In the Spring of 2006 I took a trip through Eastern Europe visiting a number of our PIONEERS teams, learning about what they were doing, asking them what type of people they wanted to join their team and just trying to encourage them as much as I could. After stops in Austria, Slovenia and Montenegro my last leg was going to be in Poland. Our team leader in Lublin (whom I'd never met) recommended I fly in and out of Warsaw, as it was simpler and cheaper than going direct to their city. So I booked my flights and emailed him my itinerary. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot in the way of communication after that and despite my strong desire to have all the details worked out prior to starting a trip, I got on the plane leaving Vienna without knowing what I'd do once I got to Warsaw.
When I arrived, there was no one there to meet me. I waited around for 10 or 15 minutes and called the team leader's home phone number. No answer. Then I decided to look into bus and train options. I got some information from a woman who spoke English and went outside to the bus terminal to discover that I'd just missed a bus to Lublin five minutes earlier. The next one didn't leave for another hour and a half. I went back inside to look up the train schedule but discovered it wasn't much better and I'd need to go to a different part of Warsaw to catch it. So I went back outside to wait by the bus stop. After another 15 minutes or so I decided to go back inside. There was no reason to do so, but I just felt like I should -- at worst it'd kill some time. Inside I milled about a bit and then passed a man in a Chicago Cubs hat looking rather frantic. With a spark of hope I stopped, turned around and called out the team leader's name. What a relief it was when he responded!
He and his family had driven up from Lublin to pick me up, but had arrived after my flight had landed. If I'd caught that first bus I would have wound up in Lublin hours ahead of them and had nowhere to go and no one to get a hold of. If I hadn't felt the Spirit move me to go back inside the terminal I might have missed them there too. But the Lord made it happen, got us together and we wound up having a great afternoon exploring a bit of Warsaw, dining on sushi at a shopping mall and talking during the two hour drive down to Lublin.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Story #2: Seliman's Savior (July 2002)
Seliman's Savior (July 2002)
I came back from my Spring 2002 home assignment as on fire for God as I've ever been, thanks in large part to two weeks participating in a small group that was going through a curriculum called "Sonship". In my first few months back in Austria the Spirit's presence with me was stronger than it had ever been. That was evident when the Lord used me to lead a young Bosnian teen to Christ and even more so a few weeks later at another teen program meeting. I was giving the talk that night and throughout my presentation I could tell that a young Chechnyan boy was paying close attention as my words were translated into Russian. As I finished I felt a strong impression that I needed to speak to him about what I had been sharing. It was if the Spirit was saying, "the time is now for this one. Go to him." That impression would have been enough -- it never occurred to me not to obey -- but when my teammate approached me and said that she thought I ought to go speak to him more about what I had been sharing I was even more sure this was from the Lord. Well, sure enough, I grabbed the translator and sat down with Seliman and explained the Gospel to him using blocks from the game Jenga. Within a half hour or so the three of us were in a back room praying together for Seliman's salvation. I can say for certain that there's nothing better in life than having an irresistable leading from the Holy Spirit. To know exactly what the Lord wants you to do in a given moment is such a joy and brings with it such a feeling of intimacy with Him.
I came back from my Spring 2002 home assignment as on fire for God as I've ever been, thanks in large part to two weeks participating in a small group that was going through a curriculum called "Sonship". In my first few months back in Austria the Spirit's presence with me was stronger than it had ever been. That was evident when the Lord used me to lead a young Bosnian teen to Christ and even more so a few weeks later at another teen program meeting. I was giving the talk that night and throughout my presentation I could tell that a young Chechnyan boy was paying close attention as my words were translated into Russian. As I finished I felt a strong impression that I needed to speak to him about what I had been sharing. It was if the Spirit was saying, "the time is now for this one. Go to him." That impression would have been enough -- it never occurred to me not to obey -- but when my teammate approached me and said that she thought I ought to go speak to him more about what I had been sharing I was even more sure this was from the Lord. Well, sure enough, I grabbed the translator and sat down with Seliman and explained the Gospel to him using blocks from the game Jenga. Within a half hour or so the three of us were in a back room praying together for Seliman's salvation. I can say for certain that there's nothing better in life than having an irresistable leading from the Holy Spirit. To know exactly what the Lord wants you to do in a given moment is such a joy and brings with it such a feeling of intimacy with Him.
Monday, February 25, 2008
God has moved...
I recently went through a support raising seminar that challenged me to think through stories ... stories of God's faithfulness and intervention over the years of my ministry. This was good to do, and by God's grace I was able to come up with a few instances in which He truly did show up. These may be familiar to some of you, but the refresher can't hurt. We'll start with one and add on over the next couple of days. To God be the glory...
A Physical Manifestation of Spiritual Warfare (February-July 2000)
I took some pride in the fact that I rarely ever got hurt or sick growing up. When I left for Austria the worst I'd had it was the flu in middle school, pneumonia in high school and a broken nose and big toe in college. That was about the extent of it. Then after my first month in language school in Germany I got a tear in my Achilles tendon moving into a new flat. Six weeks later, when I was sufficiently recovered to play some ultimate frisbee, I laid out for one throw in the endzone. I caught it, which was good, but I landed on my head and shoulder, which was not good. I knew right away I'd hurt myself badly. X-rays the next day revealed a torn ligament in my left shoulder (which is a big problem for a lefty). About two months after that I broke my other big toe and bruised my knee playing soccer at my best friend's bachelor party. Shortly after returning to Austria I got bronchitis. It was then that I realized something was up. This was an unnatural sequence of accidents and illnesses. I began to wonder if the Enemy wasn't attacking me in an area that had been a strength for me up til that point. To test my theory I asked my supporters to pray for protection on my health, and I prayed likewise. It worked. Although I got sick more in Austria over the next two years than I did when I lived in the States, I never suffered any more major injuries and the illnesses were spaced apart. Spiritual warfare can take many forms ... we must be wise to identify it and diligent in opposing it with all the weapons available to us (Ephesians 6).
A Physical Manifestation of Spiritual Warfare (February-July 2000)
I took some pride in the fact that I rarely ever got hurt or sick growing up. When I left for Austria the worst I'd had it was the flu in middle school, pneumonia in high school and a broken nose and big toe in college. That was about the extent of it. Then after my first month in language school in Germany I got a tear in my Achilles tendon moving into a new flat. Six weeks later, when I was sufficiently recovered to play some ultimate frisbee, I laid out for one throw in the endzone. I caught it, which was good, but I landed on my head and shoulder, which was not good. I knew right away I'd hurt myself badly. X-rays the next day revealed a torn ligament in my left shoulder (which is a big problem for a lefty). About two months after that I broke my other big toe and bruised my knee playing soccer at my best friend's bachelor party. Shortly after returning to Austria I got bronchitis. It was then that I realized something was up. This was an unnatural sequence of accidents and illnesses. I began to wonder if the Enemy wasn't attacking me in an area that had been a strength for me up til that point. To test my theory I asked my supporters to pray for protection on my health, and I prayed likewise. It worked. Although I got sick more in Austria over the next two years than I did when I lived in the States, I never suffered any more major injuries and the illnesses were spaced apart. Spiritual warfare can take many forms ... we must be wise to identify it and diligent in opposing it with all the weapons available to us (Ephesians 6).
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Sir Brennan
Up close and personal
Enjoying his new toy...
Getting ready for baseball season (Go Twins/Red Sox!)
Visitors from afar...Brennan enjoyed meeting (and being spoiled by!) his honorary Auntie Mary (from Minnesota) and Auntie Catherine (from North Dakota).
Another family pic...
Mama and Brennan enjoying some quality bonding time.Launch!
After nearly five years here, we finally managed to get a picture of a space shuttle launch. Atlantis lifted off February 7, and we got a picture from right around the corner of our house. Pretty amazing we can see it so clearly when it lifts off from about 50 miles away!
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