Island 2010

Here I am again, another summer of counseling. But even if I have gone through this before, and even if I have counseled hundreds of other kids, this summer is going to be different. No longer will it be for me, it will be all for Christ.

And that is a challenge.

Prayer would be good, not just for me, but for all of us counselors.

Counseling on the Island is the hardest thing that you can think of for ministry. But it is also the most rewarding. Kids come from all over, the city streets, smoking and drinking, from farms, dancing and partying, from pastors families, going through the motions and pretending. But they all leave with one thing. Knowing the love of Christ. No matter what your back ground is, you can find rest in Him.

And as a counselor, I will be dealing with all those different kids, different backgrounds, different situations at home, but my number one job is to love the Lord my God with all my strength, heart, mind and soul. It is ONLY then that I can do ANYTHING for God. I can be the "best" counselor and hate God, and accomplish nothing eternally; or I can be a "bad" counselor but love God and have miracles happen! Not that you have to be a "bad" counselor to get stuff done for God, but to put it into perspective.

This past two weeks we have gone through training courses, (first aid, counselor behavior, expectations) working on the Island as a unit (a group of guys or girls that through the summer will all counsel together) getting the camp ready for June 26th, and running through the rallies that we will be doing this summer.

It is a great time, but it is also really tiring. I am tired even now, and we don't officially start until tomorrow, when the campers first arrive!

It can be a really hard time, but if you trust God and really allow Him to work in your life, then He will do great things!

This summer is also really good, because my brothers have joined me on the Island, one is a boat boy, he past the test! And the other one will be working in the kitchen as food prep. Adele is also here in New York, but at the Ranch working as a Wrangler (working with horses). Pray for my parents, they are probably pretty lonely at home!

Until my next day off!

IM IDP

Hey! I know that it that it has been a long time since my last update, and it will be a while before my next one, but I wanted to let any who follow this to know what is going on in my life!

Last time I updated I was struggling between what God had planned for me, and whether that was going to Korea or Brazil. Well, the answer is here now, and God is directed my foot steps to BRAZIL!

It wasn't that Korea was a bad place, or that I shouldn't have gone there, it is just that God has plans for me to go to Brazil, and that is the most exciting place I can be!

the next step now is to make it through summer camp. I will be involved in that until August 22nd (more to come on summer camp). I will graduate from second year on the 22nd, and that night we will have some training until the 25th. We will also start Liberty Online classes the 23rd, and then head home on the 25th to start getting really active in raising support, working, and taking online classes.

It will be a stretching, but growing experience! I am really looking forward to it!

In January I will head back here to New York for a week of training, and then there will be a missions conference, where my fellow missionaries in training and I, will be commissioned, in front of all of the students, faculty, and missionaries, and then sent out!

I will be in Brazil from January 2011 till December 2012. It is a long time, but also a life time opportunity, not just for me, but also for all those that I will be able to reach with the Gospel of Christ, which is all that truly matters!

Desicions

For two years now I have been best friends with Asian students, specifically Koreans, and have wanted nothing more than to go to Korea.

However, once I went to Brazil for Missions Reality, that completely changed, I feel in love with the people of Brazil.

And it gets worse...

This year through Word Of Life there is a new Internship Discipleship Program. It allows you to go to other countries, learn to be a missionary, study with Liberty Online (within three semesters I would have my Bachelors in Religion), and be actively involved in the ministry going on there!

Sweet, eh?

Well, I thought so too, and both Brazil AND Korea were some of the countries offered.

The problem with that is, they are both great countries, both great ministries, and both God glorifying (done in the heart heart motives)!

I applied to I/M IDP (International Ministry Internship Discipleship Program), and I will know the outcome by Monday!

Pray that I get accepted, and pray that I get the Country that God wants me in!

Psalm 118

This verse really blessed me today,

I hope that you can get out of it as much as I did.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
²Oh let Israel say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."
³Oh let the house of Aaron say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."
⁴Oh let those who fear the LORD say,
"His lovingkindness is everlasting."
⁵From my distress I called upon the LORD;
The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.
⁶The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
⁷The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
⁸It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in man.
⁹It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in princes.
¹⁰All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
¹¹They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
¹²They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
¹³You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the LORD helped me.
¹⁴The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
¹⁵The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
¹⁶The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
¹⁷I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the LORD.
¹⁸The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
²⁰This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
²¹I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
²²The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
²³This is the LORD'S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
²⁶Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
²⁷The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
²⁸You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
²⁹Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Nothing else needs to be said.

Brazil: Friday-Saturday

Friday was a sad day, it was the one when we left...

It started off well, we had a missionary panel,

where we could ask questions of the missionaries.

But we all knew the inevitable was coming...

After about an hour and a half we all had to say good bye.

It was tough.
Levi was one of the translators, and now a good friend of mine.

Fernanda was also a translator, although her English wasn't as good. But we are good friends too!

Abraham actually only spoke a little English. More than I spoke Portuguese. Even though we don't speak the same language, that didn't stop us from becoming friends!

This is us all leaving. It was ridiculous picture time. We are all happy looking, but we are all sad...

The trip from Palavra De Vida to Brazil to Word Of Life New York took a bus ride, two plane rides, and a car ride to get there. The whole Trip took about 30 hours...

It was sad.

But just like Frosty, I'll be back again one day!

Brazil: Thursday

On Thursday we started the day early, again, and we went to a Tribal Ministry Headquarters. We got to learn all about tribal ministry; the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was really interesting, however, it was the first time we really slowed down all week, the first and only time we were in an air conditioned room, and we were all falling asleep. The president of the ministry thought that someone drugged us. How rude of us!

This was a drawing of a traditional Brazilian tribal man. The tribes actually gage their lips, and place flat wooden pallets into their lower lips. They also shave off all their eyebrow, eye lash, and the middle of their head hair. They then paint designs onto their faces. Not for religious reasons, but for fashion.

This is a technology advancement that the tribes use. They may not have Internet or computers, but they still have "technology"!

This is an idol from a remote tribe. This is a design of one of their gods. You can't really see it, but on the back is a Roman Catholic design. The tribes didn't want to get rid of their ancient held gods, but they also didn't want to throw out all of Roman Catholics ideas, so they combined the two.

Unfortunately, Catholic sacraments will not get you to heaven, and that is all they practice.

The Brazilian Government makes it illegal to go into tribes, they want to preserve people groups. However, missionaries can go to villages where the ultimate destination village trades. The missionaries stay there, make friends with the village they want to visit, and eventually get an invite. Once the tribe invites them to come to their village, Brazilian law cannot save them.

It is a slow process, but God wants us to share His Gospel with everyone!

After we went to the Tribes Headquarters, we got to go SHOPPING! It was cool. This is a picture of downtown Belem as we headed into to go eat. After that we went to a local market, and got to barter for the items that we wanted, I got a lot of cool things for friends and loved ones.

For myself, I wanted a knife. That was the one thing that I wanted. So I looked all around, and I found a cool one for about $13 USD. However, upon getting back to campus, I found out that the six inch swithch blade that I bought... was illegal.

I really didn't know.

While we shopped a storm swept in. You could see it coming for miles!

After we got done shopping we got to go to this ministry for getting boys off of the streets. It is surprising how many children are reduced to living on the streets! Either because of bad home conditions, or because they have no home, this ministry works to help them!

They do a fantastic job!

It was a long and tiring day.

I didn't drink enough,

and I have to drink a lot!

So I got a headache and felt sick.

But God definitely was at work that day!

Brazil: Wednesday

Brazilian law says that all public school children have to have a religion class.

Wow!

And so all kids are taught about "religion."

Sometimes schools can't afford religion teachers,

so Palavra De Vida steps in a volunteers their time.

How nice.

But this gives us huge opportunity!

Between the 3 groups,

we got to reach about 13 school in that one day!

Talk about tiring,

but boy did God work,

I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

God loves all the little children!