The Angel Of the Lord

And I saw the seven angels which stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying throughout the midst of heaven saying," Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the others voices of the trumpet of the other angels, which have yet to sound."
-Revelation 8:6-13

Just another ordinary day

Being from Montana, I have spent most of my life in the woods. Not like a mountain man but just hiking biking and camping. I have. Spent days getting lost in the trees out my backyard. I would play war with my brother and we would chase each other, well I would run and He would tackle me. Scrapes and bruises were common after an afternoon in the woods. Now I am older and my brother has moved out of town so those days are just fun memories. However I still get this urge to go run through the trees. Summer and fall are great seasons to go play in the forest, spring is a bit wet and winter I am usually snowboarding in the mountains. Being in Germany I can't snowboard and summer doesn't come for a while, so what am I to do? Crazy thing happened summer came early, well the end of spring at least.
It was such a nice day. I didn't have too much to do, not very many people around and sunny was on it's way down but the weather was just below comfortable. The wind would nip at you fingers but a lite jacket would warm you up. Man it was good. I was walking from town to the castle and I took the path through the woods, I looked into the trees and I started to think about running around in there. I saw logs laying on the hillsides and stumps cut everywhere. Oh it was perfect for running through.
I went back to my room and grabbed my jacket and hat, tied my shoes extra tight and ran off into the woods. At first my music was blasting into my ears, I was spinning and jumping off small cliffs and running down hills. I grabbed a stick and pretended to be Lord of the Rings, fighting invisible people and you may laugh but that takes a lot of energy to kill invisible people.
I had to laugh, I was being such a boy in the woods, and Jesus was right there laughing with me. I needed to talk to him about a few things but I really didn't want to think about though. Jesus didn't force me to talk about it either, yet I want to chat it up with Him so I just said hi and He smiled. I continued to run and jump and stab at the air, as time went on and more invisible people were jabbed and sliced by my stick, I found my self sitting on a bench watching the sun set. I started to speak out loud to God and ask Him for guidance. He listened but instead of answering me, He told me I needed to know that I had a purpose in life and on my trip to Africa. I said yeah I know I have purpose. But that didn't mean anything, God told me I had to own that statement. I stood up and said I Have A Purpose. I continued to say this and I felt the Holy Spirit ask, why do have a purpose, what is your purpose, who are you?
I began to get excited and the fire of God began to burn within me. I so wanted crowds to be standing before me to here what I had to say. Even though there wasn't anyone there, I began to speak to the trees and rocks. The more I spoke the more energy flowed from me. I began to speak out every truth I knew about who I am and who God is and what God did. I was so happy to talk about it. So what if all who heard me were trees. They are apart of Gods Creation and they should be reminded of the Good News of their Creator. I talked about Gods sacrifice and His Gift of love. I probably spoke for a good hour, I focused in on this rotting stump down the path. I gave him a piece of my mind. I kinda feel bad for him, maybe he was saved and I just misjudged him. Oops. I felt like I still had so much more to say but I felt the need to declare the presence of the God of the Universe. I just began to say the Names of God, and give Him all my praise. I was nearly screaming out these praises because all the world needed to hear who the God I serve actually is. I felt like I was announcing God to the trees and inviting Him to come. I could see my self standing on a balcony leaning over the edge shouting to the people who would listen that God was about to come out and show Himself. As I declared His name and I stated that He was on that hill in the forest were I stood, there was a shift in the spiritual and physical world. I felt something that I've never felt before. Trust me when say it had nothing to do with the physical realm but it surrounded me like a giant robe. I felt the presence of the Lord, rain onto my back. It was awe striking. I instantly crunched up into a ball and clenched my eyes, my mouth was to afraid to open. I did my best to show reverence to my King, but in all reality I did all this out of reflex. The presence I felt was not the full glory of God, it was a tiny tiny taste of what it really is. I am excited for the day when I can experience the fullness of Gods glory and look upon His face.
As I recovered and the moment had passed, I stood up, turned down the path and walked away. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my work was finished in the woods. I had got what God had waiting for me, a new revelation of the power and authority I have through Him. I had never know this before. I knew I had a voice but I never thought what I had to say was worth something. In that moment on that mount, I reclaimed my voice and asserted the power I had in it. Now I know I am BombProof. With this power nothing can touch me, now I know that I have always had victory over darkness. The Power that raised Jesus from the dead, lives within me. I have full access to that power through Jesus Himself. I can cast out demons, I can declare dominion of creation, I can raised to dead back to life, I can heal the sick like Jesus healed, because I have now accepted this inheritance. Now that I know who I am, the enemy can do nothing to stop me. He knows he is screwed. I can be sure he is working like hell in Africa to build up his strongholds before I get there but I come with the Truth that blots out all darkness. The battle is already over and I have won. This is war. This is Africa. This is life.

Happy Birthday

I must say I won't forget this birthday... Ever. Today I had cake and ice-cream for breakfast, I got two Awesome birthday cards, one from the crew back at the castle and the Ukraine team. I think we ate four different cakes and I was sung happy birthday like 18 time and in five different languages. (ukrainian, German, English, Spanish, and Romanian.) I was even lifted on a chair 18 times and was set on a table in the next room while still on the chair.
It was kinda funny, the night before my BD I asked to sleep in five extra minutes and Ryan being Ryan said nah we'll move breakfast back five minutes 7:25. But I ended up sleeping in I'll a quarter to eight. I lead devotion that day and after a glorious shower, we set off to town. We pilled into the van and stopped at the bank to exchange money. Which is the only free wifi hotspot in like 100k. I checked my email expecting some happyBD emails but I remembered it was still march 6 in the states. We wondered down to the bizzar and looked around for a while. If you needed anything you could get it there and for really cheap. Gotta love the exchange rates.
Next we hit up a classic ukrainian dance performance. Talk about a good idea. There was a lot of kids singing and dancing. They did a good job too. There was a girl who did an acapela piece and wow...I fell in love again. Haha. But the best part about the bizzar was where we were standing, there was no sitting room so we stood along the wall. And you must know, Ukrainian people are larger built then most Europeans. The other thing you must know is that the desired fashion in eastern Europe is big fur coats. So imagine for a second, me, a small person, squeezing in-between large ukrainians, and when I find my spot along the wall I nearly becomes another coat of paint on the wall. It was crazy, these people didn't care that there was no room, they just started pressing their way through. One time I got tipped off balance and then squished against a giant of a man and when the person passed by me the pressure that was holding me up was gone and I started to fall into this man. Let's just say it became awkward fast in that corner of the room.

Lunch happened. Food went into my belly. And I was full once again.

Wednesday was a day we went to the internat, the Roma orphanage, and played with the kids there. Man you may think that is the more boring thing to do but I want to do it again next year. We all had so much fun running with the kids there. They wanted to wrestle and moch fight and piggy back rides became a hit instantly. I got asked a question I never think I'll hear again
"Do you have haircutters where you come from?"
I had to laugh out loud. I never thought of it that way, I have long hair by choice not because no one is around to cut it. Haha the kids were amazed and kinda scared of my braces and my ear gauges weirded them out. They never see things like this very often and it is truly foreign to them. I really am refreshed to experience this, it is so interesting to explain what exactly, just the lack of western culture influences is nice to see. It kinda makes me feel original for once in a lifetime. But everything I do has all ready been done before, sigh.

I don't think we left the orphanage till 7:30-8:00 pm. It was dark and most kids had dinner to eat. And at the mention of food everyones stomach turned a growled. So it was almost a race home to get dinner cooking. I think we had some kinda of noodles, but I remember it was soo good and maybe I eat slower or I am more hungry or more bold but I seem to finish the last of everything on the table. Or I just ask for a bit more when everyone else is finished. Any-who, I ate so well, that night and every other night in Ukraine.

Bring on the cakes! And the awkward Birthday song. I think they knew how awkward I felt when they sang it for me, because they wouldn't stop singing it! Haha I blew out my tea candles and started cutting away at the chocolate banana cake as Cory tried to saw through centimeter thick chocolate frosting on the other cake. He tried, I'll give him that but his success rate was so good. Poor cake. After that the night started to settle down, until I was randomly hoisted in my chair around the room. And all the girls plus TJ were holding me up and the longer I was in the air the more I felt the chair lean. This is not good when you are nine feet in the air and full of cake.

My birthday ended with a beat down by Cory and a quick prayer with the guys. And did I sleep good or what!

Thanks Nana and Grammy for you BirthDay cards! I loved to see mail in the 'T' mailbox with my name in it. Mom and Dad thanks for your previous support, it was put to good use during my ventures in Prague.

Love to all those who remembered me on my birthday. And to every else too.

Spiritual Warefare

This week has got to be one of the craziest weeks Not with like what we are doing here but just with all the past challenges I am still trying to keep. This being a Christian thing is so hard, I can't get pissed or curse. And I am to serve my brothers and sisters expecting nothing, I am supposed to give all that I have because it is Gods in the first place. And I am supposed to seek Gods voice in all of the above. Yet sometimes, I still need to use my own judgment. And my mind gets me running back on my choices, second guessing myself. (JESUS!)

It was very interesting how Roger said spiritual warfare was more about our identity with God and just declaring the power He has given us through Hs son. I thought we would be learning all about casting out demons and rebuking the devil, but it was barely covered and even Roger said be cautious before you start rebuking what you think may be a demon. Cause some things we think are bad and of the Devil may just be God allowing things to happen or just the world and it's messed up way operating that is causing this. He gave me a lot to think about. He touched on healing and sickness, which i must say hit a soft spot in me. I have severe sickness in my family and I still don't know the reasons why it's been this way for all this time. All this stuff seems to link back to others issues I have , I feel so overwhelmed with these things and before you say just give it to God and it will be all good. That my friend is the hard part. Even though I've asked God why or what reason He does this, I still have to watch as this loved one is in daily pain. I'm just so sick of talking about all this crap, I am trying not to give into discouragement so I will end this entry.

Dobro!

Mini'

The anticipation if this trip is driving me KrayKray! I am really starting to notice the things that make me super annoyed. I love to plan things like road trips, but when it comes to planning a two week outreach with four leaders and five other students, is proving to be a test and I'm not even involved with the majority. Wait it's more or less listening to people plan and argue about how many time we should stop for bathroom breaks or what kind of snacks to bring. Like I'm trying not to stress but when we are at meeting the topic of conversation changes faster than the wind. And I want to say something but then I'll become the awkward one who doesnt really want to joke or have any fun. What ev we all have our strengths and weaknesses.

Here I lay in the main hallway of the castle 1:47am just waiting for 4:00am to come so we can leave. I chose to make breakfast for our team in the morning, I don't know why really but I got a GB message about this and I didn't see anyone had replied so I just said i would, because there would be less confusion. I even have food for the team as a work duty during our trip, I don't know what that entails but I'll find out soon enough. Either way I get to pick what we are eating and we will be eating some yummy food; yet the catch is can I find the food I want in Ukraine. I hear things are super cheap there which is good! Yet God has already been providing our needs! We haven't even left the castle and He is taking care of us.

I have stencils, spray paint, paper, pastels, and a giant drawing board in my pile of things to bring. I hope to fill every piece with art and God's message of love. I really want to do portraits of every one I meet. I know the language barrier will be our biggest struggle but art has no barriers. I want to try my version of Help Portrait, just I'll be drawing portraits instead of taking photos. I am really nervous but I know! God! Loves! Me! He will never let go. His love is with me on this journey. Please pray into that truth for me. Ask with the voice God gave you I don't forget this because the instant I lose this I will fall back into my anger and self pity. I will lose all the progress I have made since I've been here. Thank you for your prayers! God does hear you.

Exodus

What is your eygpt?
-the lie of no self worth

What promised land did you going towards
-being who God made me to be.

Why did the magicians fail?
- they succeeded the first time but then failed. I think Satan has limited power and God let Satan deceive the people the first couple times, but to better show his glory, He made them, the magicians fail.

TEAM U-Kray Kray!

Mission: Infiltrate the boarders of Ukraine

Purpose: Spread Gods Love

Location: After school child care center and select
Gypsy orphanages.

Departure: 0400 Saturday 03/03/2012

Extraction: 0400 Saturday 03/17/2012

Squad Leaders: Ryan, Nicole,
Cory, and Lousie

Squad Members: TJ, Pia, Chloe, Theresa, and David

Transportation: 9 Passenger VW Van

Travel Time: 18-20 Hours

Translator(s): 1

Meals Provided: 1

Number of luggage (per person): 1

Excitement Status: Pending...