these last several weeks have been a time of rest, reflection, spending time with my family, and catching up with friends and supporters. i’m am still in the middle of processing the last 6 months. having seen, learned, and experienced so many things during this DTS, makes it difficult to know what to do with all this information. each time i tell friends about my time in South America, things become a little more organized, however, i’m still learning how to communicate my experience.
as far as the things that i can communicate about my time in south america. through interacting with many students and people in south america, i’ve come to recognize a culmination of negative feelings they have toward, the church, christians, or people that claim to believe in Christ. many of these people are filled with bitterness and resentment towards religions that claims to follow Christ for several reasons. first, they feel that “we” are arrogant in our approach. “we” try to impose our beliefs and convert them without even developing a relationship with them. it appears that “we” soley want to convert them, rather than get to know them and love them. another reason for this bitterness is due to “our” judgmental attitude. instead of conveying love, “we” mostly communicate the judgment and wrath that God will pour on them if they don’t confess their sin. lastly, they believe that most “christ followers” are hypocritical. since “we” convey the gospel (which is love) in ways other than love, “we” are portrayed as hypocrites. hearing these beliefs about “christ followers” was very disturbing for me. i realized how much south americans have been hurt by the actions and attitudes of the church and christ followers. this has developed a passion within me to want to change the way Christ is portrayed in South America.
through my DTS with YWAM i began to develop a close relationship with a guy in my small group whose name is marco. he and i have seen the same needs and feel the same passion for showing Jesus to the people of south america in a serving, loving, and relationtional way. in these days, i’m seeking counsel from others and the face of God to see how He may lead me in this next step. if God continues to confirm the steps and open the doors to go back to South America, then i will be looking to return in the near future to begin taking language classes and mastering the language while working on setting up the ministry. in these moments i’m looking at different mission organizations to see if there are any that i feel would be a good fit to partner with in this effort. i understand that going with an organization would make things much easier from the from the getgo, but i’m open to beginning things on my own if that’s the way God is leading.
i’m beginning to try to really reflect back on my DTS and identify key things that God’s been teaching me and how He’s been shaping my journey in missions and my relationship with Him. this is a process that takes a good deal of time…but i know this is crucial for me to begin to move on the next page in missions. i look forward to continue to update on here, as i hear from God.
1 Corinthians 10:33 – “For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”
just a few days ago our mobile DTS came to a close. over the last several days, we have been trying to wrap things up by finalizing the processing of all the information we’ve gathered, while also trying to rest and relax from an incredibly exhausting 5+ months. this has really been a great time also to spend time with my friends and have fun adding to the memories that will always bond us together. we have begun to say our goodbyes as a few members of our team have begun to leave to head back home, and even more will be departing over the next few days. as much as i was ready to have a break from the whirlwind pace of life, I’m not at all ready to part ways with these friends. i understand that i may never have an intimacy or bond with a large group of people (or anyone for that matter) like we’ve have, ever again in my life. this has given me a great example of how to live in community with a group of people who are far different than myself. through this experience, we all saw great attributes of each other as well as some of the less desirable attributes that we possess. but through it all we learned to live together, love together, and persevere together.
i’m beginning to think more about my time when i return to the states, and how i’m going to plan my schedule with supporters. i’m really trying to begin to organize my thoughts and discuss with friends what God has been doing in my heart and vision. if you know me, you know that i’m often antsy to begin with the action. thus, i’m having a hard time being patient and just waiting on the Lord to continue to fill in the rest of the pieces as He knows best. but, despite doing everything on my part to pursue what he’s calling me to, I’m still renouncing my rights to his plan.
just this afternoon, i had a wonderful conversation with one of my best friends on the trip, Marco, whom i share similar ideas with to impact peoples lives for Christ. we talked over many things regarding our vision’s and how our ideas may be able to mesh to create a great movement for Christ. he has been a huge encouragement, as many of my friends and family have been in the process to pursue God’s vision. i hope to think over these things regarding what i’ve learned from this DTS about my vision and the needs that I’ve seen, so I can clearly communicate these ideas with many of you back home. i expect to continue blogging about these ideas and the work God’s done in my life for much of the near future.
i eagerly look forward to the days when i can share with each of you how i see God directing me.
i’m writing this while listening to my group cleaning the kitchen after Cena (Dinner) with mix of regea and regaton music (extremely common music in South America….with only one type of beat) playing out of cars and apartment windows in the nearby neighborhood. after we returned from the University this afternoon, i was doing some exercise with some of the guys and afterwards began to think about how its an amazing thing to share community with other people from other countries, spend time in random places, experience new things in life, and through it all praise Jesus for how good He is and what He’s done for us. as much as i am ready to come back and see friends, family, and familiar things, i believe there is something beautiful about living a life unpredictable with new faces and new experiences. it’s interesting how the longer i have been down here, the less i’ve found myself getting irritated with the slowness of life and in the inconveniences “you” incur (compared to the US). in every city in Latin America, you’ll find people anywhere from little boys to impoverished adults begging, selling small trinkets, or performing an art for you in or around public transportation. initially i found this irritating, however after a while I began to become intrigued and better yet began to enjoy their offers. i’ve begun to appreciate things like walking through town, listening to the impoverished perform for money, and not carrying a cell phone with me at all times. it’s definitely a lifestyle that i’ve begun to get used to.
today will most likely be the last day of investigation within the University. this time is surreal and really hard to believe that we are at the end of our trip with this being our last day in the University. this has become so much part of our life that it will seem weird not going to the University every day. we have yet to really process all the information we’ve gained as a whole. It will be very interesting to look at the differences b/w each country and University.
i’m looking forward to spending a lot of time with Jesus in addition to relaxing over the next 2-3 weeks. pray that it will be a restful/intimate time with my savior Jesus!! i’m really looking forward to seeing many of you when i return! nos vemos mas tarde (see you soon)!!
today a few of my friends in the DTS and I went to a mountain called pachincha that overlooks Quito, Equador. we had an amazing day of hikking and looking out over the city. We took horses (only $4) from the top of the mountain down to the middle where we took a gondala back down to the bottom. the horseback ride was definitely an adventure, b/c our horses were a little on the wild side and apparently had not been trained a whole lot. we got a coffee at the top of the mountain to warm up b/c it was a about 50 degrees with a strong wind. by the time we took the gondala back down, it was dark and the entire city was lit up. we had about 10 mins in the gondala where we sang worship music and prayed over the entire city. it was an incredibly spirit filled time.
the past week we have been staying at my good friend’s house (on the DTS with me- who is Equadorian). he has been great b/c we’ve had a lot of space and been able to relax a little in our free time. a couple nights ago we made a fire and sang worship music for over and hour. it was an incredibly time that I will remember for many years. it’s such an amazing experience feeling the holy spirit so tangibly, and even more so with other friends. I believe experiences like that are going to be just a hint of what heaven is like!
I’d like to write more, but we have to head back to the house! I hope you’re able to enter the presence of the Holy Spirit this week!
today we finished the last day of our lecture phase. it has been a really insightful time over the past three weeks receiving teaching from an assortment of different speakers from different countries. However, I’m glad to be done with the school portion…cause if you know me, i’ve never been one to love school. (lol) tomorrow we are headed to Quito, Ecuador…which is where Marco (one of my best friends in the DTS) lives. we will be there for a week and then some of our team will go to Venezuela, and others will stay in Colombia for the remainder of the trip.
right now…i really feel worn down due to many things, but mainly from traveling for over four months and staying extremely busy this entire time. the long trips in buses and often lack of beds, has really taken its toll on my body physically. also, during the last three weeks living in a tight community has brought many challenges. all of the guys have been staying in one large/small room. this requires many things, including giving up your privacy, being tolerant of 11 other roommates, and endure sleepless nights with most everyone snoring. however, again its things like this that has forced me to depend and rely on the Lord’s strength.
this past week we have been learning in our teaching a lot about perspective. we’ve been hearing about how God used many people in the bible to accomplish His purposes, even if it took several attempts using multiple people. our teachings have made me realize that we must trust those we work with and do ministry with to accomplish the goals and dreams that God has….especially when leading others. i’ve also been reminded how easy it is to focus so much on achieving the visions and dreams the Lord has given you, that you miss the journey and the opportunities that He has for you during the process. we need to open our eyes and live each day with great purpose, otherwise we may be missing huge blessing God has for you and/or others through you.
i don’t have much more time with all of the members of my team, since we will be in different locations over the next few weeks. i hope to make the most of our time worshiping and interacting with all of them while we are together! still praying a lot about what He has for me after the DTS!!??
feel free to send me a msg or email….i cannot wait to see many of you when I return in july. may God bless you this next week and give you a passion for making an impact in someone’s life!
sorry its been a while since i last got on here. a lot has kept me away. mostly though, i was bed ridden for several days with typhoid fever. i’m almost completely better now, but i’m still dealing with dealing with a severe skin rash in parts of my body from the shot i received at the hospital, to reduce the fever. its crazy because a few years ago when i went to Malaysia i received a shot for typhoid, however South America wasn’t supposed to be necessary. anyways, i’m soooo glad that i’m almost over the typhoid….it was a miserable few days.
since i’ve been sick i’ve missed most of the teachings. however i have been able to attend some lectures over the last couple days. this week we have another American speaking to us. and not only another person who speaks english, but a man by the name of John Henry, who is the person with YWAM that put me in touch with John Hwang. today i got to speak with him during lunch and it was a good conversation. it was really cool to see someone (a little older) that isn’t getting swept away with tradition or living comfortably in their own preferred gospel. i hope to always be sensitive to allowing the Spirit tranform my heart and be able to communicate the gospel relevantly to others.
yesterday was my birthday, and it was very interesting spending it here with my team in Lima. i wasn’t sure if any of them would remember that it’s my birthday…but sure enough, first thing in the morning they came sneaking into my room to sing me happy birthday in three languages (Eng, Sp, and Korean). they really made it a cool day for me yesterday. during the afternoon i spent the time with several of the people i have gotten closest too. they took me to a really cool park/mall along the ocean that looks out over a cliff to the sea. its an amazing place, and def the coolest that i have been to here in Lima!! My main objective yesterday afternoon was to try to call my family over skype and catch up with them. Then last night they had sort of a surprise party for me with a cake and a few of the others bought me presents too. We also had an amazing worship time last night, with the Holy Spirit physically tangible in the room. Its amazing experiencing the presence of the Lord like that, esp on your birthday!!! last night i actually had a hard time going to sleep b/c I was so grateful and overwhelmed by the blessings and love of others i have around me!! truly a time to be sooo thankful!!
my small group and i were talking last night about how we only have a few weeks left on our DTS. its so hard to believe, b/c coming into this trip 5 months seemed like such a long time, but it has gone by so fast! i know the next few weeks are going to be largely concentrated on processing the last several months, trying to sort out the next steps, getting excited to see family and friends back home, but yet being really sad to leave my friends and “family” here in South America.
- “thank you Jesus-Lord-Savior-Creator for wanting to give me so many good blessings and including me in your kingdom changing plans!!!”
This week has been one full of ups and downs. We have found out that the other two-thirds of our team who have gone to La Paz, Bolivia and Antafagosta, Chile, have had serious health problems. One of our team members has had to be hospitalized. However I have witnessed the Holy Spirit and the Lords plans many times this week. As I mentioned in an earlier blog I had an incredible interaction with a guy during our first few days in Santiago. Later this week a girl in my group and myself met a Catholic girl in The Universidad de Chile. She told us after talking for over an hour that she has had cancer for several years now. We prayed for her cancer and for her to receive the joy and approval that the Lord has for her. She said that is the only time anyone had ever offered to pray for her sickness, which was really sad. We ended up spending the afternoon with her in a cafe and share more with her about the joy we have in Christ. We also are also continuing to correspond with her to help her get plugged in with some friends and a cool church with solid theology here in Santiago. We are able to do that b/c we met some amazing Christian University students who are apart of an organization called GBU, (which I cannot remember at the moment what that stands for) and we have hung out with them several times and went to church with them a few days ago. Its through this amazing relationship we’ve built with them, that we were able to make these connections with the GBU group and the Catholic girl we met.
Through our time with the University students the last couple weeks, we’ve found that they over half are atheist or agnostic, 30% are Catholic (which isn’t assuming that know Jesus by any means), over 15% either believe in another religion or just that there is a “god”, and about 2% are evangelicals (which is me). Those are pretty staggering statistics, and ones that should evoke our hearts to pray for this nation and continent. This is the first time we did that extensive of a research and survey in any country, however I believe we would have similar results in most of the other countries we’ve been to (based on the results we do have)
Well we are off to Cusco for a couple days to see machu piccu and I hope to meet up with an old Clemson friend who lives there right now. Then we will head to Lima, Peru for another 3 week lecture phase, and then we will only have another 3 weeks left to the DTS after that (CRAZY!!). Please be praying for God direction for me after the DTS. I have some doors that have opened on this trip, but I also have some ideas that God has put into my heart. I’m really praying a lot these days for further direction and clarification on what God desires for me. Well, I have a 50 hr. bus ride ahead for the next couple days, so I’m hitting the sack!
buenas noches y nos vemos mas tarde (good night and see you later)
Well today started out pretty normal as they get for me these days. However, things changed pretty quickly. We were on our way to University of Chile to began handing out some questionnaires for our research and interaction with the students. I was talking to a girl in my group on the metro when i noticed my headphone cord that was attached to my ipod was hanging down next a man bag next to me. I picked it up not thinking much at first but then noticed it was the plug end that was supposed to still be plugged into my ipod in my jacket pocket. I reached for my ipod and it was no where to be found. I immediately looked at the mans bag that my headphone cord was intertwined with and began to ask to search his bag for my ipod. I was certain he had stolen it, however I searched his bag and all his pant pockets and found my ipod nowhere. He said that he had seen the “man who stole it.” His metro stop happened to be one of the next, so he exited the metro. I wanted to do more, but I had searched the man up to the point of asking him to take clothes off. I knew nothing else to do.
To this moment I don’t know 100% that the man next to me stole it, but considering all the circumstances, I’m very certain he did. My mind has been racing the entire day about other ways I could have handled the situation, what I would do different in the future, and especially how I could reduce the chances of that happening again.
I’ve had a number of feelings throughout the day today. Initially, it was anger (because I hate thieves), frustration, helplessness, but latter pity for the man who stole it, and forgiveness. I also was very sad myself knowing that I’m only about halfway through my trip with many long bus rides ahead and nights with no music to listen to. At the moment, I felt very different from the time when I had my ipod and camera stolen from my car in Columbia, SC a couple years ago. Today, I felt offended because the person who stole my ipod actually did “to my face” and took it directly from my possession. As the day has gone on I have felt more sad for that person, because their life is based upon evil. It was very hard to want to forgive the person at first, but later God began to give me a heart of empathy for them and their soul.
God also began to speak to me through a few Proverbs I began to read this afternoon but especially Matthew 6:19–>. I don’t feel like my importance is on material things anymore, however, its reminds me with todays occurrences that no possession or thing in this world is ever guaranteed; because we live in a fleeting and corrupt world where your possessions may wither away or be stolen in a moment like I experienced today.
life goes one…
Well, this week we arrived in Santiago, Chile. I still cannot believe how fast this trip is going. It sorta seems like days ago that I was flying out of the Atlanta airport bound for Cartagena, Colombia.
On the bus ride here, we went over numerous switchback in and through the mountains. This wasn’t the most restful busride we’ve had but it was full of God’s incredible beauty. I have been forced this week to catch up on my rest since I came down with a pretty bad cold. I wasn’t able to go out with the group to the University for over a day. However, in the little time I’ve had to interact with the students and the people of Santiago I’ve noticed that they are very open to share their lives with us. This has made it a lot easier to engage them in conversations during the few days we’ve been here. I am looking forward to the next 10 days I will be here to continue to get to know the people and their attitudes toward Christ. I felt a connection with this city and that I would be back here one day in ministry or another fashion. I’m encouraged for this city by their receptive nature to interact in relationships.
I also had an amazing interaction the first day I was here with a man by the name Osmani at the government founded Conicyte office of science and technology. We went to the office of Conicyte to find information out about the sphere of science and technology in Chile. What we left with was an incredible interaction of the Holy Spirit and bond through prayer in the name of Christ. We talked with Osmani for nearly an hour about the development of science and technology in Santiago and in the entire country of Chile, however at the end of the conversation I asked Osmani if we could pray for Him. He spoke really good english, however He said that He didn’t understand what I was saying. I asked Melanie a Costa Rican girl with us to repeat the question in Espanol. He responded by saying that he actually understood me in english, but he was so surprised by our offer that He didn’t believe he heard me correctly. The rest of the conversation was amazing and full of the Holy Spirit. He began to share with us about his life and his family in Cuba. He asked for us to pray for them and their Health. His spirit for the rest of our time together was completely different. I emailed him the next day to let Him know that we are indeed praying for Him and we we’re thankful to have met him. He responded with this email.
“Hello Michael,
Thanks again for your prayers, and your visit. It was really nice meeting you.
I told my friends who are abroad, through Facebook, that the three of you were in my office, and all that happened.
The sensation after your prayer was not just spiritual, but also physical, I mean the sensation of peace touching the skin, and going deeper through the body; which demonstrates once again –as I was telling to my friends- that prayers have a concrete power of healing. I believe that it’s not just suggestion.
May God also bless you, your friends and family.
Thanks for writing, it would be really nice keeping in touch with you, I mean it. It’s a pity that you are leaving so soon.
Osmani”
I hope this testimony of our interaction with Osmani will encourage you to be active to share and pray for people on a regular basis, as it has inspired me to do; in addition to the testimony of the power of prayer through the Holy Spirit. This is proof of why we need to live life directed by the spirit, to speak and pray in ways so the spirit will work through us in the supernatural.
I look forward to updating you about the next week here in Santiago, as I’m very excited about the time we’ll spend here. I pray that God will work through you this week like He did with me and my friends here with Osmani. Remember that the same Holy Spirit who is here in Chile is with you….as you well know. I’m realizing its not the absence of the Holy Spirit, but our absence of listening to Him.
- Listen
Well, not sure how many of you have seen the movie funny farm with Chevy Chase, but we are living that moving in reverse right now. We started in Argentinan countryside and moved to the city this past Sunday. It was great to be in the country for a few weeks, but its also really good to get back around the students and the buzz of the city. I will talk more about city life in another post very soon, but first about the most impactful part of my DTS thus far.
The time spent in the country was our second lecture portion of the DTS. The last week of the DTS was spent doing inner healing. These inner healing sessions lasted all day starting at 8:30am and going into the early morning of the following day for about 3 days straight. I was so tired but even more so radically effected by the Holy Spirit. I have more thoughts than I can even express here on this blog, however, I will try to summarize a few of them.
First, I listened to nearly half of the students share their stories and inner struggles and tragedies in their lives before I shared about my life. I continued to be utterly shocked and stunned by the stories of the people in my group and the problems they’ve faced in their lives. I heard about students growing up with alcoholic mothers and fathers, stories of when they were beaten, verbal abuse, numberous hearts that have been broken, and more accounts of sexual abuse (many from family members) than I even want to recall (and this is just to name a few). All I could think about after the end of each session was that I don’t have any stories that could even relate to theirs. This even lead to a weird form of guilt and fear of being judged when it came my time to share. I was fearful that they would look at me as the perfect American who has no problems and that some might even judge me. I was also unsure about what to share during this time, especially since this time was to share hurts and pains that have scared your life….and I couldn’t think of anything!! However I began to pray and seek the Lord about barriers in my life and things in my past that have radically changed my life. God began to put things on my heart to share; although different from the lives of everyone else, however just as tragic in many ways. And the following is some of what God put on my heart.
The Holy Spirit began to reveal barriers that I have in my own heart and things that need to be changed. I also began to realize that unlike most of the people in the DTS I was tremendously blessed in so many ways from the day of my birth. God began to remind me of many things, how I’ve never had to question where my next meal is coming from, or wonder where I will sleep, if I can get an education, and even moreso I’ve always been exposed to the gospel through my family. These are just some of the biggest things that I’ve had in my life but always taken for granted. I was reminded of not only all the blessings God has given me, but all the grace and mercy he’s shown me, and how He’s protected me throughout my entire life. I realized listening to the people in my DTS (who have even had better lives than a great majority than the rest of the world) that somehow for some reason I have received blessing after blessing for my entire life and I always had an attitude of expectation for these things. I also realized during this week that the tragic part my story is that in so many ways I’ve squandered the blessings God has given me. The biggest example is through my unappreciation I’ve had for the gift of Jesus Christ. I’ve been blessed in so many amazing ways that it has almost been somewhat of a curse that has lulled me to sleep spiritually. This past week was a heart-wrenching time where God began to break down spiritual walls that had built up over many years. God also showed me how He has made me to live for Him in a constant attitude of Thankfulness and worship for all the blessings, grace, and mercy He has given me.
I continued to be amazed at all the ways God is working in our group and in my life. I really hope this is encouraging for those of you reading and maybe even a challenge to begin an inner healing process of your own that God has been waiting for, for quit some time.
-begin from the inside out
