So Sunday morning I never got around to blogging about Saturday, and then coming back, I was too busy trying to get back into the swing of things (or maybe too lazy to sit down and get things done). But this has been sitting at the top of my to-do list for too long, and it’s going to get done now.

Saturday was a bit more relaxing this year. Since it was Easter weekend, we also had Monday off, which gave us an extra day down in Daytona. Saturday was a day for people to wind down.

I started off the day inside. We sent a van of people to Tuscawilla, but most of the crew stayed at the hotel. Some people went down to the each, and joined them a little bit before lunch. After lunch, a bunch of people went down and set up the volleyball to continue the beach evangelism we had done for most of the week. I decided it was nap time and get refreshed. After a dinner of pizza and leftovers, we had our last debriefing in Daytona. During the debriefing, we broke bread together and shared why we were encouraged by certain people that week. Lauren Bournique started it off by calling someone up on the team, who then called up someone else and so on and so fourth until everyone was called up. It was just great to see how observant everyone was and to see us encourage one another after what was a very spiritually taxing but rewarding week.

Later that night some of us went out into the town for the last time on this trip. When we split up, I went with Laura and Angela. Upon entering the courtyard, they were drawn to two girls who were chain-smoking their way through a pack of cigarettes. I sat down on a nearby bench and prayed and read my bible. During their conversation, a guy who was just hanging out near them asked Laura to take his picture on his blackberry. I told God, if he’s still talking to her in 15 seconds, I’ll go over and talk to him. When I hit 0, they just ended, so I told God, if he’s looking at his phone in 10 seconds, I’ll go talk to him. When I hit 0, he was still looking at his phone, so I nervously made my way over to start some small talk. Conversation meandered around a bit, we talked about school, work, interests in photography, etc. Then when he brought up the fact that everyone was messed up in one way or another, the conversation moved deeper. I then was able to ask him what religion he associated himself with, and he said he was a rogue Christian of sorts. Not knowing what that meant, I pressed him further.

I soon found that not only did he speak very slowly, but he would respond to questions with questions of his own. And questions of the pointed sort, which attempt to deflect questions and avoid the point. I soon discovered this, and kind of took control of the conversation. Not wanting to dilly-dally around, I went off on my own monologue of sorts, just saying everything he spirit led me to say. I reaffirmed what I saw was salvation, but destroyed the lies which the devil had built up which said he was no longer a Christian. I shared how the Christian walk was hard, and how it wasn’t all rainbows and cupcakes, and things would get worse before they got better. But I also shared how there was a peace, deep deep down that transcended all understanding, which came with the knowledge that Christ saved me. Period.

At the end of it, I had no idea what to say, or no idea what he would ask, so I asked to pray for him. After some more pointed questions and pointless ramblings, he allowed me to do so. Then I asked him if he had any more questions, and he asked the first honest question of the night after at least 45 minutes of talking. He asked, “So what do you do to stay close to God?” It was at that point I realized that underneath his cool-cat, standoffish attitude, there was a Christian deep down who had lost his connection with the Spirit, and not feeling anything had wandered off, led astray by lies the devil had whispered to him. I just shared some of the basic spiritual disciplines I did, and reminded him that the Christian walk wasn’t a stairway to heaven, where every day was better than the last. It would go down, but also go up. And in the end, if we knew we were saved, we could live with the assurance that things would turn out for the best in the end, no matter how bad the journey felt.

While I finished up talking to Harvey, I saw that Laura and Matt were talking to two guys, in a pretty intense conversation. We ended up heading back to the vans, then to 7-11 to kill some time before they finished. Ends up that the 2 guys they were talking to had been approached by a group from the Delaware inter-varsity group. Having mulled over the seeds which had been planted a few days earlier, they were ripe for the harvest as they were approached by 2 members of our team. Going over many of the same topics, the 2 guys decided that it was time to act on the gospel message, right there and then. It was amazing to see just how God had used both our groups, not only to plant, but to harvest. It was a reminder that while we the delaware group did not get to see the fruits of their labor with these 2 guys, we did, and that while we may not have seen the fruits of our labor in regards to many of our other conversations, someone else would.

The next morning was Easter, and we spent some time worshipping on the beach as the sun rose. It was a peaceful time on the beach, just being reminded how Jesus rose from the grave after conquering death. Afterwards, I spent a little bit more quiet time reflecting on the beach as Schmucker and Angela decided to jump into the ocean one last time.

We packed the vans and then had a Sunday service together. Then we hit the road for the long trip back. We stopped for lunch at McDonald’s (ugh) and while eating outside, had the opportunity to feed and pray for 2 homeless guys who were making their way to Jacksonville. They were also 2 fellow believers, and one of them kept saying how he couldn’t help but cry after seeing such kindness being shown to him.

After a long day and night of driving, we arrived at the Upland cracker barrel at 7AM on Monday morning. Having our traditional breakfast, we then rolled back to Taylor to unload and then pass out to catch up on some quality sleep after almost an entire day in the vans.

Last night we had our first debrief since coming back, and it was interesting to see how people were doing. Many of us were having trouble adjusting to normal and busy life back at Taylor, struggling with how we evangelize and show God’s love to those around us in a Christian community, especially if it is a complacent one. So keep us in our prayer as we look to continue this Daytona trip in our daily lives, but in a different and more constant way.

For me, this trip marks the end of my Daytona spring break career. But at the same time, it also marks the beginning of my life which will begin outside of Taylor. Next year, wherever I end up, it will not be in a predominantly Christian community, and I will have the chance to witness to people in a very direct way every day. I will have the opportunity to really shine my light, and show God’s love to those who may not have experienced it in a real way. While I am slightly saddened at the closing of a chapter, I am also very excited at the beginning of a new one and the path that lies ahead.

Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/

A common theme among many of the people we talked today was the fact that many of them were of different religions. Not only were we evangelizing and ministering to them, but we also learned a bit about these other religions. I know in the morning members of our team talked with a Taoist, a Jehovah’s witness, a Muslim, and then later that evening a Hindu. It was a nice reminder that not everyone has heard the Christian message or believes it, and we must also make an effort to understand them if we hope them to listen to us.

For me, the day was very low key. Even my conversations were pretty laid back. In the morning I went over to watch what I call the “lifeguard kiddies,” or high schoolers going through lifeguard training/tryouts. There was also another guy over there watching, who looked oddly familiar. We made eye contact briefly, and then went back to watching the lifeguard kiddies. I thought I had remembered talking with him with Kendra Heim, but I didn’t remember his name, so I called Kendra. She didn’t pick up, and I finally just decided to go over. The worst thing that could happen was that I was mistaken. But it was the same guy, who’s name was Dave. He was a local who went to the church that we normally park at when we go into town. He was doing well, other than the fact that he’d been out of work for a little bit. While I would love to say that we talked for hours on end, all we did was just watch the tryouts and make comments to each other every so often. While I wouldn’t classify it was a great conversation, I enjoyed his presence, and I feel he felt the same. Sometimes, just being there is enough.

Later that day, I met again with Steve, the guy who I talked with the day before, as well as last year. It had a similar feel as the time I had with Dave, with not as much being said, but just a shared presence between the two of us as we people watched and enjoyed the sun and wind. It wasn’t much, and the dialog was few and far between, but I think it built our friendship up in ways that a back and forth conversation could not do. Before we left, I prayed for him, which I think he appreciated. I can’t wait to spend the rest of eternity with him as we both learn about the majesty of God’s creation, as we have done in such a miniscule way down here on earth.

The day was the last day of beach ministry we had by sun splash, and much of the conversations were spent tying up loose ends and praying for people as we go on our own ways. Johnny, one of the team’s favorite people from Ocean Grove, had the opportunity to be prayed for, and many on our team laid hands on him. It was a touching moment as we lifted him up in prayer before we left.

In the evening Angela, Laura and I went into town, and had the opportunity to talk to 2 people. Josie was a 16 year old walking on the beach when Angela ran down to tell him that she felt God calling her to talk to him. He was wearing a “Lamb of God” t-shirt (a heavy metal rock band), but said he was not a believer. When Angela told him that, his eyes got real big, but soon after had to leave to meet someone. I’m not convinced that he didn’t just say he had to leave to get away, but that’s not for me to judge. I think we did what God wanted us too, and hopefully someone else can cultivate the seed we planted.

As we were walking up, I spotted a guy who we had seen earlier walking up and down the board walk. His name was Dan, and he was a Hindu from Atlanta on vacation. He was very nice, and very into good works in order to get good karma. We just shared with him our beliefs as Christians, and kind of hit home how we did our good works because of our peace, not to gain peace as he was. I think I may have been a little too pointed in what I said at times, but I just wanted to make sure he understood where our peace came from, and how we realized our good works would have no bearing on God’s judgement. At times he would listen and respond to what we said, and other times he would just change the subject as soon as we finished our part, which makes me think he was actually thinking about it and maybe taken aback. But through the whole thing we were cordial, and left on good terms. I hope that we mulls over some of the points we brought up, and I know I will go look into Hinduism more in order to carry on a better conversation in the future.

Prayer Requests:
- continue ministry even after the trip: this trip is great b/c it’s like dedicated ministry and nothing else, but shouldn’t that we the way we live our lives anyways? So pray that we can carry this on to the rest of our lives
- the cultivation of seeds planted: there are many people who we planted seeds in, be they small ones in a kind smile, or large ones in full on conversations about Jesus. Pray that God will continue to bring others into there lives so cultivate those seeds
- support for new christians in their new life: we’ve had several people accept Christ this week, and just pray that God can connect them with a good home church and fellow Christians who can help them to grow. And if it’s in his well, help us to remain connected with them. But if not, we will see them again when Jesus returns.

Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/

So yesterday was a pretty good day overall. I was able to have not just 1, but three different meaningful conversations, which was a real blessing to me.

The day started off with us being unable to set up the volleyball net due to the high tide. We set up the posts at least 5 different times, only to have a wave come up, and loosen up the sand around the stakes. Danny joked that the devil didn’t want us to set up the net, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. That net has been quite influential in our group getting to know people. But even without a net, we were able to draw some 4-square lines and invite others to join us there.

No Taylor trip to Daytona is complete unless there is a visit from beach patrol. He asked us to move our chairs (the circle of love, as he called it), so that another car could park in the spot we were occupying. The patrol officer was a bit snarky, but Erika was able to remain level-headed through the incident, despite her long history with them. Our beach neighbors, Kelly and Whitney who we had met yesterday through playing with Whitney’s daughter, felt compelled to move his car over as well, just so he could stay next to us. It was great to see our team minister to them and Whitney’s daughter, and to see them change as they saw as work with some of the mentally handicapped patients from the Ocean view half-way house.

As I was walking up on the boardwalk, I ran into Steve, and intellectual who I had met last year. We saw each other, and then I walked on, only to do a double take. Last year, I had started a conversation with him towards the end of our time there, and everyone actually ended up going back to the hotel and Jim came back to pick me up because the conversation was so involved. We did most of our intellectual sparring on religion then, and although I didn’t agree with some of his secondary doctrinal beliefs, I felt confident in the fact that he was saved. So this year, since I knew where he was coming from, I didn’t feel the need to go through that. We talked more as friends, and less as debaters and just talked about all the things we had been reading lately. Steve has 3 different bachelors, and is currently working on a business that fixes up Hondas and then exports them both domestically and internationally to resell them. He’s a workaholic, and literally has no time for anything other than his job. One thing I really recommended to him was taking a Sabbath, just so he could get refreshed. Last time we talked, he had said how he wanted to start working out again. He still hadn’t gotten around to it, and while we were talking he bemoaned the fact that he no longer had time to read up on different science topics like he used to. I shared my recent furlough from the Echo, and said that he should look into trying to prep for a time where he could take a short break. I really enjoyed the time I spent with him, and it was so great to share some of the things I’ve been learning lately about resting.

I know the rest of the team was pretty wiped, but even through that it was amazing to see them still hustling on the volleyball court and just pouring into the people from ocean view.

When we went out in the evening, I was a little scared because of how the previous evenings had gone and how the devil had brought me down. But God was faithful, and I ended up having 2 really great conversations.

I was with Lauren and Kristen, and Lauren felt pulled to talk to a a couple high schoolers. There were 2 girls who claimed they were 18, but I’d be surprised if they were even in high school with them, and they were either high, drunk or both. There was also another guy with them, and the conversation really didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. Both Kristen and I looked at Lauren to see if she wanted to leave, but she never made eye contact back, so we just had to wait it out. The 2 girls ended up leaving, and later the friend of one of the other guys came up. While Lauren talked to the 2 high-schoolers, Kristen and I talked with the 2 college guys, Damien and Sal. They asked us what we were doing, and what our story was. The Holy Spirit was so good to us, and they ended up splitting us up so we could each talk one-on-one. Damien was a Christian, but was so hurt by the church when he was younger that he was completely turned off to it. He had a relationship with Jesus and prayed every day, but just didn’t go to church. I talked with Sal, who had grown up Catholic, but stopped going to church after a while. He went back every so often, and tried to live a good life, but wanted to still have some fun while he was younger. When I asked if he was sure he would go to heaven if he died, he said he hoped he would, but wasn’t sure. From what I saw, he was saved, but the devil was trying to bring him down by telling him he wasn’t good enough, and wasn’t religious enough. I just reaffirmed the power of the Christ blood, and how his death covered all our sins, past, present and future. I prayed with him, and just asked God to reappear in his life in a mighty and powerful way.

Sal and Damien were on a road trip across the US, with no particular timetable or schedule. They had left Cali about 2-3 months ago, and were just cruising around in their Honda. Damien even invited himself to sunsplash today, and said he’d bring his bible so we could have a bible study.

After all of us had wrapped up our conversations, we were joined by Diann, since the groupings changed a bit since we had left. We asked God to show us who to speak to next, and we saw a guy sitting by himself. So Diann and I walked up to him and introduced ourselves, and after about a minute or so we found out that Paul and Sarah had already talked to him. I also found out that Caleb was a PK (pastor’s kid) and was a freshman at a community college in New Mexico. We talked about what we were doing, and I asked how his spiritual life was going, and what God had been teaching him lately. He told us he had recently gotten out of a not-so-good relationship, and God was just trying to help free him of distractions. I shared the passage from 1 John 2 that has been helping me lately, and prayed for him. We told him about sunsplash, and I gave him my card in case he wanted someone completely removed from his setting to talk with. Hopefully he’ll come join us at volleyball today, but if not, we can play for the rest of eternity in heaven.

On the way back we stopped for pizza, and I found out that Angela and Laura had talked with a girl who had been heavily into drugs and cutting, and she decided to give her life back to Jesus. It never ceases to amaze me the excitement I feel when I hear about another salvation. I don’t think it could ever get old.

I would just like to reiterate God’s providence on this trip for me. Just when I felt weakest, he allowed me to share my burdens with those close to me, and the next day he provided just what I needed in the form of conversations. And these conversations weren’t just there to help me feel better, but I know that God had me talk to people I could specially connect with and encourage in my own personal way.

Prayer Requests:
- closure: as today is our last day ministering on the, help us all to begin to wrap things up, and say the things we need to if we had been scared before.
- strength: if anyone wasn’t worn out yesterday, i know for sure they will be today. pray that we can have the energy to hustle on the court, as well as show God’s love to all those we come in contact with

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/

Yesterday was just another great day for us collectively as a team. In the morning, Josh was able to talk to a homeless man, and see him not just as a person, but as a child of God, who was dearly loved. Krista was able to talk with a woman who had been struggling with drug abuse, and just give her encouragement and a renewed passion for Jesus. Maribel was able to lead a woman to Christ, and later that evening Matt talked with Tyler from the night before and just help to get him back on the right path.

We have also regularly begun to have worship on the beach at 3, and yesterday we were joined by a group of high schoolers from hudson, ohio who stephen and some others on the team have been meeting with all week. A bunch of people from the Delaware Intervarsity team also joined us, and it was truly a site to behold. Almost 30 people from a variety of backgrounds just joining together on the beach praising God.

Towards the end of worship, I approached an elderly asian man who was watching us. I asked if he knew Vietnamese, and he did. I talked with him as much as I could in my somewhat limited Vietnamese that we were a group of college students from a Christian school. He brought me back to meet his family. It was an interesting conversation, because he, his wife, his daughter and one of his granddaughters knew Vietnamese. Only his daughter knew english well, and his 2 granddaughters who had grown up in Germany, only had an alright grasp of english. And to top it off, he, his daughter and 2 granddaughters knew German, with that being the first language of his granddaughters. So 3 different languages were constantly being heard, so that everyone could be in on the conversation.

Later in the evening, I went into town with Yo and Angela. While I wasn’t able to do much talking, I was able to witness the Spirit really work in Angela as she spoke to several people. It was just undeniable that God had brought us out there to talk to specific people and tell them exact things. I don’t know a time I have ever said so little and felt so useless in one way, but felt so empowered to be alongside someone who God was using in a great way. (See previous post.)

Prayer requests:
- strength: the team is starting to get tired and the sun is still very draining, so continue to pray that God can renew our strength each day.
- continued conviction: we have several people who are on the verge of accepting Jesus, and just pray that the Spirit can convict them to make the right decision before it’s too late. Not that it has to be us to seal the deal, but just that they would get right with God as soon as they are ready.
- closure: as the week winds down, help us to being to get closure amongst ourselves and those we are speaking with.

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/

So this is going to be a pretty candid post, about a big struggle I’ve been having on the trip. I’ve only shared it with 2 people thus far, my dad and one of my roommates, but I know that the more people I have praying for it, the better we can fight off the attacks of the devil. It’ll be more of a reflection post, and tomorrow morning I’ll give you the more regular team update post.

I guess I can start off by restating the fact that this is my 4th year going on this trip. I’ve seen a lot of stuff, had lots of conversations, and generally have an alright feel for stuff. Also, for me, I’ve felt that my area of comfort has been the night street evangelism. The morning stuff was great, and I enjoyed it, but I lived for the night. I just felt more comfortable there, and I felt that that was where God was using me the best.

This year is completely different than every other year. I’m not just saying that, b/c every year is different (which I say a lot). But the other 3 were kind of like each other, in retrospect. It’s not a knock at all on the other trips, and I have loved every moment of them. But this year, along with our usual great group of people, we’ve got a solid core of about 5 or 6 people who are super in-tune with the spirit. I’ve never seen anything like it, where people just go out, no preparation, and let God speak to and through them. And then God does super crazy things. I LOVE it, and it’s just so awesome to see. When I saw who was going to go on this trip, I knew that God would do absolutely ridiculous things, things that would just blow my mind, and then some.

If you don’t know me, I’m a super type-A, plan everything out in advance and then just execute, kind of guy. I’ve almost worked the night evangelism down to science, which can be a bad thing, and when things don’t go the way I would like them to, I get kind of perturbed. I don’t say anything, but it just doesn’t jive in my head. Stuff like how we split into groups, and how many people, and what gender, and where we go, and how we approach people, and so on and so fourth. There are times I feel like I’m just tagging along. Also on this trip, I’ve always ended up grouped with someone who is a great and outgoing talker, and I end up sort of being a spectator (since I can barely talk on my own) and kind of trickle off to my own little corner to pray and read the bible, just because I hate doing nothing, and think it’s kind of awkward to stand there.

Basically, the majority of this trip for me has been praying, reading the bible, and taking photos. No great conversations, by my standard so far. And I know the devil is using that perceived lack of conversations to pull me down. He’s telling me, “Timmy, you had so many great conversations in the past, what have you done so far this year? You had so much potential in the past, and it’s all going to waste by just talking to the clouds, to a god who doesn’t hear you.” He is using what I perceived as my strongest area in night evangelism to bring me down, attacking me where I feel the most comfortable.

The thing is, I know he’s just lying to me. I feel that instead God is telling me that I am going to be the prayer warrior of this trip. That God has me there to support the other members of my team, through prayer and through my experiences of the past. It’s been confirmed and affirmed in me through others on the team that God is using me to lift other people up. My prayers are being heard, and they are powerful. We just had someone else accept Jesus today, which brings the total up to 6. I’m not keeping track in the sense that the complete worth of our trip comes from that, but it’s a great thing to see and realize. In 2 days we’ve had 6 conversions, which is more than the past 3 years combined. That’s an amazing thing, and that happened with my help in prayer.

So one thing I like to do when I’m feeling down or discouraged is to open up the bible to “random” spots and allow God to speak to me. This morning, I opened to the section where David is praying about building the new temple. But God says no, and it’s not his task to take on. God has used him in a certain role, to drive out the enemies of Israel, and his job is done. The temple is going to be built by his son Solomon, who is to come after him. When I first read it, I had no idea what it meant. But while talking with my dad, I realized that God was using the passing to affirm in me that my job as a night evangelizer was done. I had done my role the past 3 years, and God was proud of me, but I had a new role. I was to pray and be there to support the team. Like David was supposed to get ready the materials, I was there to intercede for the team. I was to use my experiences from the past to help the team this year, and encourage and pray for them in ways that only I knew how to.

Another passage that God has used in the past 2 days has been 1 John 2:14b:

I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.

God has just been telling me, “Timmy, you are strong. You have my Word in your heart, and you know what is right. I have already beat the Devil, and you have nothing to fear. The war is over, even though the battle rages.” It’s been such an encouragement, just knowing that even with all the turmoil inside of me right now, God has already won. It’s a no-contest thing. The devil may think he’s getting the upper hand, but we all know who’s going to win in the end.

And just tonight God really used Revelation 3:7-11:

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (emphasis mine)

On a lighter note, it’s to the church in Philly, which is in PA, where I grew up. I’ve been really feeling for the east coast lately, and just the fact that the letter is to a city near where I grew up is comforting. And I felt that God told me through this passage, “Timmy, I know you are at your weakest right now, but even through all the trials and tribulations, you have stayed strong. And I commend you for that. Hold on, because help is on the way, and I’m going to make Satan look like a fool.”

The funny thing is, there was a stint during my junior and senior year of high school that I don’t think I prayed at all. Not even before meals of before bed. Apparently I didn’t think it was was working, so I only did it as a ritual. And then I just stopped it, b/c I don’t like doings things to just do things. And even more ironic is the fact that my dad is kind of the resident “prayer expert” in the Vietnamese Christian & Missionary Allince district; they always have him lead the prayer concerts and such at the district conferences. So here’s the son of a pastoral expert on prayer, who went 2 years without praying. And now God is calling him to become a prayer warrior like his dad, but on a trip where he has traditionally been a doer and speaker, and less of a prayer. Funny how God does things like that.

But what frustrates me the most now is that as I started to discover my role on the trip, I knew that Satan would attack me with the demon of comparison to other years. And even knowing what he would use to attack me, Satan still got to me and brought me down. I got into some sour moods, and it just was not good. It’s just stinks when you know what’s going to happen, try to plan against it, and you still don’t stop it.

(I hate self-referential statements in regards to blog posts,) but if you’ve made it through this far, I know you are a true friend of mine. So I ask for your prayer for and alongside me through the rest of the week, and along with the rest of my life. I know God has great things in store for the team, and for me in regards to how I am to be a man of prayer. Pray that I can use my words in an even more effective way to intercede for those around me, and so that I can repel the attacks of Satan. And just pray that God will continue to reaffirm my role on this trip, and not allow the devil to convince me otherwise.

I don’t even know where to start since yesterday was such a great day for the Kingdom of God.  But I guess I’ll just start chronologically, going with the general trend of this blog.

Starting off the day, Jim and I were setting up the volleyball net, and then a guy came up to us and asked, “Are you guys going to get crunk? I’ve been getting crunk the past 3 days, and I can’t remember anything.”  Jim and I sort of gave each other the look, and told him that we were fine, but a game would be started in a bit when we finished.

Little did we know that the Spirit would work in great and amazing ways.  Later, Matt and Jim were able to talk with Conner, and just witness the Holy Spirit come down and convict him.  He decided to give his life over to God, and while he was praying he began to tremble uncontrollably.  He said, “I’m not drunk and I’m not high, and I can’t stop shaking.  I don’t know what you guys are doing, but I just can’t get this feeling out of me.”

A little bit later, Angela and the Laurens (Bournique and Matters) talked with 3 8th graders, Megan, Jaimie and Gretchen who they were able to really connect with, and eventually lead to Christ as well.  I haven’t heard much of the story, but I was there to let the Taylor girls know they had to get lunch before the lunch van closed up.  They exchanged contact info, and the middle schoolers were going to go change.  As they left, I could hear them say to each other, “That was AWESOME.”  I just smiled and thanked God for being so good to us.

Back at the hotel, we found out that Maribel even lead a little 4 year old girl to Christ.  My next sentence could be, “Unfortunately, I didn’t have any great conversations of my own.” But it’s not going to be, because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God had me where he wanted me doing what he had me doing.  I prayed a bunch, and just wandered around to lift people up to God.

Towards the end of the day I had 3 short conversations.  The first was a 78 year old painter, a Korean vet who was down in Daytona for the winter.  We talked a little until he had to leave.  The second conversation was with another elderly pair from New York who were down in Daytona for a couple of months.  We were watching the lifeguard tryouts, and we were able to talk a little bit before they left.  And my third conversation was with Raymond, a 17 year old who is trying out for one of the 30 lifeguard spots.  He told me there are 69 people trying out, but he thinks he’ll probably get one of the jobs since he’s been doing pretty well.

Normally I would consider this day a failure, since I didn’t get into any deep conversations, but like I shared with some people on my team, this isn’t a baseball game in the sense that we’re keeping track of RBI’s and home-runs.  It’s a baseball game in the sense that we are all on the same team competing for the same goal.  Like the body of Christ, we each have our role, and we’re working together to further the Kingdom.  So I instead am rejoicing with my teammates in the fact that we will be joined by 5 more people in heaven.

Going into town, God continued to teach me more about living in His will.  This is my 4th year on the trip, so I’ve seen quite a bit.  I’m a pretty type-A person, and going on this trip repeatedly has kind of helped me develop a science out of the night evangelism thing.  Groups of 2 are best, 3 is okay, 4 or larger is usually bad.  At least 1 guy per group, etc etc.  It’s great b/c I have the experience of the past, but it can be bad when I rely on it too much.

First off, Matt invited one of his friends from home, and we ended up having to wait around for her.  As much as I hate to admit it, I hate when life throws curveballs at me.  But I just tried to stay calm and just allow to Spirit to work in the ways he wanted.  We finally got there and when we split, I was pretty unhappy with the split.  A group of 4, with 1 boy and 3 girls.  And then our group was a group of 5, they didn’t want to split up 2 and 3 beforehand.  Matt went to talk to someone by himself, and it ended up being me with 3 girls.  Another no-no in my book.

So as they went up to approach people, it ended being a 4 on 1 of sorts, and I just felt awkward.  I’m not much of a spectator in the first place, and I hate just standing around staring at people.  So I did what I usually do and went off the side and read the bible and prayed.  As they were talking to guy, I saw a young kid light up.  He had a skater type sweatshirt, and I was pretty sure he’d be a punk.  I told God I’d wait 30 seconds and then talk to him if he was still there.  Then, a group of the Delaware Intervarsity people came up and talked to me for a little, and I shared some encouraging news from our day with them.  When they left, the kid was still there so I went over to talk to him.  His name was Jordan, and he was less of a punk than I expected.  He was there with some family on vacation.  When his 16 year old cousin came up, we talked a bit, and then the conversation took a dive towards the deep end.  We talked about the purpose of life, God and who knows what else.  They were both actually really smart, and his cousin, Jack was incredibly well read for a high school drop out.  He said he was ADD, but not prescribed anything.  He was pretty focused during our talk, which I guess could have been the Holy Spirit working.  he know all of the things, but had a few doctrinal issues.  He believed that everyone was born saved, and I’m not sure if he was saved in the sense that he had given his life fully to God.  But he said he wanted to read the entire bible, and pray more.  He hadn’t seen God in a real and personal manner, and found it hard at times to believe in him as his Savior.  They ended up having to leave (story of the trip so far for me) and I prayed for them and gave Jack a small gospel of John to read.  The conversation ended with me not being satisfied at all, but I’ve accepted it’s not about me and how I see conversations going.  God had me say what he needed, and I am thankful that he was able to use me in his perfect plan.

Final story of the night is a pretty amazing one.  We were back at the hotel, and it was pretty late, about 1 or 1:30.  Angela was about to walk into her room when 3 high schoolers asked her if that was room 306.  The way the hotel is, there are multiple sections, with 306 and 1306 being both the third floor, but different sections of the building.  She asked what they were up to, and they said something about sneaking out to a party.  She pushed them about if that was really what life was all about, and while 2 of the kids weren’t too into the conversation, the 3rd one starting to become really engaged.  He didn’t drink much, and he already had a small base of Christian doctrine in his life.  They discussed a variety of religious topics, including Jehovah’s witnesses, which Angela had just read about the day before (talk about God’s providence).  So all the right answers and questions were fresh in her mind.  His 2 friends ended up leaving, but the 3rd, Tyler, stayed and continued to talk.  The conversation was incredible, and I heard it all while from the inside of my room.  I was going to go to sleep, but decided to stay and pray.  I could hear pretty well through the door, so I ended up listening to/praying for the entire conversation.  I don’t think any of the 3 (Angela, Laura and Matt) know that, and am guessing they’ll probably find out about first on this blog.  They were able to give him a bible after a bit of scrambling since the conference room was locked, and before left, he said something that really hit home for us:

“When you guys go back to your school and people ask what you did, tell them that you talked to a high school kid name Tyler from a broken home who was out looking to a party and completely turned his life around.”

It’s not often you see the seeds you plant being to sprout, but here was a time where you could just see the transformation in front of your very own eyes.

Prayer Requests:

- faith and strength for new believers: we’ve had a lot of people accept Christ and some people choose to turn their life around.  Pray that God will keep them strong from the attacks of the evil one, as we know he is going to go after them

- strength for us: it’s getting into the week and people are getting burnt to a crisp, and the sun can be draining.  pray that God continues to give them strength

- contentment: on a more personal note, I’d like to ask for prayer that God will continue to be content with the role he has me in.  i’ve been pretty impressed with how I’ve handled going this long without any meaningful (to me) conversations.  i know i can get stuck into some pretty deep ruts of discouragement, but God has satisfied me with his peace and contentment so far.  please pray that it can continue, as I know the devil will try to use the great conversations of past trips to try and bring me down

Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/

So yesterday was our first complete day of outreach.  Started off the morning as usual with devotions, quiet time and breakfast.  Since we would be sending out a van to Tuscawilla park, the sort of “designated” homeless park in Daytona, we also packed sack lunches for them.  I half jokingly made a comment that we should write bible verses on the napkins, but some members of our team actually ended up doing so.

Funny side note: Colleen is on the breakfast crew and managed to forget an entire cart of garlic bread at the McDonald’s in wal-mart.  Luckily, it was still there when they went back to retrieve it.

The day started off kind of down, with cloudy skies and a little bit of rain.  But by 11 the sun had come out, and by 12 or so it was getting pretty toasty.  The people trickled out onto the beach slowly, and we were able to talk with quite the variety of people, both on the beach and up in sunsplash park.  People were attracted to our volleyball nets like flies to honey, and we even were able to get a couple games of touch football going.

For me, today was a pretty uneventful day.  While up on the boardwalk at sunsplash, I had an older man, Frank, approach me for some conversation.  It was mostly pretty surface, talking about the weather and the final 4.  But he was an older guy who I’m guessing doesn’t get to talk to people much, so I think it was nice for him to have a younger person to interact with.

My other conversation of the day was with Zach from Grove City, a christian college out in Western PA.  He actually went to school not far from where I grew up, at Manheim Central.  It was refreshing to see a fellow east coaster out there, much less a fellow Christian college student.

As I sit here writing this, I can feel that those couple of football games did a little number on my legs, as they are a bit tight.  But I know that God will provide me strength for the day, as he has done so in the past for others on this team.

After heading back, freshening up and having dinner together, we met back up and had a team meeting.  It was great to hear everyone’s stories, both those that were encouraging, and those that were a bit discouraging.  In sharing both, we were able to lift up others, or be lifted up.  Seeing God continue to work in amazing ways was just so awesome, and I don’t think it’ll ever get old.

One thing I realized during the meeting, was that I hadn’t really had any great conversations the entire day.  And for the past 3 years, that’s what I had strived for, that marque, God is definitely visible conversation.  But on the first complete day of beach ministry, I had none, and I didn’t even feel down about it.  It’s taken the 4th trip for me to be completely trusting in God and his perfect plan, whether it makes me feel good or not.

Around 10 we headed out to the town to do some street evangelism.  I could tell things were going a bit badly for me when I was short with some of the people who weren’t quite on top of things timewise.  And as we walked down from where we parked the vans, I could just feel the darkness building up inside.  I could tell it was the devil trying to bring me down, and while our team was doing public worship in the open area, I had to get right with God.  I opened up the bible, and ended up at 1 John 2: 12-14

I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.
I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

That was such an encouragement to me, just because God showed me that I had already overcome the evil one.  I was strong, and God was living in me.  Regardless of the feelings I had inside me at that moment, the Truth that God had already won in me really made me feel better.

Walking along the rest of the night, we ended up meeting up with a group of Invarsity students on a very similar spring break missions trip.  Bringing down 28 students, they had training in the morning, and then did street evangelism in the afternoon and evening.  Talking with their leader, Greg, was a great encouragement to me, just to see someone else who had been doing this for over 25 years, and just a friendly smile that you knew understood what you were going through.  We also ran in a group of 3, and got to talk and pray with them.  Later on the way back, we saw Rex and Maribel talking with a group of 5, and as we walked up to them, I noticed the Delaware Blue hens sweatshirt.  They were also part of that group, and we got to encourage and pray for them as well.

That night, on the ride back, I just felt a peace inside of me, even though I hadn’t really had the chance to get into any deep conversations with people.  I had overcome feelings of selfishness and doubt with the Word of God, and I had been an encourage to fellow believers out proclaiming the Word.

Prayer Requests:

- Boldness and confidence: last night several in our group had expressed their timidity, and asked for help in going out to people since they weren’t the most comfortable of people in talking to strangers.  Pray that God will go with them, give them the Words to say and the people to support them

- Health: as the sun emerges, so does the sunburn.  Pray that our team can continue to stay strong, and that they won’t be exhausted as the day goes on

- Seeds to be cultivated: we planted a lot of seeds yesterday, and just pray that they can be cultivated, either for us to harvest, or for someone else to

More photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/

As I write this, rain falls quietly on the sands of Daytona Beach. It’s been raining on and off since yesterday afternoon. While the weather is down though, our spirits are not.

After dinner last night, we went out to Sunsplash park to pray for the week ahead. It was wet, windy and cold, but I felt that we were able to a mighty thing that evening by blanketing that area, and more with our prayers. Then we had the chance to go to Coldstone together. Yesterday, Paul Cho not only had his first Coldstone creation, but also had his first peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, EVER. It was an awesome thing to witness.

After we finished up with our delicious dessert, Lauren Bournique, Laura Schmucker, Matt Orvis, Yo Hermann and I stayed around and decided to talk to people and pray for the area.

Lauren and Laura were able to talk to two high schoolers at Starbucks who recently became Christians. They were facing some struggles in their family and social lives, and they said it was such an encouragement to be able to talk with older Christian women.

Yo, Matt and I walked up and down the boardwalk and prayed for the area, declaring God’s victory and dispelling all of the demons and sins that had been entrenching the area. Towards the end of the boardwalk, Matt felt the urge to talk to a man at one of the arcade centers. Matt said that the guy was quite aggressive, and the first thing he said when he saw Matt walk up to him with a bible was “I bet I know more motherf&$#ing verse than you do.” Matt responded in love with, “Awesome man, that’s so great to hear.” Not expecting such kindness in return, Greg was speechless. As the conversation progressed, Matt witnessed a heart of stone who acknowledged God with his mouth, but not in spirit. In one sentence he would say that he knew that God provided for him, and in the next ask what God had ever done for him. Greg ended the conversation 3 times, but somehow still wanted to talk with Matt. And at the end, he surprisingly told Matt where he worked and invited him to a Bible study the next day.

As we were walking back to the vans, we talked about how God works in unexpected ways as we talk with people. A conversation we see going nowhere but downhill is miraculously changed by God as he speaks through us.

And as we were pulling in to the El Caribe, we decided to pray some more for Greg. We continued to pray as we pulled into the parking lot, and sat there for another 10 minutes or so.

I’m just going to confess that one of the reasons that I go on this trip so much is that I’m so bad at witnessing. I’ve got horrible speaking skills, probably on par with Moses. And I just always need to depend on God to speak through and for me. Half the time I’m too afraid to approach people, and just end up wandering around and praying. I know it’s important, but it just doesn’t feel the same, b/c the results aren’t tangible.

And as I sat in that van, as people were pouring out their hopes and fears to God, all I could do was sit and think about how scared I was of the week ahead. Yep, you read it right, the most senior member of the team was scared of what was to come. I just sat and stared out the window thinking of how many things could go wrong. And then right at that moment, Lauren Bournique heard some Words from God and began to pray for me. Thanking God for my role as a prayer warrior on the team and my gifts as a photographer.

I’ve heard about God working in pretty ridiculous ways, and I acknowledge the role of the Spirit in the world today, but I am usually still pretty hesitant. Just to see a reminder so tangible was extremely powerful, and I was on the verge of tears. But not out of sadness, but out of joy. To hear that God was hearing my prayers, and I just wasn’t talking aimless to the sky.

It seems that the skies have closed up and the rain has stopped. By the time we get out to sunsplash, the sun should be out.

Prayer requests:
- good weather: the forecasts says it should be sunny for the rest of the week, but extra prayer never hurt.
- boldness: with a lot of first year members who’ve never done witnessing like this, it can be scary most of the time. please pray for a spirit of boldness that knows no bounds as we go out and share God’s word
- health: as I said before, a couple members of our beginning to get sick, pray for their continued health and strength
- softened hearts: as we saw last night, there are lots of people here who are hurting and in need of God. pray that God can soften their hearts as we hope to minister to them.

More photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/

It’s a bit late, but we’ve safely arrived at Daytona Beach. We rolled out of Taylor around 6PM Friday night, and drove through the night. After driving for 20.5 hours, we finally arrived at our lime-ish green home for the week, the El Caribe.

We unpacked and then most of the crew headed down to the beach from some frisbee and fun in the sun. I listened to the end of the IU-Taylor baseball game, and took another nap.

In the evening we headed to Woody’s barbeque for the traditional Daytona first dinner. We missed it the first time by, but eventually got there. The food was delicious, and was a welcome break from the greasy fast-food we had on the way down.

We came back and then had a group meeting for the evening. While everyone was drowsy from the day of traveling and our recently filled stomachs, we managed to make it through a time of reflection to prepare us for the week.

Afterwards some of the crew went down to the beach for some fellowship, while I got caught up with the variety of March Madness upsets I had missed. I was pretty tired, and ended up falling asleep on a couch in the conference room during the SportsCenter top 10.

When I woke up, it was Sunday morning. I returned to my room, showered and then had some breakfast and did my devotions. One change Erika made this year, which I really like, is the fact that breakfast is now in the conference room together, and is a time set aside for everyone to have some quiet time to start off their day.

At 9:30 we then headed down to the beach for Sunday morning worship. We started off with some singing, during which an older couple decided to join us. We had a time of corporate prayer, and then heard testimonies from Diann, Matt and Liz. Lauren Bournique shared a short reflection with us about Jesus washing his disciples feet, and then we headed back to the conference room to wash each other’s feet.

We’ll be having lunch in a bit, and then have the afternoon for ourselves. After dinner, I think some of us will go into town for our usual night evangelism.

Prayer Requests
- Health for members of the team: We’ve got a couple people who are sick, and a couple who are beginning to feel under the weather. Pray for them to get better and stay healthy as we go out into Daytona this week
- Softening of people’s hearts: Evangelism can be very hard at times, so please pray that God will soften the hearts of those we will talk to so they can be receptive to the gospel that we bring them
- Unity: We’ve got a great team this year, and I ask for God to continue to unify our team so we can support each other through this spiritually grueling week
- Safety for the other SB teams: Daytona is not the only team sent out by Taylor, and we just pray that God will continue to keep the other teams safe, from the Grant County team all the way to the Russia team.

Photos:

You can see all of the photos I took here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatkidwithacamera/sets/72157623720520440/.  But here’s a small preview: