For the Glory of God

Outreach Guatemala!!

2011-11-20T12:30:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone from beautiful Guatemala!! Robin and I have the privilege of leading the fall 2011 Crossroads on Outreach here. We are going to be in various places here over the next 8 weeks, ministering and sharing God's incredible love.

If you would like to follow the team blog, the address is: http://www.cdtsoutreach2011.blogspot.com/

We will be posting some things here as well from time to time, but there will be more stuff from different members of our team posted there.

Thanks for praying for us!

2011-11-16T01:40:00.002-05:00

Hello dear family and friends,

We hope that this November finds you eagerly anticipating the Thanksgiving season while remembering that Christmas is just around the corner. The past few months have flown by for us since we stepped into the new responsibilities of staffing a Crossroads DTS. We've had our share of joys and challenges and have enjoyed getting to know the students very well through the weeks. The older couple in the picture with the matching shirts are the school leaders, the other 6 adults are our students and crouching down are two teen-aged children of one of the couples.

We will be leading the outreach to Guatemala for almost 8 weeks. We leave on Saturday, November 19 and will return on Wednesday, January 11. Most of our time will be spent at the YWAM base in Antigua, Guatemala assisting them in various local ministries. We'll also spend 2 weeks in Guatemala city living with host families and one week staying at a camp in San Juan Sacatepeque. Over the course of the outreach we'll do a variety of things possibly including: children's ministry, street ministry, dramas, music, speaking in church, reaching the homeless, reaching out to those living in the garbage dump, working in an orphanage, light construction and whatever else our contacts dream up for us! Everyone in the picture is going except for the school leaders.

They are a mature, talented bunch and we are very excited to bring the team to Guatemala and see what God has in store for all of us. Please keep us in your prayers as we finish preparations to go, as we travel and throughout the outreach. Caleb will have an added challenge on outreach since he broke his hand this past week on the playground. He'll have cast for most of the time that will need to be removed in Guatemala. We are in need of roughly $3,000-$4,000 to cover airfare, expenses and base fees while we're gone. If you'd like to support us financially please send a check to: YWAM Chico 15850 Richardson Springs Rd, Chico, CA 95973. (Please enclose a separate note with our name on it and leave the memo line blank.) Thank you for your prayers and finances, we couldn't do the ministry we are called to here without your help!

God bless,
Dan, Robin, Caleb, Josh and Nathaniel

Blessing and Blessed

2011-04-10T11:49:00.006-04:00

This past week we were privileged to have a team come from our church in Michigan, Friendship Chapel. Four youth leaders, Mike and Tammy Heyboer and Shaun and Tracy Vander Lugt, along with six of the members of their senior high group, Jake Heyboer, Eddie Gust, Steven Diekema, Victoria Geurink, Kayla Schut, and Melissa Wilkins.

They arrived very late on March 31st (11:45 pm) and snoozed for the 1 1/2 hour drive from Sacramento to the base in Chico. After a few hours of sleep the team ate a quick breakfast in the house they were staying in and joined the rest of the base for a time of intercession on Friday morning. The focus of the intercession was on the youth of England. At one point during the this time all the youth were asked to stand in the middle of the group to represent the youth we were praying for. Wonderful words were spoken over both groups.

The team then started right in on the work project that had been assigned to them for the week. painting the Sweetwater cabins. Sweetwater is where we house some of our guests during large conferences. The cabins were in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint. As we got started it was evident that the railing on the front of two of the cabins was in bad shape and needed to be replaced. The team was able to bless the base by purchasing some treated lumber to fully replace these as well. Friday night was a time of relaxing and recouping after a hard days work. The power went out for a couple of hours and we sat and watched a movie on Mike's laptop.

Saturday the team got back to work and did a lot of power washing and painting and building the new railings. The power went out again on Saturday night, and the team spent the evening talking on the front porch and worshiping God.

Sunday the team went with us to church at New Beginnings Fellowship. After church we all spent some relaxing time at Bidwell Park in Chico. Some of us played some soccer while others played in the playground area or just sat and relaxed on some blankets. The power actually stayed on that night and we enjoyed another time of worshiping.

To be continued.....

Settling in

2010-08-20T02:26:00.001-04:00

We're doing great! We still don't feel completely settled/organized in our cute, little house but we're getting there. Dan has spent a week working in Grounds and a week in Maintenance, next week he'll be in the Kitchen. I'll start my rotation on Aug 30 when the kids start school. The boys are LOVING having playmates within walking distance, we have almost daily play dates and have had a couple of sleepovers. Thankfully it's been a relatively "cool" summer here, it's been in the mid 90's but might hit triple digits next week. (They predict upper 80's for the weekend and are calling it 'fall-like temps').

It feels really good to be back here, we are happy and know we are where we belong right now! This morning we celebrated the opening of a prayer room on base, the fulfillment of a long time dream of a number of the staff. We look forward to the various schools beginning in the next week or so. We anticipate lives changing during DTS and then they can share their God Stories on outreach and touch more lives. God is alive and moving in this canyon, visitors can feel it. We recently chatted with a visiting woman who was almost speechless and in awe by God's presence here. It's an exciting, though busy, place to be and we are thrilled to be part of God's work in this little part of California!

Thanks for all the prayers for safe travels and during this time of transition, we still need them. Thanks, too, for financial support since everything in CA costs more.

God bless,
Dan and Robin

What next God?

2010-04-05T20:53:00.002-04:00

We have returned to our "home" in Michigan. I put it in quotes because we do not plan to be here long. We will probably be here at least until summer, to finish up the school year. After that we plan on leaving for a language school, probably in Guatemala, and then on to Creel, Mexico to join the staff at the YWAM base there.

After our DTS and outreach were done we left California and traveled to the base in Creel to see first hand what they were doing and to talk to the staff face to face. We really enjoyed our time there, and meeting the people. There are many opportunities for ministry there and we can't wait to see what God has planned for us. The current staff there are involved in a number of things in the area. Some of them are focussed on the indigenous Tarahumaran Indians that live in the area, while others are working in the town of Creel to evangelize the city itself, and to unify the pastors that work there. They also have a desire to start a kids program to work with the youth of the city, and they have some other projects that they would like to get started doing as well. We would be able to fit in a number of different areas there. Robin would spend most of her time in the role of teacher to homeschool the boys while Dan would be doing the bulk of the ministry at first. It was strongly suggested that we attend a total immersion language school so that we can be effective in ministry right off the bat instead of struggling to learn the language while involved with the day to day work.

Robin is back working at St. Marys part time second (and a sometimes third) shift. Dan is working part time at Duwayne's Greenhouse driving delivery truck, mostly to the Chicago area.

Robin has been feeling that we aren't finished at Chico, and that maybe God is calling us to go there for a year before going on to language school and Creel. We are seeking God's direction in this and will follow where ever He leads us.

Our house will be up for sale very soon. We are finishing a few projects, getting it cleaned up for showing and getting rid of a lot of extra stuff.

We ask for prayers that the house will sell quickly and to the right person, and that God will direct our next steps according to His will.

Originally posted Friday, January 15, 2010 on Outreach Blog

2010-04-05T20:50:00.002-04:00

This will be the final blog entry ( at least in Fiji). We are currently preparing to head back to the U.S.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning we did some house to house around the PTC neighborhood to tell them about the kid's program that we were going to have in Simla housing on Thursday, and to visit and pray with them if they were available. During this time Chick and Lynda met up with a girl that had been cutting herself. It's too bad that problems that have been plaguing U.S. teens for years have spread to other countries. One of the days Dan and Robin had an interesting conversation with a Buddhist lady who's son-in-law is from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area just like they are. What a small world. In the afternoons we did kid's programs for the kids of the staff of a local prison. They live in housing right outside the prison. In the evenings we got a chance to hang out with Tony, Laisa, and Bui the staff of the PTC that stayed during the break to work with us and show us great hospitality.

Thursday we did the kid's program In Simla housing, which looks like a low income apartment style housing. We had the regular clowns and games. This was our last scheduled day of ministry.

Robin and Lynda were both sick on Wednesday and Thursday. Both were running fevers and had other intestinal problems. Three of the Derusha kids had strep throat.

Friday the staff of the PTC were preparing a love feast for us, so we had to vacate the house for a while in the afternoon. We went and visited a place called The Garden of the Sleeping Giant. It was a beautiful place full of orchids and other exotic foliage. We all had a good time.

Saturday was moving day. We moved back to Nadi for a few days before we left. It was hard to say goodbye to the staff even though we had only been there for two weeks. We spent the morning packing and cleaning up. We returned in the afternoon, and had a relaxing time for the rest of the day.

Sunday was our last day of worshiping with EWC. We had an amazing time with them. We love them all so much. Frank gave a message on God writing His story on our hearts, we are living epistles. Afterwards we went to Pastor Paula's house for a special dinner that members of the church prepared. As we were leaving, the “wetting”, a Fijian New Years tradition, was beginning. Mostly Robin and Lynda got wet.

Monday was a fun day that Bill had planned for us just before we left Fiji. It was a short sailboat ride to another small island that we could snorkel and swim or just relax at. Some of our team felt that it was good to see the other side of Fiji. This was definitely the tourist side, and what people associate with Fiji. They did a kava ceremony right in the boat, and invited all the people to join in. Of course most of the tourists that went on the boat joined in since they knew nothing of the spiritual side of the kava drinking. Unfortunately Dan and Caleb had to stay back at the hotel because Caleb was sick.

Tuesday was packing day and our final day in beautiful Fiji. We were sent off by some of the people from EWC. It was very sad to say goodbye to all of our new friends that we me there. Our flight left at 10:50 PM on Tuesday and we landed in Sacramento, after a 4 hour layover in L.A., at 6:50 PM on Tuesday, 4 hours before we left. We were very tired, and ready for a good nights sleep.

Well I started this post in Fiji, but I finally finished it here in Chico. We are completely amazed at how awesome God is. We had an incredible outreach. God did amazing things and we were glad that we got to tag along for the ride. I will try and and do one more post about what each of the team members future plans are, but some might not know yet. Thank you to all who have shared this journey with us. We certainly couldn't have done this without your support in many areas. All of us continue to covet your prayers as we finish up here in Chico and move out into what God is calling us to do. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts, and may God bless each and every one of you.

Originally posted Monday, January 4, 2010 on Outreach Blog

2010-04-05T20:50:00.001-04:00

Monday we started off with worship and were joined by a DTS team from Kona, Hawaii. We spent some time praising God with songs and then breaking into groups to introduce ourselves to intercede for the leadership of Fiji, all the way down to the leaders of our classes. Later in the morning we met up with them at a low income housing area outside of Lautoka called Koroipita. Our team went house to house to pray with the people that lived there, while the Kona team did a kid's program. Dan and Robin visited four families there who were all Christians. Chick and one of the locals named Laisa visited a five families as well, and lead a Hindi lady to Christ. Laisa gave the lady her personal bible. They were both so excited. Lynda spent some time watching the Kona team do their kid's program to get some more ideas about what to do for our kid's program. Frank, Caleb D., and another local girl named Bui visited some homes as well. Denise and the rest of the Derusha kids watched the program as well.

Tuesday we returned to Koroipita and reversed roles. We did the kid's program and the Kona team went house to house.

Wednesday just our team returned there again and did some follow-up visits with some of the families that we visited before.

Thursday, New Years Eve, in the morning we met up with the DTS from Chico and did some clean up at a local old people's home. The guys did some yard work, while the ladies worked inside. Later in the evening we went back and joined them for an end of year service. What a blessing to spend time with the staff and residents. We threatened to leave Bill there, but we decided to give him some grace.

Friday was New Years Day. We joined together with the DTS from Chico and from Kona and went to a popular beach for the day. It was wonderful! The beach was crowded, but we had an enjoyable time throwing each other in the ocean. That is the Fijian custom on New Years. Everyone gets wet, most of the time involuntarily. We all went home very tired and lightly toasted.

Saturday our schedule got mixed up, and we ended up having another free day. Dan spent most of the day preparing for the message he was going to speak on Sunday.

Sunday we worshiped at Christian Renewal Fellowship. We spent some time in praise and a had a couple of testimonies from some of the church members. We were introduced and then Dan spoke a message from 1 Corinthian 3:5-9, speaking on the power of God. He was anointed by God and was able to get past his fear of public speaking and give a clear message. He incorporated testimonies from all of our team members as well.

We continue to be amazed at how God works through our infirmities and accomplishes things despite us. He is doing great things here, and we have the privilege of being a part of it.

Originally posted Monday, December 28, 2009 on Outreach Blog

2010-04-05T20:49:00.001-04:00

Monday we were supposed to go to Sigatoka again, but just for the day. But we got the call that they still didn't have electricity or water. Later in the day it finally came on and we started making plans to go there for two days instead of only one. The rest of the day was spent preparing for the ministry (kid's programs mostly) we would be doing and packing for the couple of days we'd be gone.

Tuesday we headed to Sigatoka. We arrived there about noon and had lunch. We stayed at what they call a backpacker “resort”, which is set up with lots of bunks and not as glamorous as what you'd expect a resort to be. It turned out that the place we were staying still didn't have electricity, but it had water so we were able to stay and accomplish the things we needed to. Right after lunch the neighborhood kids from around the resort came and we put on a program for them. We had the clowns and puppets and a few little skits and ended by playing some games with them. After the program we had some time to play in the ocean and see a lot of interesting wildlife. There was a lot of debris on the beach from the big storm from last week, so after supper we had a huge bonfire on the beach. Pastor Gabbie filled us in on the history of the village we would be visiting the next day as well as some history of Fiji. Bill hope to have him come to future classes and teach them about what he spoke to us about.

Wednesday we went to Dicuvu's (pronounced Deethuvu) village. Dicuvu is Pastor Gabbie's wife. Her father is the chief of the village and the high chief of 110 villages on the western side of the island. He is a born again Christian and has been working on his brother, the next in line to for leadership and vice president of the Methodist church of Fiji, to stop the kava drinking in the Methodist church. Dicuvu's dad was away that day so the brother was overseeing our visit. We were brought to the meeting house in the village and had a short ceremony where we presented the chief with some gifts of flour and sugar. Traditionally we would present the chief with some of the root that they grind for the kava, but since we couldn't have any part of that we were able bring the other things instead. After the gift ceremony they immediately started mixing up a bowl of kava for the men to drink while we did the kid's program. It's really sad to see. It used to be that only the chiefs would drink the kava, and then only one bowl and they would be done, but it has exploded over the island and young people and women have started drinking it. We started the kid's program and did the gambit of clowns and skits. The DTS team from Chico joined us there and they also did some things with the kids. We all went outside to play a few games. We returned to the meeting house and asked if we could pray with the children, and were given permission. Then we asked if we could pray over the women and men that were there drinking the kava and watching with their children. Again we were given permission. One of the DTS girls prayed over the chief's wife for her knee which was causing her some pain. Then we asked if we could pray over the chief and lay our hands on him. He gave us permission and a few of our group gathered around him and prayed. We didn't have any clue at the time how big a deal all of these things were. Later Lynda was talking to Dicuvu about it, and there had never been any public prayer spoken in that meeting house. It had only been used for tribal ceremonies. Dicuvu had come to the village about 20 minutes after we left and the chief's wife knee was completely healed by the time she arrived. Because of that and the other things that had happened, Dicuvu told us that YWAM teams would be invited to that village to speak and pray over the people there for healing and hopefully have an impact on the kava issue that is gripping the people there. What an incredible blessing to be a part of something so huge. Thank you God for the opportunity! We returned to the Sandalwood later that day.

Thursday, Christmas Eve, was a day for packing up and preparing for the move to Lautoka. Later in the evening the DTS came and we celebrated Christmas together. We had a fun time of sharing our stories together.

Friday was Christmas and we worshiped with our church family at EWC. Afterwards we were treated to a Christmas lovo that they provided for us and members of their congregation that weren't returning home to their families. What a great time of fellowship and fun.

Saturday was final packing and moving to Lautoka. Bill went ahead with all the luggage, and the rest of the team followed on the bus. We are staying at the Personal Transformation Center (PTC) which is a YWAM base. We met all the staff and enjoyed a nice dinner with them. After dinner we had a meeting to tell us the things we would be doing while here.

Sunday we went to a local Methodist church that was all in Fijian. The rest of the day we had off and were able to relax before a really busy week of ministering to the people here.

We are glad for God's protection during the move and for the few staff members that are here during the Christmas break to help us. They are truly a blessing to us.

We now have pictures up on the blog, just look to the left of this post and take a look at them.

Originally posted Monday, December 21, 2009 on Outreach Blog

2010-04-05T20:48:00.001-04:00

Monday we experienced a small hurricane/large tropical storm. Mick blew in rather quickly on Monday afternoon. We lost power right after noon. It was amazing to see the power of the storm blowing the palm trees around. A lot of the dead limbs from the palm trees fell throughout the storm. After about 6:00 PM the storm ended and we all emerged from our rooms and took a look at all the damage. There were a lot of branches and trees down around the neighborhood, but no major damage to anything near us. We thank God for protection during the storm.

Tuesday we woke up with the power still off. We stayed around the hotel and helped the staff pick up all the debris that had fallen. The kids were having a blast hauling the big limbs back to the burn pile that is at the back of the hotel. We found out that two staff members had quite significant damage to their houses. One of them lost most of his house, the other lost his roof. Chick and Dan went to the home of one of the families from church to help set up a greenhouse that had partially collapsed. The power came back on late in the afternoon.

Wednesday and Thursday we were supposed to go visit some villages near Sigatoka, but the storm knocked out the power and the water at the villages, so we couldn't go out there. Dan and Chick went back to Nina's house, where the greenhouse was, and put in some more posts so she could add another greenhouse on the other side of the driveway. Bill and Denise did some follow up visits to some families that had been seen before. The visits were to people that were Hindus before coming to know Jesus Christ. They were following up to see if they had destroyed the idols that were in their homes. The rest of the team stayed at the hotel and continued to help with cleaning up around there.

Thursday morning some of our team went back to the hospital to visit sick people. They prayed over a little four year old who had gotten burned on his backside and upper thighs. It made Robin cry. Dan and Denise took the younger boys to a park near the hospital since they are too young to go in. In the afternoon Dan, Bill and Denise went to help hand out the tickets for the Samaritan's purse gift give away on Friday. We met with some surfing DTSers from New Zealand. We prayed over one of them, Malcolm, who was sick with some sort of throat infection.

Friday most of the team went to help with the Samaritan's purse gift program. The team did some singing with the kids and the parents that came with them. We also had a number of clowns and did some stories and short skits. It was exciting to see the kids faces as we handed out the gift boxes. Most of the families in this area are extremely poor, and probably never get gifts at all. They were so happy. Some of us got thank you cards that the kids had made before hand.

Saturday we got to spend with the DTS students from Chico. It was really good to see them and hear all the stories they had. It was good for them too. They got the chance to rest and have fun with the kids. Some of them went to the internet cafe, while others stayed back and took naps on comfortable beds. That night some of our team and all of theirs went to a Nadi Christian Youth Gathering (NCYG) that was happening near by. There were youth from all around the area coming together to praise Jesus. It was an awesome experience. Chick and Lynda spent the day with a couple from EWC and their extended family. This couple had experienced a lot of isolation from their family since becoming members of EWC and this was a time of reconciliation between this couple and their family.

Sunday we worshiped with EWC again. This is the last Sunday before we head to Lautoka for a couple weeks. Pastor Paula gave a powerful message on courage. Today was also special because one of the women we prayed for at the hospital the first time we visited was there worshiping with us. Jhatika was the woman who had drunk the weed killer trying to kill herself. She was there and was completely healed. It's awesome to see how God works in the lives of His children.

We continue to be amazed at the goodness of God in the lives of the Fijian people. We hope that what happens while we are here will not die after we leave. Our prayer is that our team will be forgotten, but it will be remembered that God's power was at work here and continues to work.

To see the photos of our outreach, please go to Dan and Robin's website: www.oilandflour.com .

This is what the LORD says: “Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken! Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NLT)

Originally posted Wednesday, December 16, 2009 on Outreach Blog

2010-04-05T20:47:00.001-04:00

Sorry this post is a little late this week, we had a small hurricane come close to us on Monday, and the power was still out until late in the afternoon on Tuesday. This is the update for last week. I'll have an update about the hurricane and other news next week.

This week (Monday) started out with our first torrential downpour that we've had while here in Fiji. It rained extremely hard for just a short period on time. That night we met some police officers that were staying at the hotel. They were in Nadi for a spiritual leadership conference for the police force in the area. We were able to pray for them and the conference.

On Tuesday most of the team spent the day near Sigatoka with Pastor Paula's brother Pastor Pisa. He is the pastor of a small church there. We had a pretty good crowd of kids and some adults. Robin dressed up as a clown and lead us all in some songs. Frank did a teaching on Jericho and how the Israelites marched around the wall and then shouted and blew the horns and the walls came tumbling down. We all sang “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho” and marched around the bula mat and had a great time. Lynda then did a couple of stories with the kids and some card tricks with a message of how God sees us all the same and He cleanses us from our sins. We ate lunch there and then walked over to the church and prayed with Pastor Pisa while Robin took some of the kids into the jungle.

Wednesday we joined with a number of churches to do an open air service at a park right by the bus station and the large market. There were a number of skits done by the churches, and some worship songs. Some of our team were dressed as clowns, and handed out candy to people walking by to try and draw them into the park for the service.

Thursday we did more family visits. Bill visited a family for a follow-up of a visit last week. The wife had had some severe kidney problems some time ago, but had been prayed over and healed. Her husband says he is a Christian, but his walk doesn't match his statements. Bill encouraged them to come to church, but they said they too busy working to be able to go. He told them about the Indian cell group that meets on Thursday nights and invited them to come there. The person that Frank, Caleb D., Israel, Dan, Robin, Caleb O., Joshua, Nathaniel and Pastor Paula were supposed to visit wasn't there, so we visited another family from EWC. They were and Indian couple, Herman and Suman. They have two grown children. The couple were lead to the Lord through their younger son who had become a believer when he was 18. The older son came along later, and has a great testimony of how God blesses you for following His ways. That night we joined the Indian cell group for their weekly meeting at EWC. Asha, one of the women in the group showed Bill an entry in her journal that had our class verses. Bill had spoken on them on the Sunday before, so she thought she would share it with him. Bill was looking at it and realized that the date of the entry was his birthday during our lecture phase. God is so cool to keep bringing up these confirmations of what we are supposed to be doing here.

Friday we were supposed to hand out things for Samaritan's purse, but we couldn't get the permits required by the government to gather a crowd. So most of the team went to the beach to pick up trash and to enjoy the warm water of the ocean (it feels like bath water). Chick and Dan went to Uma's house to help with the construction of his new house just down the road. There wasn't anything for them to do that day, so they joined the rest of the team at the beach and helped pick up. There were a couple of Sunday school classes there celebrating their break-up, which is the end of classes for the year. They saw us picking up trash and started cleaning up the areas that they were using. Fiji is such a beautiful place, but there is a huge litter problem. People would rather throw it by the roadside than pay the high price for it to be properly taken care of.

Saturday Chick and Dan went back to Uma's for the morning to help level out the ground and prepare it for the floor to be poured on Monday. That afternoon we all went to the break-up for the EWC Sunday school. We had clowns and did some other games and spent some time just having fun with the kids.

Sunday we heard a message from Pastor Solomon. It was the first message he has ever given in English, everything for the past 35 years he's been in ministry was in Fijian. He did a great job. He spoke on John 11:17-44, Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

God continues to give us all divine appointments wherever we go throughout the week and we are able to freely talk to just about everyone about the love that God has for them. The people here are hungry for the relationship that God wants to have with them. We are grateful for our time here and pray that we are furthering the Kingdom of God with our presence. To God be the glory!

If you would like to see pictures, please go to the Oosterhouse's website. I'm having trouble getting the pictures on the blog mostly due to ify connections. The website is at: www.oilandflour.com , then click on the pictures page.

Originally posted Monday, December 7, 2009 on Outreach Blog

2010-04-05T20:45:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a busy week!

We did many house visits this week with families that Pastor Paula set us up with. We go out in teams, usually the Oosterhouses and the Munfradas are together, and the Derushas and Bill go out together. We also either have Pastor Paula or Uate with us. Some are believers and need encouragement or prayers for healing. Others need prayers for salvation and discipleship. So far we have seen 8 salvations in our time here. One was little 4 yr old Nathaniel from our team.

Sunday and Monday are our weekend, and our time to go to church, to get laundry done, and relax a little. We are free to do additional ministry in our free time or do tourist activities. Tuesday through Saturday are our days of ministry, these are the days that we do the house visits and other things.

This week in addition to the house visits, The Oosterhouses and Bill went to the YWAM bases at Vunayasi to do their children's program that they do every Friday. They dressed up as clowns and did songs, balloons and a Bible story.

Also on Friday the Derushas went and spent some time with a couple from EWC, Mary and Tameli. Tameli is in the military and is leaving on Monday for a year tour in Iraq. They spent some time with them in prayer and encouraging them and they prepare for this time of separation.

On Thursday and Saturday Chick and Dan went to Lautoka with Pastor Paula to help build a church building for a church plant of his. It was basically a pole barn frame with a big tarp for a roof. They will add to it as they have the funds, but for now this will suit them very well. Pastor Mike (different from the first Pastor Mike we talked to) is the pastor of 15-20 people, both Fijians and Indos.

On Saturday we were honored to be able to attend the first birthday party of an Indo-Fijian child whose family goes to EWC. The first birthday in the Indian culture is a very big deal so to be invited is an incredible honor. Unfortunately some of the men at the party were celebrating out back by drinking kava. Kava is a drink made by crushing a root found in the jungle. It has a narcotic effect and causes intoxication. Drinking kava is one of the strongholds that holds this nation captive.

On Sunday Bill gave the message at church and the Munfradas and the Oosterhouses helped with the Sunday school for the children that was during the service. The Oosterhouses led the kids in a couple of songs, and the Munfradas dressed up as clowns and taught the kids on self control. Bill's message was two fold, the first little bit was on how the people of Fiji have been ministering to us on the importance of not worrying, and taking one day at a time sometimes one hour at a time. The other half was on our class verse 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, and calling the people to step up and become the ambassadors of reconciliation that God has called us to be.

We are praising God because of the variety of things He has opened us up to doing. We are all being stretched physically, emotionally, comfortably, and spiritually. It's amazing the many ways that the Fijian people have been ministering to us. We continue to praise God for bringing us here and letting us be a part of the works He is doing here.

Originally posted Sunday, November 29, 2009 on Outreach Blog

2010-04-05T20:44:00.000-04:00

Hello again from Fiji. We are having an amazing time here already. We arrived on Tuesday, and spent Wednesday and Thursday adjusting to the time and to our new surroundings. We had a few meetings scattered about in there, but other than that we pretty much had time to ourselves. We are getting to know the staff at the hotel, and enjoy talking to them. They are very fun loving and really enjoy talking to our children.

Thursday night we joined a cell group from the Emmanuel Worship Center (EWC), one of the churches we will be working with while in Nadi. In was a great time of worshiping with our Fijian brothers and sisters. There was a message given by one of the men in Fijian that they interpreted for us. We met outside one of the cell group member's home. It was a three or four room metal shack with the kitchen in a separate little shed to the side. The poorer people live in the metal shacks, while those a little better off live in concrete block houses.

Friday morning we split up a little bit and six of our group went to the local hospital to minister to the people there, five were dressed as clowns. Four others went on a prayer walk through the city of Nadi, one went to visit a local orphanage, and 4 stayed back at the hotel due to a little sickness. Chick, Lynda, Robin, Tavita and Caleb O. were dressed up, and Caleb D. decided to go unclowned. We received lots of smiles from the people on the bus, especially from the children. The hospital group was joined by the Youth Pastor from the EWC, Uate (pronounced Watā). While there the group prayed over people that were sick and their families that were visiting. They were well received, and only one Muslim man refused to be prayed over. While there a woman who the team prayed over received healing from the asthma that she was suffering from. After that she received Jesus as her savior. Another woman, Jhatika an Indo-Fijian, that was prayed over was in the hospital for drinking a whole bottle of weed killer trying to commit suicide. She was experiencing a lot of hardship at home with her family, and couldn't take it any more. Uate lead her through renouncing the Hinduism in her life, and lead her to Jesus as her Lord and King. She also forgave her family for what they had done to her. She also forgave her one child who had died.

Dan, Bill, Joshua and Nathaniel went through town on the prayer walk. We had the opportunity to pray over a young Indo brother and sister who were looking for rent money that was due. We also ran into the DTS team, and had a great time ministering to them and lifting their spirits. They were especially excited to see Josh and Nathaniel.

Frank went to visit an orphanage right down the road from the hotel. He spent some time there praying over the staff and talking with the children. He fell in love with about a half dozen of them. From there he visited a local village and talked with the people there. On his way home he had the opportunity to talk with a man for just a few minutes while waiting for the bus. The man told Frank that he must have been “sent” because the man was so lonely.

Denise, Micaiah, Israel and Isaiah stayed behind at the hotel. Israel and Isaiah were not feeling well, hopefully just a little jet lag.

Friday night we surprised the DTS and met them at the airport and said goodbye to them for a while. They are going to Samoa for about three weeks. They were excited again to see us all. We got a chance to pray over them and send them off. Also Friday night Caleb D. had the opportunity to go to Uate's youth group. The theme of that night was that the people are seeking God's hands and not His face, meaning that we are all looking for the things that God provides for us, but not the greater blessing of truly knowing Him.

It has been and amazing time already, and we look forward to more amazing things that God is going to do through us.

Originally posted Thursday, November 26, 2009 on Outreach Blog

2010-03-16T22:20:00.001-04:00

Bula, bula, bula! (Hello, hello, hello) We made it to Fiji!! After a pretty uneventful, but long, day of travel we arrived at Nadi (pronounced Nandi) airport. The trip through customs was easy. The people here are so incredibly friendly. They are easy to talk to and eager to hear about you and where you're from. Our CDTS group is made up of 15 people, and at least one gecko, who is living in our room with us. The Derushas are Frank and Denise and their five children Caleb, Tavita, Micaiah, Israel, and Isaiah. They are from Arizona. The Munfradas are Chick and Lynda, they are from Colorado. Bill Cheney is from California. The Oosterhouses are Dan and Robin and their three boys, Caleb, Joshua and Nathaniel. They are from Michigan. We are still in the process of getting settled and accustomed to the time change. One of the Derusha kids was up at 3:30 this morning, he was still on California time. All of the kids are doing great they are loving the pool that is at the hotel. It's a great way for them to expend all the extra energy that has been built up after a 10 1/2 hour flight from L.A. We already had a meeting with Pastor Mike, one of the pastors that we will be working with in Lautoka. He gave us some insight into some specific areas that we can minister too. One of the areas he spoke about was the area of relationships, both in the church and in families. He was glad that our team was composed of couples both with and without kids. He said that we would be examples to the people of good relationships. Pastor Mike also explained to us about how the tourism trade in Fiji has caused the Fijian people to have preconceived notions about western people. They assume that all Americans are Christians. When they see Americans doing wrong things, they see it as Christians doing them,and they have a hard time believing that Christians can do such things. That is also true between the Indo-Fijians and the Fijians. Most of the Indos are Hindu, but they see all of the Fijians as being Christians, even the thieves and such. Why would they want to become a Christian if that is what Christians are doing? One of the most important things that Pastor Mike said, was that the people are sick of hearing about Jesus, they need to see Jesus. We have to give them a positive view of Christianity. One of our speakers, Dean Sherman, said that we need to show people the treasure we are, so that they will want to sell their fields (religion) and buy ours. Matthew 13:44 says: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field" We have to show the people around us that we are not like the world. We have been set apart by God as His treasure. If the world doesn't see us as any different, we have a problem. We hope that we can be a light to the people of Fiji, and that we can show them the treasure that God has made us.

Outreach

2009-12-09T19:49:00.002-05:00

We are currently in our outreach portion of our training. To follow our team go to our blog - outreachfiji.blogspot.com

Thanks

Week 4

2009-11-18T23:58:00.007-05:00

Somewhere along the way I accidentally deleted my week 4 summary that I was working on. So I will try it again.

Week 4 we had Joe Ferrante teaching on The Father Heart of God. Many people have no idea that the God loves us. We have an intellectual knowledge of it, but that's as far as it goes. We tend to believe two lies: 1. God is not good, and 2. I am not good enough for God to love me. Satan uses a pattern to condemn us, but God counter-acts Satan's deception.

Satan uses doubt, confusion, fear, despair, and isolation. God counters with truth, clarity, confidence, hope, and intimacy.

If we are going to have intimacy with God, we have to let go of one question: Why? It's OK to ask the question, but we need to be content about not receiving an answer.

Satan knows how powerful forgiveness is, that's why he works so hard against it. Forgiveness needs to be a lifestyle. We are unable to do it in our own strength.Forgiveness shakes the very foundations of hell.

This is just a brief summary of week 4. Joe was a great speaker and such a gentle and loving person.

Week 5

2009-11-15T10:32:00.005-05:00

Week 5 we had Jim May teaching us. The topic of his teaching was "With Him". God wants us to do everything with Him. It's as if God says "Hey, I'm going for a walk, you want to come? It's amazing to me just how many Christian books are man centered. Why isn't God the center? We need to realign our center to match His.

Below are 11 passages on why we are to meditate on The Word. I would like you to comment on the reasons given in the passages.

Joshua 1:8
Psalm 1:1-3
2 Timothy 3:16-17
John 8:31-32
John 15:17
Psalm 119:11
Romans 10:17
Matthew 24:35
Hebrews 4:12
Psalm 119:98-99
Psalm 81:13-14

I hope as you read through these passages that you will see the value in diving in and devouring The Word.

What's happening in Chico

2009-10-31T00:41:00.003-04:00

Here's a real life update finally. We only have 3 weeks left of our lecture phase of CDTS. I can't believe how incredibly fast it has gone and don't want it to be over yet! The teachers have been fantastic, most have been teaching around the world for decades. We still love being here. It's even more beautiful now, we've had some rain to bring out new grass on the mountains and the trees are gorgeous. The temps are still in the high 60's and 70's during the day so it feels like summer to us but with the shorter days and red trees it looks like fall...how confusing! The kids are still loving school and life here. I think they would be happy to stay here forever.

There's been a change with our outreach due to flight availability. We leave on Sunday, Nov 22 for Fiji and couldn't get a flight back until Tues, Jan 12. Because of this we won't be able to minister to homeless people in San Fransisco. That's disappointing but it gives us more time to work with people in Fiji. We still need $3,800 for our outreach expenses, this includes airfare plus transportation, lodging and most meals in Fiji. We'll be staying at the Sandalwood Inn in a town called Nadi which is near the airport and the coast. We've heard the beach there is muddy but hopefully it's not too gross. Since we'll be there in their summer it'll be 80-90 degrees in Fiji with high humidity. Sound good? Another thing, women AND MEN should wear skirts in some areas (like villages). They are called sulus and we'll have to buy some when we get there.

We still plan to drive to the YWAM base in Creel, Mexico to visit when we are done here. As much as we love this place and the people here, our hearts are still for the people of Mexico. Please keep us in your prayers during these last weeks of teaching and preparation. Please pray that our finances come in (as well as our team's finances) and pray for wisdom and we prepare puppet shows, dramas and songs for outreach. We so appreciate all the prayers, words of encouragement and financial support that you've sent our way. Praise God!

Week 3

2009-10-14T22:25:00.006-04:00

Our scheduled week 3 speaker, Donna Jordan, had to cancel due to Dengue fever. So a little rearrangement of our schedule had to be done.

The first part of the week was covered by Dale Harrison, the base director that spoke during week 1. He continued with Intimacy with God and a couple of other things.

Dale described the original intent of the altar as portable, so that people wouldn't have to travel in order to worship God. God designed it, but it had to be constructed by man. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, man became the altar to continue in the portable nature of it. We do not need to go places to worship God, we are able to worship Him where we are. There were different types of altars described in the Bible. They were made out of four different types of materials: gold, bronze, stone, and earth. The gold altar in the Tabernacle was only for the priests to use and only incense was to be burned on it. The bronze altar was for the sacrifices, very bloody. Stone altars can be built anywhere, and symbolize what we have become. In Exodus 20:25 the instruction for constructing a stone altar were given. They were to use only uncut stones, meaning only natural stones that haven't had tools used on them. God doesn't want us to dress up ourselves. He wants us to use the messes of our lives to build an altar to worship Him with.

The rest of the week was taught by our class leader Carlos Penning. He spoke on the character of God. God inspired the Bible to show us His character. He wanted to be transparent with us. He wants us to ask Him questions regarding His character, He is big enough to handle them. His character shows us that He desires a relationship with us. Our relationships with everything else, people and things, are only to be a compliment to our relationship to Him, not a replacement. We have chosen to replace that relationship with God, and seek after relationships in other places. We have made an abomination of what God desired. Indescribable horror has occurred due to our selfishness. Murder, rape, child molestation, and the list could go on and on. God could step in and stop these horrible things, but then His perfect justice would require Him to stop all sin, even mine and yours. That's not to say that He doesn't sometimes do that, but only when His people intercede for change. God has chosen to limit Himself to using His people for now.

Week 2

2009-09-24T00:56:00.003-04:00

Week 2 – Bill Payne

The Truth Box

We all have a truth box. It's the little box that we file things that we know, or think, are true. If you hear something you immediately run through the files in your truth box to verify it's true. Say if I were to tell you that the world is not really round like we all thought it was, but instead that the world is actually square. You'd take that bit of information that I just gave you and check it against all the things that you know about the earth, pictures that have been taken, eye witness accounts that have seen that the earth is actually round, etc... and you reject the idea that the earth is square. We also put things in the truth box about God. Depending on your life experiences and other influences your truth box may have untruths put in there by other people or even the father of lies himself. Untruths like: God can't possibly love me as filthy a sinner as I am or God is just waiting for me to mess up so He can zap me with lightening, or some other such nonsense. The picture of God in our truth box influences how we approach Him. The truth is God loves you more than you can imagine.

Don't believe me? Read it for yourself. Ephesians 3:17b-19 says:

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Hmmm.... Sounds pretty clear to me. Yet for some reason we read this passage and the knowledge of it stays in our head and doesn't make it down to our hearts.

Do you ever wonder why you were created? Why would God create such frail and fragile beings as us? Did anyone ever ask you why you had kids? For most of us, we had kids as an expression of our love between our spouses and us. We wanted to share the relationship we had between us with our children. That is why God created us. God had a perfect relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Out of that perfect relationship God created mankind to be a gift between the Persons of the trinity. Mankind was meant to be an expression of the love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God acknowledged that His relationship was good and He wanted more of it. It's like us having a bowl of ice cream and wanting more because it was good. Jesus didn't come so we could get into Heaven, but to restore the intimacy mankind had with the Father.

Did you know that God can't make you love Him? Love is not love unless it's freely given. If God could make you love Him you would because His will is that no one should perish, see 2 Peter 3:9.

If you're not trusting God or believing His love for you, you are attacking His character and are in league with Satan. We believe that our families love us, but we doubt God's love even though He tells us over and over again that His love for us is unmeasurable.

People sometimes reject God because they can't believe in a God that would send people to Hell. God doesn't send people to Hell. People are free to choose which path they follow. God doesn't stop them from following the path they've chosen. It's like telling someone that I want to go to Chicago, but I'm determined to take the road to Detroit. There is no way that I'm going to make it to Chicago, but I keep insisting that I'm going to make it. Then suddenly I end up right where the road has taken me. Then God gets blamed for me choosing the wrong road.

God is more interested in my pleasure than I am. He created us for ecstasy. I am valuable because I am a creation of the living God, created to have relationship with Him! I'm not valuable because Jesus died for me, but Jesus died for me because I'm valuable. If you pick up any person in the world and look at their price tag, you would see the ultimate price for each and everyone of us, every drop of Jesus blood. We are the most expensive things ever purchased in the universe!

Update we sent out by email

2009-09-22T00:17:00.003-04:00

Hello family and friends,

Sorry it's been so long since you've heard from us. Life here is much busier than we anticipated. We arrived on Sunday, Aug 30 and were shown to our house/room. We spent the rest of the day meeting people and getting unpacked. They also treated us with a steak dinner that first night as a welcome! Not bad, eh? We hit the sack early because breakfast was at 6:45 (yeah, right) Monday morning with class beginning at 8:00 for all of us. The first few days were a blur of new faces, new schedule, getting to know our housemates, etc, etc, etc. We went to bed early because all the changes wore us out! Now we feel much more settled so I have a few minutes to tell you about our life.

The YWAM base is a few miles NE of Chico, CA down a very, very, very bumpy tar road. There are many springs in the area that have ruined the road. The road follows a mostly dry creek bed through the canyon between some mountains (don't think huge, Rocky Mountains!). The surroundings are mostly brown, dead grass and many trees with greenish/brown leaves. They can go for 6 months in the summer without a drop of rain...VERY different from MI! The center of the base is the hotel from the 1920's (see www.ywamchico.com). We have all our meals in the dining hall/banquet room of the hotel. We also have meetings, worship time, prayer time, some classes and coffee time in the hotel. There are many regular hotel rooms upstairs that are used for conferences and summer youth camps. There are a few larger buildings around the hotel where the younger DTS students live, the house we (Crossroads DTS) live in and a few cabins for speakers and such. Also scattered around are numerous tiny houses where the rest of the staff lives plus a bunch of tiny cabins for visitors (hint, hint). There are lots of trees on base and we are surrounded by mountains on three sides. It's really beautiful! There are a few flowers and bushes sprinkled around to add green to the place. There is an Olympic size pool which is very much in need of a new paint job if anyone is interested. Oh, yeah, the school is by the hotel along with tennis courts and a small playground. Definitely a place we could be very happy at for a long time!

Our schedule starts with breakfast every morning at 6:45, usually only Dan goes, the rest of us have cereal at our house. At 8:00 school starts for the kids and we begin with either worship time, prayer time or lecture. At 10ish (depending on the day) there is a coffee break at the hotel complete with coffee cake or some delicious, fattening treat. Then we have lecture again until 12:00. We meet the kids at the dining room for lunch all together and at 1:00 school resumes and we have lecture or other activities until 3:00. School is done at 3:00 so the first week we went swimming everyday after school. This week will be different...work duty begins. All students are required to work 2 hours a day during the week for the 3 months we are here. Dan is doing breakfast cooking/prep so he has to be in the kitchen at 5:45 am M-F. Ugh, not for me but it's what he wanted. I was assigned to grounds so I'll be helping to weed flower beds, mow some lawn, rake leaves and other outside duties. I'm glad I get to be outside but also nervous since it'll be hard work and the temps are predicted to be close to 100 again by Friday. I prayed that I would lose weight here, God is having me sweat it off! Dinner is at 5:30 and most evenings are free but they go very quickly since we go to bed earlier.

There are 5 other students in Crossroads with us and they are all around 50 yrs old. Karen is a widow from Colorado, Chick and Lynda are from Colorado and Frank and Denise are from Arizona. Frank and Denise have 5 grown children from previous marriages and now have 5 children together ages 5-12 and all 5 are autistic. They are gluten and dairy free along with a number of other food and environmental restrictions. We can barely tell that they are autistic, they have come along way in "healing". The oldest is Caleb, he's 12 and since they are all a bit delayed he is a perfect fit with our Caleb. Nathaniel and Josh play great with the younger boys. Unfortunately, they have one lone girl that is 10, she is really outnumbered. We live in a house with Karen and Chick and Lynda. It has a kitchen, dining room, family room, living room, laundry, 2 bathrooms and a bunch of big bedrooms with lots of bunk beds. We have a room with 2 sets of bunk beds pushed together, a big desk and a big closet. The boys room is attached to ours, they have 2 sets of bunk beds and a dresser to share. There is also a big front porch which I LOVE! We have plenty of space and so far sharing has been easy. Lynda actually said that our boys were 'so quiet and well behaved'. WOW! We said that school was tiring them out.

Stay tuned for more updates!!!

Week 1 Summary Aug 31 through Sept 4

2009-09-22T00:06:00.005-04:00

Week 1 was a week of settling in and getting to know some of the staff and the base. We had a lot of orientations and mini teachings on a number of different things. We also met our CDTS classmates Chick and Lynda Munfrada are from Colorado, Karen Wells is also from Colorado. Denise and Frank Derusha are from Arizona. Derushas are the only other family with kids. They have five: Caleb, Tavita, Macaiah, Israel and Isaiah. Poor Tavita is the only girl in the bunch.

On Monday we began the day with base worship. Everyone on base comes together and we sing a few songs, and the base director gives a little message. We also had a tour of the base showing us around several of the different buildings and showing us where to go for certain things. The base was a luxury hotel back in the 20's that many people from Hollywood would visit because of the mineral springs that are still actively flowing in some areas.

On Tuesday we began the day with worship again but just with our class this time. We then continued with orientation until lunch time. After lunch Bill Cheney, the leader of the men in our group, taught on intercession. One phrase that sticks out in my mind from that time is “Lord, break my heart for the things that break yours.”

Wednesday started with worship again and after that the official DTS teaching began. Our first teacher was Dale Harrison, our base director and he taught on Intimacy with God.

Intimacy with God – Dale Harrison

Where does the world get it's concepts of God? Basically from other people. Sometimes we get the wrong impression of God from well meaning people. Some of us grew up in churches that left us with a picture of a God that is cold and heartless waiting for us to screw up so He could punish us. God is nothing like that. He is a loving God that wants a relationship with us, His children. God wants us to receive our concepts of Him, from Him. He wants to show us His heart. We are precious to Him. He wants that intimate relationship with us. That relationship has to be from the heart. All of our other relationships flow out from our relationship with God. Jesus came and gave a direct picture of what our relationships to others need to be like. Jesus example of washing the disciples feet in John 13: 12-20 was not only about washing feet, it was to show the disciples an attitude of service. We are called to serve people as priests. The priests served in three different ways. They ministered to the Lord, to the Lord's people, and to the world. We cannot relate to the world if we are not relating to each other, and we cannot relate to each other if we are not relating to the Lord.

When the Israelites wandered in the desert the tabernacle (God's dwelling) was always at the center of their camp. In the same way, worshiping God should always be the center of our lives. Worship is our destiny. Serving God is not something to do but something to be! Worship is personal, costly and transforming. Remember when Mary washed Jesus' feet with perfume? When she left his presence she smelled like him. We can go to church and hang out with our christian friends without truly worshiping Jesus, then we go away smelling like our friends and not like Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot worship. He is our inspiration, initiator, instructor and interpreter. It's possible to go to a worship service where sound is made...motions are made...but there is no worship. If what we are doing is worship, God must be the subject of our worship/song. Our worship will be limited by our God concept. Talk to God like you talk to a person, with expression and body language. As we communicate with God in love our worship will grow. God made us to be worshipers, being real is the only way to worship God. We can worship with tears, laughter and dancing. It doesn't matter how much time we spend in Bible reading and prayer but we need fellowship with God everyday.

“All service must flow out of worship lest it become a substitute for worship. We long ago learned that God will curse a substitute, but may bless a supplement...It is not an 'either/or' situation but a 'both/and'! We will worship and serve the Lord God, but in that order.”

-Judson Cornwall-New Wine Magazine-Nov 1976

Finally day 6 of our road trip!

2009-09-18T00:02:00.000-04:00

Day 6 – Saturday, August 29

(This was now over a week ago, I'll try to remember) Saturday morning we headed a couple of miles back to the salt flats. It was worth it! We took the exit by the Bonneville Racetrack but stopped just into the salt part rather than drive to the racetrack. Apparently this racetrack is one of the fastest in the world and it's just out on the salt. The spot where we stopped was not pure white but rather looked like dirty snow. There was a piled up spot that the kids climbed on just like a snowpile. We walked out to a cleaner spot and tasted some salt crystals. Cool educational moment!

On the road again...within a few miles we were in Nevada. If I remember right, Nevada was pretty boring. There were a lot of brown, rolling hills covered with mostly dead shrubgrass. Gas was about 40 cents higher per gallon in Nevada then it was during the whole rest of the trip so we watched our tank go down hoping to find cheaper gas. Big mistake! We finally entered California just north of Reno by a gas station with a big Hallejulah Junction sign by it. We really needed gas and it was another 30 cents higher in CA. Duh, isn't everything more expensive in CA? Instead of taking I-80 down to Sacremento we cut across the mountains on CA-70. It was beautiful! Most of the way was winding through mountains following a river. The whole area is a National forest so is was loaded with evergreen trees. The green was a welcome relief after the brown of Nevada.

After a while we came out of the woods into the brown, dead fields of eastern Chico. It looked so barren, I was nervous to live in this type of place. We made it to the highway and then the tears hit. I realized how far away we were from everything that is comfortable and familiar to us and for how long. We saw the Welcome to Chico sign and eventually I got a grip again. We found our hotel in downtown Chico and enjoyed our last night of “freedom” for 5 months. Yikes!

Days 4 and 5

2009-08-29T00:22:00.004-04:00

Day 4 – Thursday, August 27

Today we spent at Brad and Kelli Drenth's house near Denver, CO. She has been my good friend since I was in 2^nd grade. We took the kids to a couple of parks to burn off energy and play with Tegan and Riley, their kids. We all enjoyed the break from traveling, even if only for a day. We were treated to a fantastic dinner of tacozanga (taco lasagna), homemade pico de gallo and chips. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing each other again and the kids played so well together even though they hardly remembered each other. Tegan cuddled in bed with me for a few minutes Friday morning and said, “I'm really gonna miss you guys 'cuz I really like you.” It's always hard to say goodbye. Sniff-sniff

Day 5 – Friday, August 28

After a great nights sleep and a sad goodbye we left Denver and headed north to I-80. I was excited to drive through the mountains thinking that it would be like driving to Estes Park, CO. Well, in my opinion, the “Rocky Mountains” do not exist in Wyoming. It was rather boring and flat with rolling, rocky HILLS. We saw lots of permanent, wooden snow fences all over plus some more cattle and sheep. Around 5:30 we stopped in Evanston, WY for McDonalds and gas. The playland had little, built-in saddles for chairs by the kids tables! They were soooo cute! They also had a 'hot & spicy McChicken sandwich' on the value menu instead of the regular chicken sandwich we have in Michigan. I tried it and almost couldn't eat it, that baby was HOT!

Soon after dinner, we crossed the border into Utah. Honestly, I've never had a desire to visit Utah but it's really beautiful. We drove through actual mountains finally. The were very rocky with huge areas of gray or red rock. Mostly they were shrub/grass covered with some areas of evergreen trees. We never got above the treeline so I guess we'll have to visit the Rockies again someday for my snow covered mountain top craving. We saw a few interesting signs that you don't see in Michigan. Of course you see many 'falling rock' signs but one that made us chuckle was 'Chains required when lights are flashing'. Obviously that's a winter sign!

Salt Lake City is gorgeous. It's surrounded by mountains. I had no idea. We saw the Great Salt Lake, looks like any other big lake. Then, just past the lake, we saw miles and miles of flat land that was covered in salt. Looks like they flood the area and then wait for the water to evaporate so they can harvest the salt. Not sure if that's how it works but that was our guess. We saw a Morton Salt plant surrounded by giant piles of pure white salt. Pretty cool! We just passed through the Great Salt Lake Desert but it's too dark to tell if it's all sand or all white with salt. We can tell it's light in color and I really want to get out and touch it but it's after 9pm and we are almost to our hotel in Wendover, UT. Hopefully in the morning we can figure it out, either on-line or in person.

Thank you so much for all the prayers and facebook comments of encouragement. We can feel the prayers and know that that's why this trip is going so well. Today we saw many trees growing out of the rock on the mountainsides. I was reminded of the foolish man who built his house on the sand and the wise man who built his house on the rock. We've been learning to trust God completely and be anchored in Him. No matter what comes our way, I pray that we are strongly rooted in our Creator and Sustainer so we can weather storms when they come our way. Hotel in view, goodnight all!

Go west.... day 2 continued and part of day 3

2009-08-27T01:25:00.004-04:00

(con't) It was about 8:00pm when we arrived at Badlands National Park. Since we were on the very edge of the time zone the sun was just about to set. The Badlands are incredible! You drive through surrounded by towers of rock and deep crevices all with layers of different colors of rock. We hopped out for some pictures and let the kids climb a bit amidst the "Beware of rattlesnakes" signs. Being there at sunset was especially beautiful since there were amazing shadows on the rock and gorgeous 'sky-blue-pink' clouds. We left in the dark and heading up to Wall, SD to our hotel.

Day 3 - Wednesday, August 26

What an awesome, mighty and creative God we serve. We are truly seeing God's handiwork in creation while we drive across the country. From the landscape to the wildlife to the flowers all creation sings praise to our God! Today has been packed so far. We started out at the famous Wall Drug Store. It's a complete tourist trap with tons of little shops. Mom O, you would LOVE this place! We didn't want to spend too much time so we just shopped a bit and took some pictures. We saw the giant T-Rex in the back 'attempt to feed'. Nathaniel and Josh were terrified! Next we drove an hour-ish to Rapid City where we stopped at this little Dinosaur Park. It had a few rather pathetic, painted, cement, dinosaurs but an amazing 100 mile view. Next we drove through Bear County USA. It was pricey so we debated rather we should or not but we got our money's worth. We saw a large variety of animals but the highlight was definitely the black bears. We rounded a curve and saw 20-30 bears walking around, splashing in a small pond and walking right beside the cars. It was fun (and slightly frightening) to see so many bears up close. Next stop was Mount Rushmore just a little further south. It was inspiring to see such large replications of past presidents after walking through The Avenue of Flags. We hiked the Presidential Trail that gets a bit closer to the monument. There were a lot of steps so we were pretty hot when we finished. We stopped at a concession stand for ice cream cones. Caleb chose a cup instead of a cone and he asked the gal at the counter if he could have a spoon please. She told the gal at the register to 'give the boy a free pop' because he's the first child she heard say please today. She said she would shake our hand if she could (she had gloves on) because we are doing a great job. We were all so happy, especially Caleb with his free root beer. After Mount Rushmore we headed south through a scenic Black Mountains drive. The scenery was awesome, tight turns and tunnels. As we drove through one short tunnel we could see through an opening in the trees straight to Mount Rushmore far in the distance. That was a nice surprise! We didn't pay to do the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop because of time constraints. I think that's where the buffalo roam. So we missed fields of buffalo but did see a couple resting beside the road. After our scenic drive we started heading south towards Denver where we are spending the night with good friends. We're due to get there at 10:35pm. I'm glad we are taking a break from travelling tomorrow. It's been going great but we're all pretty sleep deprived. Today was another fantastic day of sunny, blue skies with poofy clouds. The kids did great again with just a few minor squabbles. The sunset in Wyoming tonight was breathtaking! Goodnight all.

P.S. It's really dark in Wyoming at night!

Go west..... days 1 and 2

2009-08-26T00:13:00.003-04:00

California Road Trip August 09

Day 1 - Monday, August 24

We wanted to leave at 5:00am but didn't get packed up on time. We couldn't take any of our bikes because it was too much weight for the van, that made me cry. We finally left our house at 10:22am. About a mile from home Josh asked how long it would take to get to California, we said "all week." He had a shocked look on him face and he was speechless. At 10:24 we were in front of the Hudsonville McDonald's when Caleb said, "look how far we are already!" It was a beautiful, sunny day in the 70's. The drive through Michigan and Indiana was pretty uneventful. Of course the kids loved crossing the border out of Michigan.

We took 94 to 90 (toll road) near Gary, IN and stayed on 90 to Rockford, IL and up to the Wisconsin border. The boys were amazed with the Chicago skyline. We pointed out the Sears Tower and John Hancock buildings. As we neared O'Hare airport there were a ton of planes landing and taking off. The boys were constantly spotting them. At one point Caleb let out a yell when a low flying plane scared him. Josh became irritated at this point because he is packed into the back seat of the van with the seat beside him full of stuff. Since he can only see out of one side of the van he claimed it and said that no one else may look out HIS side. He'll put up his hand and sternly say "no peeking!" We ate the yummy sandwiches that grandma VJ packed for us between Chicago and Rockford, IL. We were starving and daddy didn't want to stop driving. It was about 2:00 MI time. About an hour later we stopped at an oasis for gas, the rest of our lunch and a bathroom break. The boys thought it was cool to stand in the oasis, over top of the road and watch the traffic pass below.

Wisconsin was pretty uneventful. The boys watched some Superman videos while mom took a much needed nap. Even daddy took a couple of micronaps. The last hour of Wisconsin and first part of Minnesota were beautiful. We went through some hilly, rocky, tree covered areas that made for interesting scenery. We crossed the Mississippi River as we crossed into Minnesota. We stopped at a rest stop for some pictures. The boys had fun rolling down a small hill on the bank of the river. After driving in Minnesota for a while we were all getting sick of it. We'd been on the road for almost 10 hours and didn't want to drive to our goal of Albert Lea, MN. We called to book a room at a Comfort Suites in Rochester. It was a new hotel with free wi-fi, and the tiniest pool I've ever seen in a hotel. The boys were obviously stir crazy since they 'thought' they could run down the halls and jump on the bed. They were wrong! We swam a bit then ordered Godfather's pizza. We highly recommend their taco pizza, it's amazing! Daddy and the boys finally hit the sack at 10:30 while mom spent a little time on the computer.

Day 2 - Tuesday, August 25

We had a wonderful stay at Comfort Suites. Everyone slept till 7:30 (very impressive that the boys slept that long since that's 8:30 MI time). The hotel breakfast was fantastic and even had bacon and these cheesy, sausage things. The weather was cloudy and cooler, great for travelling. The boys and I walked around a small pond while daddy loaded pictures on Facebook. Nathaniel cried a bit when a Canadian Goose 'chased' him. I even pulled a couple of giant weeds out of the hotel landscaping (gardener at heart). We left the hotel at about 10:00, it was just starting to sprinkle. Later than I thought we would but that's ok. At about 10:30 we drove through a big wind farm. The boys LOVED it! They kept pointing and looking and exclaiming. At 11:15 it was pouring rain when a nut came loose where our wiper attaches to our van. Of course it was the driver side, the wiper flipped back up against the mirror. Dan drove for a couple of miles looking out my side of the windshield until he was able to pull over until a bridge. Oh, and this was in a construction zone so traffic was going in both directions. Thankfully, he packed a tool kit so he fixed it in just a couple of minutes and we were off again. As we pulled away Caleb said, "goodbye old, faithful bridge that kept us dry."

By 1:00 the sun had come out, we stopped for lunch about 1:30 at a rest area. Later "Here I am" is on the radio reminding us of what we are doing. We crossed the border into South Dakota the first time at 2:40. My picture of the sign was blurry and since I was showing Dan the picture he missed the tourist info rest area. So we turned around and looped back for a redo. I was happy! He rolled his eyes at me. :-) Still 1 hour to the corn palace. This day is going way too fast, it'll be another late night. We arrived at the corn palace at 4:00. It's really an entertainment auditorium with a really cool looking outside and a lot of corn murals inside. There were photos on the wall of the corn palace dating back to the late 1800's. They have to replace the corn every year so all the pictures were a little different. There was also a tourist trap gift shop and concession stand inside. The outside was the best part. We got gas before getting back on the highway. The boys jumped out for a quick snack and had fun stomping on crickets in the parking lot. We were on the road again by 4:30. The east side of South Dakota is very flat, similar to Iowa. Then, out of nowhere, there is a big hill that you go down before crossing the Missouri River. After that it's pretty hilly with almost no trees or signs of life. There are giant fields of corn, hay and bright yellow sunflowers. There are a lot of pastures too. There are giant fields covered in round bales, they even bale the grass along the sides of the highway. Day 2 to be continued.........

What do I know of Holy?

2009-07-27T16:54:00.009-04:00

I love the new song by Addison Road "What Do I Know of Holy". Take a few minutes and listen here.

Or you can read the lyrics.

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

It's a very real look into myself. If you play me in Bible trivia you'll find that I'm very knowledgeable about the Bible, but I think that I tend to keep the knowledge in my head and don't allow it to trickle down through the rest of me. I don't apply what I know in my life. I treat God too small and play along the edges of His greatness instead of diving headlong into what a wonderful and powerful God that He is. I can't listen to Him because I only hear myself talking. This is quite surprising when you consider what my family and I are heading into. We leave four weeks from today for our training in Chico. I look forward to the things that God is going to teach me about Himself. I hope I can be open to what He has to say and respond with a heart that longs to be like Him. God is greater than anything I can imagine. My feeble human brain cannot comprehend His greatness. I think I know so much but I don't. I've let pride ruin what could be a great relationship with God. What could be a most intimate relationship with God I've reduced to a meaningless memorization of ambiguous facts that I've managed to retain in my brain. I long for that intimacy more than I can tell you. These are some of the things I hope to learn while in Chico. I hope I can take the plunge and become what God wants me to be, a true worshipper of Him. He desires that more than anything else in this world. He has created us specifically for that purpose. That relationship is to be more intimate than that of the relationship between a husband and wife. This training I am going to is meant to foster that relationship and to make it grow.

Dear Lord, may I become the person you want me to be. Remove from me the things that are hindering my complete devotion to you. This is my prayer.

So what do I know of Holy? Very little.

Temple

2009-07-06T10:55:00.003-04:00

I love food. I love to eat good food. I love food so much that it has become an idol for me. Those of you who see me regularly see the results of this idol worship. I am currently about 70 lbs overweight, and I am on blood pressure medication because of my bad choices. The last couple of weeks I have begun to do something to improve my health. I have been walking every couple of days to try and get some exercise in my life (one day I accidentally walked 7 miles... yes I said accidentally, but we won't go into that right now). I like to walk it gives me time to talk and listen to God. I just got back home from a five mile walk and God was talking to me about my food consumption. I have no self control when it comes to eating. I go away from almost every meal feeling overly full. I am a glutton. I live to eat, not eat to live. I think the worst part about it is that I see my older son following in my footsteps. I am constantly warning him to have self control over his eating. But am I expecting him to do something I'm not willing to do? I think it's a case of do as I say not as I do.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

The context of this passage is talking about sexual sin, but I think it applies to any aspect of your physical body that is out of control. For me this passage shouts at me that I am to watch very closely what I put into my mouth and how much of it. Instead of two or three greasy GFS burgers why not have just one and savor it a bit longer instead of gulping it down. I eat so fast that my stomach doesn't have time to tell my brain that I don't need any more food. I need to slow the pace down at our dinner table and actually have conversations with my family instead of rushing through the meal so we can get going on the next thing that doesn't really need to be done all that quickly.

As I prepare to move temporarily to California for training, God has impressed on me that this needs to be a time of total preparation: mind, spirit and body. God wants the whole package, not just the parts that you are willing to give Him. I will continue to work on giving up the idol of food and continue to exercise so that I can be prepared for what ever service He has in store for me.

All glory to God my provider.

California

2009-06-11T07:57:00.003-04:00

It looks like we'll be heading for California instead of Texas. We were really torn between California and New Zealand, but in talking with trusted friends and prayer partners, we think that God is leading us to the base in California. There were a number of reasons why this seemed to make better sense to us. We weighed the extra cost of flying the entire family to New Zealand (between $5,000 and $10,000) and driving cross country, and realized that that extra money could be spent in a much better way. We would get to visit some friends in Colorado on the way. We would also get a chance to see more of this great country that we live in. We really didn't get the knock over the head realization that this is where we should go, but a number of friends reminded us that sometimes God doesn't specifically tell you where to go. Sometimes He lets you start down a path and if it's not where you're supposed to go He'll redirect you, like Tyler. That door was closed for a reason, we may never know why, but God does and that's good enough for me.

We continue forward with the expectation that God will guide us and provide for us.

God is good, all the time!

?

2009-06-02T16:19:00.002-04:00

Well God has told a resounding NO to Tyler TX. We got a call today telling us that the CDTS there has been canceled due to lack of applications. So we are asking for prayers for a new direction. We are currently looking into a few different places for CDTS, and trusting that God will open a new door for us to enter into. It's hard not knowing what we are supposed to be doing. We covet your prayers as we listen to God speaking, and we hope that He will guide us.

Break me Lord

2009-06-01T07:40:00.006-04:00

Robin recently found a blog describing a CDTS Outreach that was taking place in Guatemala (link here). The people were ministering to a couple of different areas in Guatemala City. One of the areas was located near a garbage dump where scores of children and families live, yes they live in the dump. A friend of mine who has seen a video of this area told me that the children will fight with the seagulls to get food. It just breaks my heart that people have to live this way. I feel so spoiled here in America. I can hardly wait to get away from here and hopefully make a difference in the lives of people like these. We are so easy to complain and grumble when we are inconvenienced just a little. It almost makes me sick to my stomach to think of all the time and money and resources that are wasted in the U.S. while these people have to fight birds just to get something to eat.

I have also been reading a story (link here requires Adobe reader) in a World Vision magazine that we receive about a reporter and her camera man living with a family in Turkana in northwestern Kenya. The writer and camera man lived with the family and ate what they did for five days. The area hasn't seen significant rain in 18 months. The people have been forced to go long distances to feed and water their animals which puts them at risk to be attacked by raiders looking to steal the animals. The family she is staying with was just attacked and lost a significant portion of their flock to the raiders (they lost 312 goats, 38 camels and 10 donkeys, leaving them with just 7 goats and 2 camels.) Please read the rest of the story. These people are starving and yet any little thing they receive they see as a gift from God and praise Him eagerly for it. We take for granted that our grocery stores will be full. We squander and waste so much we aught to be ashamed.

God has blessed this nation, but we are not fulfilling our responsibility to pass that blessing on to others. I realize that we do a lot to help, but are we doing enough? I challenge you to examine your life to see where you can change to help impact the world and make it better. If it means not getting that gourmet coffee, or giving up some entertainment choices (movies, TV, etc...) even something as simple as lowering your internet service to a slightly slower speed, or cutting back on your food choices (eating at home rather than eating out.) I am writing this to myself just as much as to any of you. The choices I have made when looking back at them sometimes disgust me. To think of all that could have been done with the money that I have wasted. I just pray that God will forgive me and guide me to better choices, and that He will break me and show me the things that break His heart. He sees those starving kids in Guatemala and in Africa and He weeps for them. I want to feel the way He feels and do something that makes a difference. I believe that is what He is calling our family to do. We will continue to listen to His calling and follow where He leads us.

We've been accepted!!!

2009-05-19T07:10:00.003-04:00

We have received our letter of acceptance from YWAM Tyler! Our plans are as follows:

June 22ish leave for Texas for 5 months training. (See here for course information) This includes 3 months classroom training and 8 weeks outreach somewhere in the world. Outreach will be determined during the training phase.

November 15-? visit the base in Creel, MX and get to know the people on base there better. We have been in contact with them on Facebook and through email. During this time we will be particularly listening for God's confirmation as to whether this is where He is leading us or not.

November ? - January ? gather support for permanently moving to Creel. We hope to leave at the beginning of next year. This of course will be determined on exactly how much we need to raise and how quickly we can raise the funds. We will get a better notion of what exactly we need to raise when we visit down there.

We really covet your prayers during this time. We have a lot of things to take care of and not a lot of time to do it. We are still waiting on the other couple to sell their house. They have had it listed for a couple of months now. Please pray that their house will sell soon so that they can purchase our house. We are still in the process of cleaning out or house and disposing all of the stuff we have accumulated during our time in this house. It's amazing how much junk you can gather in one house. Pray for us to stay on track and to remain diligent in our work.

If you have been blessed and feel God calling you to support us financially, you can do so through our church. Checks can be made out to Friendship Chapel, but DO NOT write our name on the check anywhere. Please insert a separate note saying that this is for Dan and Robin. They can be sent to our church at:

Friendship Chapel
7754 28th Ave.
Jenison, MI 49428

The cost of the CDTS is $6990 for us as a couple, plus $1755 for our children to be there as well. This covers all of the training and room and board. The outreach phase will cost an additional $2000-$2500 for each of us, depending on where we go. We understand that this seems like a lot, but we feel that the training and experience we will receive will help us tremendously in our future.

We thank you in advance for all your support either in prayer or financially.

"Mission has two categories: those who go down into the well and those who hold the rope. Either way it will cost you, and either way you will have scars." - Paul Washer, director of the HeartCry Missionary Society

Would you be willing to hold our rope while we venture down into the well?

Going forward in God's grace and guidance.

Doubts

2009-04-28T22:35:00.003-04:00

People say that they hear God speaking to them. I personally haven't heard any audible words, but I have felt His calling on my life. As a result I think that I hear a lot from Satan as well. Satan knows what God is doing in our lives and he doesn't like it. So to combat it he speaks. Oh it's not audible just like I haven't heard God audibly. He speaks in ways that we sometimes don't see them coming. He speaks to my doubts "What do you think you're doing? You're not good enough to become a missionary! God can't use a sinner like you. You're going to fail and return home disgraced." I have been feeling a little apprehensive about this whole thing lately. The home that needs to sell for our house to be sold hasn't yet. We have so much to do yet to empty our house and so much to go through that it seems overwhelming. We haven't heard if we are accepted yet from YWAM Tyler. All this weighs heavily on me. I can feel it.

Then there's the BUT (usually the BUT is the bad thing)... But God has promised to take care of us. But God has removed all my sins and made me clean. But God can use me a dreadful sinner just like all the other dreadful sinners He has used in the past. But God can and will sustain us, even when we feel like giving up and going home.

I need to remember to claim the promises of God and live them out everyday. I need to remember to "resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7) When those doubts creep up on me I need to look to His Word to answer those doubts. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." A wise friend of mine once talked about this passage. She said that it was interesting that out of such a negative book, that one of the best know verses out of it was one of the most positive and uplifting. Most of all I need to not worry. God has known our needs way before we have known that they exist. He knows right when that house is going to sell. He knows that we need the time to go through our house and get it ready. He has been teaching a lot with that as well. I am surprised at how much junk we have accumulated. Suddenly all of these things that seemed so important to us we don't even hesitate in selling or giving away. I have peace that God will work it out and that His timing will be perfect. I need to remember the words of one of my favorite hymns:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and hath shed his own blood for my soul.

It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.

Horatio G. Spafford

So I will trust God to take care of us. He hasn't let me down yet and I suppose that He never will.

It is truly well with my soul.

YWAM Tyler, TX

2009-03-28T14:11:00.003-04:00

Well we have completed the applications for YWAM Tyler. We're really excited. We just need to get them in the mail, and hand out our references that we need to get from our Pastor and some friends. Then we wait and see if we get accepted. What an awesome time of reflection. Some of the questions on the application really made you think about your motives for doing it and your walk with Christ. Oh, and there's the section on if you die while doing the outreach YWAM's not responsible for shipping your body back to your home country. Lots of medical questions and junk like that too. What a good and gracious God we have that we have these opportunities to serve Him. We have the privilege of joining with Him in the greatest work. All glory be to God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

May His name be great among the nations!!

Cadbury Mini-Eggs

2009-03-11T11:42:00.004-04:00

Easter is coming. Evidence is all over the place. Easter bunnies (which by the way is a pagan concept, if you don't believe me look it up http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/origin-of-the-easter-bunny-faq.htm) are making there way into stores along with the usual compliments of assorted candies and eggs and other various decorations.

My wife and I are especially fond of the Cadbury Mini-Eggs. We look forward to this time of year with great eagerness since this is the only time that we can purchase them. If you've never had them, don't try them, they're addictive. Thinking about how eagerly we look forward to those little pieces of candy that aren't particularly good for you and only offer a short burst of satisfaction makes me wonder why we don't long as much for the coming of Christ and the fulfillment of His reign as ruler of God's kingdom. We all spend so much time and energy longing for earthly things that God and His Kingdom get lost in the shuffle.

As Robin and I have been preparing to enter the mission field, it has become increasingly clear that our whole way of thinking needs to change to be more focussed on fulfilling the Great Commission. God's desire is that His name will be glorified throughout the earth, and nothing should stand in the way of that, not material things, not our comfortable lives, and not even family. Robin's parents have been less than overjoyed at the thought of us packing up and leaving with their grandchildren (they might miss us as well). Lately God has been laying some verses on Robin to get the point accross that we are to be obedient no matter what. Here are a few of the verses that have come up in her Bible reading lately:

Mark 10:24-31

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Matthew 8:18-22

When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Matthew 10:34-39

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -
a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

These verses are sometimes hard to hear, but speak the truth blunty. Following Christ is not to be a walk in the park with everything going well and good. The Christian life is going to marked with suffering because you have chosen to set yourself apart as His follower and are willing to do anything that He desires for you. What do you need to give up to show your allegiance to Christ and the furthering of His Kingdom? Is it not going to see movies that are unfit for anyone, especially Christians, to see (like the current movie Watchmen (for a review see here))? Is it not giving in to gluttony? Gossip? Porn? What sets you apart for Christ? We are called to be transformed, not to conform to this world. Jesus has called you to be His amassador to this world. We cannot be ambassadors of Christ and wallow in the filth of this world. The book of Revelation warns us of being lukewarm, either be hot or cold, otherwise you are in danger of being spewed.

Perspectives

2009-02-25T06:27:00.004-05:00

Wow!! I'm a little behind on my summaries of class. Well here it goes.

Week 3: Your Kingdom Come.

The Kingdom of God has already come in the person of Jesus Christ. It is actively working to destroy the evil schemes of Satan and to prepare God's people for the ultimate coming of the Kingdom when Satan will be utterly destroyed. The disciples were charged with telling others about this truth. They were to show that Jesus ushered in the Kingdom and that the Holy Spirit is now using us a believers to defeat Satan in this present age. This gives us the hope that we need that we are not fighting on our own. God is behind us and in us to bring about the manifestation of His Kingdom.

Week 4: Mandate for the Nations

Jesus started His ministry with just a few followers, and concentrated almost all of His efforts on the Jewish people. He knew that the time of judgement for the Jews was coming soon so that their time of exposure to the Gospel would be short. He did reach out to a few Gentiles at this time to show His disciples what His future plans for them would be. They were ultimately to take the Gospel and spread it to the Gentiles. The disciples at the time were very confused when Jesus worked with the Gentiles. They thought that the Messiah was only coming to save the Jewish people they didn't understand that God's plan was for Jesus to pay the debt and redeem the entire world. Jesus told them in the Great Commission to "go and make disciples of all nations", they still didn't get that they were to reach all people not just the Jews. They were finally showed what to do with the vision that Peter saw on the rooftop just before the men from Conelius . They realized now that God wanted the message of the Gospel to reach all peoples of every tribe, tongue and nation.

I will try and do a couple more later today. I still have three weeks to catch up on.

To update our lives. It looks as if we are going to be applying for the CDTS in Tyler, Texas. We have the applications and need to start filling them out. We can't wait to get started, but have a lot to do before then in getting the house sold and a lot of other things sold as well. Please pray for us as we continue to prepare.

To God be the Glory

Confirmation abounds!!

2009-02-18T16:03:00.002-05:00

God is amazing that's what I have to say.

If you don't know about the housing market in Michigan, let me tell you that it's really bad. The thought of trying to sell our house before leaving for CDTS was quite distressing. But again God in His infinite wisdom has taught us a lesson that He undoubtedly will teach us over and over and over again. With one phone call and talking separately to some other family members, we have two people already interested in buying our house. In Michigan that is near impossible. He is able to take care of seemingly impossible things. Like He's telling us "Therefore do not worry", sound familiar. Here's the full text from Matthew 6:25-34:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Why do we continue to worry? Why do we have to re-learn this lesson all the time? God will take care of us. It may not always be in the way that we like, but it is the way that He has in store for us.

We are humbled and in awe of His grace and mercy and guidance. He has proven His ability to provide for us. We will continue to trust in Him to bring us into His work for His kingdom.

May the Name of the Lord be praised.

Peace

2009-02-12T07:08:00.005-05:00

Wow, it's amazing the peace that God grants. If my unemployment had happened at any other time, both Robin and I would have been freaking out. But God has definitely been granting us peace during this time and during our quest to find His will and join in with Him.

We are currently looking into two different CDTSes, one in Lebanon, PA, the other in Tyler, TX. What's really turning us off to the one in PA is that they usually do their outreach portion in the Ukraine, and we really have no desire to go there, but we'll see what God has in store for us. We really like the site of the TX one. You can see information on both schools here:

http://www.ywamtyler.org/index.html

and here:

http://www.ywampa.org/

After the CDTS we hope to move to a small YWAM base in Creel, Mexico to help serve a tribe of Tarahumara Indians that live in the area around Creel. We've been looking at pictures of the area and of the people and are falling in love with both. My passion is to reach the unreached peoples of Mexico, and while the Tarahumara people aren't on this list we felt it would be a great stepping stone into the area of reaching the unreached people. According to joshuaproject.net there are 14 unreached people groups in Mexico. Our job as Christians is to bring the gospel to all the world making disciple of ALL nations. The use of nations in the Great Commission is not referring to the Geo-political nations that exist in the world today, but rather the different people groups that are present in the world. Reaching out to these people and bringing them the good news of Jesus Christ is an exciting and wonderful task that God wants us to undertake.

There is more information on YWAM Creel at: http://www.ywamcreel.com/home.htm

We trust in God's providence and are continually amazed at His goodness. We are feeling an incredible joy at being able to join with Him in His desire to bring His name to the world and bring the nations into worship of Him.

We continue to ask for your prayers as God guides us down this path.

P.S. I will try and and review weeks 3 through 5 of Perspectives soon.

Confirmation..... sometimes a bitter pill.

2009-01-31T06:29:00.001-05:00

Subtitle: Be Careful What You Ask For.

Robin and I this past week have been earnestly praying about doing a CDTS through YWAM this summer/fall. Robin has been wanting to do one for a couple of years, she was just waiting for me to come around. Well I finally felt we need to seriously consider doing it, even though it would mean quitting jobs and selling our house. The CDTS is 5-6 months long, and consists of 2-3 months training and then a 2-3 month outreach. Well be careful what you ask for. God may answer your prayers in a flash. We got a bit of confirmation yesterday, I was laid off from my job. We see this as a confirmation that God really wants us to pursue this and enter into full time missionary work. We are excited about what God is going to do for us and through us. We will continue to trust in Him, and trust in His provision to see us through and into the mission field.

Review of weeks 1 and 2.

2009-01-23T05:32:00.000-05:00

Week 1 of Perspectives on the World Christian movement (Perspectives) was about God being a missionary God. Since the creation of the world God has been working to bring all nations into deep worship of Himself and His name. The readings were mostly about God's calling of Abram and how his promise to Abram was really showing that God was calling the nation of Israel to be His conduit of bless to the entire world. The seed of Abraham would be used to bless all nations. The people of Israel were chosen to bring the message of hope and deliverance to the rest of the world, and ultimately to bring true blessing to the world, Jesus Christ.

Week 2 of Perspectives was about the story of God's glory. The readings emphasized that the goal of God was not to reach people but that His name would be glorified. In order for His name to be glorified to the max God calls people to gather other people from all the nations to join into worship of Him. The readings go on to say that our goal in missions needs to be that God's name will be glorified and that helping people needs to be secondary. If your main goal is to help people and meet their needs, the goal is not lofty enough and disillusionment and burnout can result. If the motivation behind all you are doing is to gather people into true worship of God, that is a goal that can inspire you to continue even through the toughest of circumstances.

This class has been amazing so far, and I'm looking forward to continuing to grow as God guides me. All praise and glory to God.

Perspectives

2009-01-16T06:14:00.000-05:00

I am currently taking a course at Western Theological Seminary called "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement". It is a course designed to teach about the purpose of missions, and to hopefully ignite a desire to enter into active missions. I will try and give a summary after each class.

If anyone is even thinking of missions, this class is for you. You can find more information at:

http://www.perspectives.org/site/pp.aspx?c=eqLLI0OFKrF&b=2806295

Welcome

2009-01-15T13:40:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my blog. For some time now my wife and I have felt called to become missionaries to somewhere in Central America (most likely Mexico). This blog will be a sort of journey to that fulfillment. Thank-you for joining us on this journey.