Fusion Camp!

I am here at Malenovice for fusion music/arts camp and its been great! The camp focuses on many different kinds of art forms including music, drama, dance, and media arts and its been really cool to see so many students producing so many kinds of art all over camp! It has been a different experience for me personally than my other camps because I am one of only 3 english only speaking people so the camp is entirely in Czech which has made some things challenging (like knowing whats going on) but there are students I can still talk to in my very basic czech as well as some that are very good in english that I have connected with as well. Its cool to see how music can bring people together as well even without any talking nessasary, the choir time here has been really great for that. :) I have been talking to many of the leaders as well and seen and heard that God is doing much work here as well during discussion times where students have been hearing the story of God and talking about what they think and what it means to them. It has been really a great experience so far.
Please be praying for continued work in students lives and wisdom for all the camp leaders and christians to be a great witness to the almost half of students who are non christians. Also please be praying for me as well that I would continue to have energy and passion for my work and place here even though it is sometimes harder to find and know.
3 more days of camp and then a concert....can't wait!

Last day!

Camp is over and I am now in Bohumin for one last day to hang out with students. We went to their church this morning and it was awesome. It really allowed me to remember that God is not a God of just Czech Republic or just America but a God of all the nations and all the universe. It was a really amazing experience to have worship in two languages at once. Its one of my favorite things about these trips. :)
Another great part about the service was the presence of some of the non christian students who had come to the church with us americans and got to experience what it was like. I pray that this would not be their last time there..and for some I definitely dont think it will.
After the last night of english camp we had many students with questions about the gospel and even a few whos lives were changed for eternity as they asked to recieve God's gift of grace into their lives!
We still have today to continue relationships and I pray that students w0uld really connect with the church and the youth group today so that they might continue to come and the czechs can continue the ministry we started in the one week we were there. I know that english camp is just one part of the story for many of these students and I am excited to hear about the rest in the future from George and his youth group.

Half-time at Camp

Its tuesday and camp is going amazingly! We are really seeing Gods hand in many of the students minds and each day seems to be bringing more and more questions from students. When we landed in prague (after having to be somewhat seperated, re-routed, losing all our luggage, and losing creditcards) we seemed to be feeling quite the resistance to our coming to the Czech but as a team we took it as a blessing and foreshadowing of how God is going to really show his power on our trip. THen during training we found out that there were going to be somewhat less students than we were planning on which was a little discouraging but we trusted that God had a plan for what he wanted.....and he definintely has shown us that. From the moment students arrived camp has been non stop fun and full of love and connectedness. I'ts been really great. My english class has been amazing thanks to a great teaching partner and open and fun students. During each evenging we have been talking about bible stories and disscussing them both as a large camp group and in our english classes and the conversations have been great and full of stuggle. You can really see God working in many of the hearts and minds of the students in many of the classes both christian and non!
Please be praying for wisdom for each of the leaders (both American and Czech) during the disscussion times as well as during the day time when we get more one on one chances to talk and connnect with students.
Also be praying for the students that they would continue to listen and be challenged and transformed by God and his story of grace and redemption.
Tomorrow is hike day where we will be going on a all day hike which is an great time to really talk to students so please be praying for that time that it would be very fruitful.

I am really excited about how God is working, we have already had students asking for bibles because they wanted to read for themselves further into the things we are talking about, it has been a great camp so far and I anticipate that God has even greater things coming!

Same power, that conquered the grave lives in me, lives in me....

I just returned from Zona Yuth Kamp, a youth camp for Southern Baptist youth groups all over Arizona. To say it in short...God worked. I had the chance to talk to tons of students over the course of the week in many different settings and really got a chance to witness how God works in so many different ways to each one of us. I had the chance to talk to a few boys who dedicated their lives to christ this last week and hear their story about how God has been calling them and how it led to a new life at that very time. Out of the 12,00 students and staff that attended the camp, I am certain that not a single person walked away from last week closer to God. Many called Him Father for the first time and some are still in the process but there was no doubt that God did amazing things in many lives.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

This passage was really made clear to me this week personally through many circumstances and conversations with friends, leaders, and students. I really witnessed firsthand how there is a real battle on the earth that goes unseen but is immeasurable powerful. I also witnessed how God has the true power in this battle. The same power the raised Christ from the dead and conquered death lives in me and on this earth. So I need not to be afriad because I have been perfected in love and no longer need to fear evil in this world. God wants to do even more amazing things through each of us than he did through Christ's earthly ministry if we just be his servant and trust God to fight with God sized strength.

As I take this thought and go off this week to the Czech Republic I am excited to see how God works in such a dark country. I am ready to be challenged by the dark forces but even more ready to see God overcome in ways only he can accomplish. My team and I will need much prayer in the next weeks as we join in Gods work over in eastern Europe. Please pray that:
1. We would continue to connect and work together as a team united in Christ both with each other and with the czech youth group team that we are joining.
2. God would bring double the amount of students than are already signed up to camp. We have I think about 20 signed up but there is still time. Camp does not start until saturday so please pray that God would double that amount (or more!) in the next days and that our camp would be bursting at its limits with students and challenges.
3. Pray that myself and my team would be ready for Christ to get us through these challenges, for once we are in God sized territory only He can make great things happen!

My nicknames for God

The Lord is my...

Provider. 

I recently got a new job doing some administrative temp work at a nearby prison and it is great! The work isn't too hard, the people are fun and the pay is better than any other job I have had, He has really been blessing me and showing me that I can trust in him to provide.

Strength.

With starting a new job, preparing a mission team, counseling, leading worship, its definitely been a busy summer so far, much busier than I anticipated. But in my time with Him I have found passion, excitement, strength, love, and discipline to get done what I need to in this time. I also trust that He will continue to be my source for life through the rest of the summer so I am not burned out.

Leader and my Example

I have found that God has been my leader and example in some of the relationships with both friends and family lately. I have found that seeking people for relationships does not make a solid love foundation; but often in seeking Christ you will find people, and with Christ at the center you can truly find the love God designed for us to have together.

Teacher

I could go on, but I am getting tired. But what God has really been teaching me is that he has so many roles in my life and his love for me is both personal, practical, and real. He is constantly teaching me what I need to know for the future as he invites to work with him more and more. I pray that I never stop having new names and roles for my God to fill.

A vision beyond me

So lately I have been thinking a lot about my day to day vision for my life. I often find myself basking in a long term vision for the future but not as often thinking about what today holds.  I know that that I should trust God to do God-sized tasks in my future plans, but I rarely think about Him doing that on a daily basis. Each day I should expect myself to do things that I can do, and expect God to do things that only He can do, and that I cannot. If my expectations for each day are only within the limits I am capable of, then I will never see Gods power in my life. We must all live and learn to count on and expect Gods power and seek a vision for each day, each week, each month, that is beyond us and only able to be completed in Christ and through his power.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to His power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21