What Do We Stand For?

Back in February of last year, a group named Fun came out with a song, Some Nights. It’s catchy and upbeat yet the lyrics haunt me:

…O Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for oh What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Most nights I don’t know anymore…
 …I found a martyr in my bed tonight She stops my bones from wondering Just who I am, who I am, who I am Oh, who am I?

True to Fun’s style, they manage to sum up this generations approach to life- a casual, nonchalant stance on the fact that, actually, we have no stance at all. Well, that’s not fair. We do have stances; after all we have strong views for or against pro-life, gay marriage, gun control, etc. Many of us will do our homework on which presidential candidate to vote for, however, we have a casual and nonchalant stance toward God. THE most important decision that will shape how we live this life and what will happen after we die and most of us have no thoughts. We may have questions, but hardly will look for answers. Does He exist? Who is He? Is He near or far? Did He make us and forget us? Is Jesus really God’s Son? What about Buddha and Muhammad? Is there only one right way to heaven or will we all get there?

Having trouble answering those questions? You’re not alone! Many of us wrestle with them, even those raised in Christian homes. I struggled with the idea that God was involved in my life and that He loved me no matter what. I felt distant from Him. It took 5 years of pushing God away to realize how unsatisfied I was without Him. I had many friends but felt alone, a job that helped people but felt unfulfilled, and a constant desire for wanting to be more. More of what, I had no idea, but surely there was something more. Enter Jesus.

In a second He changed everything. He showed me what He thought of me, gave me purpose and my reason for living… living well, and loves me like crazy. They say that a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. Well that’s me. You can tell me what you think about God if you’d like, tell me He’s mean, unjust and pull out the Bible to prove it, but I’m not interested. I’ve experienced Him. I know the difference He’s made in me and those around me. There was a man that loved me enough to die for me. My stand is for Him, always. My identity is found in Him, forever.

So, since we are clearly not a lazy generation, with all the social injustices and equal rights that we fight for, I encourage you to do something for yourself. Search out what you stand for, or most importantly WHO you stand for. Know why you believe it on a deep and personal level. Let it change who you are and how you operate. Make it a priority. I recommend Jesus, who “came so we can have life and have it to the fullest.” –John 10:10. He's my greatest adventure.

Oh your cross, it changes everything ~There my world begins again with you~ Oh your cross, it's where my hope restarts~ a second chance is Heaven's heart

- Rend Collective Experiment, Second Chances

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6RNJ6HDTpU

It's all happening so fast!

This school year we have been blessed with 8 awesome students! They are passionate about serving the Lord and having Him guide their steps. What a blessing! We started the school year with a missions trip to Mississippi to visit Dr. Perkins who is doing work with racial reconciliation in Jackson.

Our outreaches this semester are to the West Side Market where we minister to the vendors, holding VBS in our apartment complex, teaching morals to an inner-city school and also participating in an after school program from junior high students.

Above is a picture of our students at the Scranton Road Health Fair helping pass out food :) I'm always amazed to see the transformation take place in the students. Most of the time, they don't even know it's happening! On a personal note, I have begun the process of becoming an Assembly of God missionary! Please pray as God guides me into His perfect will for my life. Love you, thank you for your prayers and support! Linny

I left my heart in the Amazon

This summer trip to Peru blessed and refreshed me! We took a team of 15 back to Iquitos and to some of the same villages along the river. The students ranged from 15-24 in age and 12 out of the 15 of them were girls! They were so willing to lead devotions, build relationship with strangers, encourage eachother, I'd gladly work along side of them every day!

A couple of my favorite memories were leading a group of kids to the Lord during our VBS time. It was so sweet to see them raise their hands and repeat in Spanish that they want Jesus to be their best friend and guide them through life! Another moment that I'll remember is when a group of us when into the village leaders home. He was very hospitable to us and soon we began talking about what he thought of the movie we showed him the night before called God Man. While he did not accept Jesus that day, the Holy Spirit used each one of us to show him the truths about God and I believe that one day soon, he'll come to know Jesus as Savior!

Lastly, the kids are always my favorite memory! They are so sweet and loving and helpful! Often, they'd see us carry something and they'd take it out of our hands and put it on top of their heads and run ahead of us and wait at our set up site. The tiniest little girl helped me down a hill, giggling the whole way as I tried to keep up with her and not fall. We played a simple hand game that they loved so much and repeatedly wanted to play. The night we had to say goodbye to them, it was pitch black out and I held a little boys hand all the way to the boat until our fingers slipped out of eachothers hold. Him and his friends chased our boat along the shore yelling "Ciao" and "I love you" while waving their flashlights, until we could no longer see them. Those moments stick with me and they remind me that this is what I was created to do. There is no doubt in my mind that I'm called to full time missions, that children will be the center of my focus and that God has a plan for each one of them and us! Also, I was able to stay behind and go to Machu Picchu and Cuzco for a couple days. I think I see God best when I see His creation. He just amazes me!

End of an Era

We wrapped up this first school year with a day of graduation and rememberance as we shared some of our favorite memories through out the year and the trip. We poked at our quirky/weirdness, wreckless driving, strange sayings, embarrassing moments and also how God revealed himself to us. I was so blessed to hear the students look back and see how God changed their heart or opened their eyes to things we've missed. A couple things the students have learned was that you never graduate from being a servant, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. They also caught a glimpse of God's heart for the nations and that's something that they will take with them.

Somewhere inbetween Iquitos and Nato, we were all on a bus heading to the river and I looked over at my students and palm trees were flying by their heads and straw huts were set in the background and they were reading their devotions and Bibles and God just whispered to me, "Look how far we've come." And it had nothing to do with our location, and everything to do with how much we've grown since the begininng of the school year. I was so blessed to be a part of their life in a small way and experiencing their changes. Thank you for supporting us and being a part of God moving, I know these students are world-changers!

I didn't quite finish the last part of the trip to Peru, but I'll just list some of my favorite parts of the trip: *In the city, the children kiss you on the cheek and say ciao when it's time to leave *Seeing people come to know Jesus as their Savior *Playing volleyball and soccer with the kids *Vacation Bible School with the kids *The kids *Chasing the kids on the flooded sidewalks as they yell "haylo!" *Taking baths in the Amazon *Walking out of the church, knee deep in water and looking up at the stars and upside down Big Dipper with the students *Worshiping in Spanish and English with a bunch of teenagers from Iquitos *Meeting all the crazy YWAM'ers on the base *The kids *Seeing God restore a village and a Pastor *Being a part of a baptism in the Amazon River and baby dedication *Dancing with the kids *Going bathroom on the boat, while it was moving (see picture below) *Getting out of my bed to drive 15 minutes by myself to find carlos and give him a Bible and tell him that God loves him *Trying to talk in spanish and use gestures to ask questions to puzzled spanish speakers *Learning to live dead *The kids *Talking about our strengths from our own tents at night as a group *Nightly church services *Finding a dead alligator on our boat as a gift from the community. *Knowing that God has confirmed that long term missions is something He has for me *Realizing that my passions are kids, sports and God and that I can combine all 3 of those on the mission field and feel refreshed and alive! *Our wonderful translator and guides who led us and cooked delicious meals for us as we traveled up and down the Amazon! *Eating alligator, fish eyes and worms *Trying to mime to one of the men in the village that we want to fish and then when we finally are out on the river, we realize we forgot our poles! *The kids

Even though you weren't there, please know that the people that were touched during our time there was because of you. Thank you for your prayers, your financial support, and your encouragement. Please continue to pray for us as Agora recruits for Fall semester and for our summer trip back to Peru in July. For more pictures, go to: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700160650818.2104235.53701690&type=3 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."- Ephesians 4:1-2

people or demons?

We left the first village, slightly excited to rest on the boat ride and get away from the mosquitos and chiggers, however, the boat ride was only 15 minutes so there was no rest for us! As soon as we landed we started to plot our night service.

When we got to this village, we were told that no one except the pastor and his family would go to church. Apparently, there has been a lot of spiritual warfare and many bad things have happened to the pastor and his family. The most recent was the passing of his daughter shortly after giving birth to her 6th kid. When we asked one of the people in the village how many people attend their church, they responded with "people or demons?" We knew we were in for a much more difficult time.

We prayed a lot and slept very little in this village. Every day we had VBS and games with the kids. 2 o'clock bathing times with the village. Lots of funny moments as we tried to balance on logs so to not fall completely in the river but it didn't work. The water was refreshing but we never seemed to feel or smell clean!

The kids were attentive to our Bible stories and programs. Church services at night were interesting. Many kids came in but few adults. In fact, the adults would stand outside the church and watch our dramas, listen to us share testimonies and preach, but not come in. Even the nights we showed a movie (The Passion of the Christ)! We continued to pray and intercede on behalf of the village whenever we weren't in front of the church.

One of the last days we were there, the pastor and the mayor met with Randy and other men in the village. They had time of prayer and discussion and finally a break through happened between the pastor and the mayor where they confessed to each other for not respecting each other and holding up their end of responsibility. That night, the mayor rededicated his life to Christ.

We were able to fit many people in the village with eye glasses which were donated. The village seemed to come alive as we went door to door asking the women if they needed help and just serving them. We talked to them in spanglish, washed dishes with them, hung up their laundry and showed God's love.

Our sleeping arrangements were pretty rough, we slept in an open hut which allowed for dogs and cats to roam around our tents all night. We woke up with fresh bites (over 200 bites per person, no lie!) and constantly scratching, it was incredibly hot to play futbol with long pants and high socks on. Going to the bathroom was a chore and an experience every time, but through it all, I know that I can get through anything with God. In fact, coming away from that last intense village, I realized that in this next season, I will be happy anywhere there are children (besides the US). All I have to do now is let God guide me and be obedient :) Life is good with God!

I hope you all are doing well and staying refreshed in God's goodness and faithfulness! More VBS and church renovations in the city this week and back to the river next week!
Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, you will reap the harves- Galatians 6:9

In the jungle the mighty jungle...

The trip on the river was incredibly rough but even more so, rewarding! The 5 hour boat ride, feeling fresh and loving the scenery, playing cards and laying in hammocks was a dream! Our spirits were high because we had no clue what to expect but we were just excited to be on the river going to villages.

The first village we went to was called Santa Isabel. The village was flooded and we found ourselves carrying all our bags wearing boots because the water was up to our calves. We arrived at sunset which meant we had to move fast because the mosquito’s would start to swarm. We quickly sent up the tents in the church we stayed at, ate dinner and went to bed. In the morning we met with the Pastor and discussed how our week would shape up, what activities we would do and what he thought needed to be done or what the village needed to be challenged on. Each morning we met at the boat at 7 a.m., then went right into VBS back at the church.

The children were sweet and playful. They loved our felt boards, even though we thought they would think they were outdated! We sang silly songs with them in Spanish, did a craft that had to do with our lesson and then played games with them in the soccer fields. When we were done, we normally would play volleyball or futbol until lunch.

The afternoon usually brought more play time, personal devotion time, or bath time. At night, we would have a church service where we performed our dramas, shared testimonies, worshipped and preached. The people were friendly and receptive. By the end of our time there, 3 people were baptized, 12 kids and a couple adults accepted Jesus, 11 kids were dedicated to God, the church was dedicated, 30 pairs of eye glasses were given out.

A few highlights were chasing the kids through the murky water. We first went out there to bathe (in the river, where they poop, pee, bathe, drink, use the water to cook with, find crocs and poisonous snakes, etc). but it soon turned into a game of tag with the kids yelling “hello” with sweet little accents and then jumping into the deeper portion of the river. What other choice did I have then to throw off my boots and join them?! No choice :)

The people at this village were incredibly receptive and warm. It was a great way to start our trip on the river off!

***all of a sudden I can't load pictures anymore so more of those to come later. Here's my facebook link again to see more!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700160650818.2104235.53701690&type=1&l=0e07ef6114

love you!!

Peru!!!

We have finally made it to Iquitos! It feels like the whole school year we've been looking forward to this trip and it's hard to believe that it's happening!
The first day we were here, we did a couple children's ministries through out the day. We've now settled into a routine of morning devo's, afternoon prayer walks, skit practices, spanish class, and then various outreaches. We've tried to end each night with soccer games (mostly us ladies watching and screaming oleee ole oleeee! as the guys play).

We've been able to play with the kids and also share our testimonies and do some of the skits we've prepared.

Iquitos is beautiful and so are the people. They also drive crazy aka like me!

We are taking this first week here to bond with the YWAM students. They are also teaching us Espanol and drama's for when we go on the river.Ole! YWAM and Agora joined together Friday night for a social night- Here we are playing a game called Chubby Bunny, i.e. put as many marshmallows in your mouth as possible and the person with the most wins (me) :)

Our days are full but we are looking to things settling down this week. We leave tomorrow for 8 days on the Amazon. We will be teaching VBS and also sharing our testimonies and possibly preaching in the village!

God is working on our hearts and opening our eyes to a lot of different things. He has also placed a lot of confirmation that long term missions is definitely His will for my life :)

Please pray for our safety and health as we go to the river. Most importantly, pray that the people we visit will be open and respond to the message of God's love for them and that they come to understand how valuable they are to Him!

Thanks for your prayers. We will write you when we get back. Here are 2 links to more of the pictures we've taken so far: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700160650818.2104235.53701690&type=1#!/media/set/?set=a.325496387508059.73461.137580899632943&type=3

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.700160650818.2104235.53701690&type=1&l=0e07ef6114

lots and lots of love!