Looking Forward Through the Past

Happy New Year everyone! I am eager to move on to 2010, but before I do I want to give some props to God for the things He accomplished in my life, my family, and our ministry in 2009:

January

Welcomed in the new year with our students at our winter camp Unbound (our final year at the Double K). Students were set free to live the life that God was calling them to live.

February

Punk'd our students by taking them to "Dinner & a Cruise" on Valentine's Day. This consisted of McDonald's and a Ferry boat ride. (Only two hate emails received)

March

Started a blog, no awards received as of yet, but I'll keep writing.

Our church hosted the worship band Planetshakers, from Melbourne, Australia.

As a church we also added a third service option to our Sunday morning schedule.

April

Over 1,000 people in attendance at our Easter weekend services. Wow, God is faithful.

May

Started a fitness challenge with friends that eventually led to me losing 20+ lbs of unwanted flesh... and I've kept it off. Feel great and my wife thinks I look better than ever!

June

Stacey capped off our youth message series, "Dating Delilah" and preached with me for the first time. I'm glad she doesn't do it more often or I may be out of a job... she's really good.

July

Year two of Live Summer Interns (July & August).

Music Month (a new band every week at Live)

Two week mission trip to Swaziland, what I thought was a once in a lifetime trip I am now hoping will be repeated in 2011.

August

Incredible, life altering time at our summer camp Lift '09, with special guest speaker Micahn Carter. Many lives changed for good, including mine.

September

Hosted our first ever youth conference with good friend Tyler Sollie and Eastridge Church.

Launched our Live Full Time Interns Program for ministry students, five full timers enrolled.

Added “layers” to our youth ministry team. JH Director – Amy, HS Directors – Shawn & Erica, College Director – Logan, Worship Director – Shaun.

October

Turned 29.

Annual Kid's Karnival, came dressed as a good looking youth pastor of a sub-urban church in unincorporated South King County. Won best costume.

November

Mission trip with Interns to LA Dream Center.

December

More content than ever in ministry. I’m learning how to give my job away and watch others succeed. Our team is strong and is continuing to develop. Watching our leaders step up and lead is pure joy.

Launched our website… wanna see? www.fwchurch.com/live_youth

Hmm. I realize after completing this post that it looks awfully similar to something I don’t enjoy reading… family Christmas letters. For that I apologize, I am simply thankful for all that God has done this year. I am also inspired to think that next year will be even greater than this one. Happy New Year everyone.

Pray for Louisa

While at the LA Dream Center I had an encounter with a homeless man and his daughter that has stuck with me. It's been over a month since we served there and I still think of Brandon and his five year old daughter Louisa.

While we were serving food to the homeless men and women who live in LA's "Skidrow" neighborhood one of the Dream Center volunteers approached me and said, "That man, across the street is looking for a pastor."

I'll be honest my first thought was, "Darn, he looks mean."

But as I walked across the street to meet him I noticed he had something he was towing behind him. It happened to be his five year old daughter Louisa. A precious little girl with pretty pink shoes on (just like my three year old would wear.)

He introduced himself as Brandon and went on to describe while placing his hands over his daughter's ears how just recently his little girl was sexually molested. He asked for prayer for himself, because he wanted to kill the man who had done this to his baby girl. He also asked for prayer that she wouldn't have nightmares and need years of counseling because of this traumatic event.

As I stood there dumb founded I realized that he had finished talking and was now waiting for me to respond. I quickly stooped down and asked for the hand of Louisa so I could pray with her. She smiled broadly and the three of us called on God to do the miraculous. I used general words as I prayed as I wasn't sure how aware this five year old was to what happened to her. I held back tears and with everything in me asked God to do the impossible.

After our impromptu prayer time we said our goodbyes and they walked down the sidewalk together hand in hand.

This whole event is still vivid and alive in my memory and I'm left asking questions:

Why would God allow such a horrible thing to happen to an innocent little girl?

Why is Brandon walking/living in Skidrow with a five year old?

How will God judge the man who molested this little girl?

The truth is I don't fully understand or have the best answer for these questions, however my faith in God remains strong because I believe our God is a God who does care. I know that I serve a compassionate God and that He's the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). I know that God cares (Matthew 6:30), and I know that He is a God who heals (Exodus 15:26, Matthew 4:26).

As I think of little Louisa and her dad Brandon I continually pray for both of them and I think of the countless others who have been abused. I am thankful today, not simply because my girls haven't experienced this kind of abuse, but because I serve an active God who cares, comforts, and heals.

Will join me in praying for Louisa and other kids in her situation?

LA Dream Center

We recently returned home after a week of ministry with our interns in Los Angeles. We served at the Dream Center for four days in the warm California sun. It's a tough job, but someones got to do it. Here's a quick snapshot of what the Dream Center is all about:

The Dream Center is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization that provides social services and outreach programs designed to meet physical, spiritual, and long-term needs.

Their vision is to be a part of the collaborative effort to impact issues of moral decay, substance abuse, hunger, health care, chronic homelessness and poverty that exists in the inner-city of Los Angeles.

Our vision was birthed out of the fact that in 1994, Pastors Matthew and Tommy Barnett came to Los Angeles with the intention of building a church. They found that they first had to address the physical needs of this impoverished community. They began to reach out to the community by providing food and clothing. Within one year, they were reaching an estimated 500 people.

Needing a larger facility for the church and its growing outreaches, they found the current campus- the former Queen of Angels Hospital. It had been closed and sitting vacant for over six years. The Dream Center’s mission to serve the community aligned with the Franciscan Sisters’ vision for the former hospital, so it was agreed to sell the property to the Barnetts in 1996.

Reaching over 40,000 people every month, we offer opportunities and resources for at-risk youth, low-income individuals, and families to reach self-sufficiency by providing basic necessities and emergency assistance.

In addition to food, clothing, job training and healthcare, we provide educational programs, parenting classes and after-school activities. We also provide residential recovery programs for men, women and teens. These programs are available free of charge to anyone in need.

Isn't that what the gospel is all about anyway? The church exists to offer hope to the world. The Dream Center believes that the message is better received when tangible needs have been met first. What communicates love, care, and hope more clearly than a hot meal when hungry?

I was so impressed with the way our interns stepped up and served. In the next couple posts I'll share some stories from our trip. It was a great experience for our students as well as for me, the leader. Being able to meet a person's most basic needs is truly humbling. For more information on the LA Dream Center check out their website:

www.dreamcenter.org

Foolish Things

I love this verse in 1 Corinthians chapter one where Paul writes, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are."

It's pretty amazing when you stop and begin to digest this passage. When you investigate the claim made here by Paul you begin to realize that he's really not stretching that much at all. Paul's own life is the perfect example of this truth. He was the number one persecutor of Christ followers in his day. It just happened that God got a hold of him one day and knocked him off his... uh... donkey. After Paul's (then called Saul) encounter with Jesus his life was forever changed. He went from persecutor to preacher seemingly overnight.

For my money, I think I'd make Paul wait and prove himself to be not a persecutor for at least a week or something... I mean seriously, a day before his encounter with Christ he is on a mission to turn in more followers of, "The Way." Maybe God got it wrong, maybe Paul/Saul slipped through His screening process, maybe one of the angels made a mistake when passing along resumes to the almighty...

Or.

Maybe God's just gracious like that.

Maybe God's willing to take us and use us in our current condition. He's willing to accept us for who we are and see potential in us that we didn't see in ourselves. He did that with Paul and He's shown a propensity to use the unqualified for amazing miracles.

Abraham
Liar, Elderly & Sterile...
...Father of Nations
Jacob
Thief, Liar & Deceiver...
...Father of the 12 Tribes of Israel
Moses
Murderer & Stutterer...
...Led the God's people out of slavery
Rahab
Prostitute...
...Helped Israelite spies escape Jericho
Sampson
Covenant breaker...
...Hero God used to save Israel
Gideon
Coward, least in his family...
...Hero who once again saves Israel
David
Scrawny musician, youngest brother...
...Became Israel's King
David (Part 2)
Adulterer, Assassin & Conspirator...
...A man after God's own heart?
Solomon
Love child (conceived in affair)...
...Built God's Temple
Israel's Kings
Each one virtually worse than the previous...
...Placed in authority by God
Prophets
Cooked food using dung for fuel, married prostitute, lying around naked...
...Chosen to Speak for God
Mary
Unwed Teen Pregnancy...
...Gave birth to the Savior of all mankind
John the Baptist
Locust eater w/ no fashion sense...
...Prepared the way for Jesus & baptized Him
Jesus
Plain looking, unassuming homeless man...
...Savior and Lord of All
Disciples
uneducated fishermen, crooked tax collectors, anarchist, dishonest, stiff necked & unbelieving...
...Chosen by Jesus to change the world
Peter - Quick tempered, potty-mouthed, Christ denying no good...
...Cornerstone for the NT church
Paul
Working to arrest all Christ followers in his path...
...Author of most of the NT, Evangelist, Church Planter

And the list could go on.

God's will always gets accomplished. The question is, "Are you in? Do you want to be used by God to bring about His purposes?"

I do.

I'm really happy to know that I'm qualified to start now, just as I am.

Who Do You Look Like?

Do you ever notice how people that have been married a long time kinda look like one another? Or how about people and their pets? Isn't that a little disturbing. Well, chances are you look and sound like the people your closest to. You have inside jokes that you share, you can give a slight head nod and the other person knows exactly what it is you're not saying. This is natural and part of being human. Further more, it's fun having those kinds of relationships.

Recently on two separate occasions people have told me I am doing something (a mannerism) or sound like my Senior Pastor, Brian Dolleman. The first time someone called me on it I thought, "Oh come on, I've always done that." As they persisted I resisted and said, "Hey, I'm my own man all right?"

The second time someone called me on it I thought, "Fine, so what's the big deal?" The truth is it's not a big deal. I work with him and am around him often. I also happen to be learning a lot from him when it comes to ministry and life in general so yeah, over time I've unknowingly picked up on some of his sayings and mannerisms.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg. I often catch myself when talking with our two girls saying things my parents said to me. I didn't even know I had remembered those things but they flow right out of my mouth without even thinking about it.

I suppose my question is, who do you sound like? Who do you look like? Who are you acting like?

Do you sound like your favorite talk radio host? Do you spew sports knowledge while struggling to memorize scripture? Can you quote every line from the latest episode of The Office and then when someone is asking you for advice you draw a complete blank?

I'm not trying to make you mad or feel guilty. I'm just asking the questions that I have been asking myself lately. When people push my buttons, cut me off in traffic, and say negative things to me what do I sound like in return? I am embarrassed at times of the things that come to mind. At other times I'm mortified with what actually comes out.

Shouldn't we do our best to look, sound, and act like Jesus. If we claim to be "Christians" than we should be doing our best impression of Him. The longer we have been following and the closer we are to Him the more we should look, sound, and act like Him. After all as the saying goes, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery."

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

So... who do you look, sound, and act like?

Results Blog... Almost

At the beginning of the Major League Baseball season I had the band at Fairwood pick the finish of the AL West and give me their pick for the World Series. Let's see how we did...

Chris: 1. A's 2. Mariners 3. Angels 4. Rangers WS: Dodgers over White Sox

Adam: 1. Mariners 2. A's 3. Angels 4. Rangers WS: Rays over Dodgers

Jesse: 1. Angels 2. A's 3. Rangers 4. Mariners WS: Yankees over Dodgers

Cameron: 1. Angels 2. A's 3. Mariners 4. Rangers WS: Orioles over Cubs

Shaun: 1. Angels 2. A's 3. Mariners 4. Rangers WS: Yankees over Phillies

Andy: 1. Angels 2. Mariners 3. Rangers 4. A's WS: Cubs over Yankees

ACTUAL AL WEST FINISH: 1. Angels 2. Rangers 3. Mariners 4. A's

As you can see, none of us will be applying for a job with ESPN anytime soon. Jesse and Shaun are still alive with both of their World Series teams still alive.

Let's have some fun together, leave a comment for me with your pick for the World Series and the number of games you see it going.

The American League Teams remaining are the Yankees, Angels, Red Sox , & Twins (the first two are ahead 2-0 in a best of 5 series.

The National League Teams remaining are the Dodgers, Rockies, Phillies, & Cardinals (down 2-0 to the Dodgers).

Picks due by Sunday night. Prize is a deep sense much like the one Jesse and Shaun must feel.

So take your pick... Here's mine: Yankees over Dodgers in 7 (I love the drama)

Lift... Your Leadership

Last weekend we spent Friday and Saturday with our youth leadership team. I honestly can't come up with a better investment of my time and energy as a youth pastor than that. We had a great time eating, talking, laughing, and playing some games together. Our leaders are growing in number and in their leadership ability. As the saying goes, "Everything rises and falls on leadership," because of that we poured into our leaders and had a wonderful time doing it.

We started Friday night with a personality test that every leader took. The DISC test was a lot fun because our leaders were able to get a better handle on their unique personality and how it meshes or clashes with others. We could have spent the whole weekend just doing that, but it was just a warm up for the rest of the weekend.

Next talked about the difference between servants and stewards. The inspiration for this teaching comes from Christine Caine of Hillsong Church in Australia. The main thought we wanted to communicate to our leaders was that we want them to grow, invest, develop, and lead the most precious commodity that I have to give them, students. We want them to see themselves as stewards of what they have been given. Our leaders are the key to growing our ministry. As of this weekend they are released to lead, further more, we've put them in a position to be successful and they need to do it!

Saturday morning came and the flapjack feed was on. We had four skillets and three varieties of pancakes to choose from; regular, blueberry, and chocolate chip. I must admit, I was having so much fun making them I forgot to eat one. It was a great start to our Saturday, something that I hope will become a leadership weekend tradition.

We finished our weekend by sharing expectations of the leadership of Live Youth Ministry. We again reinforced the idea that our leaders must give an account for what we are giving them. We are entrusting the lives of our students to them and they must invest, grow, and produce a harvest with them. I am fully confident in our leaders; this school year is going to be incredible.

Lift... Your Priorities

I love being a dad to Andrea and Hailey. I love being a husband to Stacey. I love being the youth pastor at Fairwood Church. I love the friendships I've made throughout my life. I love going to the gym. I love competing in sports like softball and Sunday afternoon football. I love being a fan of my hometown teams like the Mariners, Seahawks, and Huskies. I love the life the God has blessed me with. I love that I am a child of God.

There are many roles I play in life. I am a husband, dad, pastor, friend, brother, and son among others. I have many interests; sports, parenting, leadership, family, friends, among many others. When I really stop and think about it though, I am more convinced than ever before that the cause of Christ is the only cause worth giving my life for. When I say the cause of Christ I mean doing what Jesus told us to do just before he left earth. Do you remember what He said? "Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you." Matthew 28:19-20

There are lots of other great things to spend your time doing. Seriously, it's great to be well rounded and have lots of interests, but there is only thing worth giving your life for. Seeing God's Kingdom advance, building His church, reconciling people to their creator is unbelievably fun. It doesn't just stop at fun it also happens to be what Jesus said we're "POST" to be doing. God's plan for saving the world includes you! You were designed to be a major player in this game. You're to be one of the lead actors in this drama. What I'm saying is that it's time to lift... your priorities and get moving.

Read this story from 1 Kings 17. Elijah is on the move and is told by God to stay in a town called Zarephath:

As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”

But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

Not very tender hearted if you ask me. She said she was preparing her last meal and Elijah basically says, "Me first." This woman has been challenged in the area of her priorities. Is she going to provide for her son and herself or be obedient.

So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her son continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

Amazing story, but there are a few others in scripture that are similar in theme. Read the account found in Matthew 14 below. Jesus has just been informed that his cousin and good friend John the Baptist has been murdered.

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Jesus obviously deserves, wants, and desired some alone time. Yet His priority was to do exactly what God, His Dad, had placed Him on the earth to do. So He ministered. The story continues:

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

The disciples were looking at the situation and making some realistic assessments. One, it's late, we're tired and hungry and so are the people. Two, we're a long way from any fast food joints and it's gonna be tough to feed these people. This led them to the obvious conclusion that it's best to send them home and meet again tomorrow. The problem is that Jesus had other plans in mind.

He wanted His disciples to understand that His plan was to be their priority. He knew they were worn out, stressed out, maybe even burned out. However, it was when they obeyed and served despite their feelings that the miracle occurred.

Miracles happen when we make God plans our priority. Remember, you probably have many interests in your life. You probably have many roles that you play. No matter what your interests and your role the most important role you play is as a child of God. The most important job you and I have is to be about our Father's business.

One more scripture for you. Proverbs 11:25 says, "The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."

Stacey and I strive to live our lives that way. It's way more fun. I want our youth ministry to do the same. Let's make God's plan our priority.

Lift... Your Perspective

In March, I will celebrate seven years of being on staff at Fairwood, six and half of those years as the lead youth pastor. I look at back at where we were when I started on staff, a youth ministry that was confused and wandering from idea to idea; and I am proud of where we are now. Over the past several years we’ve brought stability to the students and parents. We’ve become a reliable, safe, and in my opinion we’ve become an above average youth ministry.

The truth is I’m just not satisfied with that any longer. I long for something better, I know we are capable of it; what’s more, I know God is calling on us to take the next step. Due to recent events; Pastor Brian arriving and leading our church forward, our latest youth camp, various conferences I’ve attended over the past two years, books I’ve been asked to read, and relationships I’ve formed with youth pastors in the area I’ve come to a few conclusions. I’ve started getting honest with myself. I’ve been asking, “What are the major factors that are preventing us from stepping up and moving to the next level of ministry that God has for us?”

Lots of answers come to mind, but they all seem surface and shallow. The answer that I land on every time is one that is scary to confront. I'm finding that I am what holds us back. I don’t mean that in a self-demeaning way, I'm simply saying that as the youth leader grows so grows the ministry. I must continue to grow and get better as our leader if we have any chance at all of success.

Here’s what I’m really getting at. I am doing too much right now and it’s time to face facts and give away my job. I’ve known this for years, probably ever since I started. I can remember a conversation I had with one of volunteers back in our second year of ministry. I told him, “My job is to work myself out of job.” Head knowledge is so much different than actual applied knowledge. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what this all means, why is it that I haven’t been able to give certain parts of my job away? Why am I walking out of the worship portion of our Wednesday service to print out guest cards? What the heck is wrong with me?! We are reading a book as a staff called, “Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches From Growing,” as I scanned the table of contents I realized I am guilty of many if not all on the list. According to Geoff Surratt, the author of the book, the number one stupid thing that keeps churches from growing is when the pastor tries to do it all.

Ephesians 4:11-12 gives a pretty clear job description for pastors. "Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ." (NLT)

I am beginning to understand my job and now it's time to do it. No more solo act for me! It's time to empower the leaders around me to lead this ministry forward. We have been called to a new place, a new level in ministry. It's time we go there. Wanna come?

Time for Shots

A few weeks ago my wife Stacey took our youngest daughter Hailey to the doctor for some vaccinations that she needed to have. As all parents know taking your child for shots is especially difficult when they're young. Hailey is 18 months old and as you can imagine she screamed when she got her shots. What's really sad is that up until the moment she got stuck with the needle Hailey was happy and playful, even communicating with the "evil" nurse who did the deed. After about two minutes however, the screaming subsided and Hailey was calm and back to enjoying her day.

The vaccinations that Hailey received were incredibly valuable and important for her to have despite the fact that they were also very painful. Stacey and I would be irresponsible parents if we weren't willing to take our daughters in for these vaccines that help them build immunity to various illnesses and diseases. It's really sad to put our sweet little Hailey through the initial pain, but we recognize that we know what's best for her. If the choice was left completely to our daughter I guarantee she would never get her shots. It's just too scary and painful; she would be too nervous to do it. Thank God it's not up to her though; if she didn't get those vaccinations she would be left unprotected against many different life-threatening diseases.

Changing topics for a moment, as a youth ministry we just spent an incredible week together at Lift '09, our summer camp in Idaho at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. The 94 students and leaders that we took with us were ministered to and experienced God in powerful ways. During the week, 14 people made commitments to live for Christ; I am so thrilled with how it went! On Tuesday a family from the church met us in Sandpoint and took our students/leaders tubing. On Wednesday we took everyone up the summit lift to the top of the mountain for a worship service and message from Pastor Brian. That was astonishing. Finally, on Thursday we went to Silverwood for a fun day of roller coasters and water slides.

Interestingly enough it was not the roller coasters, incredible view, or tube rides that students were talking about. Our students were changed by what God did in our nightly services. Pastor Micahn Carter brought three messages that challenged students to go to a new place with God and they took him up on the challenge. God did AMAZING things all week long and I would not trade that experience for anything in the world.

Now just between you and me, do you know that despite what you just read I still had students tell me, "Not this time Andy," and, "Maybe next year."

If only they could have experienced camp first, then there would have been no way to keep them from coming along. I suppose it's to be expected for a student to say no thanks, it's not for me right now. After all, it's kinda like going in for vaccinations, it can be a little intimidating, scary and unnerving. Truth be told though, the benefit of a student enduring the pain of being out of their comfort zone far outweighs the temporary discomfort in making that decision. In short, the risk is worth the reward.

Now pay attention to what I write next, this may blow you away... Not only did I have students tell me, "No thanks, maybe next year." I also had parents say things like, "I really want my son/daughter to go, but they're a little nervous about the whole thing." I also had parents say things like, "I know it's a good thing, but I don't want to force them to go."

On some level part of me understands this. A very small part. Students are beginning to make their own decisions, have their own desires, and want to exercise some independence from their parents. Fine. My question is why are we allowing a camp experience to be a time for students to exercise their free will?

As a parent, my goal and my aim is to make sure that my two daughters fall madly in love with Jesus and serve Him all the days that they live. I want to pass on to my children and my children's children a legacy of Faith in Jesus that will continue generation after generation. To me, as a parent, Stacey and I are responsible for our child's spiritual development. Therefore, I must rise up and lead the way for my family when it comes to spiritual matters. That means, that just like taking my girls in for shots I will make sure that when the bus leaves for kid's camp and youth camp they'll be on it. Even if they don't feel like it at that particular moment.

I distinctly remember the first youth camp I ever went on as a small scrawny 7th grader. It was a winter retreat and the bus was leaving following Sunday morning services. My stomach hurt all day, I was nervous, I was scared and if it were left up to me I never would have gone. In fact, after I hugged my mom and stepped on the bus with tears streaming down my face I quickly found a spot and hid my face from the rest of the students. It wasn't long before some students reached out to me and my camp experience changed. I still remember the power of those camp services; I don't remember much of the content, but I know I was a changed teen. When we got home, I didn't want that spiritual high to end. Thanks mom, for making sure I got on that bus.

Incredible things happen when students commit to spending the week with Jesus at a camp. I've experienced as a camper and as the leader of the camp. Parents please hear me. Do everything you can to get your students to camp. YOU are the spiritual leader of your home so... LEAD. Make the tough choice, I guarantee your student will be better for it.

I am for you, I am for your student; I want God to get a hold of their life! But those tears we cry and the prayers we pray are meaningless if we don't put our students in a position to experience God at camp and at church. With our mouths we call out to God and say, "Touch my student, help them experience you." All the while by not getting them to church, youth service, and camp we essentially tie God's hands.

Parents: Let's be who God has called us to be. Let's be the spiritual leaders in our homes. Let's make the tough decisions that put our children in a position for a life changing encounter with Jesus.

I love you,
Andy

Swaziland Summary

Days 12-14 (Monday-Wednesday)

Our trip ended with some shopping and a safari. We spent our final night with the two missionary families (Myers and Drew). Taking time to verbalize how everything went on the trip was very helpful to me. To hear the missionaries express their gratitude to us just for playing with their children was pretty humbling. I felt so privileged to come along and serve. I felt like I should be the one saying the thank yous. Thanks for including me in this incredible experience.

Early on Tuesday the 28th we got up, loaded our bags and started out on the five hour drive to the airport. I rode with the missionary (Doug) and had a great time talking with him about his life on the mission field. I am struck with the thought that we (US church people) need to support these "Heroes in Faith" with more than just our dollars. Certainly, they need our finances, but beyond that our prayers, cards, emails, facebook comments, etc are valued as well. Spending the time Doug on the drive to the airport was a lot of fun and helped me understand his heart for the work he is doing.

Getting on the plane and heading for home felt so good. While on the plane I kept fighting the temptation to stare at my watch, as if by looking at it time would go faster. I tried to sleep but I kept thinking about my wife and daughters. The flights worked out much better on the way home, probably because we only had two this time. Johannesburg to Paris (about 10 hours) and Paris to Seattle (another 10 hours). Neither flight seemed overly long and there was some pretty good food served. Shoot, I was ready to get home; the details of the flight didn't concern me as much as landing back home where my family was.

After getting my bags searched and my ostrich jerky taken away at customs (an entire post on it's own) I took the train to be picked up by my wife and girls. As I came outside to the 90 degree heat I saw the familiar dent on the back of my truck, which by itself made me happy to be home, then I spotted Stacey. After a big hug and kiss from her I moved quickly around to the passenger door behind the driver seat and saw Andrea smiling as wide as I ever have seen her smile. Hailey was just as excited as her sister, but I assure you, neither one was as excited as I was to see them. Andrea just kept repeating all as we drove, "You're home from Africa Daddy."

Yes. I am home from Africa and I'm a better man because of what God did in and through me on that trip. I look forward to seeing Swaziland again in 2011. Wanna come?

Swaziland Log Book #8

*DJ Hagebusch took this picture at the community soccer tournament.

Days 10 & 11 (Saturday & Sunday)
“Goooooal!”

The big community soccer tournament on Saturday was a lot of fun. The Motjane Hope House Church sponsored the event and fed hundreds of people just before the championship match was to be played. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with the crowd that had gathered to watch the soccer tournament. I was a little bit distracted because as I was sharing the kids were playing a match and parents were watching and cheering their future soccer stars on. The whole scene was somewhat chaotic.

At the conclusion of a relatively exciting championship match (if there is such in soccer) Pastor Louis of Hope House Church asked Shawn Seeley to share his testimony. Unlike before when I had shared, all who gathered gave their full attention to Shawn. His story is powerful and has a tendency to draw people in. Shawn shared his story several times on this trip and each time he got better and better with the translator. This time was no different, he absolutely nailed it and the people clapped at the conclusion. He encouraged the people to put there hope in the God who saved him from a terrible situation and I believe many did.

Again, I am struck with the power of the story. Jesus used stories virtually every time He spoke with people. He didn’t give complicated theological truths; rather He found common ground with the people and told them stories. We heard feedback from the missionaries here that the Swazi people are surprised when Americans tell stories of heartache and trouble. Our team was able to do this many different times while we were here and the people really seemed to connect with us.

Sunday was a fun day. We attended service at International Church located on campus with the Swaziland College of Theology, the home base for A/G missionaries here. Pastor Brian shared a message familiar to most Fairwood people, “No to Status Quo.” The message was adapted to the people here in Swaziland and was very well received. I love watching communicators work a room; Pastor Brian did a great job of that today. He started slowly and as the audience was connecting more he continued to call the people to, “Say no to status quo!”

After church, we had lunch at the nicest restaurant in Swaziland. The steak I had was great and it reminded me of home.

We’re getting to the point where it’s time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished on our trip. We have indeed been used to do great things for God and the people here. I love that God brings intercontinental people together to accomplish His purposes. I am honored He chose to include me in this trip. Tomorrow we’re off to the safari, should be a great day!

Swaziland Log Book #7

Friday July 24, 2009
Day 9 “No Bounds”

Today we were again able to minister at a school here in Swaziland. St. John’s Primary School (grades 1-7) opened their doors to us. It was so fun to see Shawn and Christa share today. The translator that we used, a teacher from the school, was unbelievably good. If you have heard Shawn’s testimony, you know that it is a miracle that he is alive today. As he told his story the translator would look at him in shock and say things like, “Praise the Lord!” or “What a Miracle.”

The students like yesterday were glued to the two stories that were shared. I was impressed with Christa who shared today as well. Public speaking is not something she has done a lot of, but today she shared and made a difference in the process. I wrapped up the two testimonies as I did yesterday and thanks to some good suggestions from P. Brian the students seemed to connect better with what we were trying to communicate.

After our school visit we broke into teams and went door to door with translators. We were inviting a neighborhood village (Nkoyoyo – take your best guess) to Sunday service at the Hope House in Motjane. People were extremely open to our visits and we were able to pray with nearly everyone we came in contact with. In addition, we took names and numbers of people who needed a bus to get to church on Sunday. At one house we stopped at we had privilege of leading a man to Christ. It’s pretty amazing to think that God has had this mans salvation day circled on His calendar since the forming of the earth. What's more is that I got to be a part of it. I am humbled and amazed that God includes me in His plans.

In the afternoon we drove to the Manzinni to visit a ministry called, “The Faithful Church of Jesus Saviour in Swaziland.” Catchy name huh? It is situated between a feeding point (food bank) and a dump. The pastor who founded the church here moved his wife and seven children from neighboring Mozambique to start this children’s ministry. He purposely chose the poorest neighborhood in Manzinni to do so.

This neighborhood could be compared to the government housing or projects we see in the states. The king of Swaziland dedicates certain portions of land in cities to people with no money and no place to go. The missionaries told us that the teachers must deal with big distractions during the Bible lessons. During church a garbage truck will drive by and the kids from their seats to chase it down. They are looking for food and any items in good enough condition to sell to help their families buy food. Wow.

The kids were great. They wanted to play and be held, we obliged of course; even if we didn’t want to it’s impossible to say no. We gave them candy and we sat in a short service with them as well. P. Shari gave an impromptu encouraging word to the children and soon we were back outside playing. Visiting places here in Swaziland confirms again and again that the love of Christ knows no bounds. It is an honor to extend love and mercy to His little ones.

We finished the day at the Meyer's house tonight. Friday is their “family night” so we watched the Disney movie “Bolt” with them. After the movie we were spoiled with banana splits (and I thought I was going to lose weight on this trip). Tomorrow is the soccer tournament, should be a big, fun community event. Even though it’s soccer, I’m really looking forward to it.

Swaziland Log Book #6

Thursday July 23, 2009
Day 8 “Sweets”

“The sound of the student’s voices was amazing; it penetrated my soul and lifted my spirit.”

We had an incredible day today. We visited the Ngwenya Central Primary School and two of our team members got to share their testimonies. Every school day the 600+ students of the Ngwenya Central School gather for an outdoor assembly. Today they had some very special guests, some pale skinned Americans from Washington State.

Shawn and Aimee both shared the stories of how they came to Faith with the children. Stories have a way of connecting people regardless of their backgrounds. The Swazi children that heard Shawn’s story today likely know little about the conflict that injured Shawn and ultimately led to him putting his complete trust in Christ. None the less, the children hung on his every word.

Aimee shared her testimony as well with the same result. Students and teachers alike listened carefully and were attentive as she shared. Watching Shawn and Aimee was so cool; they shared their Faith with confidence and without fear.

I had the privilege of tying the two testimonies together and giving a brief Gospel presentation. I felt a little out of sorts as it was difficult for me to communicate through the translator. I chalk it up to a lesson learned; one that will prepare me for sharing more effectively at the soccer tournament on Saturday. Despite not feeling great about how I communicated with the students, I know sharing God’s word never returns void.

After we ministered to the students the students turned the tables and ministered to us. They broke into song right there while standing outside. It was like their way of thanking us for coming. The sound of the student’s voices was amazing; it penetrated my soul and lifted my spirit. I absolutely loved it and felt as if they had done for me in that brief moment more than I could do in an entire week of service here. The song symbolized hope, faith, and strength; given the situation most of them live in, those things can only be found when depending solely in Jesus.

Following the assembly we had a chance to walk through each classroom and offer “sweets” to every student. The students were great, if not a little sneaky. They would place the sucker they were given in their pocket and then hold out their hands with puppy dog eyes hoping to get another. It worked on me a few times, but truthfully I don’t mind a bit.

Our day closed with our team huddled around a campfire (yes, in Africa) making a traditional Swazi dessert… S’mores. They were a perfect cap to a nearly perfect day.

Swaziland Log Book #5

Wednesday July 22, 2009
Day 7 “Blocks”

The blocks that didn’t arrive yesterday we’re here when we got to the church at nine this morning. We made quick work of them moving them from top of the hill down to the location of future showers and bathroom building. Physical work and sweating always makes you feel like you got something accomplished. With that job checked off our list we got ready to paint the interior of the boy’s lounge room. Once again we had to wait while supplies were purchased.

Probably one of the biggest adjustments our team has had to make is that things just flat out take longer in Swaziland. Flexibility is key and patience is right there with it.

While waiting for more supplies to make their way to the Hope House Church we had a little down time today. Did we just sit and twiddle our thumbs? No way! P. Brian happened upon a Flintstone like weight set that we all took turns using. It was so fun to see the ingenuity of the people here.

Once the all the materials showed up it was time for us to get down to business. We all focused on painting the boys lounge room first. We knocked that out rather quickly. During our lunch break we saw four boys trudging up the steep hill the church is located on with two of the coolest race carts I have ever seen. We gave the boys some of our extra sandwichs and told them we would wait to see them come down. After nearly 35 minutes of waiting we decided to see what was taking them so long to come down the treacherous slope. We found the boys riding down a smoother shorter hill that did not have the possibility of confining them to wheelchairs for the rest of their lives.

To finish the day we wheeled some river sand and plaster sand from its current location (you guessed it) on top of the hill to (you guessed it again) the bottom near the construction site. So we did… or should I say DJ did? There was only one wheelbarrow so P. Brian, Shawn, and I filled DJ’s wheelbarrow and cheered him on as he did the runs by himself.

Today was low key, but it was great to get some things done for Pastor Louis and the Hope House Church in Motjane. Tomorrow we will be making our first school visit, I cant wait…

Swaziland Log Book #4

Tuesday July 21, 2009
Day 6 “Go Go”

After a good night’s rest we started day six by setting out to the Motjane Hope House. Our task was to help the builder move blocks (similar to cinder) and construct the new bathroom and shower facility for the orphan boys. I say new, but that would imply that there was an old. The boys staying at the Hope House orphanage haven’t had running water facilities for four years now.

When we reached the construction site with our work gloves and clothes we noticed very quickly that something was missing… the blocks. Doug, the missionary we’re working with here, told us at the outset of our work that the key word in missions work is flexibility. Here was our chance to put this concept into action.

With the building project on hold we hopped back into the van and drove through the village of Motjane. We had food for 10 houses on board and through the hilly and bumpy terrain we rode. At each stop we got out and gave the food, offered an encouraging word, and prayed for the families we visited.

As you may imagine, the living conditions were just like you see on those World Vision commercials. Small living quarters crammed with people. Yet, many of the families we visited were honored that we had come to their home. One man posed for a picture, but insisted that we show his chicken coup in the background.

My favorite stop was one where a, “Go Go” the Swazi word for grandmother, saw us from a distance and screamed, “Hallelujah!” As we approached her home she was literally dancing because we had come to visit her and bring food. This was a real life Go-go Go Go! Once we were inside her home she told us that she was the leader of the multiple families that were living on the land with her. She told that our presence made her feel as if Jesus had come to visit her today.

What an incredible thought, our simple visit to the grandmother made her sense and experience the love of Christ in a tangible way. There is no question that this visit blessed her, but it may have blessed us even more.

On the lighter side, we took sack lunches with us today as we would not have enough time to stop for food. My lunch included a tomato, cheese, and margarine sandwich. I’m sorry to report I was not brave enough to try it. Come to think of it, I’m not sure anyone did.

The blocks should be ready tomorrow and that means, I’ve got to bring my A-game. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

Swaziland Log Book #3

Monday July 20, 2009
Day 5 “Helpless & Hopeful”

“…I’m not sure anything could have really prepared me for what I saw today in the Government Hospital Children’s Ward…”

The day started with our team helping the missionary, Doug Meyers, unload a trailer of supplies, then reload it for a project we’ll be helping with on Saturday. I enjoyed this short little project at the warehouse to start the day because as we worked Doug was able to point out different items and say, “A team from Texas donated this, a team from Issaquah donated that.”

It’s neat to see that when we give to a cause like missions work, that we are indeed just one small part of a very large process. Today we had a hand in continuing the good work that another team had already started. Chances are that another team will get to complete the work that we furthered. We don’t always get to harvest what we plant, often someone else gets to water and then another gets to harvest. I love that in God’s work we all play a vital role along the way.

After our morning workout we headed out to what’s known as the Government Hospital. Doug tried to prepare us for the visit, however, I’m not sure if anything could have really prepared me for what I saw today in the Government Hospital Children’s Ward. The dilapidated exterior of the building was a preview of what was to follow once we ventured inside. It has been said that people don’t come to the government hospital to get well, they go there to die.

The first room we came to was the infant ICU where two mothers rocked their children. It was quiet and the only time the silence was broken was when one of the two swollen-faced babies began to cry. Through an interpreter our team was able to pray with the mothers and their children. At the Government Hospital in Swaziland nursing is not like in a United States hospital. Mothers, fathers, or relatives of the patient are responsible for nursing duties. The doctor comes once during the day to check on a patient’s status. Do to the large amount of child patients, rooms are filled with beds lining the walls and a common area is in the middle.

I wasn’t sure I could handle staying in the Children’s Ward once we entered the next room. The cries from kids, the hopeless feeling in the room was almost too much for me. I went over to a 5 ½ year old girl who was screaming at the top of her lungs in agony. Her nose was bleeding and her mother tried to sooth her with tissue and a calming voice. I stood there at the foot of her bed not knowing what to do or how to react.

After starring and standing for what seemed like forever I broke the silence and started trying to communicate. The girl’s mother spoke a little English and I was able to understand the basics of why the child was admitted. There had been a surgery done earlier on this little one and a stitch that hadn’t worked correctly that was causing major bleeding. She bled for four straight days before they brought her in and now finally she was receiving treatment. I asked if I could pray, they agreed and I started in. My voice quivered as I prayed, tears were building, I felt helpless.

Here I was praying to the creator of the universe and I felt as if I was powerless in the situation. The truth is, I was. On my own I had no power to take away her pain. God alone could help that little girl, I began praying in the Spirit because I knew they couldn’t understand me anyway and I wasn’t entirely sure what to pray. I gained confidence praying in tongues for her and as I grabbed the sobbing girl’s hand suddenly she stopped crying. I got her a toy from the suitcase (a princess wand w/ a magical chime sound) and continued to talk with the mother until it was time to move to the next room.

Simply by being there with gifts, smiles, and prayers our team was changing the atmosphere in each hospital room we visited. I knew that God cared about every patient there and that He knew just how help them. I learned that I could trust in God no matter what situation I faced. I was helpless by myself, I had nothing to offer on my own, but when I came representing God almighty that was a different story entirely. He is the hope of the world and the hope I got to give to children and their families in the hospital was tangible.

We finished the day by spending some time at the Sandra Lee Orphanage. The children used us like monkey bars and it was uplifting to be around them. The highlight of our time with these orphans was when one boy asked Shawn Seeley, “How come your muscles are bigger than DJ’s? Could you kill DJ?”

It was a good day today, I learned that I can’t offer much on my own to people in need. However, a smile, a toy, and a prayer offered in faith will do more than I’ll ever know.