CPCOG Blog

For those of you who haven't been on our journey, College & Career (C&C) just finished an almost 3 month study on the kings of Israel. We learned about the civil war between Israel and Judah, Israel's evil monarchy and Judah's somewhat-good leadership, and what happens when we practice and even allow idolatry. To mark the end of this study, let me take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief for all of us who have finally finished the bible study. *PPPHHHHEEWWWWW*

Great, great things are coming for C&C. Not only do we have a new bible study (The Seven Daily Sins by Jared C. Wilson), but we have events planned too. We're volunteering at the Manna House, conducting a miniature golf tournament, and sooo much more for the next entire year. We also have a new page on Facebook, so please take a moment to "Like" us. Please share the page with your friends, especially those who are in college or recently graduated. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for good things to come.

It is astounding how misinformation spreads. My wife and I had the privilege of having very little to do this past Saturday, and at noon, the only television show worth watching was Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Before I go on, let me add that we do not own satellite or cable television. Most individuals with cable or satellite could find something better to watch than this, but we only have antenna TV. Now Fred Rogers, the star of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, is known for several things--songs about being neighbors, zipping sweaters, tying shoes, and his visits to the neighborhood of Make-Believe. But for some, Mr. Rogers lived his younger years as a secret and successful assassin.  The story goes that Fred Rogers was actually a sniper in the Marines who served during the Vietnam War. While it sounds great for such a gentle, gray-haired man to be an ex-soldier who could actually shoot the broad side of a barn, this story is just plain false.

False information surrounds everyone, including Satan. Yes, Satan! We know this and have heard it before right? Satan is a red bearded guy, half-man and half-goat, who has a pointy tail and pitchfork--No! We almost laugh at this imagery because generations of ministers have been relentlessly trying to stomp out this misinformation. So this begs the question--who is Satan REALLY?

The College and Career class is currently going through a series titled "The Adversary" that tries to answer this and other questions. "Where did Satan come from", "What are Satan's plans and motives", "Where is Satan now", and "What is Satan's future" are several that we hope to answer. Interested in what other misinformation exists about Satan? Join us on Sunday nights at 6:00pm to find out more.

Now that we are all back in the U.S., I wanted my last blog post about construction to give you a glimpse into the awesomeness of what was going on last week and hopefully encourage you to participate in our Ecuador activities in the future.

The first kind of building we did is summarized in the video above.  It doesn't look like much to you if you weren't there, but digging and pouring 16 piers, 13 columns, about 270 feet of footer, 200 feet of nine foot block wall, and all the form carpentry, re-bar bending/tying, block laying, and stump/dirt moving to make it happen is quite a lot.  Especially w/ 16 guys, 5 1/2 days, and only basic hand tools.  Anyway, the church went from a bamboo hut to having block walls everywhere except the doorway, complete with even windows and a "fellowship hall" like courtyard during our Ecuador tenure.  The pastor and his local help should be able to knock out the rest - pouring the floor and resetting the roof - pretty quick.  They had service there this morning and we all wish we could have been there.

The second kind of building we did is summarized in the second picture above - a group shot of most of our construction team, the local construction boss (who is also a church of God pastor/leader), the pastor of the church we were working on, and some of their family members.  There was an amazing spirit between the men and locals that came together to accomplish all that we did....a spirit that can only be supernatural and that you really have to experience to comprehend.  Only our Lord could bring together so many strong personalities together in such a submissive way to work together and under each other in so much.  It reminded me that sometimes we have said "I can do anything for a week" to describe how to approach this trip, but my experience with these men reminded me that "this week" can be every week.  If Christ can give me the ability to forgive even before it happens, to be completely submissive and flexible to His plan, and maintain a kingdom focus in harmony with other believers for a week, why can't He do that every week?

The final kind of building I think we did is summarized by the last photo above, and in my opinion, the most important.  I didn't take this picture - actually only my arm is pictured in it - but it is representative of how we are trying to life Jesus up in this community.  Each day we had a devotional, that always ends in singing.  Each day we tried to pray and praise and seek Christ in our physical and spiritual work.  Saturday we worked a half day, showing up at 7:45am to get started.  With no devotional planned, the floor was opened for people to speak and church basically broke out until about 8:30am as we shared, worshiped, and prayed.  Our time Saturday ended in prayer after Nixon, a local that lives in Trinitaria (one of the shanty squatter communities we visited last year) shared with us how God's love had inspired him to try and meet the needs of needy people in his community.  This guy supports himself, his wife, and their five children via odd jobs however he can while trying to keep them safe in an almost impossible living situation.....and he is sharing with us (through an interpreter) the burden God has put on his heart to share the gospel with and help the needy.  Wow.  Wow.  Wow.  God's love indeed.  Above all, Jesus was lifted up this week.

Anyway, we built a church, we built relationships, and we built up our Lord between ourselves and to all who would witness.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be obedient and go to Ecuador this year.  I sure hope you will consider joining us in 2013!

Mike

We are home from Ecuador.  I am thrilled that I got to share another wonderful week of missions work with my church family (and my wonderful wife, Beth).  Was I in my comfort zone?  NO WAY.  Was I physically comfortable.. NO, it was HOT and DUSTY.  Am I physically refreshed?  NO, I'M COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED.  Was it worth it?  ONEHUNDEREDPERCENTYESYESYES (interpreted as "you bet").  There is no better feeling in the world than knowing that you have obediently operated in the full will of God.  Looking to improve your connection to God?  Feel like you are not yet moving to the optimal place in your relationship with Him?  I urge you to consider taking part in next year's mission trip.  I guarantee you that your participation in real, engaging missions work will provide you with a new level of spiritual fulfillment and will bring your perspective on life and service more inline with God's plan for you.  Being inline with God's will is exactly where we all need to be.  Don't miss your opportunity!

 -- Jared

This week was amazing. It literally flew by. In a way it'd be nice to have longer just so we wouldn't be so rushed for the few days we have to work. To be honest though, I'm ready to get home. We are showered and clean, although I never really feel 100% clean here.  Same way with the eating. Although I can eat a meal here, I'm not filled up like a meal back in the states.

It felt alot busier this year...maybe a sense of urgency in these last days. I'm reminded of John 9:4. My body has taken some abuse. My feet ache and throat hurts. I can only imagine the construction guys pain. There are so many sights and sounds I will keep with me for a long time. We have several stories to tell...all of us. And plenty of pictures and videos. I also have something I want to begin when I get home. I noticed none of the churches we visited had children's bibles. The only Spainish Bibles were adult (some kind of Anglican version or something). My translator told me it is the Spainish verion of "KJV". Since it is essentially kids teaching kids here, I want to find an easy to read, well thought out, children's bible in the US to send here. I'm talking boxes of them. A few hundred at least.

Time to go. Pray us home.

Thanks

We had a kid's crusade today. Over 1000 children present... praise God. Overwhelming success. -- Jared

Let's try this again.

It is 5:36 Thursday morning is I begin writing this, getting it ready to post hopefully sometime later today. Like last year, it has been difficult to write. The internet has become almost unusable here and there’s just so little time in each day and everyone is just extremely tired. We’ve seen little of the other team members.  It was the hottest day in Ecuador so far.  The sun was incredibly intense. As a result, several of us are sun burnt. By the end of each day we are dirty, dusty, sweaty and very stinky. I was telling someone on the bus back to the hotel that it’s best to just completely write off your sense of smell here. The odors run the full spectrum. Whether it’s hanging meat and fish from the vendor on the curb, mangy dogs running alongside the kids or the diesel exhaust from the city traffic and buses. By the time we make it back to the room we are emitting, some shall we say, ‘nice’ fragrances.

Brandon had a good 15^th birthday yesterday. He, Emily and Pastor Josh played football (soccer) with a bunch of the kids at a school that we had extra time at, then later at a ‘street party’. At the school Brandon was asked to dance by a girl, Kayla (very cute) on our team named. We were sitting at the school eating our lunch (PB & J of course), and several of the children and their instructor begin to do the dance moves. I thought it was neat that they’d let us gringo’s participate (the people are so sweet here). Don’t worry; I got the whole dance thing on video. I’ll see if I can get that up later. Turns out, it was the official dance of Ecuador.

There are tons and tons and tons of children here in this massive city. As we were driving on an old crumbly overpass, I could see an endless number of shanty dwellings completely littering every hillside my eyes could see- each no doubt with several kids living in them. In my opinion, that’s mainly the people we are here for. The “untouchables” from Mark 1:40 is what one of our nightly speakers called them.  The interaction with the kids and their families is what makes the trip for me. You can’t help to be moved by what you see here. You just can't. To ignore it would be one thing. To forget it is another. It's that impacting. Yes it's THAT life changing. And for me, it’s an experience that doesn’t get old. We are literally touching their lives by noticing them, loving them, spending time with them (not something that most of them are probably used to).

There’s a power in that personal one on one interaction. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but maybe that’s how I have finally come to realize a truth I have heard many times before, and I just  was not willing to be used for God to put into action in me. It’s a truth which is but one of the myriad of ways our God works.

 God works through people.

He works through people.

Simple really. No need to make it complex. I went up to a lady that was watching us from afar. Asked her  (speaking my southern Spainglish) if she knew Jesus. She shook her head ‘no’ and gave me a look of emptiness. I asked her if I could pray for her and she nodded ‘yes’.  I prayed a thirty second prayer asking  the Lord to soften her heart and open her eyes. That was it. No response at all from her. Then I walked away. Who knows what will happen to her?  I can say I at least hopefully planted a seed… maybe even put a stone in her shoe that I hope nags her every day.

That’s all for now. Thanks to all of you who have prayed for us and read our thoughts. 

He is great and greatly to be praised,

Lance

Here is the finished product.....our "Iglesia de Dios" in the heart of southern Guayaquil.

When I first posted the "before" picture of the church construction site at the first of the week, most if not all our time naively hoped that we could finish before we left Ecuador.  The objective was to have the entire building done with no more work required.  But as Josh and I sat on the street curb eating our sandwich for lunch on Wednesday, we talked about how we obviously wouldn't get "done".

But we also talked about how "being done" was never really the goal.  The goal was simply to get as much of the work done that we could and let the completion work itself out.

Even then it struck me that our Christian lives SHOULD be that way, but maybe over time we have come to see it differently.  Let me explain.

It seems to me that often times we demonstrate roughly three phases of Christianity: the first where we are ready and willing to work for God, the second where we are actively seeking to sacrifice, serve, and do God's work, and a third where we kind of think we have done our part and are somewhat "finished".  And the phases seem to me to be independent of age or longevity as a Christian but may be dependent more on how effective we are being as Christians.  The more work we are doing for God, the more the enemy will work against us.  And the attacks of the enemy are usually far more subtle than we expect.  He absolutely uses addiction or moral failure or other frontal assaults, but I believe the majority of his attacks just use our own weight against us.

If we are busily involved with our children's endeavors, he will tempt us to embrace that we are too busy to volunteer or work at or through the church.  If we don't see our family much due to travel or other obligations, he will tempt us to embrace that we need time for our families first.  If we have an issue with someone in the church or with something about the church, he will tempt us to focus on seeing it resolved before extending ourselves any further.  If we are challenged financially, he will convince us that we must see to it that our families' needs are met before giving to God.

The enemy doesn't come straight at us like a boxer.  Like a sumo wrestler, he uses our own weight of commitment to our families, commitment to our jobs, commitment to our finances, and commitment to our own sense of rightness in the church against us and against God.  He takes what is precious to us and uses it to make us work against our savior.

But the enemy is a liar.  More, he is the father of lies and the truth is never in him.

But the truth is in the Word, and it told us to "be His witnesses....to the ends of the earth".  That commission is as valid for you and I the last breath we take as it was the first breath we took as a believer.  Just like we were never intended to "finish" our work on this humble house of worship in Guayaquil, we are never intended to finish our work for Jesus until He calls us to our eternal home.

This week I have had the opportunity to learn what it is to have a servant's heart. Even though it happened in Ecuador, I discovered the examples I should be following are very close to home.

I have had the privilege and honor this entire week of accompanying Heather and Melissa into the poorest neighborhoods of Guayaquil, Ecuador. I have been both humbled and inspired by these two friends.

Emotion overcomes me when I contemplate their compassion and unconditional willingness to perform whatever duty was required of them. I try to control my tears, so no one will think something is wrong with me. It is very difficult.

I watched all week as Heather and Melissa painted walls, prayed for women and children, and danced for God. I never heard a negative word or complaint. All I saw were two angels from God sent to Ecuador to bless my soul.

There are those of you who think you are too old or young to do missions work. Some of you think "oh, I'm not called to be a missionary." I've got news for you. We are all called to be missionaries by the very nature of the gospel mandate from God. There are no excuses.

When your next opportunity for missions comes along, think hard about accepting the call. Maybe you will find your own set of angels.

Jared

It was a hectic yet fulfilling week in Guayaquil. Being a Missionaro (Spanish translation) is hard work! It’s been very difficult to post updates on the blog because we have so little time. Second, it’s hard to turn the experience into adequate words, so that also takes time to think about what to tell. We have been hitting the pavement (mostly dirt) hard. We have been in 'nicer' parts of town the past three days as compared to Tuesday. Still extreme poverty, but the neighborhoods are more 'developed' and closer to civilization.

This is the longest I have been away from Angie and that has been tough. After just spending one week here it makes me appreciate the little things we take for granted. It makes me realize just how blessed BEYOND MEASURE the glorious 235 year old experiment named the United States really is. It’s God’s hand that has given us the blessings of liberty that no other country has ever seen. Yet I’ve come to realize I have in ways let prosperity and abundance hinder my walk with Him. That's not good. It took flying 2500 miles to a 3^rd world country to realize this truth. Sin is not just doing bad things, it is putting good things in front of God.

Indeed spreading the “Good News” in a poor country is easier than at home. You don’t have to worry about embarrassment because you can’t speak their language anyway. And you won’t worry about seeing them again since you are a foreigner. In the US the “Good News” quickly becomes bad news when people find out what they have to give up. Here in Ecuador it’s all good news. Most here have nothing! In the US we are ‘busy’ with Work, School, Sports, Travel, the Internet etc. etc. We like the “come and see Jesus” part. It’s the “take up your cross and follow me” part that is the bad news. I look at how open and thirsty for God some of these people are, and instead of asking why they are, I ask why we aren’t. I think I know the answer. We are already full.

Here Jesus Christ is pronounced (Hey-soos Chreesto) I will miss hearing that shouted during the dramas from the little niñas and niños! His name will be exalted above all names…no matter what language and nation. A small school we went to yesterday has seven teachers total. Of the seven only two were Christian. By the time we left, there were seven Christian teachers at that school. They told Pastor Joe “We’ve seen Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses here in our community, but there is something different about your group.” The whole bus erupted in praise! I have a lot of other stories, but that will have to wait for later. Remind me about the 25 year old girl with a “bad spirit”. It will give you chills up and down your neck.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, we all appreciate them.If it’s Saturday and you are reading this, we are probably in the air flying back home. Continue to pray until we all get back safely! We cannot wait to see you. I’d say CP’s first international/ intercontinental mission trip was an epic life changing success. There WILL be more. You must see how 94% of the world 's population lives. Hint: Under the scorching hot sun...that's it! As we leave this old dirty dusty nation, we leave changed.And we leave treasure lying here as well. Already looking forward to it.

Lance

I apologize for not posting anything over the last two days, but I've been exhausted. I've grown spritually over the past two months, but Nothing compares to what I've experienced here in Ecuador. I believe that in order to serve God fully, there can be no "comfort zone" in your life. All I want to do is just stand in His presence and soak up as much of His spirit as possible.  Serving God and fulfilling scripture by going into the world and spreading the word of God has opened up a whole avenue of worship for me.

We put up so many boundaries and confine God so that He can only move in those specific areas of our lives.  Being able to stay in "control" of those areas creates a "comfort zone" and keep us from experiencing the fullness of God and the Holy Spirit.  Case in point, it's 11:41pm and most of the guys are gathered together in Lance, Mike S., and Allens room talking about our experiences.  The first miracle is that there are 6 guys in a room talking about their experiences for the day.  The second miracle is that we aren't talking about football, hunting, fishing, or sports.  We're talking about how much God has done in our lives during this trip;  How it has affected us and what we can do to keep the fire burning inside;  Being able to openly discuss God and our feelings with other Godly men is an awesome experience.  It brings much joy to my heart and allows us to destroy any "comfort zones" that we may have.

Praise God for what He has done within our group.  I appreciate your prayers for our group.  We have heard from many that you have been praying for us and we can feel your prayers.  God is changing our hearts, our focus, our desires, and our spirits.  We have seen God work in a mighty way this week.

We love you all and look forward to being able to share our experience.

I've created a new photo slide show showing you the church building process.

Joshua

I didn't blog on Tuesday because I couldn't.  The words were too hard to say.  The poverty we served on that day was more than my emotions could handle.  I know it sounds dramatic, but, it's the truth.  I've only seen that kind of poverty on television.  The last time I felt that strong of an emotion was when my father died.  It was terrible and the only thing that makes it worth speaking of are the phenomenal smiles that came from the children.  They made us feel like we had the power of the President, the admiration of Princess Diana, the fame of Michael Jackson, and the prestige of the Pope.  If I could have brought one little girl home...

Wednesday had nowhere to go but up.  We went to a school where the kids were in terrible conditions that would never be allowed in the US, but, they still had potential.  They had Facebook accounts.  Each day our team leaves about 8:15 am and rides the bus to a community school.  We do a program for the children including drama, dancing, skits, and a lot of prayer, then work around the school either painting or picking up trash.  The afternoon is filled with walking street-to-street in a nearby community announcing a crusade happening that afternoon at the local church.  During our time at Wednesday morning's school Casey and Lauren met a little girl named Michelle.  Keep in mind that our girls have a wonderful ability to make every child feel special.  Michelle was one of many.  For the purposes of this blog, though, remember the name Michelle from the Wednesday morning school.

Thursday was similar to Wednesday.  Another school where the children were in bad conditions, but, will probably still make something of themselves (as much as possible in Ecuador).  We did our program that morning then painted the school wall.  Lunch was in the bus on the way to the community church.  Soon, we were walking the streets of another community far from the school and especially far from yesterday's school.

Here's where things get really interesting - we were walking down the street and a little girl about 40 yards away was screaming at us in Spanish, "Keh-SEE!"

I didn't know what that word was in Spanish, so, I turned to the interpreter and asked what the little girl was screaming.

She then said it louder, "KEH-SEE!!!"

The interpreter still didn't know what she was saying, then Casey said, "I think she's talking to me!"

Unbelievable.  The little girl saw her blond-headed heros coming down the street towards her house.  What are the chances?  We got closer to her house and Michelle, whom Casey and Lauren had met at the Wednesday morning school, ran out and gave them a bear-hug.  It was as if Michelle's angels had found her.  When I looked at Casey's face you would have thought that she had found HER angel in Michelle.  It was literally unbelievable.  What are the odds?  There are nearly 4 million people in Ecuador and Casey and Lauren walked up to the house of a child they met the day before at a far-away location.  Casey said she and Lauren had taught Michelle a lot of words in English and that Michelle had tried to teach them some Spanish.  These little girls obviously made a connection.

Now it's Thursday night and the Ecuador Mission Trip is almost over.  I must admit that Tuesday I thought we were useless.  When we rode up the kids were in unspeakable poverty and when we left they were still in unspeakable poverty.  All I could hope was that the smile that was on their faces for those few hours would at least tuck them in that night and help them feel better about the day.  Now I realize that the Ecuadorian missionaries from College Park have made an impact that lasts more than a few hours...it's been proven that it last at least until the next afternoon when they see their heroes walking down the street.

It was hard to get Michelle to let go of either Casey or Lauren's arm this afternoon.  I think she is in every picture that they took at the street crusade.

I've come to the conclusion that the ray of sunshine we bring to these children actually does last for more than a few hours...and I'm absolutely certain that the impact they have made on me will last a lifetime.