This will be my last entry. It's been a little over a week now since project has ended. What a summer. There were good times, there were bad times but in all times God was there. Even when I didn't know what He was doing, God was working. There are many things that I am realizing as time goes on and so much more that God will continue to reveal as I reflect. For now, I'm super stoked when I think about project and how God was glorified through the summer.
And I want to thank you all for following allow in my journey this summer through the blog. I hope this blog was a blessing to you as it was a blessing for me to reflect on and gave you a picture of what God did this summer. I thank you for partnering with my team and me this summer. Thank you for supporting us and praying for us. I know that none of this would be possible without God working through you and your prayers for our summer. I have much more to share than what I put in this blog so feel free to ask me anytime. You were a part of everything God did in Hawaii and in our lives this summer. Thanks again.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
It's coming to an end
Project ends in 2 days. It's sad. It's exciting. It's a whole bunch of emotions all at once. In some ways, I'm ready to go. In other ways, I feel like there is more that can be done. It's humbling to be on a short term mission like this where for pretty much all of the people you've met and shared with, all you can do is trust in God for the paths that their lives take because we won't be able to experience life with them. It's hard to let go but our lives should be all about letting go to God.
When I think of my experience on project, the word that comes to mind is trust. It seems like such a simple concept yet we can forget it so quickly. Trust God with all the good things in life, trust God with all the bad things and most importantly trust Him with the ugly part of your life. Only God can transform lives and the first step is trusting Him.
When I think of my experience on project, the word that comes to mind is trust. It seems like such a simple concept yet we can forget it so quickly. Trust God with all the good things in life, trust God with all the bad things and most importantly trust Him with the ugly part of your life. Only God can transform lives and the first step is trusting Him.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Risky Business
So this is where we're at. There is 1 week left until project ends and you know what we do? We revamp our whole schedule. Now, during the days we no longer have ministry teams so we no longer tell people where and what to do. Until night time on most days there is nothing planned but the time is open for whatever each person on the team wants to plan and do with their time. I mean we're still going to be evangelizing but there will just be less structure in the sense of telling people what to do. It's expected that people will continue to go and share and meet up with people.
The heart behind it was that we were feeling very drained, burnt out, and just doing things for the sake of doing things instead of pursuing and loving God. So, we took 2 days off for personal retreat. Then, thursday we started this new thing. We want people to work together, to work with people they haven't gotten a chance to work with yet, and to try new things out. People are excited and that's a good thing. To be honest, I am really scared about what will happen. This is a risk and we're excited to take it to see what God will do with it.
Pray that we would be strong as a team this last week. That we would want to see God glorified and to love God. Pray that we would continually trust in God.
The heart behind it was that we were feeling very drained, burnt out, and just doing things for the sake of doing things instead of pursuing and loving God. So, we took 2 days off for personal retreat. Then, thursday we started this new thing. We want people to work together, to work with people they haven't gotten a chance to work with yet, and to try new things out. People are excited and that's a good thing. To be honest, I am really scared about what will happen. This is a risk and we're excited to take it to see what God will do with it.
Pray that we would be strong as a team this last week. That we would want to see God glorified and to love God. Pray that we would continually trust in God.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Worship
On last Sunday night we were invited to a special service at the First Assembly of God church by some of the local friends that we'd made. Some people we'd met were leading worship that night and it was a joint youth and adults praise night. It was an awesome night of worship.
Just the chance to be there was great. I honestly didn't really want to go. I was tired of hanging out with people but I went in just wanting to worship God. That's exactly what I got to do and it was awesome. I was able to just be there, uninhibited and lift up praise to God.
That night was a commissioning night for the new leaders in the church and so as the pastor was praying over the new leaders, I was like God, this is the prayer for our team. Let us just be a team that will love you, a team that just wants to seek your face, and a team devoted to you. At the end of the service, the pastor called up all the young adults and youth in the congregation and prayed over us as well, empowering us the to be the generation that rises and leads. It was a special night to say the least.
I was so excited that night and so joyful. But so quickly after coming back to "project stuff", I was brought back to earth. And even though emotions come and go, I know God is faithful.
Just the chance to be there was great. I honestly didn't really want to go. I was tired of hanging out with people but I went in just wanting to worship God. That's exactly what I got to do and it was awesome. I was able to just be there, uninhibited and lift up praise to God.
That night was a commissioning night for the new leaders in the church and so as the pastor was praying over the new leaders, I was like God, this is the prayer for our team. Let us just be a team that will love you, a team that just wants to seek your face, and a team devoted to you. At the end of the service, the pastor called up all the young adults and youth in the congregation and prayed over us as well, empowering us the to be the generation that rises and leads. It was a special night to say the least.
I was so excited that night and so joyful. But so quickly after coming back to "project stuff", I was brought back to earth. And even though emotions come and go, I know God is faithful.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
That was good different
I started to pick up guitar this past semester and mostly just messed around. I figured I would mostly just be playing the guitar for worship if ever because it's not like I would become an awesome guitarist and perform or anything.
So, last thursday one of the guys was like, hey Kevin can you lead worship for tomorrow's devotional time? And I was like uh... uh... uh.. okay. I had never led before but I knew this was something I wanted to try at least. So for the whole night I was pretty scared. I was trying to pick songs I felt comfortable playing and singing, and I ended staying up until like 2:30am doing a directors evaluation and some last minute practicing.
So it's the morning and I'm getting some more last minute practicing in. I felt the need to just come before God and lift it up in prayer, asking Him to make this not about my performance but about worship to God. To have these songs be full of worship. And so I just went to our devotional time and just worshipped.
Leading worship is a interesting thing. It's nothing like I've experienced during worship before. Even though their is the temptation to feel like you're performing for others or for God, the heart of it is all worship and when that comes out, it's an awesome feeling. It's great to just worship with others and even though you're "leading" it, it's great to just worship in that time.
So, last thursday one of the guys was like, hey Kevin can you lead worship for tomorrow's devotional time? And I was like uh... uh... uh.. okay. I had never led before but I knew this was something I wanted to try at least. So for the whole night I was pretty scared. I was trying to pick songs I felt comfortable playing and singing, and I ended staying up until like 2:30am doing a directors evaluation and some last minute practicing.
So it's the morning and I'm getting some more last minute practicing in. I felt the need to just come before God and lift it up in prayer, asking Him to make this not about my performance but about worship to God. To have these songs be full of worship. And so I just went to our devotional time and just worshipped.
Leading worship is a interesting thing. It's nothing like I've experienced during worship before. Even though their is the temptation to feel like you're performing for others or for God, the heart of it is all worship and when that comes out, it's an awesome feeling. It's great to just worship with others and even though you're "leading" it, it's great to just worship in that time.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Divine Appointment
When I felt like it was a dead end, God opened a path.
When I wasn't aware, God kept pursuing.
At the most random times, the Spirit moved powerfully.
And before I knew it, God had orchestrated something wonderful, a new brother in Christ!
(There's a story behind this but I don't feel like posting it. Ask me sometime and I'd love to share it.)
When I wasn't aware, God kept pursuing.
At the most random times, the Spirit moved powerfully.
And before I knew it, God had orchestrated something wonderful, a new brother in Christ!
(There's a story behind this but I don't feel like posting it. Ask me sometime and I'd love to share it.)
The real start to project
So project has finally reached the point where staff leaves. It’s something that we’ve known and have anticipated. Staff leaves halfway through the project so that they can attend a national Campus Crusade staff conference but now it’s viewed as a chance to empower the students as leaders to carry on the work here. We had a banquet where the staff shared and commissioned us to continue on. It was really sad to see them go but also exciting to see what God has in store for us.
Each student has picked up different responsibilities that the staff once held in order to keep everything running. Things still operate the same way for the most part but with the added responsibility. My new role is operations project director. I am one of three project directors that together lead and coach the entire team. We are here to help each student grow as leaders in their respective roles. I also have an added emphasis on finances for the team and logistical issues.
Project without staff has only just begun but things have been going well. We weren’t quite prepared for the rest of the week but God has provided and is working. Historically, projects start to take off and amazing things happen after staff leave. We've been given the opportunity to truly take project and run with it. I’m excited and hopeful, knowing that God does have great things in store for us and will deliver mightily.
Each student has picked up different responsibilities that the staff once held in order to keep everything running. Things still operate the same way for the most part but with the added responsibility. My new role is operations project director. I am one of three project directors that together lead and coach the entire team. We are here to help each student grow as leaders in their respective roles. I also have an added emphasis on finances for the team and logistical issues.
Project without staff has only just begun but things have been going well. We weren’t quite prepared for the rest of the week but God has provided and is working. Historically, projects start to take off and amazing things happen after staff leave. We've been given the opportunity to truly take project and run with it. I’m excited and hopeful, knowing that God does have great things in store for us and will deliver mightily.
Schedule
Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. It’s been busy and I’ve been lazy. I was talking to some of my friends the other day and I realized that I haven’t really talked about what a week to week schedule looks like for us so I’m going to lay it out for you guys right now.
Sundays we have church in the mornings, time to meet, and then something called Ohana time where we meet together as a team and are able to share and grow.
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays we go out in 3 groups and go through a rotation. One day is working with the homeless, one sharing at the beach, and one sharing on campus at University of Hawaii. We do this from 9:30am-3pm on those days and then we have debriefing at 5pm as well. At night on those days we have training, small group, and other meetings at night.
Fridays we have body mode evangelism and men’s and women’s time. Body mode evangelism is like inviting people into the body of believers and through a fun game or whatever and then talk to them and share with them.
Saturdays is either a creative outreach or a team social. What we’ve done so far is on july fourth we went sharing and last Saturday we went to swap meet and dole plantation.
That pretty much wraps up a typical week for us. Of course details are different each week but here’s a general feel for what we’re up to. It’s a busy schedule. Sometimes we go from like 8am-10pm pretty much straight and it’s pretty draining. Earlier this week I was definitely feeling pretty tired but it’s better now. 3 weeks left. Let’s push it now.
Sundays we have church in the mornings, time to meet, and then something called Ohana time where we meet together as a team and are able to share and grow.
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays we go out in 3 groups and go through a rotation. One day is working with the homeless, one sharing at the beach, and one sharing on campus at University of Hawaii. We do this from 9:30am-3pm on those days and then we have debriefing at 5pm as well. At night on those days we have training, small group, and other meetings at night.
Fridays we have body mode evangelism and men’s and women’s time. Body mode evangelism is like inviting people into the body of believers and through a fun game or whatever and then talk to them and share with them.
Saturdays is either a creative outreach or a team social. What we’ve done so far is on july fourth we went sharing and last Saturday we went to swap meet and dole plantation.
That pretty much wraps up a typical week for us. Of course details are different each week but here’s a general feel for what we’re up to. It’s a busy schedule. Sometimes we go from like 8am-10pm pretty much straight and it’s pretty draining. Earlier this week I was definitely feeling pretty tired but it’s better now. 3 weeks left. Let’s push it now.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Reason to CELEBRATE!!!
There have been a lot on my mind this past day or 2 but there is nothing more important to share than the experience today. I celebrate today not because of independence day for the United States but rather the awesomeness of knowing that 5 people have accepted Christ! My partner today Tim, and I had the privilege of seeing 3 of these 5 accept Christ.
Today we went sharing at Magic Island where many gathered and camped out in preparation for the July 4th festivities and fireworks. The story that resounds most for me today was seeing 2 guys, Taylor and CJ come to know God. Tim and I had been walking around talking to people for a while and we hit some what of a slump. People just didn't seem to want to talk and we couldn't find people that weren't sitting in giant groups hanging out. We noticed a guy sitting on a ledge by himself and Tim was like, "Let's do this." While we approached, some of his friends approached him as well. I was like, oh shoot, more people, what are we gonna do? I did not want to initiate. But Tim decided to still initiate and so he started talking to the guys. He asked if they were willing to listen to what he had to share about something that had transformed his life and they said sure. So there were a couple guys but the main to were Taylor and CJ. Tim basically jumped straight into the gospel and started sharing the four spiritual laws in our booklet that we use.
I then decided to sit with CJ and share a booklet with him so he could better follow along as Tim read and explained it. They were both following along well. At one point, I was slow to turn the page in the booklet and CJ took the booklet from me, turned the page and gave it back to me. We get to the end of the four laws and ask if they want a life with themselves as the center on the throne of their life or one with Jesus in the center on the throne with them yielding to Him. They both decide the life with Christ as the center. At this point, I was like wow, hmm, this is something. And so we went to talking about the prayer to accept Jesus Christ. I read through the prayer with CJ and afterwards asked him what it meant. He highlighted how Jesus died for our sins and our sins are forgiven. He mentioned how we can have eternal life by believing that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Then I was like, this is it! He's got it. And so we prayed the prayer together. I mean I was just reading it and I look over and CJ has his head bowed and eyes closed and he just repeats after me. And afterwards, I'm just in awe of what God has done and excited to be there to see this new brother in Christ. I talk to Tim afterwards and the same thing happened for Taylor as well. How awesome is that!
And so God totally worked in the lives of Taylor and CJ. Keep praying for their walks as well. We saw how powerful prayer was today, asking God for an external perspective, to be filled and guided by the Spirit, and to see God to work in powerful ways.
Today we went sharing at Magic Island where many gathered and camped out in preparation for the July 4th festivities and fireworks. The story that resounds most for me today was seeing 2 guys, Taylor and CJ come to know God. Tim and I had been walking around talking to people for a while and we hit some what of a slump. People just didn't seem to want to talk and we couldn't find people that weren't sitting in giant groups hanging out. We noticed a guy sitting on a ledge by himself and Tim was like, "Let's do this." While we approached, some of his friends approached him as well. I was like, oh shoot, more people, what are we gonna do? I did not want to initiate. But Tim decided to still initiate and so he started talking to the guys. He asked if they were willing to listen to what he had to share about something that had transformed his life and they said sure. So there were a couple guys but the main to were Taylor and CJ. Tim basically jumped straight into the gospel and started sharing the four spiritual laws in our booklet that we use.
I then decided to sit with CJ and share a booklet with him so he could better follow along as Tim read and explained it. They were both following along well. At one point, I was slow to turn the page in the booklet and CJ took the booklet from me, turned the page and gave it back to me. We get to the end of the four laws and ask if they want a life with themselves as the center on the throne of their life or one with Jesus in the center on the throne with them yielding to Him. They both decide the life with Christ as the center. At this point, I was like wow, hmm, this is something. And so we went to talking about the prayer to accept Jesus Christ. I read through the prayer with CJ and afterwards asked him what it meant. He highlighted how Jesus died for our sins and our sins are forgiven. He mentioned how we can have eternal life by believing that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Then I was like, this is it! He's got it. And so we prayed the prayer together. I mean I was just reading it and I look over and CJ has his head bowed and eyes closed and he just repeats after me. And afterwards, I'm just in awe of what God has done and excited to be there to see this new brother in Christ. I talk to Tim afterwards and the same thing happened for Taylor as well. How awesome is that!
And so God totally worked in the lives of Taylor and CJ. Keep praying for their walks as well. We saw how powerful prayer was today, asking God for an external perspective, to be filled and guided by the Spirit, and to see God to work in powerful ways.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Buy into it
Last week we had men's time which involved some running, heavy lifting, and most importantly communication. One of the activities that we had to do was walk a certain distance with 2 planks of wood positioned like skis with all 7 students on top of the boards at all time. For the first half of it, I was in front, pulling the planks of wood while we tried to step in unison. In the beginning, everyone was trying to take the lead and keep tempo or whatever and it was a giant mess. After a while the other guys were like, listen to Kevin, he's in front. He should keep tempo because he has to pull the wood. So I was trying to lead it and it was really frustrating. We would start going then someone would lose footing or the board wouldn't move as far as we wanted it to and we'd have stop and begin tempo again. What I didn't realize until later is that I was having a hard to leading mostly because I didn't buy into the way we were approaching the challenge. I wanted to try doing it a different way. I kept on asking the guys if they had any other ideas. I wasn't on board with the whole process and it hindered us.
So can you lead if you don't believe in it yourself? The short answer is no. How can you inspire your team if you're not inspired? How can you lead people a certain path if you don't trust the path you're on? How can you lead others to buy into what you're doing if you're not sold yourself? That's why it is so important to cast vision and to catch on to that vision. To be sold to the mission at hand.
That's how I felt for that activity but it's also how I've been feeling so far for project as a whole. I personally feel like I have only begun to catch vision. I've been feeling lost in everything that we've had to do as a team and have not been able to believe and trust in God's plan for us this summer. Sometimes I feel like I'm just going through the motions while talking to strangers, being in small group, participating in everything we've been doing as a team. And through God's hand I've only begun to buy into God's plan to see a movement grow, to see people come to know Jesus, and to capture this campus and island for God. I'm also starting to see how God's wants to embrace each and everyone one of us on project to love us and grow us as well.
Pray that we'd be able to see and catch vision that will spur us to do God's work like none other, to keep each other accountable to our mission, and to continually rely on God.
So can you lead if you don't believe in it yourself? The short answer is no. How can you inspire your team if you're not inspired? How can you lead people a certain path if you don't trust the path you're on? How can you lead others to buy into what you're doing if you're not sold yourself? That's why it is so important to cast vision and to catch on to that vision. To be sold to the mission at hand.
That's how I felt for that activity but it's also how I've been feeling so far for project as a whole. I personally feel like I have only begun to catch vision. I've been feeling lost in everything that we've had to do as a team and have not been able to believe and trust in God's plan for us this summer. Sometimes I feel like I'm just going through the motions while talking to strangers, being in small group, participating in everything we've been doing as a team. And through God's hand I've only begun to buy into God's plan to see a movement grow, to see people come to know Jesus, and to capture this campus and island for God. I'm also starting to see how God's wants to embrace each and everyone one of us on project to love us and grow us as well.
Pray that we'd be able to see and catch vision that will spur us to do God's work like none other, to keep each other accountable to our mission, and to continually rely on God.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Gospel Everytime?
I am the worst blogger ever! I'm usually too lazy to blog or too tired and I apologize for not keeping you guys updated since getting to Hawaii. It's been a interesting 6 days so far, that's for sure. It's been highlighted on confusion, and uncertainty. I've been thinking through a couple different ideas and this one came to mind.
Over this past week, we've gone evangelizing 3 times: once at the mall, beach, and campus. We use different "tools" that Campus Crusade lays out quite nicely for us, but the question I always think about is whether or not to share about the work and story of Jesus to every single person I talk to.
During the school year, I'd always love to jump right into talking about "spiritual" things and all I really wanted to do was tell them about Jesus. I found, however, that making relationships is important and being too driven just on making a presentation is not right. And so, these days when I went sharing, I tried to get a feel for where people were. If they were seeking something more, then try to bring up who Jesus is and what He did. But, most people that I've talked to weren't really actively seeking or didn't care enough to ask what I believed. This made me think, this approach that I've been trying isn't very good either. It's important for everyone to hear about Jesus even if they think they don't need it or want to know about it.
So now I'm trying to direct conversations more to talking about who Jesus is and what He's done for us. I have found that this needs to be a priority. What do we have if we don't have Jesus? Sharing about Jesus is not something that we as believers should only tell people when we feel like it, when they want to hear, or when it's convenient. This news is so important that we want everyone to know. If they don't accept Jesus' message, then so be it. We took the initiative to share, and only God can change hearts. It's a personal thing. There's a balance in sharing with people: being sensitive to who they are but also having a desire for them to understand the love, grace, hope, joy, and peace in knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Thinking about it from a pro con perspective, what is the worst that could happen if you share about Jesus to someone? They reject you, they reject God, they go on with the way they were living. What's the best that could happen? They accept Christ!!! A pretty obvious choice there.
Pray for humility, boldness, and sensitivity. Pray for discernment, love, and grace. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead, to protect, and to fill.
Over this past week, we've gone evangelizing 3 times: once at the mall, beach, and campus. We use different "tools" that Campus Crusade lays out quite nicely for us, but the question I always think about is whether or not to share about the work and story of Jesus to every single person I talk to.
During the school year, I'd always love to jump right into talking about "spiritual" things and all I really wanted to do was tell them about Jesus. I found, however, that making relationships is important and being too driven just on making a presentation is not right. And so, these days when I went sharing, I tried to get a feel for where people were. If they were seeking something more, then try to bring up who Jesus is and what He did. But, most people that I've talked to weren't really actively seeking or didn't care enough to ask what I believed. This made me think, this approach that I've been trying isn't very good either. It's important for everyone to hear about Jesus even if they think they don't need it or want to know about it.
So now I'm trying to direct conversations more to talking about who Jesus is and what He's done for us. I have found that this needs to be a priority. What do we have if we don't have Jesus? Sharing about Jesus is not something that we as believers should only tell people when we feel like it, when they want to hear, or when it's convenient. This news is so important that we want everyone to know. If they don't accept Jesus' message, then so be it. We took the initiative to share, and only God can change hearts. It's a personal thing. There's a balance in sharing with people: being sensitive to who they are but also having a desire for them to understand the love, grace, hope, joy, and peace in knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Thinking about it from a pro con perspective, what is the worst that could happen if you share about Jesus to someone? They reject you, they reject God, they go on with the way they were living. What's the best that could happen? They accept Christ!!! A pretty obvious choice there.
Pray for humility, boldness, and sensitivity. Pray for discernment, love, and grace. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead, to protect, and to fill.
Friday, June 26, 2009
why did we watch transformers?
So, our flight from LA to Hawaii was Wednesday morning at 8am. This meant that we had to get up and be ready to go by 5am. Team Japan was also in the same situation so the japan team decided they wanted to watch the midnight showing of Transformers 2. And we were like, yea let's do that too! Okay, so we go and watch the movie. Previews started at 12am and we got out about 2:45am. Everyone was exhausted. I was exhausted. I even fell asleep during the movie. We walk back to the place we were staying at and it was at least 3:30am. I went to sleep probably around 4 only to wake up at 4:30am to get ready for the plane ride. This led to a miserable morning, flight, and extreme fatigue once we got to Hawaii.
Was it worth it? No way. Not at all. Transformers was a horrible movie. I don't tend to dislike movies. For example, I was okay with the new terminator and actually enjoyed x-men wolverine. But wow, transformers was really bad. It probably didn't help that I was already exhausted but that was not fun. I mean bonding with the team was good, but the movie was really really bad. I'm just glad we made it to Hawaii on Wednesday after a long night and day of travel.
Was it worth it? No way. Not at all. Transformers was a horrible movie. I don't tend to dislike movies. For example, I was okay with the new terminator and actually enjoyed x-men wolverine. But wow, transformers was really bad. It probably didn't help that I was already exhausted but that was not fun. I mean bonding with the team was good, but the movie was really really bad. I'm just glad we made it to Hawaii on Wednesday after a long night and day of travel.
It's just money
After seeing how faithful God was in providing for me financially, I thought support raising was done and it was time for "project" stuff . Little did I know, God had a different plan. Barely a day had passed at training when we found out that we were actually short $13,500 due to a budgeting error which thus set our original support goals about 500 dollars short of what they needed to be. Everyone was taken aback little. There were some clears signs of frustration in both the leaders and the students. Even with this shock, people still remained confident that things will work out. God will provide like He already has and I knew that well on a personal level. What is $13,000 to God? Essentially nothing.
So the next day during team time, we spent some time sharing about what we were feeling about raising all of this extra support which was a good time for the team to connect and encourage one another. Then, everyone jumped full force into making phone calls. It was awesome to see. We were all together in a room, 27 people total, and everyone was on the phone, talking to people, sharing our situation and really being available to seeing God move. In that time, there was anxiety and fear, but even still the room had an air of confidence in our God. After about 1 hour, about 5500 dollars of support had already been raised. That's craziness.
And so for the next 2 days of briefing, support just kept coming. During team times, we would go over some things to get ready for Hawaii and then work together to raise the rest of the support. And support poured in like none other. Seeing the progress each day was ridiculous and we know it was all God. By Tuesday night, we had met our goal of $13,500 and even passed it. I mean how crazy is that, and it is really a testament to God working and His faithfulness.
The first "mountain" that occurred on this project was moved by God and used by Him to bond us even more together as a team. It revealed yet again God's faithfulness and His provision for us as we continue to do His work in Hawaii. Thank you guys for the prayer and support. PRAISE GOD!
So the next day during team time, we spent some time sharing about what we were feeling about raising all of this extra support which was a good time for the team to connect and encourage one another. Then, everyone jumped full force into making phone calls. It was awesome to see. We were all together in a room, 27 people total, and everyone was on the phone, talking to people, sharing our situation and really being available to seeing God move. In that time, there was anxiety and fear, but even still the room had an air of confidence in our God. After about 1 hour, about 5500 dollars of support had already been raised. That's craziness.
And so for the next 2 days of briefing, support just kept coming. During team times, we would go over some things to get ready for Hawaii and then work together to raise the rest of the support. And support poured in like none other. Seeing the progress each day was ridiculous and we know it was all God. By Tuesday night, we had met our goal of $13,500 and even passed it. I mean how crazy is that, and it is really a testament to God working and His faithfulness.
The first "mountain" that occurred on this project was moved by God and used by Him to bond us even more together as a team. It revealed yet again God's faithfulness and His provision for us as we continue to do His work in Hawaii. Thank you guys for the prayer and support. PRAISE GOD!
Friday, June 19, 2009
What a start!!!
Wow, project officially starts tomorrow and already it's been sooo crazy. These months since getting accepted and getting support letters out and raising support and everything has been just amazing. Before today I had $3970 dollars of support out of the $4100 needed. That in itself is a testament to God working. I mean support has poured in this last week like I could have never imagined jumping from $2000 dollars last friday to $3970. God was working in the hearts of people to give what they could to make this project happen. Thank you all so much for all the prayers and supporting me financially! And to wrap things up, today was probably the craziest and sums up this whole support raising time. Where would that last $130 dollars come from??
So this afternoon I went to go get the mail in anticipation to receive some more checks that would round up the rest of the support. I get the mail, and there were no checks. My heart sank. What was I to do now. To give context, from when I applied to summer project, I didn't want to accept any money from my parents to show them that God would take care of me and His faithfulness. I mean, I'm thankful that my parents support me as I go and want to support me financially as well but I knew I didn't want to take their money. Throughout the process they told me that they would just spot whatever I didn't raise and I would always be like, uh we'll see...
It's the day before project starts and I'm short $130. It's not a ton of money but it put me in a strange position. Should I ask my parents for that $130? Should I pay out of my pocket (which is essentially the same thing as asking my parents)? Should I see what Campus Crusade could do? Should I make more phone calls and try to get more support? All these thoughts came up but I had to go to a dentist appointment and then my parents office to copy some stuff so I put them in the back of my head. When I was driving home from my parents office I was at a crossroads. I was going to call my sister Helen to seek her advice but instead just started praying. I saw that part of me didn't see how the support could come in at this point. But then, I remembered, this is God. He is all powerful. He can do anything. So, I just asked God to pull through in a way that only He could, just trusting in Him. I got home and I played some PS2.
While I was playing, I text my sister Nancy to tell her that we go over our cell phone minutes too much, should text when possible, and to see how her missions stuff was coming along. She responded and asked also if her boyfriend could still give to project and how much I had left. I told her her boyfriend could still support and that I had $130 left. Not really expecting anything, my sister then responded saying her boyfriend was gonna give the $130 to bring it to $4100 exactly. WOW!!! What an answered prayer right there! I mean, crazy! God pulled through in a way that was totally all Him.
What a way to start project. All support has come in and God is truly faithful. All along I knew it was gonna come in, and when my faith wavered, God remained to bring it back to His glory. I'm super excited to go, to be challenged, to grow, to serve and to see God glorified. He's gonna do some awesome things this trip. He already has and it hasn't even begun.
So this afternoon I went to go get the mail in anticipation to receive some more checks that would round up the rest of the support. I get the mail, and there were no checks. My heart sank. What was I to do now. To give context, from when I applied to summer project, I didn't want to accept any money from my parents to show them that God would take care of me and His faithfulness. I mean, I'm thankful that my parents support me as I go and want to support me financially as well but I knew I didn't want to take their money. Throughout the process they told me that they would just spot whatever I didn't raise and I would always be like, uh we'll see...
It's the day before project starts and I'm short $130. It's not a ton of money but it put me in a strange position. Should I ask my parents for that $130? Should I pay out of my pocket (which is essentially the same thing as asking my parents)? Should I see what Campus Crusade could do? Should I make more phone calls and try to get more support? All these thoughts came up but I had to go to a dentist appointment and then my parents office to copy some stuff so I put them in the back of my head. When I was driving home from my parents office I was at a crossroads. I was going to call my sister Helen to seek her advice but instead just started praying. I saw that part of me didn't see how the support could come in at this point. But then, I remembered, this is God. He is all powerful. He can do anything. So, I just asked God to pull through in a way that only He could, just trusting in Him. I got home and I played some PS2.
While I was playing, I text my sister Nancy to tell her that we go over our cell phone minutes too much, should text when possible, and to see how her missions stuff was coming along. She responded and asked also if her boyfriend could still give to project and how much I had left. I told her her boyfriend could still support and that I had $130 left. Not really expecting anything, my sister then responded saying her boyfriend was gonna give the $130 to bring it to $4100 exactly. WOW!!! What an answered prayer right there! I mean, crazy! God pulled through in a way that was totally all Him.
What a way to start project. All support has come in and God is truly faithful. All along I knew it was gonna come in, and when my faith wavered, God remained to bring it back to His glory. I'm super excited to go, to be challenged, to grow, to serve and to see God glorified. He's gonna do some awesome things this trip. He already has and it hasn't even begun.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Back from the Chi
Just got back from Chicago yesterday and it was quite a trip. Not that I did a whole lot because I don't think I actually did that much but it was a much needed homecoming. Since moving out to LA, this was my first time going back. Going through college I was like, I'm not home sick, my home in Diamond Bar is just a nice house that feels a little too much like a hotel. But what I didn't realize was that I was home sick... for chicagoland. Upon returning, I felt re-energized and it felt good being with people I grew up with in an area I grew up around. I was really glad to be "home"
Being there for a couple weeks, it felt almost like I'd never left. I was driving the same car I drove around when I did live there and I did about the same things that I'd normally do. Being able to spend that time with friends and family opened my eyes to the great community that I have in chicagoland and I'm so thankful that God has provided this community for me. But the time there also showed me that my time in Chicago is over. I don't live there anymore and although I have this community that I can readily go to anytime, my life is now predominantly at USC and in LA where God has also blessed me with great community. After the trip, I now feel closure by going "home" once again and getting ready to move on.
This brings me to 3 days before project starts. I'm more excited than ever, already seeing so much of God's faithfulness which I'll talk about later, and finding the closure in Chicago to be ready to live in the now for God.
Being there for a couple weeks, it felt almost like I'd never left. I was driving the same car I drove around when I did live there and I did about the same things that I'd normally do. Being able to spend that time with friends and family opened my eyes to the great community that I have in chicagoland and I'm so thankful that God has provided this community for me. But the time there also showed me that my time in Chicago is over. I don't live there anymore and although I have this community that I can readily go to anytime, my life is now predominantly at USC and in LA where God has also blessed me with great community. After the trip, I now feel closure by going "home" once again and getting ready to move on.
This brings me to 3 days before project starts. I'm more excited than ever, already seeing so much of God's faithfulness which I'll talk about later, and finding the closure in Chicago to be ready to live in the now for God.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
18 Days left
There are 18 days left before Epic Hawaii begins. I haven't been giving God my all these past weeks. I've been so concerned about my own rest, my own fun this summer, and not enjoying God. I want to change my heart, to let it seek after God, to draw near to Him and enjoy His presence. I'm back "home" (chicago) for the first time in a year, and it's been great seeing friends and being back where I grew up. But no matter how awesome being "home" is or seeing all my friends, nothing can compare to the awesomeness of being with God.
In my heart, I think I often trick myself into thinking that the more righteously I try to live or the closer my walk is with God will result in more blessing from Him. My hope rests on the blessings and not God himself. Especially in this time where I'm scrambling to get my support for project together, I try to tell myself that as long as I keep doing right, reading the Bible and spending time in prayer, God will bless me. That's not to say that doing those things are wrong, but the motivation is wrong. It's true that God does want to bless us, but more importantly He wants us to love Him with all we got and how our hope should be founded in God alone, not what he does for us.
I trust that God will take care of me and take care of the support that still needs to be raised. I will not worry but instead, enjoy God and draw near to Him.
In my heart, I think I often trick myself into thinking that the more righteously I try to live or the closer my walk is with God will result in more blessing from Him. My hope rests on the blessings and not God himself. Especially in this time where I'm scrambling to get my support for project together, I try to tell myself that as long as I keep doing right, reading the Bible and spending time in prayer, God will bless me. That's not to say that doing those things are wrong, but the motivation is wrong. It's true that God does want to bless us, but more importantly He wants us to love Him with all we got and how our hope should be founded in God alone, not what he does for us.
I trust that God will take care of me and take care of the support that still needs to be raised. I will not worry but instead, enjoy God and draw near to Him.
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