Sunday, April 4, 2010
Soon to be Reverend
I am going to Ordained!!! On the night of May 7th I will be ordained as an Elder at the NorCal District Assembly. It has been a long four years of ministry and lessons to get to this point. I am so greatful to finally be here. And I am excited to see how God is going to use me on the mission field in my future.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Lessons I Learned in Poland
Here are some fun lessons I learned...... They are a collection of different things I heard, said, was said about me, or participated in. Each one brought joy and stress to my adventure!
1.) Don't take your laptop bag to the bathroom with you, there is not enough room
2.) Too much Spinning is bad for you, Unless it's good for you
3.) 75% of what comes out of my mouth is a lie said for pure shock value
4.) Tramming people is a great way to release frustration....
5.) Being a Mission Corps Volunteer is like signing up for slave labor
6.) You love being a slave
7.) Saying YES to our decorator means I will be glueing plates to ceilings, pulling furniture out of dumpsters, or tying fabric around cupcakes.....
8.) Talking about camels that spit and slurppies can make everyone laugh
9.) "I'm so Hippy" "Awesome" and "Yeis" is more fun to say in New Zealand
10.) "Just a few thing..." means a explanation that lasts for awhile..
11.) Personal space bubble means nothing on the tram during rush hour
12.) "This is one of those times when things are so messed up you can either laugh or cry, I think I'll laugh because it's more fun then crying"
13.) Happiness is not reality (our architect, but I intend to prove him wrong)
14.) Cleaning the splattered HOT apple cider off the wall is more important then the fact it was burning my arm it splattered on.
15.) You quit at least 4 times a week
16.) Ovens are not fun to clean.....
17.) Only in Poland is a church built with no logical entrance
18.) Screaming "give me a human" is not the way to get an agent when dealing with an automated answering service
19.) The people who love snow are those who own cars, not those who have to walk everywhere in it.
1.) Don't take your laptop bag to the bathroom with you, there is not enough room
2.) Too much Spinning is bad for you, Unless it's good for you
3.) 75% of what comes out of my mouth is a lie said for pure shock value
4.) Tramming people is a great way to release frustration....
5.) Being a Mission Corps Volunteer is like signing up for slave labor
6.) You love being a slave
7.) Saying YES to our decorator means I will be glueing plates to ceilings, pulling furniture out of dumpsters, or tying fabric around cupcakes.....
8.) Talking about camels that spit and slurppies can make everyone laugh
9.) "I'm so Hippy" "Awesome" and "Yeis" is more fun to say in New Zealand
10.) "Just a few thing..." means a explanation that lasts for awhile..
11.) Personal space bubble means nothing on the tram during rush hour
12.) "This is one of those times when things are so messed up you can either laugh or cry, I think I'll laugh because it's more fun then crying"
13.) Happiness is not reality (our architect, but I intend to prove him wrong)
14.) Cleaning the splattered HOT apple cider off the wall is more important then the fact it was burning my arm it splattered on.
15.) You quit at least 4 times a week
16.) Ovens are not fun to clean.....
17.) Only in Poland is a church built with no logical entrance
18.) Screaming "give me a human" is not the way to get an agent when dealing with an automated answering service
19.) The people who love snow are those who own cars, not those who have to walk everywhere in it.
Favorite Memories
This is a video I put together of all my favorite times in my last trip to Poland. The song in it is "Sliver of Eternity" by Spencer Green.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sweet Surrender Cafe Ministry
This is a video created by one of the girls that I work with at the Sweet Surrender Cafe. This is her expression of the ministry we do at the coffee shop.
Missions in my Blood
I was very lucky growing up. I was raised in the Church of the Nazarene. My parents have always been involved in the church and especially in missions. I was trained very young to support missionaries and missions in the church. When I was 16 my parents took me on my first Work and Witness Trip. Over Christmas break we went with a district team to Brazil. Since then every family vacation became a mission trip. I have been on Work & Witness trips to Brazil, Sicily/Italy, Swaziland, Samoa, and Guatemala. After I became a Youth Pastor I took my teens on a few different mission trips to Mexico.
When I was in Guatemala, God called me to missions. I pursued volunteer mission work through Mission Corps. I ended up in Poznan Poland. I recently returned from spending 6 months in Poznan working to support the Nazarene Missionaries there. They have established a coffee shop ministry. There are 2 Sweet Surrender Cafes on Poland; one in Gdansk, and one in Poznan.
The whole point of Sweet Surrender is to provide a place where the community can gather and be celebrated. As missionaries, our point is to provide a place where people can come, have a good time, and find what real love is. It is our goal to personally touch each person that walks through the doors of our shop. We have had people return time and time again because they are happy when they come into our shop; they tell us that there is something about our shop that makes them feel at peace. Of course, we all know that it is because our shop is filled with the love of God.
When I first arrived in Poland I was interested in helping this ministry. I saw that it was a good idea. But, when I started to become involved in the lives of the people in Poland this ministry became a passion. I fell in love with the people and the country of Poland. I see a need for them to experience a true and personal relationship with God. My heart is in Poland and I have been inspired to continue with the ministry at the Sweet Surrender Café.
Right now I am home in the States. I am speaking at different churches, trying to raise the money to return to Poland. I am hoping to be able to return in May. So, I can continue letting God use me to change lives in Poland.
When I was in Guatemala, God called me to missions. I pursued volunteer mission work through Mission Corps. I ended up in Poznan Poland. I recently returned from spending 6 months in Poznan working to support the Nazarene Missionaries there. They have established a coffee shop ministry. There are 2 Sweet Surrender Cafes on Poland; one in Gdansk, and one in Poznan.
The whole point of Sweet Surrender is to provide a place where the community can gather and be celebrated. As missionaries, our point is to provide a place where people can come, have a good time, and find what real love is. It is our goal to personally touch each person that walks through the doors of our shop. We have had people return time and time again because they are happy when they come into our shop; they tell us that there is something about our shop that makes them feel at peace. Of course, we all know that it is because our shop is filled with the love of God.
When I first arrived in Poland I was interested in helping this ministry. I saw that it was a good idea. But, when I started to become involved in the lives of the people in Poland this ministry became a passion. I fell in love with the people and the country of Poland. I see a need for them to experience a true and personal relationship with God. My heart is in Poland and I have been inspired to continue with the ministry at the Sweet Surrender Café.
Right now I am home in the States. I am speaking at different churches, trying to raise the money to return to Poland. I am hoping to be able to return in May. So, I can continue letting God use me to change lives in Poland.
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