Ambassadors for Christ

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." -2 Corinthians 5:20-21

This blog post marks the end of training week and the beginning of the incredible adventure of serving in the Bahamas. I am feeling so many emotions now...excited for the work God will do, uncertain of a lot of logistical things, humbled by the work The Lord is already doing on my team, and overwhelmed at the calling that God has placed on roughly 110 college aged students that are about to lead over 6,000 students in 13 different sites through Next Step Ministries in the next two months. What a blessing it is to witness so many Christ-followers passionate about serving God with their summers!

So let's start with my team...LOVE THEM! After meeting them, spending time getting to know them personally and through team meetings, it is so clear how God has given us passions and strengths that compliment each other. Out of the 13 teams that were there, the Bahamas team won the week-long competition that was organized by fulltime staff. Through a series of obstacles and games we ended up winning the 1st place $500 prize to use on our community how ever we would like! I pray that my team fights to stand firm in their faith and love like Christ just as hard as they did to win this competition this week! 

Here is just a quick recap of what training week looked like. All of us packed into four huge condos at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells on Monday, the 26th. We started our first big room training session that evening. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we attended big room sessions with everyone, practice programming for worship teams from each site, break out sessions for individual positions, and team time. All of this started at 8am and ending around 10:30pm. Needless to say, I am already lacking sleep but SO energized by the excitement that surrounds me in my teammates and other summer staff teams. 

Today we had one last big room session and a worship time. Then we packed up our luggage and traveled to Madison to take team photos, attend a dinner that our prayer warriors put on for us, and finally got commissioned by the staff through communion and annointing. (Cool side note: each site has a couple members from a Madison church assigned to specifically pray for that site for the summer called prayer warriors.) The commissioning service was so Spirit filled and I could feel God encouraging each one of us in the calling He placed on our hearts.  

We are ambassadors, meaning that we are the hands and feet of Christ. Our only purpose this summer is to show God's love and all other anxieties, fears, and uncertainty will wash away. Please pray that all of us serving on summer staff would remain centered in this truth every moment of every day.

I'm about to get a couple hours of sleep before waking up at 3:30 a.m. to leave for the airport. Our first flight is around 6:00 a.m. and we should be arriving in the Bahamas around 2:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. for all of my midwesterners). Can't wait for my next post to be written in the Bahamas!!

God bless you all! 

The Power of Prayer

Hello, loved ones! 

Training starts Monday and I am excited to get my summer started!  I have been in contact with my teammates this past week and can't wait to work with each one of them!

Now comes the time where all of you become crucial! My team's success this summer relies upon our dependence on The Lord for strength, wisdom, energy, and humility. This isn't always an easy task, and we all understand that it will be a challenging summer. This is why the prayer warriors (YOU) in our lives are so important! 

I asked my teammates what special prayer requests they had going into the summer. My hope is that you would pray for each one of these requests and that The Lord would be continuously working in each one of our hearts. Missions are not possible with out the spiritual support that our friends and family offer us, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for lifting us up!

"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." - John 14:13-14 

Requests:

-Positivity, especially when days are long and tiring.

-Trust that God will take care of our friends and family back home and comfort for any homesickness we may have.

-That we would remain humble in serving God and always direct compliments and praise back to the One that deserves it. 

-That the new community development position on our team would be Spirit led and that God would do some amazing work through it!

-Strength and wisdom to lead the hundreds of students and leaders coming to work at the All Saints camp. 

-Relationships to be Christ-centered and loving between our team, the students and leaders coming, the full-time missionaries and the community. 

-God's strength through difficult times and flexibility to adapt to whatever may be thrown at us. 

-God's energy to be provided, espcially at our weakest moments. 

-That each one of us would remain Christ-centered in all the work we are doing. 

-Cultural sensitivity. That we would remember that we are no better than those we are serving. 

-Safety and hydration in the heat! 

Amen. 

You Have Called Me Higher

As I tell people about my upcoming travels to the Bahamas I usually get the same responses. "Wow! The Bahamas! That's going to be an incredible time!"..."What a beautiful place!"..."You're so lucky!"  

The truth is, I've been really scared to go. Don't get me wrong, I don't disagree with these statements. I know it will be an incredible time and the place is beautiful, but I am terrified of just how uncomfortable I will be spending another summer in missions.

Working in 90 degree heat and humidity 8 hours a day, then returning to site to help cook and feed the mouths of several students, lead nightly worship, have staff and leader meetings, while trying to have fun for 9 weeks straight... It's all so exhausting. It's as if I have my heels dug deep into the ground as God pulls me there. My selfish ambition wants me to be comfortable. God wants to challenge me. But my heart knows just how wrong I am when it comes to my own desires and just how much better it is when I follow God's desires. 

I sat down at the piano and began to go through old worship songs that I love. I came across "Called Me Higher" by All Sons and Daughters. That was it. The Lord spoke so loudly to my heart, it was a slap in the face. "I could be safe...I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave home, never let these walls down. But You have called me higher. You have called me deeper. And I'll go where You will lead me Lord."  

I realized that I could sit in comfort, but that's not God's plan. He's trying to grow me and he's not going to do it in the comfort of A/C and sleep-filled nights. He's going to do it in sweaty days, long and sleepless nights, and insecurity. Discomfort. 

I pray that this would speak to everyone reading this. Maybe it's not a mission trip. Maybe it's something small in your everyday life that you've been avoiding because of discomfort. Listen to this song. Read the lyrics. Soak in the fact that God has called us higher. He wants to change us from the inside out. He wants to challenge us. It won't be easy, but His will is always good. I am working hard at trusting God with my life every single day, but it's not easy. Trust looks different in everyone's life. How does it look in yours today? 

Called Me Higher

By All Sons and Daughters

I could just sit
I could just sit and wait for all Your goodness
Hope to feel Your presence
And I could just stay
I could just stay right where I am and hope to feel You
Hope to feel something again

And I could hold on
I could hold on to who I am and never let You
Change me from the inside
And I could be safe
I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave home
Never let these walls down

But You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You will lead me Lord
You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You lead me Lord
Where You lead me
Where You lead me Lord

And I could hold on
I could hold on to who I am and never let You
Change me from the inside
And I could be safe
I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave home
Never let these walls down

But You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You will lead me Lord
You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You lead me Lord
Where You lead me

And I will be Yours, oh
I will be Yours for all my life

And I will be Yours, oh
I will be Yours for all my life

And I will be Yours, oh
I will be Yours for all my life
So let Your mercy

And I will be Yours, oh
I will be Yours for all my life
So let Your mercy light the path before me

Cause You have called me higher
You have called me deeper
And I'll go where You will lead me Lord
[x4]

Where You lead me
Where You lead me Lord

Welcome to the All Saints Camp!

This is a letter from Tim and Felicia, the full-time missionaries in Nassau, written to all the teams coming to serve at the All Saints Camp this summer. It gives a great overview of what the camp is like and the work we will be doing there from the perspective of people that know and love the All Saints community. Reading this letter gives me so much excitement! The countdown has started...12 DAYS! 

Dear Team,

We are so excited that you are joining us in serving the Bahamas! Your mission trip will be venturing into the area of the Bahamas that is opposite the tourist area, away from the hustle and bustle that the capital island is known for and into an area where the need is great. All Saints Camp. The Bahamas is a collection of over 700 islands and cays. Nassau, which is the capital of the Bahamas is on the north side of the island of New Providence. This is the same island you will be serving on! New Providence is 21 miles wide by 7 miles long. The population as a whole is approximately 350,000 with 260,000 of the population living on the island of New Providence. The average summer termperature is 90 degrees.

The All Saints Camp is also known as the 'AIDS' camp. This camp was once a leper colony in the 1960's. It then was vacant for some time until the 1980's when there became a need for a place for people with HIV/AIDS to live. Due to the stigma of HIV/AIDS in the Bahamas, many of those who contract the disease are shunned and "put out" by their families and friends; they are like the lepers of the past. However, despite their circumstances many of the residents continue to praise God for each day that they are alive. There is hope! 

You will join together to participate in the complete renovation of the camp as many of the current cabin like homes are in dire need of replacement. The goal is to rebuild the camp home by home making them a comfortable place to live, complete with plumbing and electricity. At the camp, you will be challenged with various projects to help complete this goal. Each home will be built brand new as well as the demolition of old homes and other much needed projects. Each day you will also have the incredible opportunity to spend time with those who call the camp their home, hear their amazing stories, and learn how God is working not only through you serving at the camp, but through the residents you are there to serve. 

Sincerely,

Tim and Felicia 

All Saints Missionaries 

In Preparation

Hello, everyone! I am absolutely humbled by the overwhelming financial support I received in preparing to leave for the Bahamas. I raised just over my goal of $1000, which reassures me that this is exactly where God wants me this summer. I want to thank each one of you that donated to God's mission at the All Saint's HIV/AIDS Camp. 

What I need now more than ever is spiritual support. Would you please commit to lifting my team and me up in prayer continuously this summer? We are young Christ-followers and it is easy to become discouraged, especially while doing exhausting work. We can only be successful in our work through the strength of The Lord. 

Some specific prayer requests are as follows:

     -Each individual that will be serving along side me this summer 

     -Peace and reassurance despite all of the nerves and uncertainty we are all feeling

     -That we may all remain Christ centered in the good times and the difficult times

     -Relationships with my teammates, the community, the full-time missionaries, and churches

     -That my team and me may glorify Christ! 

More to come later on the actual work we will be doing at All Saint's Camp. 

God bless! 

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19