“Always be full of joy
in the Lord. I say it again –
rejoice! Let everyone see that you
are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him
for all he has done. Then you will
experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and
minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” –
Philippians 4.4-7
So, I cannot get over how awesome
God is. Even when I wasn’t aware
of it God has been showing up in my life. Spending the last year traveling around the world has allowed me to see
our Amazingly Big God in so many new ways. Crazy things start to happen when God takes control of your
life. Like coming home from an 11
month mission trip, being at home for a month, and then leaving again to lead a
group of college age kids to East Africa for four months. I saw God continuing
to pour out his love and His power
in those remote places. God is Good!
After being at home for a week, my
parents helped me pack up their car and we all drove to Gainesville, Georgia
where I will be working with AIM (Adventures in Missions). I moved into my new apartment with my old Squad Leader,
Noe. Two days later I left to work
and help out for10 days with The World Race training camp. There were 180 new Racers there training and getting ready for the
next World Race Trip launching in July 2012. It was awesome getting to relive the memories of my training
camp and to be a support to the new participants in their upcoming journey. I
came back to my apartment for a few days to finish unpacking before heading to Ashville,
North Carolina with the AIM marketing team for a retreat. It was a great time to connect with my
new team and to allow God to minister to us and reveal some of His plans for us
and this upcoming year.
During my three short weeks here
God has already poured out blessings of freedom and peace over me like never
before. Even though so many things
have happened so fast there has been stillness in my heart about all of it
because I know that this is God’s plan for me. People back home and here have spoken life over me. Even though they might not know what
has been going on in my life at that moment, God has used them to break me down
and build me up in a healthy and honoring way.
A little bit about what I will be doing
at AIM. I am part of the Marketing
Department on the Recruiting Team. My main focus will be finding and making connections with future
participants for AIM trips. I will
be traveling to churches, high schools, colleges, conferences, etc. with the
message of AIM. AIM has so many
programs to offer for all different ages and groups. Check out our website at AIM.org. There are also a lot of people looking
for something to fill their lives but are not sure what that is. From my personal experience, I believe
that AIM is an organization that offers trips where the participant is
challenged to meet God in new ways and to rethink their views about the world
they live in and who God has created them to be. I have seen lives changed forever because of the power of
God becoming real, sometimes for the first time, to those who go on a
trip.
This is why I left everything I
knew. I believe that AIM is making
a huge impact on the Kingdom and that God is calling me to partner with them
back in the States. Even though I
am living in Georgia now, I am still on the mission field. I may not be traveling the world
sharing the love of Christ right now but I am seeking to help others go and
live their own adventure with their Creator. I ask that you would pray and consider supporting me on my
ongoing mission trip.
AIM is a non-profit and all of
AIM’s staff funds are support-raised. AIM asks that I raise $1,500 a month to cover my living expenses and
that I have two months in my account before I draw my first paycheck. I currently have $1,850 and need $1,150
to meet the $3,000 mark. You can
support me by clicking on the “Support Me” tab on the upper left corner of my
blog. I ask that you would pray and ask God what He would have you do. For some it will be to pray, which is
awesome. For others it will be to
give which is also awesome. Whether it is a one time gift or a monthly
commitment, I humbly give thanks for your sacrifice. For those who are already praying and have given, I cannot
thank you enough.
After traveling the world and
seeing what real faith looks like I know that I was lacking it big time. I have had it good in America and it has
been easy to trust in God when everything you think you need is at your
fingertips. Now I have a better
understanding of what faith and trust in God looks like for me and I want to
live it out. I know I am desperate
and I need God to show up. This is
what God wants for us, to live a life of needing Him to show up. It is easy to
think we are in control and to not trust God. God has blessed me so much with wonderful people that he has
placed in my life. I cannot wait
to see what he has in store for me next.
Daniel
(I just got a used MAC from a friend and haven’t been able
to convert all of my photos from my hard drive yet. I hope to do that soon so I can post more pictures of
Tanzania.)
