Living the Dream
It’s amazing to think that as a kid the dream is to go out in the middle of nowhere and survive on my own. To be able to sleep in a tent, catch fish, be free and explore.
This last month I got to live a dream along with 7 other men. We made a trip to the boundary waters in northern Minnesota and spent 5 days on Sawbill Lake.
The trip started off on an interesting note. We barely made our entry point for the day. We started looking for a campsite around 9:15pm when it was dark! This means we loaded up everything into canoes and started paddling at night. My canoe partner Frank, who was a blast to be with, had never been in a boat before! So this was his first time paddling a canoe. Lets just say it was a very interesting first boat ride trying not to tip the canoe.
We arrived at the campsite where it was windy and cold. We set up camp in the dark and made some hamburger helper over the stove.
We set up our tents and everyone crashed pretty quickly because we were all trying to stay warm. The next morning everyone woke up to rain and more wind. It was cold. We even realized we didn’t have any plates, so Sam (the Youth Pastor) and I paddled back to the outfitter to get some. On our way over we were talking about making this trip about God and placing Him first and foremost on this trip. So when we got back to camp, we decided to have devotionals and hang out before we went and found a campsite.
Now, here is the thing… in the boundary waters everyone packs up camp and goes to find a new campsite in the morning, so we had a really late start. In fact, when we started canoeing we couldn’t even find a campsite! We made it to the very end of the lake after paddling 3+ miles and praying that there would be something open and we found one. It was still raining off and on and the wind died down a little bit. Lots of the guys were freezing cold with lots of wet clothes.
After that night we were just praying for wisdom and that the rain would go away. The next day we woke up to a perfect morning and we sensed God say “GO!” So we ended up packing up camp and heading out early. We paddled about a mile and we look a head and we see a group leaving from a campsite… It was ours! We get there and it was one of the nicest places we could have asked for! I mean God’s beauty was all around this place, but this was perfect. This was what you dream of as a kid!
We ended up staying there for the next two nights. Good thing too because I’m pretty sure no one on the team wanted to canoe another day. Because of that campsite we had more time to bond as a team, to have conversations, read our Bibles and seek the Lord personally.
On this trip, I had the privilege of seeing these men come together as brothers. It is amazing how real we could be with each other. Whether it was talking about the past struggles, or the lies that we are currently faced with daily, it was a powerful trip that broke down barriers and allowed us to be loved regardless of our circumstances.
Through this trip, I learned that living the dream comes from experiencing God wherever He is at. Sometimes its out in the middle of nowhere and other times its in the simplest of places such as our own homes and church buildings. My prayer for all who read this is that they would live the dream everyday by experiencing the power of God’s grace displayed through Jesus Christ!
Currently, I am riding in a car with 3 other friends on my way to training camp. We will spend 10 days with my team learning about each other as well as how to do ministry in these countries. I do not know if I will have my phone on so it will be a week of intentional focus.
As far as training camp goes, here are some of my expectations for the next 10 days:
I expect to connect and build relationships with my team
I expect to be challenged physically (hiking test- 4 miles in 1 hour with packs)
I expect to learn more about the countries and how to do ministry
I expect to understand more fully how Adventures in Mission operates
I expect long days and early mornings
I expect to have time to personal time with the Lord
I expect to be uncomfortable
I expect God to move and to empower my team to do ministry effectively
Now these are just the expectations and in reality I have no idea of what is to come. I feel as if I am going into training camp blind. I am asking God to be my comfort and provider for all that I need during these 10 days. Please partner with me in prayer for these things as I enter into this training camp.
Here are some prayer requests with training camp coming up:
- Pray for my squad to come together as a body
- Pray for the specific ministry team I am placed on. This could be the team I’m with the whole trip and can have a tremendous impact on how the next 11 months go.
- Pray that God would reveal more of Himself to me and empower me to do the things he has called me to do.
- Pray for my relationships with others back home and in my ministry in Bismarck. I want those to continue to grow and develop even when I’m gone. Pray that at the very least they will pick up right where they left off.
Answers to last month prayer requests:
Prayer #1: Pray for REO! Pray that He would follow Jesus daily and that the transformation would happen tremendously in his life! Pray that the old sinful desires would fall off and that he would be able to run this race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1-3).
Answer#1: God has already been revealing the fruit of this prayer. REO called me the other day and told me, “I cant thank you enough for what you have done in my life. My life has changed so much ever since the day I met you. You have made the biggest impact in my life. And you are one of the most kind and real people I know.” I received this complement with joy! REO has continued to read the Bible daily and is really drawing close to God in this season of life.
Prayer #2: I’m headed to Colorado for a wedding next week. Pray I make it safely and that my car makes it there and back. Pray that my car makes it until I have to leave for the race!
Answer #2: The wedding went great! My car made it there and back safely and I haven’t had many problems with it either. So thankful for this!
Prayer #3: Pray for Mentors to come in and take discipleship role that I have currently in these students’ lives. Pray that God would rise up the right people to pour into them and it would be edifying for both people.
Answer #3: God is working in this. It has been a process but more and more students have the desire for a mentor and now it is just up to the older men to reach out. Hopefully, by next school year God will divinely orchestrate those appointments and relationships.
Prayer #4: Pray for the boundary waters trip (May 29- June 2). We are taking a group of leaders to do some training on leadership and discipleship. Pray that this trip would come together perfectly and that God would use it as an inspiration to launch into ministry for there young leaders. Pray that the results of this trip would last a lifetime!
Answer #4: This boundary waters trip was amazing. I truly believe each of us grew in many different ways. I was talking with Sam (Youth Pastor) and he reminded me that we really can’t measure the ripple effect of this trip. This truly could be something that changes our lives and our kids’ lives for years and years to come. Huge praise!! Thank you!
Prayer #5: Pray for my brother Benjamin. He is graduating on May 28th and has been ready for about 3 years. Pray that God would use him mighty way to bring many to Christ. He is headed to the Bethel University next fall and discovering who God is calling him to be.
Answer #5: Benjamin’s graduation went really well. He is entering into an amazing season of life with much freedom. I believe God will use Him in many ways in the future and just to know you have been praying for him, I have confidence God is going to do something amazing in his life over the next 4 years!
Prayer #6: Pray for people to continue to be reached here where I’m planted. Pray for the men’s ministry to continue though the summer and that these young men would continue to be inspired to live a life with Christ.
Answer #6: This has been a process this summer. As I start to transition out youth ministry to the missions field I have felt that my impact hasn’t has been a great as when I was able to meet weekly with students. However, God is revealing to me that the impact I had on these students has a lasting value and doesn’t end. I believe that God is going to do an amazing work in each of them and through them they are going to be reaching others. Thank you for praying with me for others to be reached!
Prayer #7: Pray for Training Camp (June 7- June 17). It’s coming up super fast. Pray that we would learn as much as we can. Pray for our team to be united and ready and inspired to do ministry all over the world. Pray that we would be leaders among the squads and that we would be an encouragement to all who hear what we are doing.
Answer #7: This is a continued prayer request as we start training camp in a number of hours.
Overall, I hope this is an encouragement to you. Thank your for your partnership and for allowing me to use my gifts to reach others around me.
