Thursday, July 12, 2007

my second update

Hello every one.
I want to apologize first for what will probably be poor English. The longer I'm here the more I seem to lose.So much has happened since my last update. I spent for days or so in Austria. I was in a little Alpine village called Hallshtate. It sits by a large lake and is sorounded by Mountains and is home to 3,000 year old salt minds used by the Romans that are still active today. I also spent a week in a lovely little house right on a lake in a touristy town called Telch. Telch is in the Czech. The train trip to and from Austria was a nightmare. Both to and from our 9hr ride turned into 14 plus hours. We had our first week of camp, which was a blast. It was so cool to see God working. I met some great students and had some really neat conversations with them. I also give one of the nightly talks. Its about love and is based off of the women at the well. I also did some heavy recruiting with the American team that we worked with. We had a hike day where I talked to a kid about Moody for 3-4 hrs. It was nice having some crazy Americans and getting to go wild at camp. On the last night we were thanked by the Czech team and as I stood in front of our camp about to say one thing I loved about the camp. 69 peoplestarted cheering my name and going wild. It was so unbeliveable it almost brought me to tears. It was the biggest affirmatiopn I could have had.
As for me personaly I fell in love with a city called Tabor, this is the home of our first camp. As I ponder my possible future here that is diffinatly a place that is a possiblity. I'm experiance a lot of freedom through what God is showing me and I'm pretty sure he wants me here fulltime. The only care I have right is trying to figure out how to get here as soon as and as often as possible. I've talked to some people and I'm going to try to make it here over my winter break to do an mini-camp. One year ago I never would have thought that I would end up here in this situation.
I had a great birthday. I spent the day with my roommate Hawaii after we both braved the Czech train system by ourselves. I also recived some amazing news that one of the students I had in a discussion group during our March camp ended up giving his life to the lord this past week. It is so cool to see God move.
Please continue to pray for me and my team as we have two more camps to go.
Jerry

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Well...

I'm in the Czech. It has been almost three weeks since I arrived here for the summer and already God has taught my so much about himself, cross cultural missions, and my future. The other day I had some awesome time with God. I had a lot of questions and things on my soul about my future and things like that. I sat on a park bench reading Psalm 119 and Peter's encounter with Christ on the beach. As I asked God for answers instead he asked me a simple question. He asked me if I loved him. The same charge that he gave to Peter on the beach. Did I love him enough to follow him no matter where it would lead me and what that would mean?
That has made all the difference. The answer to that questions was so freeing I can't describe it. He didn't give me details but like he so often does he gave me himself which is what I really needed.
Please be praying that I will continue to seek him. Also pray for me team's health and unity. We about 2 weeks before camps start so please pray that as we visit schools and prepare during this time we would be diligent and fruitful. Also pray for our time at camp that God would move. Thanks you so much for partnering along side me in this ministry.
I will try and post some pictures soon.
Chao for now

Friday, April 27, 2007

new stuff

For all of ya'll that actually read this I decided I'd update a little about what has been going on. This summer I'm going to the Czech and working with Josiah Venture(check it out). For this trip I need a little over $ 4,000 for the trip. I got a call to day and by the end of the weekend I'll have a little over $ 3,000. This is a unexpected blessing that comes at a huge time. I'm entering the last week of school and I'm completely over whelmed with homework and everything else. As far as other matters I've been involved in a few hard talks that last few nights. One because it hit close to home and dealt with some issues of sin in my life. The second was just a really good talk about God, sovereignty and honest questions. As of today I'm tired, stressed, blessed and awe struck. I guess there is not better way to be when God is working in you.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

The Czech

I wanted to update this after my recent trip to the Czech Republic. With out giving a full treatment to the trip simple because I don't have the time our space right now. It was unbelievable. I learned so much from the missionaries I met there and the ministry I got to participate in.
I believe that God is calling me over there and I'm testing things out by attempting to intern there this upcoming summer. Please partner with me in prayer on this matter because it is going to take a lot of God being amazing, like always, to make it happen especially in such a short time.
I hope to post more about my trip soon. God bless.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Psalm 131

So recently a bomb went off in my life. BY bomb I pretty much me one of those events that makes you want to curl up into a bottle and stay there for a day or two. The kind of things you write country songs about. Except that I didn't. Mainly cause I couldn't. Instead of losing it I decide to change my perspective on it. I decided to put my faith into action and trust God. Which isn't easy and even now as I right this the only thing that is keeping from losing it is that trust.
I've realized that we as people are stupid. When ever something happens we start freaking out as if we know the outcome and of course it is never in our favor. Of course we don't know the outcome of things, heck must of us can't say with certainty what is going to happen in a few hours much less any period of significant time. Which i s the beauty of trusting God because he of course does know with certainty; not that it is easy to stop yourself from running down that path. But that is why our life is littered with testimonies to God. It is so easy to be a pessimist we forget to remember God and his dealings; which by the way is a theme running through out scripture. We ask God and interrogate him and all that time we forget to look to the right and see the altar we built when God delivered us the last time something happened. This is the cry form Psalm 131. I see David with his tear streaked face, a raging turbulent ball of emotion lifting his eyes and saying simple trust God. When nothing makes sense trust God. Remember who he is and who you are. And after that statement David would just sit there empty handed wrapped in the loving embrace of God.
That's my life right now. Learning trust and trying to remember how little I am.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

Lately a lot of my past has been coming back. Old friends and feelings are finding a way back in to my life and it is kind of nice, but it has left me dwelling on one of my favorite poems "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. It makes me wonder what would my life by like had I walked a different path. If I chose this college over that one. Pursued this girl over the other. Think about the little events in your life that have made a large impact. I think if I would have moved a second earlier I may have never blew out my knee. If I would not have been distracted by this girl I never would have had my heart broken. If I went of to college instead of spending time at home I might never have healed the relationship I have with my parents. If I didn't come to Moody I'd be able to spend more time with the ones I dearly love at home, but I would have never met those that I dearly love here. I wouldn't know the woman, whom I want to spend the rest of my life with. I wouldn't have began to understand the concept of thinking christianly. I would have never left my bubble I was in. I guess all this has made me appreciate the sovereignty of God even more. He has placed in times and places for a reason, I am who I am because it is who he wants me to be.
So many people think that this poem is about taking the hard road, which it isn't about at all, but instead it is about making decisions. I feel as helpless as Frost does when it comes to looking at my life. How was I to know which path to travel by? So the solace is in the freedom of knowing I can't make the wrong decision. Whatever comes about whatever thing I say no to by going with another is what God intends for me. and that has made all the difference.