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| This last couple of weeks have been interesting.
We started our DTS (Discipleship Training School) by talking about the differences between catholics and protestants, about worship, and have been talking about intercession, listening to God, self image, etc.
I am one of 2 Americans in the group; we also have 2 Dutch girls, a Czech married couple, a Slovak girl, and then our staff consists of one American, a Slovak family, 2 Slovak girls, and a Dutch man.
Within this we have a mixture of protestant and catholic backgrounds, some including a mixture of both. This particular YWAM group includes a lot of charismatic focus/influence. The ideas/focus of the Charismatic Movement are not new to me, but being surrounded by it is new to me.
Thursday we are doing our first local outreach: a childrens program at a Gyspie settlement. We pretty much will just show up, use some songs and a story to get attention, play some games with the kids, and then be available for prayer time for the families.
It is hard to explain the kind of growth/learning I am going through, but I think things will be more clear later on.
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| Greetings from Slovakia!
It was just beginning to be light as we took a shuttle from a terminal to a plane in Frankfort Airport, in Germany. We went past a huge hanger and a huge shipping center. The bus driver missed a turn (which I did not immediately know). This led us toward a cargo plane. That didn't seem right. I wondered if we were being kidnapped, but we weren't. Then someone's phone went off. It was the same ringtone as the one used in "Jurassic Park 3". I started looking for dinosaurs to attack me, especially Big Red. Next, someone whistled a short tune some of you would recognize as "Go, Go Power Rangers!". So brilliantly colored costumed do-gooders are gonna fight the dinosaurs off and keep us from being kidnapped? It was quite a shuttle ride.
Then, after landing in Vienna, I took a bus to Bratislava, but got an earlier one than I thought. This led to me being in Bratislava earlier than expected. So, I waited. And waited. And got contsantly asked to buy jewelry, and waited. The out of comfort zone thing was strong at this point. Finally, someone found me, showed me to the information booth, and then walked me to the bus to Banska Bystrica, where I now am. I waited for a while in Banksa Bystrica bus depot, found an information booth and called the home of my friend Steve Kilbry (full time missionary with YWAM here in Slovakia). A few minutes later he arrived to pick me up and take me to my new temporary home.
This weekend is the city festival here in Banska Bystrica. Food vendors and a stage with great lighting tech in the main square (short walk from our place), and carnival rides in at least 3 other locations here. Me thinks this is a good weekend to be beginning my time in Slovakia!
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| I am so excited! In just a few weeks I leave for Slovakia for a seven month Discipleship Training School with Youth with a Mission(YWAM). This will be the longest I have ever been overseas. Plus, it means Christmas in another country, a chance to grow my abilities for ministering, a chance to love Christ more. It also means learning new languages and possibly could mean culture shock(everyone's favorite experience!). I am looking forward to new lessons, new friends, and trying to look forward to new corrections that God might bring me (about life, habits, etc.). YWAM was recommended to me by several people as a great place for learning and being mentored in serving in ministry, and as a great place to begin gaining the "experience" so many employers for ministry seek. Fundraising has been work, but this isn't as bad as I thought. Along with the money I saved up, my church is backing me and I have gotten a lot of donations from friends and family, but I still have $1,500 to go! That is fifteen donations of $100 or 30 donations of $50 or 75 donations of $20. I am trying to organize a coffeehouse to help raise the last little bit of money needed. Please be in prayer about this! | | |
| Greetings from war zone East Pontaluna. The following is a true story.
Sunday evening my family and I stood outside. Noticing the raising wind. Watching the approaching storm we had noticed on the radar of the news station. It was around 6:30 or so. Maybe earlier. It was strange, ominous. The clouds were moving in a straight line, but sometimes the wind would swirl.
The wind kept rising and the darker clouds kept coming. We knew this storm was different. The wind kept rising. Then the rain came. Some lightning, a little thunder. We moved inside. The lights blinked. Then they blinked again. And again. And again. Finally, Dad turned the main breaker off. The wind rose. The rain went more horizontal. Looking out the front window, I heard a CRACKKK!!! and turned to see the top of a tree fall. One of the pine trees between our house and our neighbors. Crack! and CRASH! CRACK! and CRASH!
We ran down stairs to the basement. Crack! Crack! The winds died down just a little, and we went back up and continued watching. Then, it died down some more. And more. A light rain. A sprinkle.
We exited the house. Three big pines broken down. All broke off at the trunk (one 5 feet from ground, one 12 feet off groud, one 13/14 feet off ground). One branch from the tree by our back door down. As we explored, took pics, we found more trees down in the back. Electicity was definitely out of the question. The top of one tree had landed on Kieth's truck (which took the crack in its windshield and laughed at the tree).
My Dad and Keith went in to Fruitport for gas to power the generator. No such luck. They followed a front end loader to the high school. Walked to a friends house to find a tree on her roof. The village of Fruitport was officially closed due to weather damage. Trees all over the roads. Lines down. Multiple houses with trees in them, even more houses with trees on them.
They came back. Told us about it. Left to find more information and gas for generator. Came back after probably close to 2 hours. We later learned that Kent City had also been hit hard.
No one really knows what the storm was. I think the meteorologists think it was a combination of straightline winds with branch off winds that tried to be tornadoes. But they missed certain areas so much it looks more like a tornadoe. Could Storm of the X-Men have been covering a fight between the Autobots and the Decepticons?
My name is Eric, and I am a survivor of what I call the Fruitport Hurrinado of August 9, 2009. | | |
| Have you ever worked on an oil rig in the ocean? How about working at research station in Antarctica? What about working at a small lodge so secluded that guests only get there by hiking on trails through mountains without roads? Sunday mornings find churches praying about many things. But who ever prays for people who are seperated from society by their employment? Many of these situations mean working in small groups with a minimal degree of connection to the outside world (although the internet is changing that). Some of the people (but probably not all) working these jobs want to be away from society. They have been hurt, laughed at, scolded. They feel more free by their seperation. But seperation never really fixes problems. It just delays the issues from being dealt with. Some of these groups may have no representation of Christ, or very little. Another concern is that being in a small group can be both rewarding and challenging. Sometimes it makes negative influences or fights even worse because you can't get away from each other. Pray that Christ would express His grace and love to these groups. Pray that the leaders of these expeditions and workers would have wisdom to handle difficult situations. | | |
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