Leave on the 5th!

Hey Everyone! Hope you all had a great Christmas! I know I did. It was wild and crazy going from mom's side of the family to my dad's side of the family, but that's what I love. I love all the family time and getting to hear and see how everyones doing. Well I will be leaving for Portugal on the 5th. I can't wait to get over there! This is going to be a busy week of trying to figure out what all i need and don't need to take with me. If you would just be in prayer for me this week that I put complete dependence on the Lord as I get ready to leave. Also, please be in prayer for my family because this is going to be a hard time for them dealing with all of the adjustments of me not being here. Pray that they give all their worries and fears up to the Father.

A Little Romans for You

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

-Romans 12:1-2

Cultural Worship Services

Hope everyone is doing great. I’m in my fourth week in training which is crazy because it feels like I just arrived. Everything’s really going well, really enjoying the classes. The foods not amazing but it’s digestible. So far we have had two cultural worship services which are some of my favorite times. The first worship service was to represent a house church in China. We removed our shoes and went into a smaller room packed with people. Everything was in Mandarin. We sang songs, had prayer, and heard a message all in Mandarin. The whole atmosphere was really amazing. This past Sunday night we had a worship service representing the Sub Saharan Africa. The room was divided into two. One side was the ladies and children, and the other side was filled with the older men in chairs and the rest of us younger guys sitting on laid out blankets like being outside in the grass or dirt. The ladies all wore a head covering and a long skirt while we wore long pants and a long sleeved shirt. The service was conducted in Swahili as well as other local languages.

I just love the whole experience of worshipping Jesus in different ways. If I ever get to where I think that I must worship Him with a guitar and drums or some other set way, then I’ve got a problem. Any way to praise Him is great: dancing or no dancing, instruments or no instruments. It all doesn’t make a difference. What matters is that I’m giving God all the praise and glory because He deserves everything that I’ve got. I need to not forget that worship is not just a "service" but is every day in everything I do.

Please be in prayer for me this week that I absorb all of God’s truth and all the wisdom that is here to take in. Pray that I have an open heart to everything being taught and that my heart continues to break for the people of Portugal.

Two Weeks into Orientation

So I have finished up my second week of orientation, and everything is going really well. They are keeping us busy with classes and assignments ranging from bible study to culture and logistics. Being here and learning more makes me even more ready and excited to go and use what I’ve learned. I can’t wait to get overseas and look forward to meeting everyone. Today we went through language training and how important language is to adapt to the culture. Even though living in Spain two years ago and working on learning the language was difficult, I look forward to doing it all over again in Portugal especially since I will be there for longer. I love to get to know about other cultures and seeing how people outside of my own culture live. But while I am here there are a few prayer requests. Please be in prayer that:

• I’ve got an open heart and mind to all that is being taught over the next 6 weeks
  
• God shapes and molds me into the person He desires for me to be
  
• My heart breaks for the people of Portugal
  
• Your heart breaks for the people of this world who do not know about the love of Christ

Goodbyes aren't fun

So tonight I began the goodbyes with someone who really means a lot to me. It's going to be really tough not seeing family and friends for two years. Right now its still so surreal. I leave Tuesday morning bright and early for orientation. I'm nervous and not sure what to expect, but at the same time I'm extremely excited to see what all God has planned for my life. He is in complete control of all of us. Just pray for me, my family and friends as I leave. Pray that God gives us comfort.

Prayers for the Portuguese

"If we assume that a typical church has 150 members, then there is one church for every 1,766 people in China and one for every 2,413 people in India. In contrast, according to the European Spiritual Estimate, there is on average only one church for every 27,749 people on the whole continent of Western Europe". -

When I first read that, it really did take me back. A lot of the time before I studied in Spain, I did not realize the lostness of the people. The people are broken and longing. The focus is on rituals. Be in prayer that the people of Western Europe and Portugal in particular will realize that it isn't about works or traditions, but that it is about a relationship with Jesus alone.

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal ---That's where I will be for the next two years. If somebody would have told me at the beginning of college that God would have me living overseas for two years, I would tell them they're crazy. The thought of being there now excites me. A year and a half ago I studied in Seville, Spain. From that experience, I've had this desire to go back and love on the people and share the truth of Jesus with them. Too often we get caught up in religion. We get focused on doing things correctly like having the perfect plastic cups for the Lord's Supper or putting on the most exciting service. If the focus is not on Jesus and are only about works, then how are we any different than Islam, Mormonism, Judaism, or any other world religion? This is the reason for me having this desire to go back to Europe. Jesus has been taken away and the focus is on man-made rituals. I want to share about the unending love of Christ that I've got in my life. I want to tell about the hope in Him alone. I want to tell about the mercy that He has for us.

Through my time overseas, I am going to try and keep everyone updated through this blog. We will see how it goes. I will go ahead and apologize if I type out a blog, leave out a major part, and don't make sense. I tend to forget that you guys are not here and don't know exactly what's going on in my brain. I'm still trying to figure that out.

But please keep me and the other workers in your prayers. Pray that God gives us boldness. Pray that He comforts us in the rough times. Pray that we are able to learn the language quickly and adapt to the culture. Keep the Portuguese in your prayers as well. Pray that the Holy Spirit shakes things up in their lives. Pray that He opens their hearts and breaks down any barriers.