Monthly Prayer Requests

I was recently challenged by one of our supporters to make our prayer requests more known.  I guess I have failed in many regards in making them known.  Lots of times in ministry you tend to focus on the "doing", when many times we need to focus on the prayer needed to "do the doing".  So, I will try and once a month put up a post that specifically has our prayer requests on it.  I will simply list them in a list order...no specific order of importance, just I like doing things in lists. this one is a big one since it is the first one in a ling time! Thank you all for your prayers and support in our ministry.  And to my good friend who reminded me to make these things known, I thank you for that good reminder.  As iron sharpens iron...

1. Continued health of family 

2. Provision for home schooling curriculum

3. "Proceeding On".  Pray for more sales and that it would be a blessing to whomever purchases it.  i am trying to find a Christian outdoors ministry, camps, etc...that may be interested in purchasing a bunch.  Prayers appreciated.

4. That all our children will walk with the Lord

5. A small vehicle to run errands in.  We are truly blessed to have a van, but juggling life with 6 kids and one vehicle can be hard at times.  Pray for wisdom and provision if we were to get another vehicle.

7. Wisdom for future ministry with Gospel Guy.  To put it short, this ministry is exploding and I need wisdom on how to further proceed with it...how to grow it...how much to grow it...vision..etc

8. Fall Outward Apologetics School. I have been working hard putting this school together that starts in September.  Prayers appreciated as September comes closer!  Pray for more students...we have a confirmed 7 rite now.  Would love to see 10!

9. For my lovely Sarah as she raises our kids and as the new school year approaches!

10.  I ask you to pray for the confirmation of the Lord on a specific ministry related project  am considering doing in the future.  I am not privileged to share what it could be, but all I ask is you pray for God to make it clear to me if it is something I should do!  That's it!

11. For our last two weeks of summer Mission Adventures groups!  That we would finish the summer strong!

12. Increased monthly support.  I am trying to raise $500 more month this year for our family.  Pray for the Lord to cross our paths with those whom may be  interested in our ministry.

Annual Father Son Camping Trip and Anders Turns 12!

I just got back from our annual father son camping trip.  The boys and I headed for two days and nights to beautiful Central Oregon, to the Metolious River area.  We hiked up Black Butte, went swimming in some amazing lakes, and generally just enjoyed the beautiful outdoors.  Sarah and the girls stayed home and seemed to do just fine.  I guess next year the girls will be getting old enough for a father daughter camping trip!  Cant wait to see how that one pans out!  We re so blessed to live in this amazing area.  Oregon is truly a majestic place.  The camping trip was a prelude to Anders 12th birthday which we celebrated July 26th.  How time flies bye!  He still is determined to be a missionary pilot. Anyone feel led to pay for flight school? :) 

Anders feeding a chipmunk on top of Black Butte

Aidan in the Metolius River.  He caught some salamanders.

Anders once again got a chipmunk with his slingshot. Open fire delight!  Good thing mom was not with us!

We celebrated Anders 12th at the YWAM base.  Him and his buddies caught crawdads, had pine cone wars, wrestled, played volleyball, cops and robbers, and had smores.  Not much more a 12 year old boy could ask for.

Mission Adventures North America is Busy

One of the hats I wear is that of Chairman of Mission Adventures in North America.  In a nutshell, what this means is I lead a team of 6 awesome people who help oversee the Mission Adventures program across North America.  I love being a part of this team, and it is summer times that I am filled with awe at how amazing the Mission Adventures program is and how the Lord is changing lives through it.  As I write this, we are having our first MA team do outreach with YWAM Yosemite.  Today, a group of 56 students arrived to do Mission Adventures in Boston.  Hundreds of students have already done inner city ministry in the tenderloin district with MA San Fransisco this summer.  The Gospel is being preached on "the strip" in Las Vegas with MA Vegas. Hundreds more have built homes in Mexico for the poor with MA Tijuana.  Others have reach out to the Lakota Sioux on the Pine Ridge reservation with MA Minneapolis.  MA Orlando just sent teams of to Costa Rica.  MA in Jacksonville FL also just had teams return from Costa Rica.  MA in Idaho has sent teams to India, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Boise this summer.  MA in Vancouver Canada just hosted a team of 40 students and saw amazing things happen in their city. Here in Salem students got to be a part of seeing a whole family come to Christ on the street the first time they ever did evangelism, and next week we have a group of students from Alaska coming who have NEVER been outside their villages!  MA in Nashville just had their first team for their newly started program.  These are just a few of the many things going on rite now with Mission Adventures in North America.  It helps to see the BIG picture of what we are involved with at times.  God is so good!  Thanks for all your prayers!

A Pastor's Kid Comes to Christ

I am always amazed at how many people I meet who have never heard the Gospel in this nation.  Today was no exception, and I was even more amazed that the particular person who had never heard it was a pastors daughter!  Today while out doing the Gospel Guy, I struck up a conversation with two girls who were reading my sign.  They were 18 and 16, very friendly, and open for discussion.  As my friend and I began to talk with them, the one girl who was 16 told me her dad was pastor in a church in our city and she has grown up feeling "pressured" to be a "goodie goodie".  Long story short, it seemed from my small perspective she has had a pretty controlling upbringing and her relationship with her dad is a tough one.  We continued to talk and I noticed some things she was saying that just made me wonder where her and her friend were at spiritually.  I then asked them to define what they thought the Gospel was.  Their answer was shocking.  One said the Bible, and one said "something to do with God."  These were two girls who grew up going to church their whole lives, and one was a pastors daughter!  What happened next caught me completely off guard.  I asked them if i could share what the Bible says the Gospel is about and as I began to, all of a sudden the 16 year old broke down in tears and began to weep. Then her friend began to as well.  Then, rite there, on the street corner, a preachers kid surrendered their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and was born again.  After that, they shared how they saw us standing by our Gospel Guy sign and did not want to walk by us, but "something" was telling them to do so.  I was blown away.  On top of that amazing story, our team saw three others come to Christ as well!  And in the end, I got called a weirdo by a witch. That's rite, a witch.  They exist all over here in the Northwest.  Wicca is HUGE here.   What a great day.  Bringing the light of the Gospel to the darkness!  Could not dream of doing anything else.  Blessed I am.  

Five Come to Christ with the Gospel Guy Today

Today I was speaking to a couple while doing the Gospel Guy.  They were living together, both had four kids from previous marriages.  Their personal history is a tough one, and I decided to get straight to the matter and ask them what their purpose in life was.  We then began what would be a 45 minute discussion which touched on about everything imaginable. The lady was raised Lutheran, but said she had her "own" religion made up of the good things and attributes she found in many different religions.  The guy was an agnostic.  I reasoned with them from the scriptures, asked them questions, answered their questions, etc... Finally after a very deep discussion I was very direct and upfront with them when I told them they were treating the free gift of eternal life Christ offers as if it were a Christmas present they found under the tree on Christmas morning, looked at it, and threw it in the garbage without opening it.  I often use this example when speaking to people.  Then, rite before my eyes I saw the Lord soften their hearts, and they then surrendered their life to Christ and received the free gift He offers to all mankind.  A little bit later, one of our high school interns who is working with us this summer led two people to Christ as well!  This was the first time he had done that in his life in this way so it was for sure a milestone in his walk with Jesus!  We also saw one man come to Christ on Monday.  He was drinking a 40 ounce bottle of beer when my friend began to share the Gospel with him.  In the end, he also gave his life to Christ.  The Lord is doing amazing things here in our city.  What an amazing God we serve!

Proceeding On is purchased by second youth group!

The above picture is with this past weeks Mission Adventures group that we had.  In their hands are copied of my devotional "Proceeding On". It was such a blessing to see my book in the hands of a youth group and I am blessed that they bought copies.  Their plan now is to spend the next few months going through the book together. This is the second youth group that has purchased copies.  Praise God!

5 Siblings come to Christ...and Grandma is Happy!

Today doing the Gospel Guy four teenagers and one younger girl were walking toward me.  I began to speak with them and found out that they were siblings.  As I was speaking to them, their grandma and grandpa came up and began to listen to our conversation.  As I began to speak to them, it was clear that although they were decent kids, almost "too decent", they were not Christian.  Their grandma who stood beside me was however, and as i spoke she sat and listened.  i was not sure actually what she was thinking until I asked her if she was a Christian in which she emphatically stated that she was indeed.  I then asked all her grand kids, and to her utter surprise one said she thought she would be reincarnated into a new person when she died, and the others had a classic "i am a good person" theology that showed their grandma their true colors.  Long story short, after a good 20 minutes of conversation, we all joined hands, and all five of those kids gave their lives to Christ rite there on the street...the oldest being 18 the youngest being 10.  It was absolutely amazing.  I have never seen a whole family come to Christ like that before, so it was truly a moving time for me personally. God is so good!  To make it even more awesome, with me were four of our Mission Adventures students and this was their first ever experience witnessing to people.  What a blessing!

Four Years in a Row!

This week we have a youth group here from Yosemite, CA. They are an awesome group, and this is their fourth summer in a row coming to us.  They have been getting trained in all sorts of things and doing outreach here in our city.  Take a look at some pictures.

Lunchtime for our students

Training our students for the Gospel Guy

It's not Mission Adventures without some crazy skits

Youth Pastor Mike doing the Gospel Guy.  He has brought his group four years in a row.  Great friend and brother in Christ.