around us and I want to serve Him wherever He leads.
Jeremiah 18:6 says, "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."
I want to be the clay in the hands of the Potter. I want the Lord to mold me and make me according to his purpose, not mine.
For the rest of the year starting tomorrow, I am going to send out a bible verse everyday via text message. If you would like to be part of this text me or shoot me an email.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Complete Update of the Trip....Sorry it took so long
Time sure has flown by this last week. I cannot believe that it has already been a week since we got home from Mombasa. It seemed like just a few days ago we were training the African pastors at the pastor’s conference. I am going to write a massive chronological blog about all that happened while we were over there, so here goes!
About 30 of the 39 team members who went to Africa left from America on July 30
th. We flew from Oklahoma City to Washington, D.C. to London, Nairobi, and finally to Mombasa. The travel over there went pretty smoothly until we reached London. We sat on the tarmac for about an hour which caused problems when we reached Nairobi. Our luggage was checked all the way to Nairobi, but once we got there, we had to recheck our luggage on to Mombasa. Everyone was scrambling trying to get all of the luggage that we brought and make it to the plane as soon as possible. Amazingly enough, we got all our luggage except for about 3 bags, which arrived a few days after we reached our destination.
On Saturday, we gathered together as a group for the first time in Mombasa and everyone introduced themselves. It was so great to hear how God had brought together everyone to form such a unique group to fulfill his purpose. We had people from ages 13 to over 70 from different backgrounds; students, teachers, preachers, salesmen, veterinarians, and many other various professions were represented. None of that mattered because all of us were there to do one thing: Tell others the wonderful good news of Jesus Christ!
We unpacked all our supplies and spent Saturday and the afternoon on Sunday getting everything ready for the registration of the pastors on Monday and the training that followed. On Saturday afternoon we had some time off before supper. Some people stayed and worked on equipment, others took a nap or prepared for their classes, and a few decided to walk along the beach. David Fagala, 16, and Austin Hill, 15, decided to take a walk along the beach. As they were walking along the beach they met a few of locals. They shared the gospel and one man accepted Christ! PTL! It was such an encouragement to see two young men sharing their faith so openly. Several members of our team shared the gospel with many locals where we stayed and many became Christians.
On Monday morning, John McCloy, Wayne and David Fagala, and I went to where the pastors were staying and worked on Peavey speakers. We retrofitted the speakers to have rechargeable batteries rather than the disposable batteries. The new rechargeable batteries will save the pastors approximately 10% of their monthly support that they spend buying new batteries. John, David, and I worked on the speakers on Monday and Tuesday in the courtyard area behind the school where the pastors would receive their training.
The rest of the team came to the school later that afternoon and helped register the 230 pastors and 83 pastors’ wives who had come to receive training. The pastors were so excited to be there to learn about how to become more effective witnesses for Christ. On Monday night we had our first church service together. Oh how I wish you could have been there to worship with us! The Africans worship God so freely and passionately that it makes me wonder if we need to learn the true meaning of worship. They sang, clapped their hands, and danced for joy. It was a blessing to be a part of it. The highlight of the night was when we gave each of the pastors and their wives a brand new Bible in their native language, Swahili. Some of these people were receiving a Bible or a complete Bible for the first time ever. Some were crying, some were dancing for joy, and some had smiles on their face that looked like they had won a million bucks!
About 30 of the 39 team members who went to Africa left from America on July 30
th. We flew from Oklahoma City to Washington, D.C. to London, Nairobi, and finally to Mombasa. The travel over there went pretty smoothly until we reached London. We sat on the tarmac for about an hour which caused problems when we reached Nairobi. Our luggage was checked all the way to Nairobi, but once we got there, we had to recheck our luggage on to Mombasa. Everyone was scrambling trying to get all of the luggage that we brought and make it to the plane as soon as possible. Amazingly enough, we got all our luggage except for about 3 bags, which arrived a few days after we reached our destination.On Saturday, we gathered together as a group for the first time in Mombasa and everyone introduced themselves. It was so great to hear how God had brought together everyone to form such a unique group to fulfill his purpose. We had people from ages 13 to over 70 from different backgrounds; students, teachers, preachers, salesmen, veterinarians, and many other various professions were represented. None of that mattered because all of us were there to do one thing: Tell others the wonderful good news of Jesus Christ!
We unpacked all our supplies and spent Saturday and the afternoon on Sunday getting everything ready for the registration of the pastors on Monday and the training that followed. On Saturday afternoon we had some time off before supper. Some people stayed and worked on equipment, others took a nap or prepared for their classes, and a few decided to walk along the beach. David Fagala, 16, and Austin Hill, 15, decided to take a walk along the beach. As they were walking along the beach they met a few of locals. They shared the gospel and one man accepted Christ! PTL! It was such an encouragement to see two young men sharing their faith so openly. Several members of our team shared the gospel with many locals where we stayed and many became Christians.
On Monday morning, John McCloy, Wayne and David Fagala, and I went to where the pastors were staying and worked on Peavey speakers. We retrofitted the speakers to have rechargeable batteries rather than the disposable batteries. The new rechargeable batteries will save the pastors approximately 10% of their monthly support that they spend buying new batteries. John, David, and I worked on the speakers on Monday and Tuesday in the courtyard area behind the school where the pastors would receive their training.
The rest of the team came to the school later that afternoon and helped register the 230 pastors and 83 pastors’ wives who had come to receive training. The pastors were so excited to be there to learn about how to become more effective witnesses for Christ. On Monday night we had our first church service together. Oh how I wish you could have been there to worship with us! The Africans worship God so freely and passionately that it makes me wonder if we need to learn the true meaning of worship. They sang, clapped their hands, and danced for joy. It was a blessing to be a part of it. The highlight of the night was when we gave each of the pastors and their wives a brand new Bible in their native language, Swahili. Some of these people were receiving a Bible or a complete Bible for the first time ever. Some were crying, some were dancing for joy, and some had smiles on their face that looked like they had won a million bucks!
For the next four days (Tuesday-Friday) we had the pastors’ conference. Each morning we had a worship service before classes and every evening after classes were over we met again for worship. One of the American men would preach and we would sing songs of praise in English and Swahili. Marty Hooper led the singing and he was wonderful. Marty is an evangelist who goes around the world preaching and singing music. The Africans loved him and he did a great job singing with the pastors and leading us in worship. He is passionate about worshipping God, and in fact, taught a class one of the days about worship.
Many of the Adult men and women on our team taught during the conference. Every day there were five classes for the men that were an hour long. The women met together as one large group and taught the ladies about how to be pastors’ wives. I had the opportunity to sit in and help record tapes for the classes. The American teachers did a phenomenal job teaching. I learned so much in the few classes that I got to sit in on and would have loved to have gone with the pastors to each class.
We recorded each class that was taught at the conference. Discipleship, How to have a Bible Study, Biblical Doctrine, Preeminence of Christ, How to give an invitation, Evangelism, and other classes were held to train the pastors. Some of these classes we take for granted over here because there are schools all over the place. The pastors in Africa do not have the luxury of going to seminars, conferences, and other training institutes that we have here in America. So, we recorded all 20 of the classes that were taught at the conference on cassette tapes. Each day we would take the tapes back to where we were staying and make copies so that each pastor could have an audio recording of the lectures. At the end of the training we gave them the tapes and they were happy to get them.
On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the young people on the trip (Me, John, David, Austin, Tate, Sarah, Megan, and Noel) each had an opportunity to go to a local Christian school and talk to the children. They were as young as 3 and as old as probably 14. Each day we would talk about salvation, forgivness, having a quiet time with God, and purity. The children were great listeners and it was fun getting to spend time with them. I there was more than 150 children who gave their life to the Lord.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday after the conference we had the open air meetings. The open air meetings give the pastors the opportunity to go out and use the tools that they have learned to witness to people on the streets, in the marketplaces, and throughout the city of Mombasa. The pastors and the American team were divided into four teams: red, blue, green, and gold. Each team went to a certain part of the city in the morning and afternoon.
The pastors were ready to go each day. They would be clapping and singing songs on the bus as they drove to the place where they were going to witness. We prepared a kit for each pastors’ that consisted of an evangecube, tracts, and decision slips that we gave them when they got off the bus. The men went out two-by-two, just like the men did in Luke 10 to spread the gospel.
The Americans and about ten national pastors would stay in one location and set up a platform on the back of a pick-up truck with a sound system. From there one or two of us would give our testimony and then one of the men would preach. I was on the green team with John, David, Wayne, Diane, L.B., Marie, Jeanie, Elias, his wife Christiana, and Rachel. When an invitation was given the national pastors would speak to those that came forward.
The first two days of the meetings the American teams ran the platforms and did the preaching, and then on the last day we turned it over to the pastors who had observed the first two days. They were able to take the equipment out and get it set up to preach. The pastors that we were with did a great job. Martin, Henry, Elias, and Ezra were some of the men who preached. They were all powerful speakers and you could tell that they were filled with the Holy Spirit when they spoke.
On Sunday, we had the opportunity to join a church in Mombasa and do our meeting with their church service. It was really sweet to be a part of a worship service halfway around the world. It was a little bit different than a service here in the states. One of the differences is the singing and dancing. The Africans love to sing and dance. A lot. They danced non-stop for about half an hour or longer. Diane and David jumped right in there with them and danced for about thirty minutes. It was great to see them dancing with the kids. John and I took part of the dancing for about five minutes but we could hardly keep up with them so we got out of the way haha.
Mombasa is an area that is different from many of the areas that Reaching Souls has went to teach in the past. For one thing it has a very large percentage of people in the city who are Muslim. Three or four times each day we would hear the Muslim call to prayer (I never could heard it, but everyone else on the team heard it many times). It served as a constant reminder for many of us that we were in a hostile environment at times and that we should be even bolder in our witness because many people needed to hear about what Jesus Christ did for them.
The following paragraphs were written by a good friend of mine that I met on the trip, Glynis Crawford. She is the Director of Communications for Reaching Souls International. She is going to tell you about one of the 3,892 people who were saved on this project.
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The pastors were ready to go each day. They would be clapping and singing songs on the bus as they drove to the place where they were going to witness. We prepared a kit for each pastors’ that consisted of an evangecube, tracts, and decision slips that we gave them when they got off the bus. The men went out two-by-two, just like the men did in Luke 10 to spread the gospel.
The Americans and about ten national pastors would stay in one location and set up a platform on the back of a pick-up truck with a sound system. From there one or two of us would give our testimony and then one of the men would preach. I was on the green team with John, David, Wayne, Diane, L.B., Marie, Jeanie, Elias, his wife Christiana, and Rachel. When an invitation was given the national pastors would speak to those that came forward.
The first two days of the meetings the American teams ran the platforms and did the preaching, and then on the last day we turned it over to the pastors who had observed the first two days. They were able to take the equipment out and get it set up to preach. The pastors that we were with did a great job. Martin, Henry, Elias, and Ezra were some of the men who preached. They were all powerful speakers and you could tell that they were filled with the Holy Spirit when they spoke.
On Sunday, we had the opportunity to join a church in Mombasa and do our meeting with their church service. It was really sweet to be a part of a worship service halfway around the world. It was a little bit different than a service here in the states. One of the differences is the singing and dancing. The Africans love to sing and dance. A lot. They danced non-stop for about half an hour or longer. Diane and David jumped right in there with them and danced for about thirty minutes. It was great to see them dancing with the kids. John and I took part of the dancing for about five minutes but we could hardly keep up with them so we got out of the way haha.
Mombasa is an area that is different from many of the areas that Reaching Souls has went to teach in the past. For one thing it has a very large percentage of people in the city who are Muslim. Three or four times each day we would hear the Muslim call to prayer (I never could heard it, but everyone else on the team heard it many times). It served as a constant reminder for many of us that we were in a hostile environment at times and that we should be even bolder in our witness because many people needed to hear about what Jesus Christ did for them.
The following paragraphs were written by a good friend of mine that I met on the trip, Glynis Crawford. She is the Director of Communications for Reaching Souls International. She is going to tell you about one of the 3,892 people who were saved on this project.
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Against the constant backdrop of the Muslim mosques and the ever-present reminder over the loud speakers from their call to prayer, the lost were saved by God’s amazing grace. Hearts were changed, lives were changed, and destinies were changed. Just like Husein.
Something Strange Happened On The Way To The Mosque….Closed Mouth & Open Eyes!
Saturday August 8th marked the second of the three days dedicated to conducting Open Air Meetings in the predominately Muslim areas around Mombasa, Kenya. We had already seen almost 2,000 people come to Christ as Savior. However, no one on the project – Nationals or US Team members were expecting what was about to happen.
It was a typical mid August Mombasa afternoon – temperatures were in the mid 70’s. The sun was shining, and the streets were teeming with people. The teams were at various locations preparing to preach the Gospel. This particular afternoon was a life changing afternoon for one special young man – Husein.
Husein woke up early Saturday morning – this was his routine. He had a very important task to accomplish – it was his responsibility to call his fellow Muslims to prayer. All over Kenya – you can hear the call to prayer as the speakers blast the invitation several times a day. When Husein got to his assignment however, he could not speak. He knew he was supposed to call the people to prayer – and he tried again – but nothing would come from his mouth. So – he just started walking the streets. In the early afternoon, Husein could hear someone preaching about Jesus. He started walking in the direction of the preaching. While he was on his way to the meeting, he encountered one of the Leadership Development Institute participants. It was in this one-on-one witnessing encounter that Husein came face to face with Jesus. Husein accompanied the LDI participant to the Open Air Meeting – Elias was giving the invitation, as the meeting was coming to a close. Husein made a public profession of faith at that Open Air Meeting. After the service, Elias was spending some time doing follow-up and gave Husein the admonition to go home and tell his family, especially his father that he had accepted Christ. Husein knew that this decision would be a costly decision in terms of his earthly family and life to this point.
Husein heeded the instruction of Elias and went home to tell his father. His father met him as he came to his house. Husein's father began plaguing him with questions about why he had not called the people to prayer, and why he had not participated in the prayers throughout the day. Husein then told his father very clearly that he had been saved – that he had accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. His father had the expected reaction – he was infuriated. Husein's father insisted “If this is for real. If this is what you have really done, then you need to call the leader of the Mosque.” Husein did just that – he called the leader of the Mosque, with his father watching and listening and told him the account of his conversion to Christ. His father then told him – “We don’t eat dogs, and we don’t eat pigs…you need to go.” This father had just called his own son a dog or pig – and since they don’t eat those animals they had no use for their own son.
Husein waited until the time came for the 10PM prayers. Knowing that his father would be away from the house Husein made his way home for the last time. He planned to pack his things to start his new life with Christ. When he got home again, he found his sister there. His sister told him that all of his things had been burned except for a shirt and a pair of jeans that she had been washing – she had saved them for Husein. Husein spent that night all alone on the streets of Mombasa – but not really alone – for he was in better company than he had ever been – he was living in the presence of Almighty God.
When Husein awoke on Sunday August 9th he made his way to the church that was near the Open Air Meeting he had attended the day before. He participated in the worship service and when the invitation was given for anyone who had received Christ the day before at the Open Air Meeting to come forward for a time of prayer – Husein moved from his seat to the altar.
That afternoon, Sunday Aug. 9th (less than 24 hours after his conversion experience), Husein attended another Open Air Meeting. During the meeting, Husein approached Elias and asked if he could share his testimony. Husein was no stranger to these kinds of meetings – in fact a second part of his former life as a Muslim had been to attend these meetings and be a detractor and to hold meetings in which he would openly criticize Christ and the Christian faith. This time, he took the stage with a totally different – delivered – message. He stood before the crowd in the public market place in his own neighborhood, a predominately Muslim neighborhood, and said, “I want to tell you that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died and He rose again. I was against that. But I tell you it is true…I met Him.” Husein had met Jesus Christ!
That afternoon, Sunday Aug. 9th (less than 24 hours after his conversion experience), Husein attended another Open Air Meeting. During the meeting, Husein approached Elias and asked if he could share his testimony. Husein was no stranger to these kinds of meetings – in fact a second part of his former life as a Muslim had been to attend these meetings and be a detractor and to hold meetings in which he would openly criticize Christ and the Christian faith. This time, he took the stage with a totally different – delivered – message. He stood before the crowd in the public market place in his own neighborhood, a predominately Muslim neighborhood, and said, “I want to tell you that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died and He rose again. I was against that. But I tell you it is true…I met Him.” Husein had met Jesus Christ!
That evening as over 325 participants in the Leadership Development Institute and 39 members of the US Team listened; Husein gave a vivid testimony of his conversion and faith in Jesus Christ. Later that night the national pastors rallied together to take a small offering that was used to buy Husein some much needed clothes. Our key national leaders met, and agreed upon a place for Husein to be taken to be cared for and discipled.
On Sunday August 16th, Husein attended church in his new community. Word had already spread about the converted Muslim that had moved to town. Every seat in the church was filled and there were many who were standing outside listening through the opened windows. Husein stood again before a mass of people he had never met and shared the same testimony “I want to tell you that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died and He rose again. I was against that. But I tell you it is the truth…I met Him.”
When God shut Husein's mouth – He opened His eyes. Husein now has eyes of faith – he has a Message to share. He is a life that was forever changed through the faithful witness of one man. Husein is one of over 3,000 that gave his life to Jesus Christ during our three days of Open Air Meetings. Husein is one that matters to God and one through whom God in mighty ways. Husein is one that you have prayed for, invested in, and ministered to as you have strategically partnered with Reaching Souls International.
--to see the entire Reaching Souls International Update for the trip click on the following link:
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Praise God!!! Hallelujah!!! We are so thrilled about Husein and his story. The Bible says in Luke 15:10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
The angels in Heaven are rejoicing right now for the 3,892 people who we documented that came to the Lord by the end of the trip! Praise the Lord!!! It was so awesome to see these people come to know the Lord. The majority of the people who accepted Christ did so through the one-on-one evangelism of the pastors. This was a great encouragement to us and to them because they were able to see the immediate results of sharing the gospel.
Praise God!!! Hallelujah!!! We are so thrilled about Husein and his story. The Bible says in Luke 15:10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
The angels in Heaven are rejoicing right now for the 3,892 people who we documented that came to the Lord by the end of the trip! Praise the Lord!!! It was so awesome to see these people come to know the Lord. The majority of the people who accepted Christ did so through the one-on-one evangelism of the pastors. This was a great encouragement to us and to them because they were able to see the immediate results of sharing the gospel.
We will probably never know how many lives will be changed by these pastors who will go back home and spread the gospel to their city, town, village, or local area. Your prayers and support were a large part of this project and for that I thank you. How sweet will it be when we all get to heaven and hear about the lives that were changed because of what the Lord did on this trip. Your prayers and support made this trip possible for me and the other members of this team. Thank you so much! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to go with this group and my life is forever changed by what happened on this trip. I love Africa! Thanks again for all your prayers and support.
If you have any questions or would like me to come speak to you or your church in person email me at: marcuswilson10@gmail.com
I would be more than happy to share with you what God is doing in Kenya. Reaching Souls is a great organization that is all about winning souls to Christ. If you would like to hear more about them and how you can be involved send me an email. If you would rather go to their website click on the link: http://www.reachingsoulsinternational.org/
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Late Update
Jambo! (Hello in Swahili) John and I just arrived home last night around 3:30 am. We are both very tired but are so excited about what we saw and heard in Kenya. I apologize for not updating the blog much in the last 3 weeks. We were busy and had internet access on and off while we were there. In the coming days I will send out a major update with pictures and wonderful stories about the trip. The highlight of the trip was that there was almost 3,900 people who made a decisions for Christ! :) PTL! Looking forward to sharing with everyone all that happend while we were in Mombasa!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The day has come!
Hello from Mombasa, Kenya!!!! After about 32 hours of travelling we safely arrived in the city at 2 am. The journey here went very smoothly considering we had about 30 people and a lot of supplies to bring with us. We flew from Oklahoma City to Washington D.C., London, Niarobi, then Mombasa. It was a long trip but it gave everyone a great opportunity to get to know each other before we arrived.
John McCloy and a few others have already been here for about 2 weeks and gave great reports of all that has happened. John and David Fagala spent the last several weeks upgrading and repairing the Peavey speakers for the African pastors. They finished most of them, but we may have a few more in the days to come.
Several African men met us at the airport to transport us to the place we are staying. They were all very kind and receptive to us and made us all feel welcomed right away. I met a great young man named Zablano and started talking to him on the ride back from the airport. He is 27 years old and has two children. We did not always understand each other but he spoke enough English that we carried on a pretty good conversation.
Today, Saturday, we had an early breakfast then met together and went over what we will be doing the next few weeks. We had introductions from all 39 team members about how they had come to be on this mission trip. It was so great to see how God had led many people of all different backgrounds to be on this team. I am looking forward to working with them in the coming weeks.
Afterwards, we begin unboxing and sorting out all the supplies that we will need the next several weeks. On Monday the pastors will arrive and we will register them for the conference. Please pray that we will be able to effectively communicate with the pastors so that they will be able to confidently carry the gospel message out to their fellow countrymen.
There is Internet service here but sometimes it is somewhat limited. I will try to update this as much as possible and keep you aware of the work God is doing in Kenya.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Greeting friends and family!
Welcome to the new webpage for the mission trip to Mombasa, Kenya! We are excited about all that the Lord has been doing in Africa and in the ways that he is working here in the States as well. I want start off by saying thank you so much to everyone for your prayers and financial support. It means so much to me and my family to hear how excited everyone is about this mission trip.
God is so amazing and works in ways that we never expect. In my narrow way of thinking I was thought that we would not have the funds to pay for the trip until the end of June, but God has provided! The entire amount has been raised for me to go to Kenya. Thank you all so much!
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go into Oklahoma City and meet with the leaders of the team and the men and women who work at Reaching Souls International. They are great people and are working hard to get ready for the trip this summer. One of the things that they were doing at the time was packaging up the speakers that will be used for the open air crusades and other speaking events during the trip. The leaders at Reaching Souls International start sending the materials to Africa now so that everything will already be over there when we arrive in July.
In May or June there will be a team meeting in Oklahoma City where John McCloy and I will have the opportunity to get to know the other team members. John went with the group last year to Malawi and has told me many exciting things that God did last year. We are both looking forward to meeting our brothers and sisters that we will be going with to Kenya this summer.
I have never had a blog before and so I am learning as I go along. I am still playing with the page trying to figure out what everything does. I am not what you would call a computer wizard, so if anyone has any suggestions on anything I should do with the page please let me know.
Thank you all again for your prayers and support!
Welcome to the new webpage for the mission trip to Mombasa, Kenya! We are excited about all that the Lord has been doing in Africa and in the ways that he is working here in the States as well. I want start off by saying thank you so much to everyone for your prayers and financial support. It means so much to me and my family to hear how excited everyone is about this mission trip.
God is so amazing and works in ways that we never expect. In my narrow way of thinking I was thought that we would not have the funds to pay for the trip until the end of June, but God has provided! The entire amount has been raised for me to go to Kenya. Thank you all so much!
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go into Oklahoma City and meet with the leaders of the team and the men and women who work at Reaching Souls International. They are great people and are working hard to get ready for the trip this summer. One of the things that they were doing at the time was packaging up the speakers that will be used for the open air crusades and other speaking events during the trip. The leaders at Reaching Souls International start sending the materials to Africa now so that everything will already be over there when we arrive in July.
In May or June there will be a team meeting in Oklahoma City where John McCloy and I will have the opportunity to get to know the other team members. John went with the group last year to Malawi and has told me many exciting things that God did last year. We are both looking forward to meeting our brothers and sisters that we will be going with to Kenya this summer.
I have never had a blog before and so I am learning as I go along. I am still playing with the page trying to figure out what everything does. I am not what you would call a computer wizard, so if anyone has any suggestions on anything I should do with the page please let me know.
Thank you all again for your prayers and support!
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