Remote villages

I am getting a little behind in my blogs so I will try to catch up. Two days ago we traveled to a very remote village. The dirt road just kept winding and winding. Eventually we arrived. Because of the slope of the mountain rain would make it impossible to drive out that day and we would have to stay the night. We prayed for the Lord to keep back the clouds and he did. People pray for the rain in the stated and I think they are silly, but I prayed. The Lord did keep back the rain and we were able to minister. We passed out shoes, food and toys. Kent did a illustrated message for the kids. While Kent was doing that many of us hiked up to the location of the new church building. They have the property and skeleton up but no roof or concrete floor. In the mountain it rains absolutely every day so this is a necessity. Once again we could make their dreams come true for just a few hundred dollars! Praise the Lord that it didn't rain and we made it to the hotel safely. Until next time.........

Sorry family

Sorry to everyone at home whom has not received a phone call. Every time we actually get a chance to brave the crazy streets to call it just happens to be the middle of the night for you. We love you all so much and our hearts are breaking to see you again. To continue off the last blog..... The second place we went to feed we meet a very needy village. There was a lady pastor there who has faithfully been ministering for 30 years. This lady possessed passion and anointing that only Sister Ruth had. She need a parsonage for her to stay there. It will only cost $200. When we said we would help her get it she broke into tears. For so little money we can bless them more than we could ever know.  When we asked for prayer needs they all said health, long life and strength to carry on with life.  When we do feedings the kids get portions that are so big it makes you happy. Please send money to Valley River Assemble of God, 900 Robin Hood Ave. Eugene, OR 97401. We would use it greatly for the kingdom. Ida can put it on our debit card and use it right away. Oh, gotta go pastors just showed up. To be continued......

BUSY BUSY

Sorry about the delay in communication. We have been very busy. Two days ago we drove for 7 hours to get to a bible college where we taught the students and ministerd to them. Then we stayed in the hottest hotel on earth and started a very busy day. First we went back to the bible college for a giant breakfast of rice and eggs. Then we started our journey into the mountains to minister to 3 different churches. They were native villages meaning that they have very little contact with the outside world. The first village we went to we needed to ride on a boat for 45 min. By boat I mean canoe with outriggers and a beat up old motor. We feed the children and taught them. Our hearts were broken for them. Kent suggested we do a sports camp for them. They have none of those awesome things we have in the states. We also want to buy a house church for the pastor there. He has been there for 4 years and has no church. For 2000 we could meet their need. A need that could only be meet in their wildest dreams. Then we went to the next village to feed and minister also.  I gotta go now. To be continued.

Speechless

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Gods grace was upon us today. The day started with us ministering in the school. (read more about it in hollys blog) This is my passion. I look forward to ministering to whole school assemblies next time we come! We don't have to invite them back at 7. We can preach the gospel right then and there! Next we spent time with Pastor Kevin when he arrived. His plane arrived early so he had to wait at the airport all by himself. He had no phone number so he just waited for hours hoping we would come. He was a good sport about it. Pastor Kevin and Kent went to perform a funeral and a birthday blessing (people got saved and touched by God at both). They always want us to encourage in the faith and preach the Gospel. Meanwhile Holly, Tori, Grace and myself were at the hotel with the pastors and workers dividing all the supplies we brought in our suitcases. These supplies will be going to the very poor churches we will be visiting soon. They say they are the poorest of the poor. They made us split everything 6 ways. Even the pills. The need is so great they cannot afford the wealth to be split uneven. Next Grace and Tori went on the streets handing out tracks and evangelizing people around our hotel. Holly and I went to a youth service to minister through preaching and drama. The passion in the youth service was unprecedented in my experiences! The power of God was so strong as we ministered. God showed up. I cannot use words to share what I saw. The students wrestled with God! Tear drops covered the floor. So much that you could have slipped on them. I cried so hard wanting to see this in the states. Why are we so lazy? It was like all my dreams and passion for Gods kingdom were already happening here. I got to see with my eyes what Spirit promises will come at home! God is awesome!  

Day 3

Today we just realized the weight of what is happening.

We have tons of services to minister in through

preaching and teaching. It suddenly got really

quiet as everyone began to study. It has been

such an awesome expearence! We turned on some worship

music and began to seek God. Some reading, some praying, some writing but all honoring Gods presence in our room. We are so passionate about the future

of this partnership. We look forward to bringing 

many of you with us next year!

Day 2 (I think)

Hello friends and family,

What a long journey! 10 hour drive, 15 hr flight, 9 hr layover and finally

 a 2 hour flight and we are here! We arrived at our hotel at 1:00 a.m. 

American time. And do you think they let us rest? No! They shipped us

straight to church. And guess who was preaching to 100? Us! We hit the

ground running. What an amazing expearence. When we arrived at our destination

we were in tears unbelieving what we saw. How can we preach to these people

when we eat from the silver spoon? They eagrly desired to hear the message 

we had to share though. We so look forward to what the future here holds.

We were to busy to get good pics so here is the best I got. These people

are in a bulding project. They are pouring a second story in their vaulted 

cellieng church. The pic is hard to make out but it showes a big

hole they still have to fill. They had the date set for the concrete truck to arrive

but needed $3000 still. They were believing for a miracle and moving as God 

Prompted them. It reminded me of a little church I happen to know.

Love you all! 

Day 1 of missions trip

Hello all,
Today is day one away form home. We are so excited about what God is going to do. We already feel our hearts being torn out for those we are going to minister to . We anticipate that our lives will be changed as well.
We left Eugene yesterday at 5:00 p.m. and began our long journey to San Francisco. We made one pit stop at the In and Out Burger. One memory that we will never forget! We arrived in San Francisco at 2:30 a.m. We are staying with my aunt and uncle who have been VERY hospitable. Today my uncle will be taking us on a tour of the sights in San Francisco. Our flight leaves at 9:00 p.m. tonight.
Thankyou for your support and prayers!

Philippines!

We will leave on Sunday at 3 Pm to the Philippines. That is only 4 day away! We will drive 8 1/2 hours to San Francisco.  We will stay the night at my aunt and uncles, Gary and Kathy's house.(thanks guys, I will be sure to wear my jail shirt :) This will give us a whole day to rest and explore San Francisco before we catch our flight. Our flight leaves at 9:05 p.m. Monday the 3rd. The flight will be 16 hours! We will arrive in Manilla, Philippines only to wait 6 more hours for our next flight. Then we will fly to Cagayan De Oro and the fun begins. We will be visiting many Churches each day, encouraging and ministering to them. We will do many crusades where we feed children, present gospel via Bible stories and ballon animals.  We look forward to visiting the Churches that we funded last year. Last night we packed our suitcases with supplies we are giving to the churches. It tore my heart out. I am ashamed that I haven't done more.  I desire to be changed by God as we are there. I know my perspectives will change and my heart will be broken. Please pray that God will use us to be a blessing and produce fruit. Thank you.

Proud Husband

I Love my wife! She was created by God just for me. She challenges me daily to be the man who God has called me to be. She is skilled in everything that she does and constantly gives me the run for my money. She is willing to be used by God and God blesses her. He gives her new opportunity to minister and she takes them. She knows what she wants and is a passionate defender of that. She doesn't worry but trusts in God and listens to His voice. She encourages me when I am weak and when we fight, making up is the best. I love you baby!

Worship

I had to repent today. I sat in a worship service with my hands in my pocket. I had good motives and planned to enter in to his presence. I was just waiting for him to move me, for me to get energy, to get the distractions out of my mind etc etc. Then I realized, why don't I run to him. Why do I withhold worship from him. Why am I so controlled by the way I feel. God is God and demands my worship. Worship that is "all in". Feelings aside. Pure desire to please Him and be with Him. 

Today I am changed forever. This moment is one of the moments I will never forget. From this day forward I give my all, all the time. No more being sleepy in prayer. Today I mean business. I will worship the One who changed me, the One who saved me, the One who loves me more than I could ever love back. Today I will worship the King of Kings.

Extraordinary!

Tonight during worship God reminded me of some awesome things that changed my life. When the music started to play I was reminded of how I fall short of who God is calling me to be. A small voice in my head tried to tell me, "don't beat yourself up, God loves you no matter what." Then a rebellion to this voice rose up in me and said,"No, you can afford to fall short but everyone around you will pay the price." This fire rose in my heart as God challenged me to be EXTRAORDINARY! God reminded me that I don't have to be lazy and half hearted. I can be great and do great things for Him. He gives me the power to do it. Why sit back and dream all the time. Its time to get out there and be the amazing person God is always telling me I can be! So today I declare it over my life "I am going to be extraordinary today, I have the greatness of the King in me and I will be a world changer today! Its time to rise to the occasion and be the man of God that I see when I worship, to be the man God is asking me to be!"

My motivation

Last night I went to a prayer meeting at our church. I walked in sooooo tired and empty. I just had no passion. I just felt burned out and over worked.  I laid on the chairs and attempted something that we call prayer. I laid there for about 15 min before I remembered what I taught our youth students yesterday.  Enter your time of prayer with praise. So I stood up and began to praise the Lord with much difficulty and pride. But I press in harder and let down all my defences. Soon I found myself burning with passion for him. Like my insides were on fire for Him. With new vision and direction! Im so excited about life. There is so much God has for us and I want to live every minute for Him!

Missions trip

We just bought our plane tickets! Im so excited about our trip. We have raised $7000 dollars so far and $6000 to go. We just spent 4 days replacing someone's roof for a decent $2000. I look forward very much to the fruit that this trip will bring. Our desire is to build and equip churches for service. I am currently working on ways to equip and educate new pastors. There are some very good discipleship programs for pastors who can't go to a formal school. This is very exciting because it makes it possible for people to fulfill Gods call on their life easier! Especially when we buy it. Thankyou everyone for your prayer and support. I look forward to the testimonies that this trip brings!

missions trip

We are up to $4500.00 for our trip to the philippines! Only 9 grand to go. We will get it though. We got a roof job this week that will bring in $1800.00.  And a photo fundraiser that should do about the same. We are so excited and believe that God is going to do such awesome things! Thank you to all who are praying and supporting us!

gas station

Today I had to borrow my friends truck. While I was using it I decided to get some gas for it. I didn't have the money though. All I could afford was $10.00. So I swiped my card and said to the attendant "ten please." I got back in the truck and I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I needed to fill his truck all the way up. I thought to myself, "thats alot of money, Im not gonna have gas for myself." I also thought, "I already swiped my card and I don't wanna inconvience the gas attendant. The feeling persisted. All I could think is that my friend would fill my tank in a heart beat and believe God to provide for him. "I need to do it" I thought. Just then the gas attendant says, "sir, how much did you want?" I looked at the meter and it said $17.00. I then told him to fill it up. As I drove away I felt good but wondered how I was going to make it the rest of the month with out the money. A little while later I arrived at a nice old ladys house. She was donating things to the church and I was using the truck to pick it up. After I loaded everything she handed me an envelope and said there was gas money in it. I tried to refuse but she insisted. When I looked in the envelope it was almost enough money to cover the gas I had just bought. "God, you are so faithful" I whispered quietly to the Lord. But, I know you God. You didn't pay me back all the way. You still owe me $10.00. I said that because God always pays me back. I put it in gear and started to drive away when I heard the lady yelling "wait, wait!" I stopped the truck and she came running up to the window and said, "here, I made this meatloaf for you!" As I drove away I was amazed once again at Gods faithfulness! 

Where your treasure is.....

This morning while I was jogging and praying I felt free! I mean really free. Like there was nothing holding me back, no secret sin I was keeping from God. There wasn't. But yesterday was different. I really wanted to buy some software for my new computer. It just isn't in the budget and I knew it. I also knew it would be unwise to buy it, God does call us to wisdom. I insisted to God "I need it, it will help me be a better pastor, father and friend!" The truth is I could do with out it, I just wanted it. I wanted it so much I had been trying to convince God I needed it. I was willing to spend money my kids could use for clothes on this.... thing. Anyway, I so eagerly desire to give God %100 of my life. That includes not just my tithe but everything I have. I am asking God to help me ask the question, "why do I have more than I need and how can I help others with it," rather than, "why don't I have more and how can I get it?" I want to be like my Aunt Joan who doesn't make a lot of money but gives a lot away. She is wise and is using her earthly wealth to gain heavenly treasure! Joan, your my hero!

The sunlight

This morning when I woke up at 5:45 to spend time with the Lord and exercise, I didn't feel like it. Actually the thought of being up and outside in the dark cold seemed depressing. Literally depressing. My heart felt heavy and unmotivated. I couldn't see the good in doing it. But, I knew from experience (yesterday) that if I didn't wake up I would be disappointed with myself later. So I crawled out of bed and hit the road. As I was jogging I said to the Lord, "Why do I feel like this"? Just then the sunlight hit my face and I came into view of a beautiful sunrise. I was flooded with the emotion of "well being" and "peace". I suddenly felt like a victorious man rather than a dirty trash can full of poop. God then reminded that all things in life that are good take work. Our salvation is free but it is work to keep it. The dreams he gives me are wonderful but to achieve them I must work hard. But with hard work and discipline comes great reward. The scriptures tell us that where we sow seed we will reap a harvest even greater!

Rock Star Isaac

Today I went to Guitar Center to pick up a plug for the keyboard at church. I decided to take Isaac with me. I knew he would love to play on one of the drum sets. While I was talking to one of the employees Isaac shouted out in a very loud voice "I wanna be rock star Isaac!" Eveyone one nearby heard him say this.  I was so proud. All I could think to say was, "Isaac, you just made my day."

Nice old lady

This morning while I was jogging the funniest thing happend. I saw this nice old lady wearing a white hat. She was going for an early walk and she looked like a very nice person. As I began to jog by I casually waved at her just to let her know "good morning". No wave back though. I thought that mabey she didn't see me even though I was close to her. So feeling kinda silly now I wave again. This time she had to see me. I was right there. No wave back. Now I was kinda insulted by this nice old lady in a white hat. "Whats her deal?" I thought. Then I noticed the white and red cane. Im a dork!

new day

Every day is a new day with the Lord. It is not always so with those you love. God forgives and lets you start new. Those you love don't always give you that option. Yesteday I lost my temper three times with Isaac. The first time he spilled his speghetti on the floor right after I asked him to sit up correctly. He didn't listen. Then, while I cleaning it up he walked over and put his hands on the couch when I had asked him to wash them in the bathroom. Once again he didn't listen, resulting in a mess that I had to clean up. He didn't seem to care so I yelled again. Finally I was giving Isaac and Allie a bath and I heard Isaac say "don't touch the poop Allie." I asked who had pooped and Isaac said he had. I kept my cool and talked about how that was wrong. I poured water quickly in the other bath tub. When I returned to transfer the two children to the clean tub he was doing it again while standing up. He was just pooping in the tub while Allie watched. All I could think to do was yell. And that I did. When I was done Isaac turned his head so I couldn't see him crying. It broke my heart because he was afraid of me. I told him I was sorry and that I loved him. Deep down in my heart I wondered how long he would remember this...... This morning while I was jogging I passionatly prayed and asked God to help me be better and help him forgive me. When I got home he was awake and yelled "dad!" He was excited to see me. Then he asked where I was and I told him, "jogging and talking to God." He asked if God talked to me and if he was loud or quiet. What a joy. I got to explain to Isaac how God talks to me. God truly does give us fresh starts!

meow

Today Holly said, "lets go to the pet store and look at the animals!" I thought to myself, how boring. Reluctantly I went.  I couldn't think of anything more boring. As our family pulled up to the store Isaac and Allie started saying, "meow, woof woof." They were so cute. Suddenly my attitude changed. I almost missed and memorable opportunity to have fun with my family. Who knows how many more chances I get? I will have to remember this life lesson tomorrow!

accountability

Well, for about a year my pastor and I lifted weights in my garage. We lifted every Tuesday and Wednesday morning. We didn't miss very much. Over that years time we got very fit and strong! Eventually life got a little to busy to workout. We decided to take a little break. Needless to say we didn't go back to lifting. I kept telling myself that I would lift by myself. I haven't.  My body now shows my lack of commitment.... Yesterday my friend called me on the phone and asked me If I would join him in a 21 day exercise challenge.  That meant we jog or lift weights every day for 21 days! I joined gladly. I have full confidence that we will make it. I say this because I want to meet that challenge. When my friend calls me I want to tell him I honored our commitment.  This reminds me of our need for accountability. God did not intend us to do everything on our own. We are supposed to walk this life with Him and one another.

I'm here!

So things have been a little busy lately but I plan to blog more soon. Last night we had a fundraiser dinner for our mission trip to the Philippines. Man was the food good! We also had a great Filipino speaker who really shared a lot about her country and made me even more excited about going. This is a pic of our team. Tori, Kevin, myself, Kent, Holly, and Grace.