Reach the Unknown

He is able!!

2011-12-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

Recently God has been reminding me a lot to trust in Him with everything that I have. He has been putting memories in my head of things that have happened where He is always faithful! A lot of time we forget how faithful He is. Sometimes it does not even cross our minds. One way that he shows us that He is faithful is through His love. Gods love is something that we will never fully grasp while we are here on this earth but it is something that we are able to run after with everything that we have.

This is one of the memories. In this memory God reminded me of His LOVE and what it can do to people. This past summer while in Uganda we came in contact with an awesome group of kids who were living not too far from the Sozo house. The living conditions of these kids weren’t the best but they were better than a dirt floor. Every time we would go see them, we would take them down to the big field and play kick ball, throw the frisby, climb the trees, just things that kids need to do. There was one boy that that really stuck out to me. His name is “Little” Eddie. For some reason I could tell that something was wrong with him but I could not put my finger on it. He always seemed upset and never really wanted to play. You would go up to him and put him on your shoulders and run around with him but he would never smile. I would literally try everything I could to make him smile. I would make some of the craziest faces and just make a fool out of my self….but he never would smile. Like I said before, one thing all kids around the world have in common is that they want someone to LOVE them. After a few more times of going and visiting the kids we were able to show them that people really care about them as trust was built. The last time I saw “Little” Eddie I went up to him with my camera and said “SEKA Eddie SEKA!!!!” (smile/laugh) He looked right at me and smiled so BIG!!

I knew he had it in him! Ever since then, in every picture I have seen of him, he has the biggest smile on his face. “Little” Eddie is now in one of the Sozo homes in Uganda and from what I have heard the Lord has been working on that little boy and he is so full of joy!! Praise God!!

Another memory. In this memory God reminded me to trust in Him. He has everything in control. This past summer there was a small group of us that had the privilege to travel to Kenya. While we were in Kenya we got to see a lot of different things. One thing that we got to do while we were there is go on a “Safari.” We left the house really early and headed off to Masai Mara National Park, which is located in southwest Kenya. It took us about 3+ hours to get to the road that led to the entrance to the park. We started down the road. We were only able to go about 20MPH because the road had so many rivets in it. If you were to lie down on the road and look down it would look like the ocean on a red flag day. It felt like you were riding a jet ski on rocky waves.

After driving down the road for about 2 hours one of the guys that was with us said “guys…do you see how much gas we have left?” We immediately looked and we had a little less than a quarter of a tank. We started to talk and figure out what we should do. The last gas station that we saw was about an hour away and there is no way that we could make it back to it. So we continued on. We finally were able to stop a safari vehicle and ask them if there was gas inside of the park. The man that was driving told us that there was and that we weren’t far from the park gate. He also told us that the gas was in the center of the park… That is were all the hotels were, so once we got to the gate we had to travel another 45 min hoping that we were going to make it. We finally reached the park gate and as we were driving we were surrounded by Gods beautiful creation. For some reason God speaks to me so much though His creation and the beauty that it brings. At this point we had 1/8 of a tank of gas left… We finally made it to the main lodge were the gas was… We pulled up and told them that we needed some gas. We were all very excited that we had made it until they told us “…We only have diesel, no petro….” We needed petro… You should have seen our faces. What were we going to do? There was no way that we were going to be able to stay the night at that hotel when it already cost us $75 a person to get into the park. You could imagine what it cost to stay a night there. We really had no choice but to drive as far as we could until we found someone who could possibly go and get us some gas because there was no way that we were going to make it back to the gas station that was about 3 hours away. We went into the hotel and bought as much water as we could just in case we got stranded in the middle of Masai Mara National Park. Oh I forgot to tell you that in this park were lions and all types of animals that come out at night! We had to leave as soon as possible because the park gates closed at six and it was already five. Before we left we all got together and prayed to that God would keep us safe and that He would protect us if something were to happen. We got into the little car and we were on our way. We reached the front gate but we still had about 2 hours to go, on almost an empty tank. We got the guards phone number so we could call him when we ran out of gas. We were all convinced that we were going to run out of gas. He told us to stop at the second Masai village, who are tribal Indians, and ask them if they had ANY gas.

We started off again and about 20 min down the road we came up on the village. It is exactly what you picture an African village in the middle of nowhere. Mud huts, people walking around with spears, the sun setting, and here we are with almost an empty tank of gas. The man who we were staying with got out of the car and started to walk up to the village. Out of nowhere people started to appear. We had no idea where they were coming from. Yeah we were all guys in the car but we were pretty scared. We had no idea what was going to happen. Kabu looked backed at us and shook his head, and we new that they didn’t have any gas. We had no other choice but to continue on our way and continue to pray that God would protect us and keep us safe. About thirty more minutes of driving and then we heard “DING” the gas light came on… We still had a ways to go and it was already dark outside. By this time we had come up with a plan that three of the guys were going to get out of the car and run to the main road and try and stop someone when we ran out of gas. We really did not know what was going to happen. Were we going to be stranded in the middle of nowhere? We continued to drive and then we noticed the gas light had gone off… We drove more, then it came back on. We continued to drive and then it went off again… believe it or not we made it back to the main road. We continued sown the road until we ran into a police roadblock. We asked the officer if he knew where any gas was. He pointed to a little village off of the main road. So we headed in the direction that the officer pointed and there was this old lady who lived in this little shack who had 20 liters of petro and he had to siphon the gas from the jug into the car. It is only by the power of God that we did not run out of gas. He kept us safe and He protected us. He has everything under control and all we have to do is trust in HIM!! He turns the impossible into possible!

Sometimes God has to take us through so much to understand something so simple. HE IS ABLE to do ANYTHING!! Some of us go through life not even realizing that God is speaking to us. Are we listening? Are looking for Him? Do we have our eyes open or are they closed? He is speaking to us all the time and He is revealing things but a lot of us are not listening or seeing the pictures. Open your eyes and the Lord will paint His picture for you! It is a beautiful picture full of life with HIM! “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

I was talking to one of my best friends the other day and she was asking me if I ever sit and wonder why we are where we are, and why do we have the things we have? Why us? I sat there and wondered. God has given us what we have so we can help others. If we allow Him to lead our lives, we are a part of His story!! His beautiful story!! She then told me “I know he doesn't call the qualified but he qualifies the called.” We need to pursue after Christ with everything that we have! EVERYTHING! He is so faithful and so worthy of our praise!! He is life and that is where we find our identity, our true self! I will tell you that you don’t have to go over seas to feel His overwhelming presence. As long as you are yearning for Him and pursuing after him with everything, He will consume you with his presence you just have to make the effort.

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

It is so much harder to give up something that you have, than to give up something that you don’t have.

2011-12-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

All throughout the Gospels there are many different types of stories that are told. They range from stories of sadness to stories about Jesus healing people that no one else could heal. Some of the most important events in the whole Bible are in the gospels. As you look at the different writers of the gospels you can see different styles of writings and how things are described in different ways. In a lot of cases this can be good but in some this can cause some controversies. There are many books that talk about these kinds of things. All four of the gospels tell a lot of the same stories, but you will also see how all four of the gospels tell different stories. Some of the writers left some things out. Was this on purpose? For example, John baptizing Jesus was told in Matthew, Mark, and Luke but not John. There are many more occurrences like this all throughout the gospels. Mark is also the shortest of the four Gospels. Mark moves really quickly through the beginning and gets straight to the point of Jesus’ ministry.

The book of Mark is very much like the other gospels but you will also come to realize that this book has a few more verses and a few more miracles than the other gospels. Because of this many people will say that this book was written first. Also, another reason that many people say that this book was written first was because the other gospels quote a lot of Mark’s work. “The first half of Mark frequently groups a series of stories of like form (healing, controversies, parables, ect.), with a particular emphasis on Jesus’ Miracles.” As you read through, you will also see the gospels, that the book of Mark is the book that shows the best chronological order. “In the second half of Mark, events proceed much more chronologically, with more emphasis on Jesus’ teachings.”
After reading through the book of Mark, there was one story that really struck me Jesus speaking to the rich young man. When reading this story you see a lot of things that make you think. The young man makes you think that there is something that he has done wrong with him “running up to Jesus and falling to his knees.” This seems strange. The second thing that he does is call Jesus a “good teacher.” Yes, Jesus is a good teacher, but He is also much more than that. Jesus says ”why do you call me good?...No one is good except God alone.” Then Jesus goes straight into telling him the commandments. Jesus already knows this young man and knows the problems that he is running from. The thing that this rich young man is running from is his love of money. This seems to be the same as people today. When people get caught up in their money it is hard to get out of it. I have seen it in my own family where money can consume a person or even worse it can consume the whole family. When this happens it is very hard to get out of. Money is not bad. There are many people that are good stewards of there money. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Lk 12:48). I truly believe that when people are given much they need to follow through with what they have been called to do. With this story being in Matthew and Luke, you can see some differences in the two. One difference that is visible is in Matthew 19:20 when the young man say’s, “All these I have kept,” when the other two gospels say, “All these I have kept since I was a young boy.” Which makes me think that this young man is older than we think that he is. “The rich man, deemed to be young, is commended as being of mature judgment older than his years an admirable and distinguished champion, who rightly approaches the Son of God in supplication.” This young mad does not want to give up his money. He does not want to sell everything and follow after Christ. The man has done everything else except that, and he is not willing to do that. “Does Jesus make so stringent a demand of all would-be followers? No, in fact, there is no other person in the entire Bible who is given a similar call.” For some reason Jesus expects a lot out of this man and I believe it is because a lot has been given to him. Like what was said earlier in Lk 12:48, this man was given much in wealth and much is now required from him. Also, faith plays a big part in this. If you have no faith then you are not going to sell everything that you have and follow after Jesus, even if you know him. With faith, you know that you are going to provide for there is no need to worry about things in life. God has it all planned out for you, you just have to give it to Him and let Him lead the way. And this goes back to someone what has a lot of wealth; it is so much harder to give up something that you have, than to give up something that you don’t have. After this in the story, the rich young man goes away knowing that he cannot give up what he has which is a really sad thing that is even seen today. “After the rich young man goes away sorrowfully, Jesus astonishes his audience by stressing how hard it is for rich people in general to inter the kingdom.” Through the rest of this story, Jesus speaks many truths that apply today. Jesus shocks his disciples. With the phrase “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mk 10:25). Today, that is very hard for people to understand. First of all, a camel cannot go through what we know as an eye of a needle. The eye of a needle is actually the small door that allows someone to go through the gate to open it. If you have ever seen a camel try to stand up and then kneel back down it is very difficult for that camel. So is it possible? Yes. Does it happen a lot? No. After that statement in the passage Jesus goes to tell about how, “with man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mk 10:27.) All throughout this passage there are truths that are spoken and a lot of things that are said that will upset people like the rich young man, but this is the truth and the way we are called to live. Jesus asked the rich young man these specific questions for a reason. He knew why he was asking him these things to show how he would respond. He knew what he was going to do, He just had to make a point. It is hard to do what God has called us to do, but he has called us to do it for a reason. This is the way that Jesus has called us to live. Is it hard? Yes. Can it be done? Yes.

Overall, I find that this passage is very important. Some people might take is as that everyone needs to sell everything that they have and go and be a missionary over seas. This could be the case, but not always. A lot of times when people get to this passage they skip over it because they do not want to hear what God is speaking to them. They do this with a lot of passages. This passage is very critical to the way that people live their lives and the way that people respond to what God is calling them to do. You will know when you are responding the right way to this calling. God will affirm this in many different ways, you just have to be alert and in tune with the Holy Spirit.

Starting to pack for another adventure that God is leading me on

2010-12-20T22:13:00.000-08:00

It just seems like yesterday when I was packing to head to Costa Rica. I am packing up my stuff once again. The Lord has called me to another place to Exalt His name. Over the past few days I have been really thinking about my life and how God has transformed me into the person I am today and I give God all the Glory, Honor, and Praise for it because without him it would not be possible.

Well on December 27th I will be heading off to Lame Deer, Montana for a few months to work at the Sozo foster home. I’m really excited about what God is going to reveal to me while I am there and I pray that God uses me to speak to whomever he wants to. "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation." Romans 15:20 As we all know God is always up to something. God is about to do something very large. God is going to move in ways that we would of never expected. It is time that we need to wake up. "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." Romans 13:11-12 If the Lord has called you to do something then do it. We cannot sit around and wait; we need to do what the Lord is calling us to do. God has been speaking that to me a lot these past few days. There is no reason to be scared of this. The Lord is going to be with you in whatever you do. One of the verses that keeps me going and holds me up when I get down is from Isaiah.

"Yahweh is one who will go out like a warrior, arise like a man of battle. He will shout in fury, roar in anger, against his enemies he will prove himself a warrior." Isaiah 42:13 The Lord is going to protect you in what ever you do. I want to yearn for the Lord, I want to know and be closer to Him than I ever have. I am really not sure where the Lord is leading me after Montana, but wherever he leads me I am willing to go. I ask for your prayers as my father and I drive out to Montana and ask that you continue to pray for Justin, Mason, Danielle and I as we are seeking after the Lord and making a difference in these kids lives. I also ask for your prayers for Allen Nunnally as he heads to Costa Rica at the first of January and also for the rest of the Sozo Children Team. Like I said earlier I am so excited about what God is doing and even more excited about what He is going to do.

Isaiah 42:13

2010-05-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow I will be getting on a plane and heading to Costa Rica. I am very excited and cannot wait to get there. God has been preparing me for this for a long time so I am very excited to see what he has in store for me. Yahweh is one who will go out like a warrior, arise like a man of battle. He will shout in fury, roar in anger, against his enemies he will prove himself a warrior. Isaiah 42:13

“What if I were the potential disciple being told to drop my nets? What if you were the man whom Jesus told to not even say good-bye to his family? What if we were told to hate our families and give up everything we had in order to follow Jesus?” David Platt. While reading the book Radical it has made me think a lot about how I live my life and if I’m really living it for Christ. In some ways I am and in some ways I’m not. I hope and pray while I am in Costa Rica God will teach me and reveal to me the parts of my life were I am not living my life radically for God. I yearn to be more like Christ Jesus and want to do big things in his name. I want to impact the world.

I have had the privilege to be part of starting a non-profit organization called Sozo Children International (www.sozochildren.org). It is going to Impact the world and change peoples lives. I am very excited with what God is doing and going to do with it.

Costa Rica

2010-02-24T21:46:00.000-08:00

I am on my way back to Costa Rica. I will be leaving May 28^th and will be returning home towards the end of July. I’m not really sure what God is going to reveal to me this summer but I am extremely excited. This will be my first long-term mission trip. I am kind of nervous but also very excited. I pray for discernment and wisdom and that God will open my eyes and speak to me in a big way.

While in Costa Rica I will be working with Wil Bailey who is the founder of Costa Rica Mission Projects. I will be helping Wil and his team lead group work camps and will be building several things. There will be a lot of teams coming down this summer so we will all be very busy.

My Journey

2010-02-24T20:19:00.000-08:00

As I reflect back on my decision to serve the Lord in the mission field, I realize my journey began at the age of eight years old when my father took me on a trip to Africa. Shortly after we arrived, I witnessed two young boys running after us begging for money and food. That image was imbedded in my mind the entire trip. Even after returning home, I could not stop thinking about the boys.

Seven years later, I had the privilege of attending the first of many trips to Big Stuf Camps in Panama City, Florida. It was at this camp that I first saw a video about Compassion International. Although the image of the two boys running after us in Africa never left me, their faces were all I could see during the video. The following year the Daraja Children’s Choir, a choir primarily consisting of orphaned children from Kenya, visited and performed at my church. A nine-year-old boy by the name of Alex Kamau instantly stirred my heart. I adopted Alex and agreed to help support him financially each month.

In the summer of 2007, I participated in a mission trip with my church to Costa Rica. It was during this trip that God clearly revealed His plan for my life. I was to serve the Lord in the mission field. Prior to this trip, my future plans were to work for my father, something I had desired to do as far back as I could remember. I even went as far as to complete training courses in order to begin working for my father immediately following graduation. Consequently, the minute I returned home from Costa Rica, I no longer had the desire for that area of work.

Meanwhile, I did not want to tell my father of my decision because I was certain he would be angry with me. For approximately one month, I prayed for wisdom and the courage I knew I needed in order to speak with my father. One afternoon my dad and I went on a hike and I began to share with him what God had been doing in my life and what the Lord was calling me to do with my life. My dad simply said, “Okay, whatever you need help with let me know and I will do my best to help you.” His reaction came as a tremendous shock. At the same time, I knew his calm reaction was God affirming my decision to be obedient and serve Him.

At this time, I was approaching my senior year in high school. I was extremely excited but also nervous because I was not sure were I was going to be attending college. Most of my classmates had already decided what college they would attend and had already been accepted or were at least well into the application process. After a few months, I made my decision to attend Southeastern Bible College. I was ecstatic about the opportunity.

The following day I would be getting on a plane heading to Papua New Guinea, which is a country north of Australia. Twenty-five hours later we landed in the poverty-stricken country of Papua New Guinea. After a day of rest the group was ready to see the country and witness the translation of the bible in the Soroa Village. On the way to the village, everyone was staring at us and some of the children did not know what to think because they had never seen a white person. We stopped in one market to get bottled water and mats to sleep on while we were at the village. While in the market, I kept feeling something brush by my hand and by my leg. Finally, I realized it was the hands little children running past me, touching me and running away. I thought it was quite amusing and asked our leader, Kirk, “Why are the kids doing this?” He replied, “A lot of these kids have never seen white people before and they are very curious.” Finally, I stopped them and bent down and gave them all a high five and a hug. At first, they were scared but as soon as one of the older children gave me a high five they all became very friendly.

After the experience in the market, God began opening my once more to reveal and affirm his plan for my life. That encounter showed me how small I am and how big God is. After leaving the market and saying goodbye to the children, we were off to the Soroa village. Approximately half way to the village, I noticed a van in front of us started to veer off the road. Suddenly, the van was in a ditch and we had no idea what was happening. The driver of the van dropped something on the floor and reached down to pick it up and when he looked up the van was in the ditch. Our group got out of our van and ran to the other van to check on the passengers. Thankfully, everyone was safe and no one was injured. Prior to arriving at the Soroa Village, we made one additional stop. Although we had not planned to stop, God had something incredible planned. We came upon a village by a major river and there were hundreds and hundreds of children. Once again, God was opening my eyes to what he wanted me to do for his glory. After playing with all the kids and talking to a few of the leaders of the village, we were on our way to Soroa Village. As we were leaving, I looked out the back of the van and saw all the kids running after us, wanting to go with us and not wanting us to leave. At that instant, I began to cry. The memory of the two boys running after me in Africa eleven years earlier became so real as if it was happening all over again. God is so real and active and I love it when he does this.

We made our way to the Soroa Village and witnessed the incredible translation of the bible into their native language. After arriving home and began reflecting on my trip to Papua New Guinea, I realized that it does not have to be a mission trip to a foreign county for God to reveal his plan for you. He does it however he wants and whenever he wants. We simply have to be still and listen and follow.