Sunday afternoons are great days on the Discovery Channel.
After we finished cleaning the house, Corey and I sat down to a few
nightmare-inducing episodes about crocodile attacks in Australia.
I’ll spare you the gory details… but let’s just say that the
attacks have increased enough that it’s now worthy of a whole Discovery series.
One man began researching the saltwater crocs that are responsible for the
attacks. Just after the Second World War, it was a fashionable hobby to
hunt these saltwater crocs. The sport became so popular that the crocs became
endangered. However, there are acres and acres of swampland in Australia that
are unreachable. The hypothesis was that these crocs moved into those swamps
and recovered. Our host, with all the latest technology, ventured into these
areas to see what happened. As he studied the crocs he found that not only had
the population recovered, but this swampland was filled beyond capacity with
these crocs. The problem is in crocodile community, only one boss male is allowed
at a time. So as new males are being born on the river, they are forced out to
find their own tribe. But since the rivers are overfilled, there is no room
left for these outcasts. Every stop downriver produces another fight… another
rejection.
So it’s not the giant dinosaur-esque crocs to be worried
about… it’s the young teenage ones with no family and no community. They are
the ones who settle in the city and see every other creature as either a threat
or food.
I think I’ve met a few teenage crocs around the world… I
think I’ve driven past them in downtown Atlanta. I even heard the stories of a
few who come to our training camps… The stories of father’s who shoved them
away and the death and destruction that happened from that point forward…
God save the family… and make my home a safe place along the
river…
//Here is a post from Tessa, a student whose in Appalachia with her youth group this week. I chose it to show to you because after I read it I wondered how my actions affected those whom I've never seen again.//
My group worked with a local ministry called "Stepping Out" and they provided assistance to the local government housing areas. Chelsea, Austin and myself were in a group going door-to-door promoting a block party that they are having Thursday night. We approached a lady sitting on her front porch and I asked her how she was doing. She said she was okay and I asked her if she had every heard of Stepping Out. She said "Oh yeah...I've heard of them!" I took that as a hint that maybe they had helped her before but she quickly corrected me and said they had never done anything for her...and she used some profanity I might add...so I apologized on behalf of the organization and asked if there was anything we could do for her. She said no but started talking to us about her health. By the end of the conversation, we were praying with her and she wanted to make sure that we went next door to talk to her daughter! Later, we met up with another group of 3 from our church and Haley said, "that old lady over there sitting on her front porch is soooo nice!" They had approached her not realizing we already had...
It was such an awesome feeling to know that God's love had spoken through us to soften her heart to the others that would come her way that day!
---
Last week when I was up there I ran around with a few others to look at a few houses in need of repair to determine if our groups could help them or not. Honestly, my mindset was "get in, get the info we need, determine if we can help or not, and move on to the next as fast as possible".
At our first house we met Gabe and Sandy (not their real names). Gabe is a man in his 40's who has some sort of mental handicapped. He could speak well and you could tell he thought well but was alittle lack in personal care. So his older sister was there. She said that she needed to care for him since their mom passed away a few years ago. She took a deep breath and said "and we lost 2 uncles this year, and my other brother is in the hospital today about to have surgery because the cancer came back and this time its in his throat..."
Boom. Bombshell. She started to sob as she was speaking but couldn't anymore after "in his throat" as her sobs grew louder. My heart sunk with grief over this woman's loss. One of the ladies, Merci, rushed in and held her as Sandy sobbed. I moved closer to her and but my hand on her back and started to silently pray.
Gabe then called to the over 3 who had come to check out the house "Hey! Hey ya'll come pray for her. Her brother is sick!"
The others look puzzled for a moment and then "rushed" a few feet over to Sandy, Merci and I. We prayed over Sandy for a bit and then spoke truth of God's unfailing love for us, even when things are awful and sickness is part of the equation. He is still bigger, sometimes He heals, sometimes not. But He is.
Last week I posted a blog from one of Corey's participants in Appalachia. Hearing participants talk about what God has done on a trip really inspires us to do what we do... But unless you live right beside us every day, you probably ask the question "What do you do?"
Corey and I both focus on the "before" part of mission trips. From the day someone says "Hey... let's go on a trip with AIM" until the day that trip starts, a lot has to happen. This is where we pour out our lives... getting that "lot" together so the trip can begin.
For Corey that looks like setting up ministry. Every mission trip has to start with a place. So Corey's job is to find that place, find out what God is doing in that place, and find out how we can be a part of what God's doing.
For me that looks like working with participants. The longer a person plans to be on a trip, the more has to come together for them. I focus my time on trips that are from 3 months to 11 months. I help participants get themselves ready to go from making sure their passport is together to dealing with their fears and doubts about going.
The climax of all of our work is when we get to be face to face with the people on the field. Corey has spent the last two months in Northern Tennessee helping teams in their ministries. I am involved in two training camps this summer, meeting the people headed overseas face to face after having talked to them on the phone. In both of these situations God begins showing up and moving in amazing ways. Participants regularly tell stories about God has changed their life through the trips we helped them get on. It's an incredible encouragement and the wind in our sails through these busy seasons.
The other wind that blows in our sails is each of you. All of you who follow our blogs, get our newsletters, and invest financially in our ministry encourage us so much. You take on our burdens in so many ways and make our load lighter. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Currently we still need approximately $600 per month in support. Whether you can occasionally give or commit to monthly donations, we appreciate how you invest in seeing God's kingdom come around the whole world.
Below is an update from Erika Disney... one of the participants Corey led in Tennessee. Her words are a refreshing reminder of why it's so worthwhile to pour our lives into this ministry...
I've never been to Tennessee before.Really,
I've never been that far from Indiana for too long. The thought of
"culture shock" was something that frightened me so much... but what can
I say? I love it here.
The mountains are beautiful, the rain is
cold (along with our showers), and God is present. God is present. He's in every room,
every wall, and in every heart. Sure, I knew God and everything, but
this is just way too intense (and no we are not camping). It's intense
in a good way, though.
I'm feeling God just like I did when I
first accepted Jesus as my Savior. Crazy isn't it? I honestly didn't
think I'd feel that God-high ever again. I was completely wrong. How
I've been going on without this God-high is beyond me; it's like
figuring out that you haven't been breathing all this time.
The
"high" hit me when I volunteered to help the "throw-together" worship
team they wanted. We sat down in a room to practice. Colton (please
forgive me if that's not the correct spelling, sir) played his guitar so
lovely and I was moved as soon as I heard it. My connection with music
turned into not just a desire but a Godly desire. My mouth opened and
the words flew out as if he was right there in front of me and I was
singing for his entertainment. I didn't want to the songs to stop.
I
must thank Bill and Corey (again forgive me if I spell a name wrong)
they've already taught me tons. Normally, I have issues with finding
time for God because those little demons in my head create reasons for
me not to and I fall with them. They showed me how time with Him is
extremely important. He is my Father after all and He deserved all my
time.
ATL. If you don't know what that is (like I didn't until
moments ago), it means "Ask The Lord." Sounds simple, right? Let me tell
you, it sounds simple but for me it is a struggle. We must shut out all
the thoughts in our minds which is extremely hard for me, but I'm
working on it. I love the silent moments when I can hear/feel/see God.
It's beyond amazing! I wish I had learned about all of this years ago.
As
a 16 year old, I was more than anxious to help people. I wanted to show
them Jesus and grow in Jesus. We went on a prayer walk and that really
changed my heart. We prayed and God answered my prayer (for rain)
quite quickly.
My group has gotten the privilege of going and
working with a lady named Helen. She is the sweetest thing. Her house
was...well not worked on in a while. We had a lot to do (to describe it
in few words). I thought I'd complain about the heat (by the way, it's
hot here), but it didn't happen. Something just grew in my heart and I
hated having to leave at 5 (or 12) from her house because I wanted to
work some more. Something amazing happens to you when you know you're
doing something to praise God.
Something else that's amazing was
how we all (the different teams) bonded during worship. It's impossible
to describe fully on this blog. We sang, we shared, we cried, and we
prayed. It's something that I expected on Friday when we were going to
leave... but it happened on Monday (the second night we were there). All
the things that happened were so touching and now I feel like we're one
big family. It's safe to say that I'm going to miss them when I leave
Friday.
It all seemed so simple. You know, going on a mission
trip, working, praying, meeting people. It isn't easy but it's all worth
it. God is worth it. He's
worth every piece of wood I paint, every friend I create, every song I
sing for him, and every word I write... and he's still worth more than I
could ever do. I can feel him though.
I feel his hand wrapped
around me like he's giving me a big hug and whispering, "Welcome Home." I
never want to leave the comfort of those arms... and I'm glad I'm
learning how to keep myself from fading away.
Our pastor shared an incredible story recently. He has a 5-year
old daughter, Chloe, and 2-year old son, Eli, and due to this, he has been introduced
to a new phenomenon called Silly Bands. They are quite simply colored rubber
bands that are in fun shapes when they shrink but stretch out to become
bracelets. Chloe discovered that some of her Silly Bands actually glow in the
dark. Now I know what you're thinking... "and?" but go back to 5-year old you...
They Glow. In. The. Dark!!!!
When Chloe discovered this she immediately ran to find the
darkest room in the house - the laundry room. As her eyes adjusted she was
amazed... look how bright they glow when it's so dark!!! Immediately, Chloe runs
to go get her brother. He has GOT to see how awesome this is! So Eli
obligingly follows, thinking "Why is my sister taking me to the laundry room? ...
Why is my sister shutting the laundry room door?! ... WHY IS IT SO DARK IN
HERE!!!" And he BOLTS from the room... never seeing the cool Glow in the Dark
Silly Bands.
Kevin (our pastor) then began to talk about Jesus being the
light... how many different times in scripture God sends LIGHT and things begin
to change. Genesis 1 - "let there be light" and all of Creation began. Abraham
was living in Ur (which means "light") when God called him out, and all of
Israel began. Jesus (aka THE Light - John 1) shows up and our redemption began.
The thing is... who cares that Light shows up unless you're in
the darkness? And let's face it... Darkness stinks. We've all been there... the
Dark Night of the Soul. And often, we... like Eli... are looking for the quickest
way out. But what if God, like Chloe, maybe... just maybe... was leading us to the
darkest room of the house for a reason? What if maybe... just maybe... God wanted
to show us what it looks like when He glows in the dark?
Kevin then showed us a little science experiment. He had all
the lights in the worship center turned off... making it pretty dark. And then he
struck a lighter. At first, it was still pretty dark. But slowly, as our eyes
adjusted, we could see Kevin's arm, then an outline of him, and eventually a
little of the stage around him. The light never changed... our eyes just adjusted.
And then Kevin said something that I've been chewing on all day...
"If Eli had stayed in the laundry room, remembering that
Chloe was still there... never leaving his side... If he had given his eyes time to
adjust... He would have been in awe. He would have experienced the wonder."
What if God wants to me to spend a little time in the dark
right now? What if He's already started to glow in the dark and my eyes just
haven't adjusted? What if I just reached out and took His hand, remembering
that I'm not alone here? And as I waited, what if I let my eyes adjust? What
kind of wonder would God show me? What kind of awe-struck wonder would I
experience?
So I have been wrestling a little with when to do the Ask THe Lord portion of our trip here in TN. The groups adults have been hesitant and put off wanting to do an ATL. But yesterday I felt very strong about doing an ATL today. I told God that the group didn't really want to do it and I didn't want to push them into it, but if He really did want that then He would change their mind enough for me to lead their group into it.
Well last night while eating dinner with the leaders to talk about the day and get an idea of tomorrow I put it out there, "Hey we are going to do our marquee AIM thing, ATL, tomorrow. OK?" The groups leader, Angie, agreed (almost excitedly) and the others were game for it! I was relieved and thought "Alright, here we go God. I know you'll do something good in the ATL, but (and here comes a little doubt) please show up!"
It's funny how you can step out in faith and meet God in a great moment and still doubt the next time you step out. Crazy.
Just incase your wondering - God did show up. Among other great things, 4-5 of these kids have physically felt the arms of the Lord wrap around them and have told the whole group through tears of love and joy!
March and April might be our favorite months around AIM…
people generally take off early on Fridays, rest well on Saturdays, and enjoy
life on Sundays. We do this very much on purpose during those months because we
know one simple truth:
Summer. Is. Coming.
In the world of short-term missions, summer is a big time.
It’s when most of the trips go out. It’s when we as staff wrap up all that
we’ve been working on through the winter and spring to see the fruit of our
labors in the summer. It’s a great time. But it’s a whirlwind of activity.
Corey and I are no exception to that right now!
The end of May is when the dust started blowing. May 20,
Corey led a Project Leader’s Training, where all of our short-term leaders come
together and give God room to lead them before they lead others. May 22 World
Race training camp began with 130 young adults giving God space to transform
them into World Changers. Today, Corey packed up a truck and trailer and headed
to Morristown, TN to lead the first of many groups to bring God’s Kingdom to
Earth right there in Tennessee. For the next two months he’ll be in and out,
leading and supervising projects all around the United States while I’m at home
getting the next group of young adults ready to go to the nations!
And in the midst of all of this, we bought a house! When we
both surrendered our lives to ministry, we thought we also surrendered things
like owning a house or having “stuff”. But that all came from a poverty
mindset, believing that God’s heart was to withhold “stuff” from His kids. How
far from the truth! Instead, through the generosity of our partners, blessings
straight from God, and a little bit of teaching from Dave Ramsey, we now own
our first home! For all the pictures, check out my Facebook page.
In the midst of this crazy schedule we live, God is so good
and so faithful. We have the privilege of watching lives be transformed right
in front of us. We get to regularly petition God’s throne and see Him act on
our behalf. We get to watch miracles happen. We are so incredibly blessed!
Many of you are the miracles and the blessings to us. Your
prayers, your generosity, and your encouragement are breaths of fresh air to
us! Thank you for all the ways you join what God is doing around the world!
I was emailed this a few days ago and just watched some of it today. It's a bit long (12 min) but if your interested in what might happen on a AIM trip to Haiti you'll want to watch it.
Thanks to Deb White and her church for this video.
Sunday afternoons are great days on the Discovery Channel.
After we finished cleaning the house, Corey and I sat down to a few
nightmare-inducing episodes about crocodile attacks in Australia. 
let's go on a trip with AIM" until the day that trip starts, a lot has to happen. This is where we pour out our lives... getting that "lot" together so the trip can begin. 
am involved in two training camps this summer, meeting the people headed overseas face to face after having talked to them on the phone. In both of these situations God begins showing up and moving in amazing ways. Participants regularly tell stories about God has changed their life through the trips we helped them get on. It's an incredible encouragement and the wind in our sails through these busy seasons. 
Our pastor shared an incredible story recently. He has a 5-year
old daughter, Chloe, and 2-year 
old son, Eli, and due to this, he has been introduced
to a new phenomenon called Silly Bands. They are quite simply colored rubber
bands that are in fun shapes when they shrink but stretch out to become
bracelets. Chloe discovered that some of her Silly Bands actually glow in the
dark. Now I know what you're thinking... "and?" but go back to 5-year old you...
They Glow. In. The. Dark!!!!