New Year, New Blog

Happy New Year! 2010 is gone…what a year?! 2011 is here, with a force. Lets see what happens this year!

 

I cannot put into words my last 2 weeks here. Absolutely amazing, anointed and any other adjective starting with A that means anything good.

Christmas came and went, I celebrated this year by getting together with a friend and making pancakes. Not for me, for homeless people out on the streets. We went out and found some very broken and frail people and wished them a merry Christmas, gave them the pancakes and a version of the best book out there.  A Christmas I wont forget, how could I?

The day after Christmas my roommates and I were singing songs to our King in our kitchen, when all of a sudden a knock on our door surprised us. At 11:45 at night…. now maybe in America door to door visits are somewhat common, but here it is a cultural no-no. And 11:45 at night is absolute madness. We opened the door and there stood a man, in bright orange underwear, with an open bottle of vodka clenched in his fist. He says he lives below us in our apartment complex and always hears us playing the guitar, and wants to meet us and listen to us play more. He stayed around for almost an hour, in that time he grew to trust me. Not my roommates but only me, he like me and wanted to know me more. I listened to his drunken tales of sexual antics and street fighting. Listened to hisself-abuse, his anger, his passions. I wanted to share with him mine, and he wanted to hear it. But he was too drunk to listen or focus on anything. So I made a deal, you give me your vodka and do not drink or use tomorrow and I will come visit you and talk for a long time. He said yes, handed over the poison, shook my hand and was on his way.

I went to visit, and on the second he was less inebriated and could hold a conversation. He got to hear the good news, receive a new testament  and encouragement. I told know how he received and I cannot say he will see glory if he died today. But I know for a fact that he received that his lifestyle and passions will only lead to death and destruction. He doesn’t want to die, and who knows maybe my words on the dangers in fighting people, using women for the wrong purpose and drinking all day everyday can give him guidance. His name is Pavel, and he moved back to Russia  last night.

These last 2 weeks are why I came here, many meetings and opportunity to share the good news. The chances to give compassion to the widow and the orphan. I had been waiting for these activities to come, and they did.

My heart is overwhelmed by the goodness of the Father in my life, for me and for others.

To all reading, thank you and keep me lifted up.

 

Update time.

 

It’s been a few weeks here now, and I am just starting to be able to be comfortable with general everyday life. My “entry sickness” that they say all foreigners get when they come here has passed. I am relieved to no longer have a terrible earache that turned into and infection and eventually a nasty combination of blood and pus in there. 

Everyday here, over loud speakers so that all can hear. The muslim call to prayer is heard for all to hear. I hear the prayer call, but it is iteresting…no one prays. You can read that and think well the people must be doing it in the homes or in places that I cannnot see. I would say you could have a point, but the massive amount of people who ignore speaks for itself. This also brings me to say that I would not reccommend this place to the weak at heart, or anyone who does not stand firm on the Father love. His guidance will be the only thing that will enable me to do anything here. To me things like that are demonic spirits, and one like that is covering the area and affecting the way of life here. You speak in either blessings or curses. Thats speaks curses over the people of the city.

There are other spirits here like ones of obvious temptation, but the one i’m going to talk about it a little different. They have this expression here “The Kazak Way”, it refers to many things obviously. But what I see it referred to often is a way of doing this that is sub-par, or in-efficiently. Thats not me as a “westerner” judging the culture as less than myself, but its just how they work. Very few things would done quickly and be done with excellence. Completeing a task without care or doing a crummy job is not the way of the Kingdom.

Im finding it hard to describe the city with words and funny enough all of my pictures do not do it justice either. Its a whole new world compared to anything. I think I said before, Im holding back from the term third world though.

 

My workplace here im finding is heavily annointed. It lifts my spirits and brings me joy every second I am there. The main project I have is about ready to launch, we completed many tasks this last 2 weeks and are very close.

Im meeting with the Father while riding on buses lately….buses with far to many people on board for comfort. A 20 seater bus here will almost constantly hold 40 people. Which means people squished together and standing. But Im finding that if I pop my headphones in and play some worship music, He finds me there and brings me joy. Anyone who is reading this, worship music reccommendations are accepted at this time.

But hey, I did not and do not expect this life I have chosen to be easy. My training for this (DIBOR), however is paying off in so many ways it is not even funny. Many little things and so many big that I can look back and see how I was specifcally trained for exact moments or tasks I get.

Continue to lift me and up and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

First Update

Hello to all reading this. Its been awhile since I have written a blog but I think I’ll be doing it more often now.

What changed? Well, Im no longer in New York. I currently live in Kazakhstan. Pretty big change if I can say so myself.

Kazakhstan culture is hard to describe but I give it a shot. Ive been here a few days now so heres what I’ve learned.

Everything is in Russian. If you know what that truly means, pray for me  haha.
Russian looks like this: Здравствуйте из Казахстана

Everyone speaks it….except me. But alas, I have friends who are helping me translate.

Everyone loves tea or coffee, but the whole country pretty much has only a couple kinds of each.

Kazak basketball is different than in America. Its quite hilarious to play really. The sport is the same but nobody really knows how to shoot or dribble unless. They do play defense like maniacs though, an attitude your not getting by me no matter what. A nd what is a foul?

Asian food markets are intense.

Wash your hands everywhere you go or you will get sick. Its a fact, they love handshakes here. Absolutely every greeting is an embraceful handshake.

The culture is both extremely aggresive and at the same time timid. The driving and overall pace of the large city that I am in is very fast and intense. So just going out in public is insane so crazy in that sense of the speed and franatic attitude.  To explain the timid statement, the people will not talk to you and are cold towards eachother.  They do what is best for them, and thats it. Little to no compassion.

I will take pictures soon so the blogs can be explained visually too.

Dibor 2010

Saturday May 29th, 2010. I graduated from my training program. My Training to think, feel and BE like Jesus Christ the Lord of Lords. A day I was very much looking forward to. The training and processing was heavy, grueling and intense.

In the old days, in order to make a horseshoe. A piece of iron would be placed in the fire by the blacksmith. Heated and put under that pressure until red hot. At that point the blacksmith would take the Iron out of the Fire and place the hot iron on a post and start to pound of it with a hammer. Relentless hammering of this iron, to get it to bend. He would do this over and over again, heating and beating this iron. Until it was shaped and formed into a horse shoe. It could serve its purpose then.

God is my blacksmith and I am his iron. Dibor was my fire pit and hammering post. Now I am the horse shoe.

My purpose is to Love God, Be Christ and Obey the Love of the Father. He will guide me, heal me and lead me down the narrow path. The scriptures continue to reside in my heart, more and more everyday.

Its such an interesting and complex feeling to be done with Dibor and out of the dorms there. Will I miss that daily pounding? No, that difficult obstacle course has been completed. What I will miss is my family there. My brothers and sisters in Christ who were there by my side every moment of the journey. Guys, dont every forget Christ is in you the Hope of Glory. We dont stray away from eachother and we will not stray away from God. Know in your heart that it was worth it, because it was. And youll realize this more and more throughout the rest of your life.

 

Im proud of what I just accomplished. Im in awe of the One True God who controls it all. I have learned  much and loved many. Im ready for more and excited for the Lord to guide me.  Lord I bless all my Dibor classmates and may all who read this know you more. Thank you for Your Love. You Love us, More than we can possibly understand. Thank you God.

Survival

This week so far has been an outdoors wilderness experience. We had  Mr. Tim Woods come and spend time with us again. He is a wilderness and survival expert. I built a shelter out of many different materials, maily spruce pine branches. It turned out looking like a green igloo minus the snow. A bed of pine needles and honey dew leaves. I put effort and work into mine so it turned out to work well and keep me protected from the cold. Some of the other students were not so warm. I learned alot about the wild and what not to do if ever placed in that situation.

Work Hard

In Dibor, we stress doing everything with excellence. Now that means that when you take on a larger amount of tasks. Do them ALL with excellence. I have recently added two jobs. One that is a perfect application of being a good servant. House chores for my tour boat job boss. He wants alot done weekly and alot of projects done well; be it painting or pluming or repairing a fence. Perfect opportunity to directly apply the excellent and integrity standard to life. So I work hard. My physical body gives out and I continue on. The disciples didnt stop following Jesus because when they walked to town someone stubbed their toe.  I can picture Peter complaining of pain and Jesus encouraging him to walk to the next town with him. So for me, its exhausting but satisfying spiritually. Praise Jesus.

The teachings have been very good lately. Great Theology and study of the end times with a Messianic Rabbi. So with so much information being inputted to my brain. Im getting as much it can comprehend. I appreciate meeting men and women of God who GLOW of Christ. They impart to us and urge to keep going. Its the Lord showing He is so faithful and wants us to finish strong.

Open Doors

Currently resting, been home for a week. Dibor has been on Spring break.

I have a message for everyone, create opportunities for yourself to thrive. With an opportunity is an open door, a possibility. Right now as a sit here I have many doors in front of me, all quality and great. I have to choose one. The Lord will make it clear once Ive explored what each door is, and Ill choose it. Its my future, and God will lead the way.

A Breather

So this week I had several meetings with old friends, ministry meetings. Okay so thats not brand new for me but I choose to write about it because of the joy that I had this week in them.

On Monday I had a meeting with an old friend from high school who found Christ the Sunday before. He randomly sent me a text at 1230 on Sunday saying he realized that Jesus died for him and theres so much more worth living for than he had previously had. It made me take a step back and say “Wow that is so awesome”. We had our meeting on Monday and I have to say it could not have been better. He just really thanked me for all the help I had given and was eager for more advice. It was pretty powerful for me, because I hadnt talked to him in months. When I had last seen him, I sowed seed into his life. He realized it and was appreciative. When we were done at the Lyric talking he said we should go play some basketaball at the courts. I said yeah, but I can’t actually play because my right ankle is injured. We were just  shooting around really nothing too serious when I went up for a rebound and over compensated for my right ankle and rolled my left one. Rendering my immobile, and in a car on the way to urgent care because I thaught it was broken. It did make a loud ripping and popping noise. A couple hours later, and an x-ray showing no break but a severe sprain I was pretty banged up.

An average person has 2 ankles used to walk on, and I had 0. 0/2

So Im in an aircast, and on crutches. But it did not stop me from the other meetings at the lyric I had scheduled. I went and they were all so powerful, really seeing people grow and God working in their lives. Be it an athiest or a Christian, I’m seeing God work in their lives. Im not trying to sound arrogant but in all of the divine appointment I really am helping these people, these teenagers.

My injuries did provoke mercy from the Dibor staff, who told me to take it easy for a few day. Im very thankful for the opportunity to rest and heal.

Big city. Bigger God.

I spent 4 days this week, in Staten Island and Manhatten. New York City, the media capital of the world and it was quite an experience what went on there.

This was my first time to the city since I have become really on fire for Jesus. So I had a bit of a different mindset then any other time ive been there. It was “Wow this is all so big… and God created this” compared when it used to be “Wow this is all so big”. I found myself thinking about how every window, every beam, and every building in all in the Lords creation. What a creation NYC is.

When we did not know where we were going, and everyone made wild guesses and assumptions of where and what. I made but one, I said it would be New York City. Why? Because the way they were talking about challenges and opposition, you may find no greater challenge in Ministry for me than going to New York City to do it. I know what its like there and I figured it would be the city because so many demonic forces present there. I may be bragging here but I was right in my guess  about where as I have already stated. And on the way down, man was I scared. Well, I did overcome this and I did complete the mission. Fear of man, is outweighed within me by the fear of the Lord.  Now when I say “The mission” I really mean the ministry and more precise, helping at a homeless shelter, a pregnancy center and on the streets.

I took several shots, shots that knocked the wind out me. Make me greive in the spirit. Broken for those people who had nothing. Broken for the workers at the pregnancy center in desperate need for help. Broken but not never beaten. It was a pretty heavy task, not easy by any means. The Lord time and time again would show Himself faithful to me and my Dibor. We needed Him (When do we not, eh?) because time and time again He lifted me up when I physically and spiritually could feel the oppresion. He is so faithful to all of us and I heard him say thank you to the group for being His servants.

I love you, more than you know.

Challenging week, enriched in the presence of God.  I see the Lord testing me.

This week, I found out that a Pastor who I listen to via podcast on Itunes weekly has brain cancer. Well he has had it since early December but I just found out. Strange how that works since ive been listening to him preach every week. Hes going through chemo right now but is released on the weekends. So he has preached every sunday since he started. Pretty astounding and incredibly inspirational. I watched him in his video updates on how he is doing be incredibly Bold. The video blogs are on youtube and some of his sermon videos are on other video sites, I reccommend you check them out and be inspired. The man is up on stage which a fresh scar on covering his whole skull, no more hair and progressively looking more frail. But he isnt slowing and mainstream news outlets like yahoo and msnbc have written powerful stories about him. He is a very honest intense man, with or without that terrible disease.

I think that I found out this week for a very specific reason. I could have and probably should have know far before tuesday but I did not. The timing is special for me. It truly humbled me and helped me put in perspective my struggles. They I cannot complain, his name is Matt Chandler and he refuses to complain and he has had an increase in faith daily.

“My true test here is, whether or not I am going to struggle well”- Matt Chandler.

Also a God side note, Matt ends every sermon with the same sendoff. ” I love you, more than you know”. This week we sang the song “How He Loves” over and over again both in sunday service, our worship and 33 Live.  Making the timing of it all so profound, unrelenting message that God loves us more than we know.

Pray for him, for total physical healing.