Easter week, middle of April, the time that El Faro church has a 4 day youth camp, and my first time assigned to lead part of a group effort. I was the sports/games leader, and I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. What made it a double challenge was that I still struggle to make myself understood clearly in Spanish, as well as not really having a grasp of the youth culture. To crank up the heat and pressure more, I was to keep the youth entertained and happy for 3 hours at a time.
Time to fall on my knees and ask God to help me in my weakness. He promises to do so 2 Cor. 12:19 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. NIV. So I knew I could count on God, my fortress, shield and high tower!
The first day was slow for me, getting a tent set up, looking around the camp for places to play the different games, and meeting people. I managed to put my tent under a tree, that happened to be flowering so I could wake up to the sound of a thousand buzzing bees, and within a few meters of all the tents belonging to the boys from our church. We had 17 youth come!!
The next day, after breakfast, it was time to start. I wanted to start with something easy to organise and a favourite for Mexicans - soccer. Because we had 5 teams formed from all of the youth from the many churches attending, from ages 12-18, I also had ultimate frisbee, which I had heard they had enjoyed in previous years. I left the soccer for them to organise, which they did without a problem.
I took the frisbee group a ways from the centre of the camp to find some open flat dirt/dust. After 20 minutes, we rotated through the teams. One team got to rest, which turned out to be very important. It wasn't long before we were glad for water and shade, as it reached about 30 degrees C. Overall the youth participated well, we improvised when the frisbee broke and used a football instead, and the soccer ran itself with the team leaders doing a great job.
The next day was much more work, as we had what they call a rally. I wanted a variety of stations or a circuit that would make them work as a team, use different talents and skills, and keep them from collapsing in another +30 degree day. We had exercise competitions, crawling through obstacle course, running over obstacles and climbing, solving puzzles, walking through a land mine course, pyramid building, smoosh boarding, piggy backing and wheelbarrows.
In the end, I think it was a hit, though the exercise station will need to be removed next time. We had a few youth collapse, and even had a hospital run (praise the Lord, everything turned out fine!) But the kids were sure wiped by the end.
The last day, we had a gladiator type of event. Each team chose participants to challenge other teams in events like egg toss, balloon toss, walking on your hands the farthest, sumo wrestling, and tug of war (several variations). This event was less time, and you could see that the youth were running short on energy towards the end. They had a great time cheering and participating where they were needed.
My one sadness is that I didn't get to use all of my ideas for games (Candy Man for sure next year, as well as some more water events!) One more day would have been great!
We trust that God was glorified at camp, through the many different things that happened, from preaching, prayer, devotions, and games. Thanks to all you who prayed me through this all.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Dependence
I (Anthony) admit to feeling really weak yesterday. We were hosting a youth group meeting at our house. We have done this before. We have enjoyed leading youth together. Why I feel so weak is I have never led in Spanish. I have not taken charge of anything in Spanish. So I realised yesterday about 6 hours before the event that I really needed to pray specifically. I shut the door to our spare room, knelt before God and let Him know I felt inadequate and weak. "Lord, I don't feel I know enough about youth here in Mexico to plan an event, or to communicate clearly. Lord, I need your help!"
It is God's desire that I live my life like this all the time. That is why He brings me to my knees before Him with situations that are difficult, stretching and scary. Praise be to God for His continued patience and love, as He draws me to Him and to my knees!
John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
It is God's desire that I live my life like this all the time. That is why He brings me to my knees before Him with situations that are difficult, stretching and scary. Praise be to God for His continued patience and love, as He draws me to Him and to my knees!
John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Psalm 40:3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.
My trust needs to return to God and not in my strength, training, experiences or even gifts that God has given, but in God alone.
When the first 3 came, I was calm and just sat and visited, asking questions, trying to get to know the youth. As more came we started to play a game of spoons, which was a lot of fun. The youth that came laughed as I laughed about my Spanish mixups and 5 year old vocabulary, they smirked as I read some Bible verses in Spanish, but I trust that God will use the evening for His glory, as I committed the night to Him. It is His church, it is His youth group, and the results are up to Him. That really does make the load light (Matthew 11:28-30) and allow me to smile more freely.
At the end of the night, we were introduced to the grandparents of one youth who live beside our house. We hope we will be able to develop a relationship with them as well. We were also told that our neighbours across the street have a young man who is best friends with a youth who attended. We pray that we will be able to be an encouragement and that God will give us opportunity to reach out to our neighbours more and more, as we step out of our comfort zone.
Where are you stepping out? Tell us how you get to know your neighbours!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Discernment
The Fosters, Karlene's parents, were here for Chrismtas. One day they decided to go for a walk with our kids (we don't have coffee in our house:). A lady stopped to talk to them when she saw that the kids were riding bmx bikes. She spoke english well as she is a teacher. After some visiting, she told them of a ministry she had started when she realised her son was spending many late hours riding all over the city with his friends, with little purpose to his activities. She wanted to stay close to her son, protect him from bad influences and help him pursue something he loved.
This led to the start of a non-profit organisation for youth and she has been running it for 6 years. She came to our house and asked me to get involved, either teaching classes or helping with asking the government to build a park for the bikers. They don't have a place to practice, as all the parks built are for skateboarders, and specifically have banned bikers. I met her son and they showed me videos, folders of papers and plans for parks. What she needs are focus, teachers/leaders and funds. She is very open to a missionary becoming a leader in this little organisation called bici o vici, which translated means bikes not vices.
Josiah could hardly contain himself, and had already promised her that I would do it. He kept saying, you can do this Dad, you can do this! He loves to ride his bike and had tried some stuff in a bike park when we lived in Guadalajara. But I am not much of a bike person. I can ride, but am too old to try learning any tricks, and can't even do a good job of maintaining my bikes, let alone teach others.
So I am filled with fear and doubts about if/how I can help.
I am praying though, as it seems that God may have placed me here for this very purpose. We don't want to assume it, but it is pretty neat how someone who has a passion for reaching youth crossed my path so soon after we settled into a house in La Paz.
To discern is to be able to separate the gold from the dross, to pull the wheat from the chaff, to hear God's voice among all the competing noises. As a new year begins, so does another opportunity. In fact this doesn't come only when a new year turns, but every morning is a new day, a gift from God.
As we are becoming more acquainted with La Paz, El Faro church and TEAM members, we are seeing different needs, opportunities and choices. This is exciting but also difficult. Our prayer is that God gives us finely tuned ears to listen to Him, as we need guidance and wisdom. To give you an idea, I will list some of the neat opportunities that may be ahead:
- youth group leaders (this is our main assignment, and we are embracing it! we already are having the youth to our house on Saturday)
- young adult group leaders
- basketball camps
- coaching at a school, or maybe even a college
- teaching English to individuals or at a school
- kayak ministry
- bmx/stuntbike ministry
- leading/hosting a cell group
- mentoring youth and young men
- marriage/couples ministry
- prison ministry
- teaching music/voice lessons (Karlene only I am sure!)
- fighting against human trafficking
- radio ministry (our pastor has had this on his heart for some time, Karlene has experience with radio)
What is neat and exciting is that this is a quick brainstorm of things mostly mentioned to us by others. This isn't what we have thought of ourselves. So you can see there isn't much shortage of ideas, but more a shortage of time and energy. There are many needs. So it is important to seek God, to follow His lead. It is easy to get caught up doing and doing, and in the end, there will have been much done, but possibly nothing eternal. We pray for God's amazing leading in this discernment of many voices.
Please be in prayer for us, that God would graciously open and close doors according to His will.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, createdin Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
This led to the start of a non-profit organisation for youth and she has been running it for 6 years. She came to our house and asked me to get involved, either teaching classes or helping with asking the government to build a park for the bikers. They don't have a place to practice, as all the parks built are for skateboarders, and specifically have banned bikers. I met her son and they showed me videos, folders of papers and plans for parks. What she needs are focus, teachers/leaders and funds. She is very open to a missionary becoming a leader in this little organisation called bici o vici, which translated means bikes not vices.
Josiah could hardly contain himself, and had already promised her that I would do it. He kept saying, you can do this Dad, you can do this! He loves to ride his bike and had tried some stuff in a bike park when we lived in Guadalajara. But I am not much of a bike person. I can ride, but am too old to try learning any tricks, and can't even do a good job of maintaining my bikes, let alone teach others.
So I am filled with fear and doubts about if/how I can help.
I am praying though, as it seems that God may have placed me here for this very purpose. We don't want to assume it, but it is pretty neat how someone who has a passion for reaching youth crossed my path so soon after we settled into a house in La Paz.
To discern is to be able to separate the gold from the dross, to pull the wheat from the chaff, to hear God's voice among all the competing noises. As a new year begins, so does another opportunity. In fact this doesn't come only when a new year turns, but every morning is a new day, a gift from God.
As we are becoming more acquainted with La Paz, El Faro church and TEAM members, we are seeing different needs, opportunities and choices. This is exciting but also difficult. Our prayer is that God gives us finely tuned ears to listen to Him, as we need guidance and wisdom. To give you an idea, I will list some of the neat opportunities that may be ahead:
- youth group leaders (this is our main assignment, and we are embracing it! we already are having the youth to our house on Saturday)
- young adult group leaders
- basketball camps
- coaching at a school, or maybe even a college
- teaching English to individuals or at a school
- kayak ministry
- bmx/stuntbike ministry
- leading/hosting a cell group
- mentoring youth and young men
- marriage/couples ministry
- prison ministry
- teaching music/voice lessons (Karlene only I am sure!)
- fighting against human trafficking
- radio ministry (our pastor has had this on his heart for some time, Karlene has experience with radio)
What is neat and exciting is that this is a quick brainstorm of things mostly mentioned to us by others. This isn't what we have thought of ourselves. So you can see there isn't much shortage of ideas, but more a shortage of time and energy. There are many needs. So it is important to seek God, to follow His lead. It is easy to get caught up doing and doing, and in the end, there will have been much done, but possibly nothing eternal. We pray for God's amazing leading in this discernment of many voices.
Please be in prayer for us, that God would graciously open and close doors according to His will.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, createdin Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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