August Pictures!

AUGUST NEWSLETTER

While Jesus was facing a great multitude of hungry people He asked his disciples to feed them. Philip answered Jesus and said (paraphrasing), 'even if we had a bunch of money we still couldn't feed a crowd of people this big.'  Peter then says, "There is a lad here who has 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus tells them to have this group of 5,000 men (not including women and children), to sit down.  And what happens next is a miracle (but what's that to God?).  "Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted." -John 6:1-14 

Sunday, August 24, i was asked to teach at the Church while Pastor Rafael was away.  I felt a whole lot like Philip and Peter did in the account recorded in John 6.  It was time to preach and i felt like my notes that i had spent so much time on were not enough.  I didn't have what it would take to feed the congregation with the Word of God.  To say i was nervous is a gross understatement...but the time came...announcements were over...the last worship song was sung...and i made a B-line for the back door...haha, Just kidding. Truth is, the peace that passes all understanding came over me as i headed to the pulpit and the Lord did His thing.  Jesus only had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and He fed over 5,000.  I don't know that i even had the equivalent of that to give.  The Lord takes what little we have to offer and He multiplies it beyond what we could think or ask.  I preached a message on the Cross (Gal. 6:14) and was both pleasantly surprised and in awe of how the Lord moved on the hearts of so many.  A young woman named Christina approached me after and explained to me that she had been contemplating a relationship with the Lord for over a month.  She said that the message spoke to her heart and that she wanted Jesus!  I had the privilege of then leading her in a prayer to except Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior!  There's no greater joy than introducing someone to the King of Kings!  The ladies of the church had done an incredible job planting seeds and watering and are continually pouring into Christina's life.

God Corner 08'

The end of the month of August brought about an amazing opportunity to take part in an outreach at the Noting Hill Carnival in London, England.  The name of the outreach is God Corner and it's put on by some good friends whom also are the Pastor's of Calvary Chapel South London.  It's an annual event with live music, where Tons of gospel tracks are passed out, and the gospel is preached ALL day until late at night for 2 days.  It's a huge carnival where most who receive tracks just stick them in their pocket and keep walking.  It was like throwing seeds (so to speak) all over the place and praying that they would take root in the lives of all who received.  A good friend Daniel Fox and i were able to spend some personal time ministering to a man who was seeking God.  We were blessed to get to pray for him and encourage him to seek Jesus and begin going to church. Then i had a day of down time to spend fellowshiping and catching up with the brothers and sisters in the Lord.  It's always a refreshing blessing to visit the church in London.  The Love and generosity shown to me is indescribable.  CCSL, Love you guys!  See you in November!

Side notes

September is the start of another new semester!  There's a lot of excitement for all the new students.  Things are about to get twice as busy...also my birthday was this month :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my newsletters! Love you all!

Colosians 3:3

Prayer Requests: 

1.  Christina's new found relationship with the Lord.

2.  God Corner 08'- that the Lord would cause great increase in the lives of all who heard the gospel message.

3.  The new semester-  that the Lord would keep me diligent in my studies and responsibilities.

4.  Wisdom.

July Youth Re-Treat.

July Newsletter.

"Cali Furlough"

For the first two weeks of the month of July, i found myself furloughing in California.  The time i spent there flew by!  there were so many friends i wanted to meet up with but time and my horrible management of it did not permit.  I'm very sorry...next time we'll make it happen :).  It was, however, a great joy to see my family, many friends, and visit my home church Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.  I was very pleased to see that my nephew Aiden (whom i babysat all last year; from age 1 to 2), had not forgotten me!  Words cannot express how much i love him.  There's nothing that i wouldn't do for him.  I also got to see my baby niece Alana who's not even a year old.  She's so beautiful!  I've never seen a baby smile so much.  It was such a blessing to see my parents, sisters, and brother...they mean the world to me and i love them with all my heart!

I was also blessed with the opportunity to speak at a missionary school ran by "Go Ministries," which is a ministry of Calvary Chapel Norco.  Go ministries is an unbelievable ministry that aide's missionaries by shouldering the burden of looking after their taxes...but what means even more to me is that they faithfully conduct weekly prayer meetings for "Go" missionaries.  Pastor Louie, Pastor Brian, Linda, and the entire "Go" staff, thank you so much for all that you do!

Back to Spain...

There are many things in life that a person may look to and label as frustrating, learning a new language has got to be in the top 5.  It's a challenge that i have begun to face.  I'm determined to learn Spanish and for this reason i have hired a tutor who will meet with me twice a week. She is a sweet lady named Toni who does not know the Lord but has many questions.  Pray for me!

A new semester is quickly approaching and there is a sense of excitement between us all on staff about what the Lord is going to do.  I'm going to be teaching 1 & 2 Thessalonians, two missionary biographies, and some Men's Discipleship classes this semester.  Raf (the Pastor) has also asked me to teach the Sunday service on August 24th.  The Lord is opening up so many doors and it's my prayer that He drives me to faithfulness each day in all that i'm responsible for.

The month of July came to a close with a Youth re-treat to the other side of the Island.  Three other leaders (Trevor, Carolyn, Eric) and i took 6 of the youth camping.  We had an amazing time building relationships, sharing from the word, swimming, and playing our version of the Olympics :).  It's our hearts desire that the Youth from our church and from the community begin to seek Christ with their whole hearts and begin living for Him.

What the Lord's been showing me...

"Jesus said to them all, if anyone desires to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

In some Christian circles "comfort" is said to be a bad thing, i disagree.  If you're in a place for a good length of time, there is a certain level of comfort that comes with it.  If you include the time i spent here in Mallorca to the time i've spent here as a missionary, it's been well over a year.  That's not a long time, but nevertheless i'm comfortable here.  I'm comfortable because i know its where the Lord wants me.  While i was back in California i must confess, i thought on numerous occasions, "Man! I can get used to this again."  Driving around in nice cars, live in a condo by the beach, going back to my old job and making good money.  while there is nothing wrong with any of these things in and of themselves, it is wrong when they take priority over the Lord's calling on your life.  You see, there is a great comfort for me in California as well, but it's the wrong comfort.  It's a comfort in material things that, as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, will perish and have no eternal value.  Just because we may get a want or desire to do something doesn't mean it's what God desires for us.  The Lord has amazing plans for you that you can only know if you step out and trust Him.  the Apostle Peter never would have walked on water had he not gotten out of the boat.  Get out of the boat and fix your eyes on Jesus.

God bless you all!

Prayer Requests:

1. August 24th- i'm teaching that Sunday.  that the Lord will fill and anoint me.

2. New semester- That the Lord will help me be diligent in my studies, and that i would be taught by Him.

3. Language studies.

4. That my heart and mind would be renewed Daily.

JUNE NEWSLETTER

New Ventures...

June was a month of great stretching and growth.  This was a month filled with new beginnings, new opportunities, and traveling.  During the month of May i was approached by Pastor Rafael about starting up a new youth group geared towards kids in the church from ages 8-13.  It's something i was immediately excited about for numerous reasons.  My heart had already began to burden for these youngsters after watching so many from our Friday night youth outreach stop showing up.  Many youth from Friday nights stopped coming because they reached an age where they felt church just wasn't "cool" and began to care more for the things of this world and what the people of this world thought.  I saw a great need for discipleship at a younger age.  The Saturday night youth group for kids ages 8-13 that i lead is called "Roots."  It gets it's name from Ephesians 3:17-19.  The vision behind it is to see these kids get rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ.  That their roots would grow so deep in His Love and in His word that when the cares of this world come blowing, they would be firmly established in Him!

The Lord has also opened up a new way for me to serve here at Santa Ponsa Community Church.  Pastor Rafael and i had a meeting which resulted in him delegating much of the responsibilities of the church to me.  I now oversea/am responsible  for things such as church cleaning, sound, worship, youth, transportation, hospitality, visits, social outings, coffee shop, homeless ministry, church budgeting, and more, as well as serving on the board.  I'm very busy with a lot on my plate, but i'm having so much fun serving the Lord.

Traveling...

The month of June brought quite a bit of traveling my way as well.  A friend of mine, Marlon Brown, came out from Cali to visit for a couple days before we headed off to Morocco, Africa.  Marlon and his family have been praying bout moving to Morocco as missionaries for a while now, so the next step was scoping out the land.  It was a very eye opening experience for me.  We as "westerners" have a great freedom in Christ to serve Him in so many different ways without having to worry about persecution.  Morocco is an Arabic, Muslim country where native Moroccans cannot take part in any Christian church service period.  We weren't allowed to say words like "missionary" or use the names of missions organizations i.e. YWAM or Frontier.  They didn't mind us being Christians, and for the most part would even engage in religious conversation with you.  I was able to share my faith vocally with a number of people, the Lord is so good!  They are a people who are hungry for truth and starving for the gospel.

Right after getting back from Morocco it was time to pack for York, England.  Rafael, Loretta (his wife), and i attended the Pastors/leaders conference held  at the York Bible College in Northern England.  The conference was exactly what i needed!  It was a chance to catch up with some old friends in England, meet new ones, be encouraged, and exhorted by the sessions, and spend some quality time with my Pastor and good friend Rafael & his wife.

What The Lord Has Been Showing me...

What a blessing it is to realize that Christianity is about a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and not "organized religion."  Religiosity is always faithful to give you a bunch of do's and don'ts ; relationship with God allows us to experience His faithfulness in our lives through any and every circumstance.  You see, June brought many challenges, curve balls, and even a bit of disappointment...the mistake we sometimes make is thinking God doesn't see, that God doesn't know, and even that He doesn't care.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  It actually breaks God's heart when we conjure up such ridiculous thoughts.  With all that i was going through internally, i didn't know what i needed...but God did.  He knew all i needed was for Him to tell me He loved me.  Was i doubting His Love?  Of course not.  I don't ever doubt my earthly parents love for me, even if they don't have a chance to tell me for weeks, but it's always nice to hear it.  How did the Lord tell me?  Through friends, Through speakers at a conference, through His Word (the Bible), and His still small voice that impresses on the heart of the believer.  I truly believe that the greatest mystery in the world is the incredible Love God has for you and me!  We will never know the depth, at leased not on this earth, but possibly ever.  I'm thankful that He gave me a glimpse.  Though it doesn't end there, He greatly desires our love!  He had all of heavens love, yet He left heaven to come and get ours!  How unsearchable are the riches of His Love!?!

"A change of character is better than a change of circumstance."  - C.H. Surgeon 

I Love you ALL! Thanks for reading.

Prayer requests...

1.  Root's youth group on Saturday evenings.

2. Marlon, his wife Becca, and their children.  wisdom and trust in the Lord.

3. Faithfulness in my responsibilities.  That i would do ALL unto the Lord. Col. 3:17,24

APRIL & MAY NEWSLETTER

The Lord Remains Faithful even when we are FaithLess

As the semester came to a close there were a lot of emotions.  In April i experienced the joy of watching two friends and fellow laborers in the Gospel get married (Trevor & Carolyn).  It was a beautiful ceremony over looking the Sea, and both families were able to make it out here to take part in it...During the Month of May my older sister Stacey came out to visit me and remained through the end of the Bible College Semester.  It was such a blessing to finally have someone from my family come out and see What it is that the Lord is doing here in Mallorca and see where it is that i reside.  As May came to a close i was able to rejoice in the faithfulness of God!  My first semester teaching at the Bible College had come to an end and i'm still alive :) .  We had an amazing graduation ceremony for a group of students; 2 of which are returning as interns (Heidi & Liz) and another, Rick Andersen, who is like a literal brother to me.  He's my prayer partner, a constant encouragement, a best friend, and will be missed very much.  It's always a sad time when the students disperse and go there way, but a blessing to think that they came as strangers and left as friends.

What the Lord showed me.

It never ceases to amaze me when i consider the great call that the Lord has on the individual believer.  We're all different parts of the body and all equally important.  What an amazing blessing it is to see students from all over the world with different gifts & callings, desiring to reach the world for Christ!  Having traveled quite a bit in my fairly young life i can truly say without hesitation, that i know now experientially the harvest is plentiful but the Laborers are few.  Life is about bringing God glory.  So no matter where you find yourself in the world,  seek Christ and ALL that He has for you and stay open to wherever He may want you in the future!

March Slide Show!

March Newsletter

Hey Everyone!

i hope and pray all is well with you!  Once again it's taken me way too long to write this newsletter, forgive me.

To start the Month of March i had the opportunity to lead a group of students on a class trip to London.  We did a church history tour (Lead by Pastor Marshall Alnut), did some site seeing on our down time, ate a whole lot :), attended a couple Bible studies, and were blessed beyond measure with AMAZING fellowship!  Thanks again to all the families who took us in and made us feel at home.  There's nothing like the family of God! CC South London (Rob, Pat, Efrem & the gang) CC Docklands (Marshall & fam) and everyone in between, Love you guys!

the Lord continues to bless the ministry here in Mallorca, and i am continually floored that He's chosen me to be a part of it all.  The Lord is beyond GOOD!  Over the month of March i was blessed to have witnessed 2 men (Sasha and Johnny) give their hearts and lives to the Lord Jesus! It has been truly amazing to be a part of their lives, to pray with them, and have the opportunity to share in the word with Sasha, but most of all to see the Change in their lives.  I cannot and will never understand how anyone can deny the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ after seeing someone radically changed through simply placing their trust in Christ.  To God be the glory forever, and ever, and ever....Shortly after they committed their lives to the Lord They were both baptized in the sea right outside my flat. Praise God!

We also had an easter play "He is Alive," in which i was a last minute addition.  i played the part of one of the Disciples...it was a short roll...and i didn't have any lines...but my name was in the program nonetheless haha!  It was an amazing performance that touched the hearts and lives of so many.

TEACHING/CLASS/PRACTICAL MINISTRY:

Class has been going well, the Lord is blessing!  We finished the Book of Galatians and am now going through Ephesians.  There's only 4 more classes until the semester ends, i can't believe how fast time fly's.  I also continue to help out/am involved with the Friday night youth group, hanging with the kids and teaching every 2 to 3 weeks.

The homless ministry is going very well and the Lord continues to use us every Saturday morning to minister to them. A handful of them came to the Easter play, "He is Alive" held at the church.  There continues to be quite a bit of spiritual warfare but the truth is spoken every week and we're thankful for that.

I have begun to meet up with James again (84 year old man who lives down the street), and it was great to see him again.  His health is not good at all, and he remains cold when it comes to the things of God.  I pray that he comes to know the Love of Jesus so that he might have hope and a reason for living out the rest of his life.  He is extremely lonley and has no one to keep him company day in and day out. Please pray.

WHAT THE LORD HAS BEEN TEACHING ME:

Of all that the Lord has been teaching/showing me this month, it is the pursuit of Holiness.  Not just to pursue it, but to have an enthusiasm for pursuing it!  To be set apart for God's purposes and His alone for my life. It seems that the lines have been so blurred between Christians and Non-Christians that the people of this world can't even tell the difference most the time.  We all listen to the same music, watch the same movies, take part in some of the same activities, talk about the same crude subjects.  Some say that sounds extreme, i say amen. We can be so quick to pull the "liberty" card and so slow to lay down our rights for the sake of others.  For those who read this and don't know the Lord, don't misunderstand me, Christianity is not about the "do's & don'ts" the what you can and can't do's.  There is great freedom and liberty in Christ. "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but i will not be brought under the power of any."; "...But not all things edify." 

1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23.  It's my earnest prayer that i would continually ask the Lord to search me and know my heart, to reveal whatever is not of Him (Ps. 139:23,24), and that the church as a whole would do that very same thing. We are only holy, only righteous, because of the One who lives in us. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability and Power to live lives that are above reproach, now we must do our part.

to some...im sure that went right over your head, it's all good. :)

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. To finish Strong in my class (Ephesians)

2. For Sasha & Johnny's new walks with Jesus.

3. Homeless ministry.

4. James (84 year old).  For an open heart, for Salvation.

February slide show.

February update.

First off i would like to apologize that it has taken me so long to write this first news letter. Sorry.  It's been an intense first month and a half.

February was a tough month for me.  I thought the adjustment period would have gone a lot smoother seeing that i had finished my last year of Bible college out here, i know the staff, friends with the Pastor and his wife, know the area and many in the community.  There was a lot of Spiritual warfare; i felt as though i lost my joy for ministry and had no desire to teach the Bible anymore.  Praise the Lord i'm at a place in my walk with the Lord that i realize our relationship with the Lord is not about "feelings" and "emotions" but faith in the truth that has been revealed to us.  My Pastor (Rafael) has been such an amazing friend, Pastor, teacher,you name it...it's been his constant phone calls and support letting me know how much i mean to him and how glad he is to have me here that the Lord has used to encourage me to press on. I have an amazing group of brothers and sister out here that i am SO thankful to the Lord for! Leaving my family in California behind was the hardest thing i've ever had to do in my life thus far.  I miss my parents, brother (Erik), sisters (Stacey, Amanda, & Roberta), and my little Nephew and Niece Aiden & Alana so much everyday.  With that said, there is no place i would rather be than in the center of God's will for my life, He's truly is my Everything!

STUDENTS & STAFF:

We at Santa Ponsa Community Church/ Mallorca Bible school have been so blessed with how the Lord has brought such great Unity between Staff members.  Most of us on staff are quite young and inexperienced but are so blessed by the opportunity given to us!  Pastor Raf has been very patient and helpful.  The staff and students have gelled very quickly and great friendships are being built!

PRACTICAL MINISTRY:

The homeless ministry into the main city on the island (Palma) has been an amazing blessing.  Teams go out every Saturday morning  and are able to meet the physical needs with food, juice, and coffee; and then speak to them about the living hope that we have in the Lord Jesus.  

Im going to be meeting up with an elderly man named James again that i used to meet with weekly when i was a student here.  He doesn't know the Lord and his health isn't the best so every opportunity i get i want to cover in prayer.  

TEACHING (CLASS):

My main ministry out here is teaching at the Bible College.  As most of you know i've been blessed with the opportunity to teach through Galatians and Ephesians.  It's been very challenging but the Lord continues to Bless it.  The students in my class have been such an amazing encouragement and blessing to me.  i thank the Lord for them!

WHAT THE LORD HAS BEEN TEACHING ME:

Something i've known for quite some time but seem to have to learn all over again every time i go through a trial or hard time is that as a believer we "walk by faith and not by sight"...or feelings...or emotions.  Life's not always peachy or easy, but it's comforting to know that through times of difficulty the Lord is making us more like Him as He's working on our character.  i once heard it said that "Fruit grows in the valley, not on the mountain tops."  Everyone loves when everything is going right in life and you feel like your on top of the world.  Let's face it, mountain top experiences are fun.  But it's when we are going through great hardships that God in His Amazing Grace refines us and removes impurities.  He purifies our heart and motives.  God is So Good, He is So Faithful!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1.  Pray for my class.  It's every Thursday at 12:30 pm Spain time.

2.  My personal time with the Lord.  That my time with Him would take priority over everything else.  That He would be my focus.

3.  My Family back in the states.  I Love and miss them so much.  Please pray that the Lord would meet them in a special way!

Thank you guys for even caring to read this.  i Love you all SO MUCH!

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."  Colossians 3:17