I’ve really felt covered in prayer, and God has chosen to gift me with visible fruit that has simply blown my mind. I’ve gotten to pour out my heart to orphans in Ukraine, love on gypsy boys in Romania, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ in Croatia and Bosnia, but now we’re entering the last leg of the race. We’re traveling to the final continent and writing the end chapter. This is seriously it. I couldn’t have ever imagined I’d be here in the first place, and now the closing stages are drawing near. Some of you (or maybe just my mom) have read every single one of my blogs. I just want to say that you are my favorites. No, just kidding, but it is kind of special to me. I think you’ve gotten to witness a picture of me, piece by piece, that perhaps I’ll never again show anyone else aside from my wife and children. I really envision God utilizing your prayers to help effectively orchestrate the course of my life these past ten months. In fact, I think the church is far more connected than we sometimes give credit. We’re brothers and sisters, parts of the same body, and fellow heirs in the Kingdom of Light! If this is your first time reading one of my blogs, you’re probably thinking, “wow this guy is weird… I’m going to go check my facebook.” I know I’m weird, but I just feel like I want to try something different with this blog. Let me share some things first:
1. My team is going next to Guatemala. After Guatemala, we plan to go to Nicaragua for our final month. Thus, we’re spending our two final months in Central America before returning to the US on September 1st. We don’t have any specifics about type of ministry or exact location, yet.
2. I apologize for starting multiple projects at once that I have yet to finish (like my story of Neno, the drug dealer delivered by Jesus Christ, or the conclusion to the amazing things God worked out in Croatia and Bosnia). I’m like 68% finished with each of the above blogs.
3. I have met my financial deadlines for the next two months, but they are only the bare minimum one must meet in order to avoid being sent home early. I am still seeking a way to reimburse expenses such as the medical attention I’ve needed while on the field, the various pricks and sticks doctors gave me prior to the trip, insurance costs, additional flight costs to and from my home before and after the World Race, necessary equipment, et cetera.
4. My train ride out of Croatia was significantly more pleasant than the one coming in (see Welcome to the World Race).
Great, now I get to share my thoughts. I’ve been asking for a lot of prayer these past ten months, and I genuinely have seen God answer in beautiful ways. I believe this is His will for each of us. God has recently been laying certain things on my heart, and I really feel like He wants me to commit to praying for you. Honestly, this desire has been growing for a few weeks now. It started with one of my best friends from back home. We committed to pray for one another at the same time each day. You know, just to lay aside a small portion of our day to something we believe in. It’s been awesome. The time hasn’t been just to ask Jesus Clause to bestow gifts upon one another, but to grow closer in intimacy with the God of all creation and to extend our global perspective of Christianity. Read Colossians 1:3-12. Paul writes about a powerful kind of global prayer that connects the church, strengthens it, and reveals to it God’s will for each and every vital member of the body. He told me that these past two weeks of dedicated and focused prayer have just absolutely catapulted his walk with Christ. He says he’s seen more spiritual, emotional, and physical breakthrough in the past two weeks than he has felt in the past two years. It’s really been wonderful. I just don’t want to hide cool things like this from anyone else. I’m 100% confident that God desires the same for each of you. 100% confident. And I know some of you know exactly what I’m talking about because you’ve seen it in your own lives, too. It’s just awesome.
I commit to praying for and with every one of you. Some of you may be thinking, “my issues don’t really seem important enough to bother you,” but I hope you hear me-and more importantly-I hope you believe me. Don’t let the enemy’s lies keep you silent any longer. He will tell you everything he can to keep you isolated, alone, and feeling as if you aren’t worth attention from people or from God. This just isn’t true. You need to know that when you wake up every morning, God has beautiful works designed specifically for you… good works that no one else is qualified to do. Also, don’t worry about me taking time or thought away from my ministry. This is something I choose to do with my free time, and to be honest, I want to follow whenever I feel God leading. Besides, there is simply no such thing as having too many people wanting to see God work in their lives… the real issue is the opposite.
Feel free to post anything on your heart that you’d like me to pray with you about. You can also post anonymously or send me a private e-mail. Most importantly, though, is for you to make the commitment to spend time fostering a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you ask, I promise you’ll receive… and if you seek, I promise you’ll find. Don’t expect to be confirmed in who you think you are, but expect to be conformed to who God thinks you are.
