New Year, New Opportunities...Same Great God!

As the year begins, it causes me, and I’m sure many of you, to look back at the past year. It’s funny how in the midst of things I often seem to have tunnel vision, to not look beyond what’s right in front of me.  I’m definitely always trying to look further into the future than I probably should, but I could use a perspective change by seeing in a different lens every once in awhile...I would do well to take a step back and see the big picture.  I find that when I do that, as I look at the landscape of the past year, God’s grace and goodness are even more evident to me.  I see His hand in ways that I missed as I was in the midst of everyday life.  Anyone else feel like they miss what God is doing sometimes?   I would encourage you all to look back on the past year, not on the regrets, but on the opportunities God brought and the blessings that He poured out.  Take a moment to praise Him for the work He’s been doing and will continue to do.

Now, as I look forward, with His goodness in mind, I see exciting opportunities and many chances to bring praise and glory to God.  I see a great adventure unfolding, each morning, each week.  I hope you see the same things for your coming year, regardless of where you are or what you’re doing.  

One of the exciting opportunities in front of me for the year 2012 is coming up soon, February 4-9.  As a part of YouthHOPE, I have the chance to participate in an event called To the Ends of the Earth.  This event is a bike ride from our offices in Fort Myers, Florida to the tip of Key West, a total of about 300 miles.  Yes, you read that right, I’m riding a bike 300 miles...in 5 days.  Most people look at me with big eyes at this point and say, “WHY?”  

Well, we have global youth workers in Bulgaria who have an outdoor ministry that they are developing.  The Hillmans love taking the youth in Velingrad up to the mountains for bike rides and camping trips, but they don’t have enough equipment.  So, for this bike ride, we are partnering with local churches, businesses and individuals who will sponsor us to ride.  Many of our staff and a number of youth pastors from the Fort Myers area are asking for sponsors to give for the ride.  The money we raise will go to get more equipment for the Hillman’s ministry.  

I would love for you to partner with me in this exciting (and tough) adventure!  If you would like to join us in supporting the Hillman’s ministry you can visit the following link and put my name in the notes secion: Key West Bike Ride Donation.  

I pray blessings on you as you tackle the challenges and opportunities in front of you this year and I pray that God would continue to work in your hearts and minds.  Thank you all for your love and support which has been keenly felt, not only throughout the past year, but for many years!

New friends, old teammates, good memories

It is amazing how God goes before us and opens doors! He has so blessed this recruiting trip in ways we would not have ever imagined.

Last week, we spent our time getting to know a group of amazing college students from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. Taylor holds a conference each year and brings mission organizations in to talk to the students about how they can get involved in ministry. It is a great opportunity for students and organizations to join together to impact the world for Christ! During our stay we were welcomed in by the girls in the dorms who shared their hearts with us, asked us about our lives and even played volleyball with us! We were so blessed to get to know some of the students at Taylor, but that has surely not been the only blessing...

For the past four days we have gotten to spend time in Cincinnati with some of my teammates from the summer, Laney and Drew. It has been great to reminisce about the summer and hear how God has been blessing them! It's amazing how two months serving together creates such a bond of friendship.

Tomorrow we are off to Kentucky and then we'll spend two days in Tennessee. This coming weekend we will stay in North Carolina with more friends from the summer, Britney's teammates! Thank you all for your prayers and support, we have most definitely seen God's protection and provision throughout this road trip!

Resting in the Windy City!

Wow!  The past week has been quite a whirlwind!  We are now trying to catch our breath while enjoying the chilly Chicago weather!  The past week has been full of driving, laughing, sharing, listening and learning!  We have truly been enjoying our time meeting with college students who have a passion to serve and minister throughout the world.  We have been blessed to hear many stories of how God has spoken to these young people and has put amazing visions and dreams in their hearts.  

We traveled to Saint Louis to begin the trip and spent Monday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday morning ministering with the youth of East Saint Louis and helping hang sheet rock where they are doing renovations.  During the day, Tuesday, we were blessed to spend time with the students of St. Louis Christian College.  They blessed us with their hearts to serve and we left excited to start the trip so positively! 

Next, we spent just one night in Iowa City sharing with a campus ministry and then we headed out early Thursday morning, long before sunrise (for those who know me well, I'm sure you're impressed that I was awake so early)!  We spent Thursday at Wheaton College and were greatly encouraged to talk to more students interested in missions, many of whom have spent time overseas and just can't wait to go back! 

Recruiting at Wheaton College in Chicago!

Thursday night we enjoyed some amazing pizza at an old Chicago pizza place.  It has been an awesome opportunity to enjoy the sights and sound of the city.  It is an incredible picture of human ingenuity mixed with the reality of a world desperate for the healing power of Christ's love.

Today, Britney and I split up, she went to Moody Bible Institute and I was at North Park University.  Again, there were many students who showed such excitement for missions.  We have truly enjoyed being around so many college students who have so much excitement and who are chasing after the dreams in their hearts.

Enjoying some Chicago-style pizza at Gino's East in downtown Chicago!

We will finish the weekend off here in Chicago with my cousin and will be spending Monday at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana.  Tuesday we will begin a missions conference at Taylor University and will be there all week.  After the conference we will head to Cincinnati where we will get to stay with my teammate from Malawi!  Please keep these travels in your prayers!

Let the fun begin!

It is here...the recruiting trip we've been planning and preparing for!  I leave Fort Myers tomorrow morning and fly to Lincoln, Nebraska.  From there, I will join Britney, my teammate, and we will head straight out to St. Louis, where we will be until Wednesday afternoon. 

We will be stopping in lots of different places recruiting college students for our summer internships.  As we go, we will be blogging and tweeting, as well as updating our Facebook status.  If you would like to follow the tweets from YouthHOPE or check out the blog there are links on the right side of my blog for both of those!  You can also find YouthHOPE and New Mission Systems Int'l. on Facebook.  The link in the bottom of this post will take you to a map of our stops.  This includes my flight out, as well as my flights to and from Colorado Springs for Thanksgiving (which will be the final week of my journey).  The map includes the dates that we will be at each location, so it is a great tool for praying for us as we go!  Thank you all for your love and support!     

Magnificent Recruiting Excursion Map<------Check it out!

5 weeks, 12 states, 20 recruiting locations, 5,700 miles...

The adventure will begin October 23rd and will end November 27th!  It's going to be lots of fun, lots of driving, lots of talking...and probably not much sleep!

For the past month and a half we have been working to plan this recruiting trip.  We want to get the right students involved in our summer internships, so we're headed out to find them and get them excited.  I will be headed to meet another YouthHOPE apprentice, Britney Sue, and we will be visiting Christian colleges and campus ministries from Nebraska to Atlanta.  We have less than two weeks until the excursion begins and as it gets closer I will be putting more details together so you can all be praying and follow our journey if you'd like.  For now, though, I wanted to keep you all updated on what I've been doing and what's to come!  Please be praying as we continue to make preparations and get all the details worked out!

By the way, look out for pictures and stories from this trip...what we are calling the Magnificent Recruiting Excursion!

Faithful followers

Yesterday, I was reading the story in John 11 about the death of Lazarus.  I've read it many times, heard sermons about it, and what struck me yesterday has never before.  It's a verse that I guess I've just read right over...but I'm glad God brought it to my attention this time. 

I was reading this particular passage because I'm doing a study and we are talking about peace this week and looking at portraits of peace in Christ's life.  Jesus had unimaginable peace as he had to wait for the right timing to go to Lazarus, Martha and Mary.  He had to allow Lazarus to die so that God's purposes would be accomplished.  It is an amazing picture of peace, but not the one that struck me.

 "So then he told them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.  But let us go to him.'  Then Thomas said to the rest of the disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.'"
-John 11:14-16

Earlier in the chapter, Jesus tells the disciples that what has happened is for God's Son to be glorified through it.  He then decides to go back to Judea and the disciples remind him that the Jews wanted to stone him the last time he was there.  Come on, Jesus, bad idea!  But when Jesus says, "Let's go!" we see an incredible response from Thomas, "the Doubter."  

So often, we want to follow God, but when He seems to be leading somewhere that we see as dangerous we are reluctant, we tell Him, "Hey, don't you know that's not safe?"  Thomas may not have understood Christ's reasoning, he thought they were all going to die...and yet, he says very simply to his fellow disciples, "Alright, boys, let's go with Him."  Thomas had peace despite the fear of death, despite not understanding, because he believed so faithfully in Christ and trusted that He knew best.  

As I read this, I was thinking about how often I see God leading and I am thinking, like the disciples, that it is too hard, or too scary.  What if we allowed God's peace to truly penetrate our hearts, even in the midst of uncertainty?  In this case, the willingness to follow faithfully put the disciples in the position of experiencing God's power and might in a whole new way and to be a part of witnessing an amazing scene that brought glory and honor to God!  

I don't know about you, but that sounds like something I want to be a part of!  I encourage you, find peace in the truth of who God is and let's step out faithfully each day into what God is calling us to!

Blessings and provision pouring forth...

Recruiting, planning and learning...the themes of life recently for me!

Here at the office of the YouthHOPE development team we are in high gear working to make the 2012 internships awesome, to get college kids excited about global youth ministry and raise awareness of the issues of our ministries overseas.  It is an exciting time for us as we have a chance to dream big for the future!

I am currently working on planning a major recruiting trip that will take us through 10 states and tons of campus ministries and classes.  It will provide a great opportunity to talk to students one-on-one and ignite a greater passion for youth ministry and missions, and the wonderful collision of the two!  There will be more details to come soon with dates and locations so you can follow us on our journey, but for now please be praying for open doors with the right ministries and schools.

I have had a chance to really learn more about how the mission works and have been blessed to be working with some really passionate and experienced people who have a heart for seeing youth around the world transformed in a radical way.

God has been so faithful to provide encouragement and wonderful friendships here in the office as well as at the church I've been attending and I am so thankful for His provisions.  I'm so grateful that He knows what I need before I need it and He has been providing in ways I never would have expected: bringing encouraging words from seemingly random sources, speaking into lots of areas of my life in a way only He can.  I know that God is working in my heart and my mind, refining and growing me...preparing me for the future.  What that future holds, well, your guess is as good as mine.  I do know that He has a plan and is working in things right now that will prove to be foundational for where He leads in the future.  It is a blessing to have Him show me these truths and remind me of them.  It has provided a peace and enabled me to enjoy the place He has me now and the things He's teaching me now without being too anxious to know what's ahead. 

Praise God for His love and grace!  He is eternally faithful and ready to meet us and bless us!