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The Confession

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Doing outreaches in New York City can be just as adventurous as going abroad on short-term missions trips! You never know quite who you’ll meet. Here’s a story of one unforgettable encounter I had while ministering in Manhattan.

In 2008, I felt God drawing me to serve with the New York School of Urban Ministry (NYSUM).  NYSUM provides training and housing for short-term missions teams ministering in New York City.

As an associate staff member, I would take teams who were visiting from out of town on outreaches to place like The Father’s Heart Ministries soup kitchen, to local shelters, and also on homeless outreaches.

The place I used to take teams to on homeless outreaches was in midtown. The team would hand out sandwiches, toiletries, and blankets and then we’d get to speak and pray with the men waiting on line to enter a facility where I’m told they sleep on metal chairs instead of beds.

I’ve met all kinds of homeless people. I must say most are friendly and welcome a listening ear. Some are well versed in the Bible. A few have thanked me profusely for spending time with them and have said they would like to one day do the same thing that I was doing! So sweet.

I have fond memories of many of them. Many of the guys at this particular site had just come from out of town and had no place to stay.

Then there was this one guy who shocked me.

One evening, I was talking to a man who seemed deeply burdened. I had prayed with other guys numerous times before, but it seemed like something was really weighing this man down.  When I asked him what I could pray for, I thought he would say something rather standard such as for a job, an apartment or for good health. But he surprised me by saying, “Forgiveness.”

So I began to pray for him. Normally, I would then invite the person to pray silently, but for some reason I felt like he needed to get whatever it was off his chest so I suggested he say whatever he needed to say to God out loud and that it would remain between him and God.  I wasn’t prepared for what he was about to say next.

With tears streaming down his face, he asked God to forgive him for shooting someone. Huh? I was stunned.  But at the same time, I was honored that he felt that comfortable that he could say that in front of me.  I continued to pray for him and soon it was time to leave.

Only as I was heading back to the van with the team did all these thoughts start racing through my mind including, what if he still had the gun with him?

Looking back, I’m sure I could have handled the situation much better, but on that particular night I felt like my job was not to judge the man or make sure that he was arrested.  God would take care of that. On that night, I felt that I was called to just listen and pray for a man who was in deep distress.

It reminds me that there is no pit too deep that Jesus can’t redeem us and rescue us from it!  Sure we may not have shot anyone, but we still have sins that we need to confess to God and sometimes even to each other.

Yes we are saved in an instant but sanctification, or being set apart for God and being molded into the image of Christ, is a process. It happens over a lifetime.

Could I encourage you to take a moment right now and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and to shine a light on any unconfessed sin that you may have? If something comes to mind, don’t ignore it. Just ask Jesus to forgive you. Ask Him to give you the strength to stop doing/saying/thinking that or to start doing/saying/thinking what you know you should.

The Bible says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:8-9)

What a wonderful Savior we have! Receive your forgiveness from Jesus and ask Him to cleanse you and help you make a brand new start. To read more about how Jesus cleanses us, click here.

If this encouraged you, please feel free to leave a comment or to press “Like” below.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Short-term missions trips 101

These days more and more people are asking me how I started going on short term missions trips and sharing with me that they are interested in going as well. Awesome! There’s a big, beautiful world out there with too many people who don’t know the Lord!

As I’ve shared before, I’m more of an accidental short-term missionary. I’m no “expert” in this field. However, after going on four short-term missions trips I’ve learned a thing or two so I’d like to share that info with you as you make your decision to GO!

Pray, pray, and well PRAY! – Short-term missions trips shouldn’t be confused with vacations or getaways. Yes, you get to travel to a foreign land and get to meet people from different cultures and perhaps get to see some famous sites while there, but that’s not the main reason for your trip! Honestly, I see it more as going off to battle. There’s a spiritual war going on and people’s souls are at stake. That’s why prayer and even fasting are key! As soon as you get an inkling that you might want to go on a trip, invite others you trust to start praying as well!

Do your research – There are tons of organizations out there and most have websites you can check out. Look up a few of them (unless your church is providing you with the opportunity to work with a particular organization). What are their beliefs? What is their vision for the trip? What will the mission be? Do they have a sample itinerary they could send you? Do you need to sign up with your own group or can you go as an individual (or family) and be assigned to a group? At this point, ask people you trust if they’ve heard of the organizations and visit their social media pages and blogs to read about their past trips. Again, ask God to guide you to the right organization. (To read how God led me to my recent trip, read Hola Honduras).

Listen to the Lord’s leading – Are you feeling drawn to a certain country or people group? Are you feeling called to work with children? There are various types of missions opportunities. Some groups focus on visiting orphans, holding vacation Bible schools for kids or doing outreaches like skits and puppet shows for children. Others focus more on construction and building orphanages or renovating buildings. Still others are more evangelism focused and include doing outreaches or festivals in public plazas or other venues. Others are strictly compassion focused and take teams to the poorest of the poor to feed, clothe them or to offer medical clinics. We’re all gifted in different ways, so ask God to show you where your gifts, talents, and personality would best fit.

How long is the trip? – Short-term trips are usually 1 to 2 weeks long. Other trips can be for 3 months, 6 months or even a year. If you’re interested in going for a year or longer, congratulations!  Keep praying! That most likely means you are being called to be a full-time missionary! If that is the case, I would say to go to your pastor, elder or other trusted mature Christians (including family members) to ask them to help you make that decision. You might want to go to a Bible school or seminary to learn more.

Some practicals – What is the temperature like in the area you would be going to? I don’t do well when it’s extremely hot, so that’s very important to me. What will the sleeping conditions be like? I’ve gone from sleeping in a hammock on a boat in the Amazon in Brazil to staying in a beautiful 4-star hotel in Honduras! Both have been wonderful, but it helps to know that ahead of time. How safe is the area and what is the plan to keep the team safe? Will you have translators or is English popular there?  I was happily surprised that so many people spoke English in Ethiopia! Will there be a doctor or nurse on the team or will you be close to a clinic, God forbid something happens! What kind of shots or visas are needed for the trip?

What is the cost? – Notice, I left this last on the list because honestly, if you’ve gotten this far in the process and you still feel the Lord calling you to GO on the trip then trust that God will make a way for you to go no matter what the price tag is! As the saying goes, where God guides, He provides! There are tons of fundraising ideas online that you can look into, and again pray about which family and friends you may want to ask to help fund your trip. You might be surprised by how many will happily contribute!

I hope this helps you as you make your decision. Ultimately though, if God is calling you to go on a certain trip I would encourage you to GO FOR IT even if at first it doesn’t seem to suit your calling, giftings, personality, etc… God knows what He’s doing and He might just want to use the trip to help s-t-r-e-t-c-h you! (To read how I was stretched on the construction site in Brazil, read Adventures in the Amazon).

Missions trips may not be easy (think enduring long travel times, interacting with a team of people with different personalty types, eating new food, pouring out and serving others day after day), but they are so rewarding!

As I’ve shared before, I see God do the miraculous while abroad! He’s done amazing things inside of me as well!  My faith always grows by leaps and bounds when I step out and GO and help to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

I pray that if you GO, you will have an amazing adventure of a lifetime as well! I look forward to hearing all about it!

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

If this encouraged you, please feel free to leave a comment below or to hit “Like” and share it with your friends!

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Foreign Friends – Part 2

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Boys we met at our first ministry site

We had the pleasure of meeting many kids and teens during our time in Honduras. Each one has a story. Each one is precious in God’s sight.

Leading up to this trip, I just knew there would come a time when I would meet one person and I would KNOW that he or she was the reason why I couldn’t stay comfortable at home and why I kept feeling drawn to Honduras. I KNEW that God would show me who that person was.

In Brazil, that person was Josie, who you can read about here. In Ecuador, it was a young 14-year-old girl who was the oldest of six kids who lived in a humble farming community that was high atop the Andes mountains. She didn’t go to school because she had to stay home doing chores and watching her younger siblings. She was a bit shy. When it was time to play games with all the kids, she was awkward and felt more comfortable sitting back and watching everyone else. That was fine with me as it gave me a chance to chat with her without her siblings being in tow.

In Ethiopia, it was a young 14-year-old girl I’ll call Ann. We had visited a government run shelter for orphans and abused girls. There were about 300 girls and a few little boys in that shelter (there was a separate shelter for older boys). I can still remember the sea of girls that attached themselves to each of the team members. I am not exaggerating when I say that I had one girl holding each of my hands and one girl tucked into both of my arms. When we walked, we walked as one organism, only separating when we had to pass through a doorway. All they wanted was for us to play with them and to spend some time with them. They excitedly showed us the barn they had on the property. They so sweetly covered my head when it started to rain. They kindly pulled out a chair for me when we were indoors. It was there that I got a glimpse of how the children must have flocked to Jesus when He was passing by. If I could, I would have hugged all the kids that day!  Still, Ann is one of the girls that still stands out to me. She had a sparkle in her smile. Her English was great! When I started chatting with her about the Lord she exclaimed, “I love Jesus!”  She had recently become a Christian and a family member was taking her to church. I happened to have one Gideon Bible with me, and I knew she was the one to give it to.  I happily gave it to her with this charge, “Read it and then share what you learn with the others!”

So who would I meet in Honduras?

This time we interacted with so many kids, but I’ll share about only two for now.

The first is a 14-year-old boy that I’ll call Nelson. I was chatting with his friend at the site pictured above. I was encouraging them that God has a good plan for their lives. As I was encouraging them that they can overcome their obstacles, Nelson surprised me by quoting Philippians 4:13 which states, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” I asked him what else he knew so he quoted John 3:16 which states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I was so blessed to hear him quoting scripture so I asked him if he had a Bible. His eyes lit up as he said, “No.” That’s when I was so thankful that I had brought a small Gospel of John in Spanish. I didn’t know who it was meant for until that moment. I gave it to him with the same charge, “Read it and then teach the others!”

The other boy that made a real impact on me was a 15-year-old boy I met at the high school. I will call him Victor. We had just finished our presentation and were chatting with the students. Victor was standing next to his girlfriend. I soon learned she was a believer who went to church. I asked Victor what impacted him the most about the presentation and he said the “Everything” drama. The drama is about a girl who is lured away from Jesus because of a guy, money, drinking, eating disorders and ultimately suicidal thoughts. Jesus redeems her of all of that!

I asked Victor if he faced some of those temptations. He said he was dealing with all of them. I asked if he believed in God. He said he wasn’t sure. “How could there be a God with all the bad things that happen?” he asked. I shared how we live in a fallen world and we can choose to follow God or to sin and live how we want, etc…  He listened intently. When I asked if he’d like to receive the Lord, he said yes. After we prayed, I just held onto his hands and looked him square in the eyes and kept speaking life into him. He just kept listening and holding on to my hands. He had tears in his eyes. At that moment, it didn’t matter that he was in his high school or that his girlfriend was standing right next to him. I’m not even sure what I said to him, but in that moment I KNEW that Victor was a big reason why I had come to Honduras.

If Victor were the only person I had prayed with during my time in Honduras, I would still have counted my trip a success. For Victor was a lost sheep that desperately needed to hear that God loves him!

I count it a joy and a priviledge to share these moments with kids (and adults!) in foreign places.  I may never see them again this side of heaven, so I always pray that I will make the most of what little time I have with them.

Again, you don’t have to wait to be abroad to pray for and encourage those around you. Pray and ask God to lead you to the people He wants you to share His Good News with. That is definitely a prayer that God will answer!

If this encouraged you, feel free to leave a comment or to hit “Like” below.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Lost and Found

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As I mentioned in last week’s post, while I was in Ecuador in 2010 I got to take a speedboat ride along the Amazon River with my Dad and some cousins. While we were there, we stopped at a little village where we learned about the local tribes. That’s where I picked out the pretty earring pictured above.

This earring is very special to me, so I don’t wear it often. I did wear it to a birthday celebration with my sister and her family last April. After our lunch, we took some photos outside of the restaurant, and then I drove back home.

When I got home and was unpacking my car, I realized that I was missing one of my earrings. No way!  My first thought was, “Oh no, when am I ever going to go back to the Ecuadorian jungle to find a replacement!”

It was dark, so I couldn’t see much but I quickly surveyed the inside of my car. Nothing. The next day I went back and even though it was daylight, I still didn’t see my earring. Not good.

I tried to forget about it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I would see this earring again. Perhaps it was because at a retreat a few years back, God allowed me to find two of my lost earrings!

So for some reason, every time I entered my car I couldn’t help but just give a glance around in hopes that my earring would turn up. Still nothing. Why was I still feeling like God was saying that I’d get it back?

I mentioned the missing earring to my sister and she asked me to send her a photo of it. (That’s when I snapped the picture above). Two weeks later she was back at the same restaurant and she asked them about their lost and found.  Only a sister would do that! Guess what she saw?

My earring was no longer M.I.A.!

So I did hear God correctly. I was reunited with my earring. Just not in the way I expected.

Why am I sharing all of this?

As I think back to that uneasy feeling I had when my earring was misplaced, I’m reminded of the parable Jesus shared about the woman who lost one of her coins. That coin was worth a day’s wages. No wonder she searched high and low for it. It was extremely valuable to her.

But why was Jesus telling this story? Certainly not to show that our possessions or money have any real worth. Far from it.

He was sharing that parable as well as the one about the lost sheep and the lost son to show how much He values even one lost soul!

“And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:9)

Just one soul is priceless to Jesus! What a sweet Savior!

God will go to great lengths to find His lost and wayward children. And sometimes He will use US to help Him with the search and rescue effort.

In just a few short weeks, I will be headed on my fourth short-term missions trip. This time to Honduras.

Why am I going? I don’t have any direct connections to Honduras. I’ve already been on missions trips to this part of the world. I didn’t have any friends on the team. And Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world! I’ll tell you more about the trip as it gets closer, but for now I can only say that I am going to help seek and encourage even one lost soul.

If you’ve ever lost/misplaced an item and felt the joy of finding it again, perhaps you’ve had just a tiny, tiny taste of how much rejoicing there is in heaven when even one sinner repents and accepts Jesus. (Luke 15:7)

To get to pray with and encourage even one lost soul in Honduras will be an extreme honor for me.

If you are one of those lost souls, I would be honored to hear from you as well.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Cleansed

Back in March 2009, I had the extreme privilege of going on a short-term missions trip with Amazon River Churches (ARC) to the Amazon jungle in Brazil.  We traveled by boat to a remote little village called Arumanduba. Our main mission was to build a church for the community of believers who lived there. That is a wonderful story for another time!

Once the church was built, we had the pleasure of taking a mini-speed boat ride to visit the neighbors and invite them to the inaugural service. The custom over there is that instead of knocking on someone’s door, you clap as you approach their house as a way of announcing your arrival.

In one of the houses we visited, there was a man and a few of his friends who seemed very excited to see us. During that visit, the man invited our group to see the well he had in his backyard. Not realizing how far we would be walking, we thought nothing of leaving our shoes by the front door. We ended up walking quite a distance barefoot, over a make-shift walkway made out of long, thin tree trunks. Thankfully, it wasn’t so high, but it was still quite a balancing act. When we arrived at the well, we rested and our host was kind enough to cut down some coconuts from a nearby tree and split them open for us to drink.

While that was all quite an experience in itself, one of the things that stood out to me the most from that home visit was watching the man pour the filthy well water into a water filter he had in his home and watching the murky water instantly come out clear of impurities and clean enough to drink. Amazing!

As I watched the gunk being transformed into drinking water, I got a picture of what happens when someone is born again so I shared it with one of the men there. I told him that that is what happens when we give our lives to Christ.  We give Jesus our junk, our mess, our sins, our brokenness and His precious blood wipes away our sins and cleanses us and restores us and makes us brand new.  Now that is truly awesome!

Today, if you are struggling with old ways of thinking and living, I would like to remind you that as a born-again Christian, you are a new creation! You are a blood-bought, redeemed child of the Most High God! Don’t let the enemy fool you! There is no sin too awful that the blood of Jesus can’t wipe away! That is His promise to us!

If you’re just starting to learn more about Jesus, I invite you to visit http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/ or the Info for New Believers/Seekers page.

I’m proud to be joining Bonnie’s Faith Jam this week!

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