|
| Or maybe I should call them sparks. Whatever - I was at Acquire the Fire in Baltimore this past weekend, and simply put: God is great, and He blessed me richly this weekend with His word and leading. Here are a few nuggets from the weekend. We have needs and wants, and sometimes after we fill our obvious needs (air, food, water) we start to pursue our wants instead of our less obvious needs (God, love, relationships) Jesus cannot help us if He is not on the throne of our lives - that is the only position in which He "works" - we cannot make Him one of our priorities - He must be our only priority Jesus loves me too much to bless me without me taking up my cross Sin does not "separate" us from God - it is the act of running away from God's will for us. See the story of the prodigal son: the son ran away, the father stayed I will never be content if I choose to be complacent with letting my relationship to God only be as good as what I see other people's relationships to Him are
David Crowder Band is great in concert. We got a mini concert Friday night and it was lots of fun! I forget what all they sang, but I really enjoyed it, even though I always used to think David Crowder was kinda weird. | | |
| As many of you know, I've spent a week in Mexico each of the past two summers. Here's a letter I got from one of the directors of the ministry I go with. There's some pretty awesome news in it! Thanks for reading!
 Friend,
In the last three years, we have taken thousands of students on missions to Baja, Mexico to build homes for impoverished families. But no one really noticed, until now. Just recently, one family heard about what we’re doing and was amazed by the impact. They were so excited that they took me to the Governor of Baja to tell him how American teens cared about the poor in his country. As we sat eating verdes enchiladas in Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán’s home, I told him about the homes Global Expeditions has built in Baja and the 750 teenagers who sacrificed a week of their summer this past August to minister in some of Mexico’s poorest neighborhoods. When he found out that we were able to build such high quality homes for only $5,500, he was amazed! He did not expect the spacious, comfortable and safe homes that we showed him to cost so little—and he definitely did not think that teenagers could have built them. The Governor was so excited that he sent one of his top officials to meet our teams, and he pledged to match every dollar we raise towards building houses in Baja. That means that for every home we thought we could build, we can now build two! Join us now by making a donation to build a home in Baja. The Governor has pledge to match every donation, so $5 is doubled to $10 and will give a needy family a new home to call their own! These families will never forget that the house they live in was brought to them in Jesus’ name, and the impact is sure to pass from generation to generation. Please help us make this possible by making a donation today for these Baja homes. Our teams last summer could have built 30 homes, but they only had the funding for 9. Now you can join the Governor and help us build a record number of homes next year. Plus, you can go to Mexico from December 28 to January 4 and build homes with us! There are limited spots on the trip, so be sure to start the application process online today or call 1.866.545.6239 for more information. I would love to meet you there. Thank you again for your committed partnership and friendship. The Executive Team and I are so grateful for your dedication and sacrifice to the ministry of Teen Mania. Please also pray for me this Thursday as I meet with members of Mexico’s Presidential Cabinet. Our teen missionaries have caught the attention of the national government, too, so more matching dollars may be available. Praise God for His incredible provision! Because of Him,
Stacy Stacy Long
Director of Development
Teen Mania Ministries  
| | |
| I'd like to tell you a little bit more about my upcoming trip to India. But first I'd like to mention that my mom is currently in that very country! She left a couple weeks ago to serve with others from a church in Texas. She had never met the people she is serving with, but apparently things are going well. She's been doing work with orphans and I'm sure she's been helping at lots of meetings in the evenings. There isn't a lot of communication with the team while they are there, but I'll hear more from her when she gets back next week. I think that their main ministry time is finishing up in Orissa state, and they are headed down to Kerala now (where my father is from) to see family and visit down there. Pray that the rest of her trip would be productive, and also that she'd gain some more insight on what to do after she retires from her current job. She thinks that she would like to go work with children in India.
Now, as for me... I will be travelling for two weeks at the beginning of next year. I'm going through an agency called Global Partners in Peace and Development. It is overseen by my friend Jon. I was introduced to Jon by my friend Matt. They're cousins, and though Jon lives down in VA, he's been up to see us in PA a few times, and even led a study for our youth group on a retreat one year. He was also Matt's best man in his wedding this past summer. And he forgot his tux. Jon's a good guy :) Matt's older brother Jason is also going, and I'm friends with him. So despite the rest of the team being absolute strangers (just like my mom!) I know it's going to be good just from having those two around. I'm still hoping Jon's dad comes, too, but he's up in the air right now...
Going into all the details is pretty boring, and besides, it's not like I've actually lived them yet. I'll tell you all more about it next year, when I've been! So instead, I want to share a story with you about a boy, and about what is happening there, and what I'm going to be a part of...
Rajendra Putti is a young Indian boy much like any other Indian boy you would find in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Rajendra was orphaned and brought to live at a childrens home in Mudinepally, a village in that state. There he played alongside other boys and girls, was fed and clothed, and able to take schooling. Through the loving witness of Motro, his caretaker, and other Christians around him, Rajendra has begun a relationship with the one living God, and has put his faith in Him!
In August, as Rajendra was riding his bicycle to school, he was struck by a truck, severly injured, and knocked unconscious. He finally woke up a day later, in a hospital bed while doctors debated over whether surgery on his brain would be necessary. Operations on his left arm and leg were successful but he was still in a daze. Then Rajendra developed a fever, and shortly after that, some of his wounds became infected. Through all that, the prospect of major brain surgery lingered.
Many of us prayed for Rajendra to be healed, and our Father in heaven answered our requests by touching Rajendra's body and beginning to make him whole again. And now that he is up and about again, I can see a glimpse of why he was healed. Jon was able to visit with Rajendra, and he tells, "He is already telling others that his God is the One who healed him and He is the God they need to worship!" Rajendra himself said, "I know that God saved my life because He wants me to tell others about Him. I want to be a pastor and preach the Gospel."
Rajendra is recovering now with a family until he is well enough to rejoin the others at the childrens home. I hope to meet him when I go next year! If you'd like to read more about Rajendra's story, you can do so here. As Jon mentions there, we still have a financial need to cover the rest of Rajendra's medical expenses. Perhaps you would like to make a small gift to help? | | |
| As I mentioned in my last entry, I spent most of last week up in Maine with my parents and one of my college friends. I had a smooth trip up, leaving PA Wednesday morning at 4AM, and arriving in my parents' driveway at 11:45. They weren't home, which didn't surprise me, since I knew they'd have last minute shopping to prepare for my mom's trip. Having been in the car for that duration, with the exception of a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts in CT for breakfast, I needed to, y'know, so I drove to the local McDonalds and took advantage of their nice public restrooms. When I got back to the house, I parked again in the driveway, and my parents pulled up a couple of minutes later. They had no idea who it was at first, despite the PA plate and the fact that it was the same-exact-car-my-mom-used-to-drive-and-sold-to-me-when-I-moved. When they finally figured it out, they were very happy to see me. And so, even though my mom was flying out Thursday, for the day she was home, she still ended up making sure I was taken care of while I was home, cooking for me. I did do my own laundry for a change. But through it I gained a deeper understanding of how much my mom loves me. That evening, my friend Steven took us out to DiMillo's Floating Restaurant. I ordered the wrong thing (because my dad ordered what I was going to order) but it was still pretty good. By the way, I don't recommend the lobster. Not because it's not good, but because I'll make you three for the price they charge ;) Thursday, our pastor came to spend some time encouraging and praying for my mom, and after that we drove down to Boston to drop her off at the airport. She was a little nervous, because she had to fly to Frankfurt by herself and then meet the group with whom she was travelling to India. She had also never met any of them. We ate our packed lunch together and then saw my mom off through the security checkpoint. It's about a day and a half trip out there, and sure enough I got a call at 12:30 Saturday morning from my mom letting us know that she got there safely and that India is "beautiful." She called again after I had left, so it sounds like so far she's doing great. She'll be there for about three weeks though, doing ministry for the first two, so please pray for her! As for me, I spent Friday lounging around the house. Both Steven and my dad had to work all day, and I was supposed to "work from home" but I wasn't as productive as I planned to be. See, there's this issue with my parents having cable... The reason I only have antenna tv isn't entirely because I'm cheap... When Steven got home, we went out to Back Bay/Back Cove/The Boulevard (it has lots of names) and went for a 5k walk/jog. I actually felt better at the end of it, which amazed me. I think I could have kept walking around again. And then I probably would have been unable to walk for a week. We got home and made spaghetti and salad to go with the meatballs my mom had prepared Wednesday. After dinner we settled in for ALCS game 1 of which I stayed up for the duration. Saturday was another chill day. My dad got home from work that morning (he had a 12 hr shift then 12 hrs on call - thankfully he was staffed redundantly during the call period, and wasn't needed). Steven and I went out to Portland Headlight / Fort Williams Park and did some light hiking and wave watching. We cooked some more for dinner and I again stayed up for game 2, which sucked. Sunday I went to church with my dad, and then we came home and made a chicken dinner for the two of us (Steven went to a different church and went out hiking after the service). The sermon was very good, some highlights: It was political, in the sense that the government was talked about, but it was more spiritual - both pastors talked about how, regardless of which candidate wins, our hope and security doesn't rest in their policies and wisdom. We should pray for them so that they lead the country well, and honor God, but God is our only true source of what we need. One pastor also shared from James, about how the "news" two thousand years ago is just as true today. (Aside: I tend to agree with the teachers that say that in the end times, the US won't be around. In a way, I've come to understand the US's role in world affairs as a ward of Israel. So long as Israel remains protected, it will not be destroyed by its many enemies. But we won't be around forever. And we are still a sending nation in the missions sense. It's just, we've drifted so far from where we started.) After finishing up at home, I picked up some things that I can only get in Maine, including a wedding present for a friend/coworker, and hit the road for the long haul back to PA. As you can see, I made it safely :) | | |
| Hey everyone - I'm in New England for a few days. It was a spur of the moment trip. My mom's going away for a couple weeks on a missions trip, and I wanted to see her off. So tomorrow (Thursday) I'll be driving her down to Logan airport where she'll fly out from. After that, I'm pretty much free. My friend Steven is staying with my parents right now, so I'll probably hang out with him Thursday night. After that, I have nothing planned. I'll either stay at home Friday and work, or leave Thursday night and come down to Boston if anyone wants to host me. Or maybe I'll come down Friday night, or Saturday. Anyway, I'm just letting you all know in case you want to see me while I'm up here :) In related news, I have a pair of tickets to ALCS game 5 in Boston Thursday night (10/16/08). I don't plan to be in Boston for the game, but got the opportunity to buy the tickets and thought it would be worthwhile. They're up on stubhub right now for a semi-ridiculous amount, and if they sell, well, then I won't have them anymore. But I can take them off if there are any takers... Go Sox! -edit- Before I forget - people have asked me about Fireproof, so I plan to do a review on it. Hopefully soon. Also, I'm hoping to post about my hunting experiences this past week, and finally, a little update on the trip to India. | | |
|
