wow this is a long one...
So yea it has been pretty awesome the last few weeks...
There was a guy at the skate park, where we go on Friday nights to share Christ, who maybe 5 weeks ago was offering to buy my soul ...and then, after many hours or holy spirit led conversations on Friday nights and one lent book, has told me that he now believes that Jesus lived. He is still having trouble with the whole God issue but we have made progress!! I am soo excited that I have seen the fruits of my labor!!!
Another interesting story goes like this. We send a team about 5 hours south to a city called Wanaka every weekend to work with a lighthouse church down there. Well 2 weeks ago as a team was driving down, in the dark, the front left tire of their van exploded! The driver of the van did his best to regain control of the van as it was swerving around...but to know luck the van completely flipped over and landed on its side! When the van stopped the leaders called from the front seats to make sure everyone was ok, considering all the broken glass around them and the fact that the van had just rolled, they heard every person...except for one. As the van rolled one girl had gone out a window and now on the ground outside the van. Moments later they heard the last voice calling to them from outside the van...everyone was fine...only minor scrapes and bruises. After they got out of the van they were all filled with joy! They danced and sang praises to God, they read scripture and prayed! When the policemen arrived...they discovered that he had had a headache for the majority of the day that would not go away...they prayed for him and it was gone! God took what could have been a deadly tragedy...and turned it into joy, safety, and healing!! But the reason they were saved from such a tragedy was because before they drove out of Oxford they all prayed protection over the van...God works!
Another amazing story involves outreach fees that were due. Since outreach is so close we can feel it, people were starting to become worried about how they were going to get their money in on time. So the leaders decided that we would have a giving day. One day set aside to allow God to fully work in our financial lives. The one and only place in the bible where God says to test him in when it comes to our money...I suppose that is because...its not our money its his. Now, as a group, we didn't have some minor amount of fund that hadn't come in...we needed somewhere around $25,000 collectively! In one day...we raised $15,000. That money was given only by the students here at the base...nowhere else. All the giving was God inspired. I guess my story goes like this...i needed $3,500 for my outreach phase fees. I felt God telling me to give just 50 US dollars, which would be about $70 NZ, to an individual who was almost all paid and just had a little more to go. My first thought was..."wow God, i need 3,500 and you want me to give up money?!?!" but he just replied with a "just try me", so I did...i gave it. I want you to know that i cried absolute tears of humility when i found out, that when it was all over...I had received $1,500...NEARLY 21 TIMES WHAT I HAD GIVEN!!! I have learned the power and might of my God!! He works!!!
On a much lighter note i am learning German! I am really enjoying it a lot! One of my good friends here is a guy names Stefan, and he is from Germany. One of Stefan's greatest struggles is that he does not speak English very well...now, he has gotten much better from the time he first arrived but its still very broken. I became good friends with him, in part because of anyone here God gave me the interpretation of his broken English...no matter what he was saying...even sometimes when he was substituting English words with German...its been really fun! So between the two German guys here teaching me German i am learning how to better communicate in another language! It’s really fun...because my speech has gotten to the point where i can even joke with Stefan in German!
Well the two Chile/Argentina teams, which consist of 17 people, leave early Friday morning...and that is become such a very sad idea. I have built a family here and now they are being scattered to the wind. It is ok though...they are going to fight the good fight. Next week the Palau team leaves and the following week my team (South Africa), China, and the Jordan leave. It is a hard reality knowing that the ones you have grown to love are going away, and not only that, but the next I see them all, i will only have 5 days with them! The nice part of this sad story is that if i ever feel the need to travel the world...i will have a place to stay...hahaha!
I was also able to meet with the man who is in charge of Snowboarders For Christ Canada this week. I am getting a lot of very useful information on how to begin a branch of SFC when i get back...but that story is going to have to wait...cause i have to go now...I love you all very very much!! You have been soo supportive and I appreciate it more then you know!!! I hope you are all doing well, and feel free to write me...i will do my best to get back to you!
There was a guy at the skate park, where we go on Friday nights to share Christ, who maybe 5 weeks ago was offering to buy my soul ...and then, after many hours or holy spirit led conversations on Friday nights and one lent book, has told me that he now believes that Jesus lived. He is still having trouble with the whole God issue but we have made progress!! I am soo excited that I have seen the fruits of my labor!!!
Another interesting story goes like this. We send a team about 5 hours south to a city called Wanaka every weekend to work with a lighthouse church down there. Well 2 weeks ago as a team was driving down, in the dark, the front left tire of their van exploded! The driver of the van did his best to regain control of the van as it was swerving around...but to know luck the van completely flipped over and landed on its side! When the van stopped the leaders called from the front seats to make sure everyone was ok, considering all the broken glass around them and the fact that the van had just rolled, they heard every person...except for one. As the van rolled one girl had gone out a window and now on the ground outside the van. Moments later they heard the last voice calling to them from outside the van...everyone was fine...only minor scrapes and bruises. After they got out of the van they were all filled with joy! They danced and sang praises to God, they read scripture and prayed! When the policemen arrived...they discovered that he had had a headache for the majority of the day that would not go away...they prayed for him and it was gone! God took what could have been a deadly tragedy...and turned it into joy, safety, and healing!! But the reason they were saved from such a tragedy was because before they drove out of Oxford they all prayed protection over the van...God works!
Another amazing story involves outreach fees that were due. Since outreach is so close we can feel it, people were starting to become worried about how they were going to get their money in on time. So the leaders decided that we would have a giving day. One day set aside to allow God to fully work in our financial lives. The one and only place in the bible where God says to test him in when it comes to our money...I suppose that is because...its not our money its his. Now, as a group, we didn't have some minor amount of fund that hadn't come in...we needed somewhere around $25,000 collectively! In one day...we raised $15,000. That money was given only by the students here at the base...nowhere else. All the giving was God inspired. I guess my story goes like this...i needed $3,500 for my outreach phase fees. I felt God telling me to give just 50 US dollars, which would be about $70 NZ, to an individual who was almost all paid and just had a little more to go. My first thought was..."wow God, i need 3,500 and you want me to give up money?!?!" but he just replied with a "just try me", so I did...i gave it. I want you to know that i cried absolute tears of humility when i found out, that when it was all over...I had received $1,500...NEARLY 21 TIMES WHAT I HAD GIVEN!!! I have learned the power and might of my God!! He works!!!
On a much lighter note i am learning German! I am really enjoying it a lot! One of my good friends here is a guy names Stefan, and he is from Germany. One of Stefan's greatest struggles is that he does not speak English very well...now, he has gotten much better from the time he first arrived but its still very broken. I became good friends with him, in part because of anyone here God gave me the interpretation of his broken English...no matter what he was saying...even sometimes when he was substituting English words with German...its been really fun! So between the two German guys here teaching me German i am learning how to better communicate in another language! It’s really fun...because my speech has gotten to the point where i can even joke with Stefan in German!
Well the two Chile/Argentina teams, which consist of 17 people, leave early Friday morning...and that is become such a very sad idea. I have built a family here and now they are being scattered to the wind. It is ok though...they are going to fight the good fight. Next week the Palau team leaves and the following week my team (South Africa), China, and the Jordan leave. It is a hard reality knowing that the ones you have grown to love are going away, and not only that, but the next I see them all, i will only have 5 days with them! The nice part of this sad story is that if i ever feel the need to travel the world...i will have a place to stay...hahaha!
I was also able to meet with the man who is in charge of Snowboarders For Christ Canada this week. I am getting a lot of very useful information on how to begin a branch of SFC when i get back...but that story is going to have to wait...cause i have to go now...I love you all very very much!! You have been soo supportive and I appreciate it more then you know!!! I hope you are all doing well, and feel free to write me...i will do my best to get back to you!