An Awesome Half of Week...

What a week...and it's only half way over.

The Counselors and Staff from SIFAT arrived late monday night. All day Tuesday and Wednesday was spent serving Verbo Ministries (local spanish church). There were 2 work projects that we focused on the past two days...



The first was painting the inside of Verbo Church in Kenner....



The second was helping Verbo Church on the Westbank with digging a ditch in the front of the church. While doing that, Nate (SIFAT campus director) found there to be a leak in the fire hydrant in front of the church. This is reason for the problems that the church has when it rains.

The pastors of both of these churches were blessed by what SIFAT was able to do while they were here. To have 15 random people show up and say 'what can we do?' and then have those same people help for free was definitely a blessing.








Last night was an awesome night (as usual) at iTuesday. We had the most people we have ever had. 62 people showed up last night to pack into a 400 square foot garage and worship God. It was amazing.



We were blessed to have Raphael, a pastor from Nigeria, with us. He shared a message with us about Andrew, brother of Simon Peter. Raphael shared about how Andrew served God faithfully behind the scenes. It was an awesome message that encouraged us to get involved as much as we can in our local community and more-so in our own families.

Tonight, me and some friends took the trip with SIFAT to Picayune, Mississippi to hang out with our friends at FUMC there. I didn't think i was going to see these guys again before i leave for India in a week and a half, and i was blessed to have that chance tonight. There was an amazing turnout tonight for youth....maybe 50 kids if not more. These kids encourage me so much, i don't even know how to explain it. I'm so blessed to be able to call them friends and proud of them for how much they are growing spiritually.

Today i talked to my friends in Guatemala, David and McKenzie. I miss them both. Please continue to pray for both of them.

Tomorrow i leave for Tyler, TX. I was asked to preach this upcoming Sunday at Grace Point Church. This is an amazing opportunity that God has blessed me with. I am excited and have been praying for this upcoming Sunday for the past month. Please pray for me. I ask that you pray for God to speak through me and that He would be glorified by everything that happens on Sunday. Please also pray for Grace Point Church and its members. Pray that we would be receptive to the seed that God wants to plant in our hearts this Sunday.

I'm so pumped....

blessed.

Busy Week Ahead...

This past Tuesday night was amazing. Got the chance to hear Danny talk about unity in the church before he headed back to Australia. Had to say goodbye to him and McKenzie. Spent most of the day Wednesday at the airport. I think i spend more time in airports/airplanes than i do in my own house. The majority of this past week has been spent preparing for next week. The staff and counselors from SIFAT will be coming to New Orleans Mon-Thurs to do some service projects and come to iTuesday. Busy week....still preparing....getting more pumped as we start next week. Please keep the SIFAT staff and counselors in your prayers as they travel and serve here in New Orleans. Please pray for iTuesday this week that God will speak and we will listen. Again, Thank you for your prayers, for reading this, and for continuing to pray.

Something to read: Today i read John 10. wow. Love it. Read it. Be the sheep who listen.

Picayune

This past friday night was amazing. I didn't expect to see so many kids attending the lock-in.... I was blown away. I have some amazing friends, 4 of which were able to make the trip with me. Alyss, Ruben, Sam and McKenzie made the sacrifice of staying up till 3 am with me. Had a great time leading worship with my friend Sam and sharing what God had put on my heart. Those kids in Picayune are such a blessing, i don't even know how to write it out. To see a group of youth, in the transition period of a new youth pastor, to still be meeting and even adding to their weekly attendance...im encouraged. They bless me soo much and i am so grateful to know them and have them as friends. Thank You for your generosity in the gift you gave. I love you guys.



Tonight is Tuesday....im pumped. Tonight my friend Danny Soto will be sharing. He is in town for his break from Hillsong College in Sydney and leaves tomorrow. McKenzie (www.forthelove56.com) will also be leaving tomorrow, going back to Casa Bernabe in Guatemala. Going to miss both of them...but excited about being able to spend some time tonight with both of them at iTuesday.

Please keep both of them in your prayers as they leave tomorrow as well as my friend David Speed (www.davidspeedmissions.com) who is in Guatemala at Casa Bernabe. Thank you!

Demanding an Explanation?

Tonight I'm blessed with the opportunity to go share at a youth lock-in at midnight in Mississippi. Please pray that God would use me and speak through me. As i have been preparing for tonight, i have been thinking a lot about Matthew 16:24-27. I have been asking myself what have i given up to follow Christ? Do I take up my cross DAILY or do i hear this and think of just a circumstance that i can honor God by the decisions i make? Taking this verse seriously and applying it to all areas, everyday, every circumstance and every attitude is a struggle. But, its a struggle in which God is glorified by our decision to do so. I read something this week that broke my heart and made me think more about these verses in Matthew...

http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/

I keep thinking about the sentence regarding Nate's life that says 'Nate lived a life that demanded explanation.'
Do i live a life that demands an explanation in which the explanation is looking to Christ and saying that He is that explanation?
Very challenged.
Im excited to share tonight about these things. Thank you for praying for me and for those who will be there tonight.

A Week In Alabama. Jam.

Last week was awesome. Wednesday night i was able to lead worship at FUMC in Ozark and my friend McKenzie was able to share about her time in Guatemala. Reggie was my first youth minister. We have kept in touch ever since and have been able to help each other out of the past several years in youth ministry. Blessed to have a friend like Reggie who is always encouraging and continues to lead youth.




Thursday night i had the opportunity to speak at a youth ministry in Alex City. I met some of these guys 3 years ago at a summer camp i was a chaperon at. We have kept in touch ever since and finally were able to get together last thursday night. I led worship and shared my testimony. Some of the kids and adults left last week for a mission trip to Ecuador. Please keep them in your prayers as they are working and building relationships in Ecuador. Excited about the possibility of seeing them again in a couple months.






Friday and Saturday were spent in Lineville at SIFAT (servants in faith and technology) summer camp. Was awesome to see my friends again and hear about what God had been doing this summer during camp. They are currently in week 6 of camp and only have a couple weeks left. Please keep them in your prayers as they lead summer camp and build relationships with kids from youth ministries around the country. Saturday was an off day, so we were able to go rock climbing in a state park close to the campus. Im getting better.

This week will be extremely busy and has been so far. Last night, iTuesday was able to help serve food at a church downtown in New Orleans. We had an awesome time serving and got nothing but positive feedback from those who were there. Today i picked up my friend from California who are in town for a conference at Verbo Church (local spanish church). They will be here all week helping out and leading worship. Im pumped to be able to spend time with them and show them New Orleans while they are here. This Friday night i was asked to speak at a lock-in in Picayune,MS. I'm pumped.

iTuesday. Ozark, Alabama. Alex City, Alabama. SIFAT.

Tonight is Tuesday, my favorite night of the week. Reason...a group of friends gets together every week on tuesday night at my house, in my garage, to eat, hang out and worship together. Tonight is that night. I'm pumped. 2 and half years now we have been meeting together. Its awesome being around friends and worshiping God. Nothing like it. Tonight, my good friend McKenzie will be speaking about the last 3 months she has spent in Guatemala working at Casa Bernabe (orphanage in Guatemala City). Tomorrow morning i leave for Ozark, Alabama to see my good friend Reggie McCallister and his youth group there. Have the privilege of being able to share with the youth there and lead worship. Thursday night i will be going to Alex City, Alabama. This will be my first time there hanging out with friends i made at FUMC Alex City. Privileged again to be able to lead worship and share with them at youth on thursday night. The rest of the week will be spent at SIFAT (Lineville, AL). This is where i spent a couple weeks last month. Excited to see friends and help out with their missions camp again!

Working on ironing out the final details of the next step that i feel that God is leading me in. Will write about that as soon as all the details have been worked out. Thank you again for reading this and praying for me and my friends serving around the world.

I was able to take some time this week to work with some friends on some pictures to put on the wall of our ministry. thought i would share those with you.

SIFAT II

After getting home from Australia, i immediately went to SIFAT (Lineville, AL) with a friend of mine, Angela. We committed 2 weeks of our summer to helping out with their summer camp. The first week there were 110 campers. While at SIFAT, i was able to assist in making promotional video's and photos for SIFAT. The video that i made can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-WWT8-q7ek

Had a great time over those 2 weeks helping out and building friendships. Pumped about these guys coming to iTuesday at the end of July. After the 2 weeks were over i headed to Tyler, TX to bring a friend there. While i was in Tyler i was able to help lead worship at a small camp. Again, always awesome to be around people who love God and dedicate time to serving others. Thank you very much to the Trammel family for allowing to stay at their house as well as inviting me to speak at their church later this year. Before heading back to New Orleans i made a stop in Houston, TX to visit my friend Kevin Miller and his family. Love him and his family. Never thought it was possible to get a 2 year old to cheer for Jeremy Shockey (New Orleans Saints TE).

Happy to be home. You have no idea. Feel like i've been gone for months. Planning (praying about) being home for the month of July before i take off again. Still praying and listening to see what God has next. Have some ideas....but none for sure yet. Thank you for reading this..and for praying for me.

Next blog.... iTuesday, Friends, Uganda, India.