Egypt

You know you are deep in the Middle East

You know when your deep in the Middle East when road signs look like this:

Petra!

After a week of prayer and fasting in Jerusalem we met up with some other YWAMers and went on a crazy adventure to Jordan and Egypt by land!  Feast your eyes on Petra!

Dancing around the world

Here is one of the many videos we made over the last six months…this one is fun…I think you will enjoy…to check out other videos…just click on the tabs at the top of the page that says Video and Video 2….also visit our guest book and leave a comment…we would love to hear from you.

Israel entry 1

We have been in Israel for almost three weeks living within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem… where all the action takes place.  The Old City is divided in to four quarters:  Christian quarters, Jewish quarters, Muslim quarters, and Arminien quarters.  No where else have I felt so much peace from God but at the same time the tention of man as strong as I have here.  Get this!  In order to get to many of the Sacred sights from each sect you have to cross through the others quarters and if you don’t want to do that you can walk all the way around the outer walls.   

There is something that happens when you set foot in this land…you become forever changed.  You become one with the soil of the land, one with the Scriptures, and one with Jesus.  I have been reading through all four gospels every chance I get.  You get new revelation when you find yourself reading and standing in the very spot where the second coming Christ could mostly likely happen! (read also Revelation 19-21). When you float across the sea of Galilee where Jesus walked on water your faith is stregthen. This is undeniably sacred ground.  There is nothing like it in the world.  This is the very place where heaven touches earth.    

Psalms 84:5, 7 Blessed are those whose strength is in you who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 

We are among the countless people who have traveled from the very corners of the earth to stand in the places where Jesus himself taught…to sit and reflexed beside the place where he was brutally beaten and crucified for our sin.  We had an intresting conversation with our Hotel Manager last week.  He kept repeating and saying, “They are coming, they are coming…young people from all over the world.  Never in my 25 years of owning this place have I seen this many young people coming to Israel, seeking, and looking for God.  You would never see this 25 years ago.”

 

Blast from the Past – Pictures from New Zealand to Turkey

Here are just a few pictures from the past 6 months.  Many of these pictures were taken by many of our team members:  Julie Anna, Sarah, Ruth, Casey, Deandra – Thank you for your passion and desire to serve the world with us.  We love team Asia.  Stay B.A.D!  Give it all you got! 

For those viewing this entry…do me a favor and stop! Go put on some music that inspires you and slowly scroll down the page….My suggestion is some Appleseed Cast, Cold Play, The Fray, Hillsong United, Explosion in the Sky, or a little Mute Math (one of my favorate bands).  After you have looked at the many pictures below (and I mean many)  Watch the video on the post below…if you watched the video before it won’t hurt to watch it again…Peace

New Zealand

 

 

Indonesia

  

China

 

Thailand

 

India

Turkey

Ephesus

 

 

Outreach for the last few months

Here is a small glimse of what we have been up to for the last few months.  This video was created by Casey Mast, one of our team members.  For a better enjoyment please let the video take some time to load.  Please Enjoy and continue to pray for us!

If the video does not appear on the screen cut and paste this link below as your URL and it will take you to youtube:

Read Acts 19 – Ephesus

The most powerful moment while in Ephesus was opening my Bible and reading Acts 19 while at the site where it actually happen.  We spent all day walking through and praying in the very city Paul made a huge impact on thousand of people.  The city is now in ruins and many of the building were built even before Christ.

I can just imagine Apostle Paul walking through the city in Acts 19 where there was heavy idol worship (the god of fertility) and thinking to himself or to God…Okay how is this going to work…and right before he creates a interruption in the middle of the chaos of sex, drugs and more sex…I can see him looking back at his disciples and say in a somewhat nervous but bold remark…here we go, no turning back….

ACTS 19 – Here you can read about how Paul was converting so many people that he inadvertently cause a riot!  Read Acts 19...If you are wondering where I was when I read this chapter…when you get to the part where Paul is about to go into the theater…well I was in that exact theater!!!  That is wild!

One of many Stories while in Turkey

The other day I was taking a walk around Istanbul close to where we were staying. As I was about to enter the apartment I was approach by a Iranian man and his friend from Iraq.  They came up to me out of the blue and the first thing out of their mouth, even before saying hello, was that they felt the SPIRIT OF THE LORD leading them to invite me and the team to a Iranian Refugee Church across town that evening.  They continue to tell me that it would really be an encouragement to the church of 100 refugees and the pastors.  At first I was taken back…I was in shock…I am not going to lie…it kinda threw me off guard a little bit.  It is not every day in Turkey (99% Islamic nation) when you are approached by anyone especially spirit-filled believers from Iran and Iraq and asked to go to a IRANIAN REFUGEE CHURCH.

While taking the fairy across the sea the Iranian began telling his story about being smuggled into Bulgaria 15 years ago.  He became of a believer and the only way to protected his family was to flee the country.  He and 20 others almost died while being smuggled out because of heat exhaustion and no food or water for 3 to 4 days.  They were all crammed in the back of a van and not allowed out until they got to safety.

We got to the church and it was amazing to see these Iranian and Iraqis worshiping and praising God.  The Iranian man interpret the Arabic service to me.  These refugees were on fire!  You can see the passion in the way they sang and danced.  As I participated in worship I could feel the sweet presence of the Lord in that place.  The message was about love, peace, and reconciliation.  As the pastor was speaking I took a step back in my mind and thought what is going on in the world today and here I am an American sitting in an Iranian Refugee Spirit-filled Church with my two new friends from Iran and Iraq.  That is Christ…this is the very thing Jesus was about!  LOVE – PEACE – RECONCILIATION.   It does not get any sweeter than this!  Thank you God!

After the service we got to encourage the people of the congregation and we had a time with the pastor praying for him and his ministry.  Then we began our journey back to our apartment.  On the way back the man from Iraq took us all out to eat by the pier.  He told his story about receiving Jesus a little over a year ago.  He also wanted us to pray with him for healing.  He had carpal tune in his right arm and it was causing much pain and the doctors said that he would have to have surgery.  We prayed with him at the restaurant and encouraged him.  We sat and talked until about 11:00 at night and then return home.  It was an amazing night.  About a week later we found out that the Iraqi was healed and he did not need to have any surgery!  Praise God!

Turkey was Refreshing

REFRESHING is a word I think of when I think of Turkey but after India anything seems refreshing (this of course is my opinion base upon my experience).  Don’t get me wrong India grew on me but like I have said in my last email update…India is India, there is nothing like it in the world.

We spent most of our time in Istanbul, another city over 13 million.  Istanbul is divided into many parts but the most common are what our contacts called the “European side” and the ‘Asia side”.  Many Europeans go to Turkey for vacation so there is a very western/European feel to it but without the European prices.  The Lyre (Turkish Currency) is becoming very strong almost the equivalent to the US Dollar which caused us to spend more than we wanted there.

We have spent most of our time in this country learning about the culture, working with a Bible Correspondence Course, visiting and encouraging churches, and working in a refugee camp.  There are numerous refugees being smuggled into Turkey from surrounding nations almost everyday.  Many of these people become refugees because they are persecuted for there faith. (READ MY NEXT BLOG- IT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND!) Even though Turkey is 99% Islamic and three German missionaries have been murdered just a month ago, Istanbul City is a much more liberal area than most.  One thing you need to know about this country is that it is very complicated and even though Christianity is illegal in this country at the same time it is not. You just have to come and check it out.  The missionaries we are are working with have been arrest 5 times and kick out of the country 4.

Turkey, as many of you know, was once known as Asia Minor and a huge part of Paul’s missionary journeys.  Turkey is seeped full of rich history and our team got to experience it first hand.  In Istanbul we had a chance to see the Sancta Sophia church originally build by Constantine around 530 AD.

Later it was turn into a Muslim Mosque for years and many of the beautiful mosaics of Jesus were painted over, but now it has recently been turned into a museum.  When you go in you are swept away by the beauty and you can see the paint that is slowly being removed.

Turkey, which was once reached is now one of the hardest mission fields in the world.  Out of 70 million people in the nation there are only an estimated 3,000 believers. 50 out of 81 province have no resident witness (not one Christian believer).  What was once the home of the first century church is now in a need for revival.  They are desperate for workers… maybe I am writing to one…will you go to what is known as the window to the east…the window into the heart of the Islamic world.