Perfect Christmas Gift

75, a Dozen, and Prayer Request

I am so excited to announce that I now have over 75 individuals on my Faith Promise team and a dozen churches! A big shout out to this awesome team God is assembling--I am SO thankful for each of you. God has hand-picked you, and I can't wait to move forward together to the work in New Zealand!!!

It seems goals are being reached left and right! I only need 10 more partners at $100/month, OR 20 partners at $50/month, OR 40 partners at $25/month! That's it!!!! Praise Jesus!!!! Who is with me? God is opening doors for meetings with people out here in PA beyond what I had expected but exactly as I had prayed. He's so good... SO good. Please keep praying over these meetings over the next three days.

On a less positive note, please pray for one of my best friends who just suddenly lost her mother this week. Pray for memorial arrangements to start working out logistically and also for me to be able to be there to help. I have a very narrow time window in which I could make it to her part of the country this week between church meetings--I need God to move as well as to protect me on the road.

75%... 80%!!!! PRAISE JESUS!

So, remember when God laid it on my heart to pray for 75% funded by the end of November? Today, I am OFFICIALLY at 75% funded, and including verbal commitments that have not yet hit my account, I am UNOFFICIALLY at 80% funded!!!!!!!!!! I am so thankful for a God who delivers on His promises, and He blesses beyond what we can think or imagine!! I could scream, dance, and jump around... but that wouldn't really help communicate to you via this blog how excited I am over God's provision!

While we rejoice and celebrate, let's keep praying! Another 20% of Faith Promise commitments needs to come in over the next month(ish), and I am confident God will continue to respond to our prayers. Tonight, I am sharing my heart for New Zealand with a group of young adults here in Shrewsbury, PA. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will speak through me and call people to join the partnership team.

Thanks for hanging in there with me, guys... This road has been long, lots of bumps included, but I wouldn't trade it for anything at this point. There's really no way to explain how much God has worked in and on me through this process. Thanks for walking this journey with me... soon, the journey will lead to the land "down under!"--the REAL down under, as in, under Australia. :) Much love in the Lord!

Thankful for Divine Appointments

I love it when God orchestrates a meeting or a conversation. It just leaves me with a profound sense of awe when I KNOW I just encountered someone in a way that was totally due to God's providence. I am extremely thankful to God for these divine appointments in my life, and I don't just mean ones that lead to a partnership in the ministry in New Zealand. I've had some of those--and they are awesome, don't get me wrong... But I love just knowing that God is behind the scenes working in people's lives, preparing the way for them to meet the right people, have the right words, and have ears to hear. Our God is so good. Today, I thank Him for His providence--the way He guides and directs those who love Him.

Thanksgiving and Beyond

My "nephew" made me an adorable turkey craft for Thanksgiving. I LOVE IT! I also love Thanksgiving in general. I tried to really let it soak in, knowing this was likely my last Thanksgiving at home for at least a couple years. I was so blessed to spend time with my family and eat lots of yummy food!

While most people were either in a turkey coma or Black Friday shopping, I headed out Friday for Columbus, Ohio. I made it last evening to my friend's family's home, and we had a great night of fellowship. This morning, I left bright and early for Shrewsbury, PA. I have settled into the apartment with some of my best friends from college, and I am looking forward to a great week of ministry visits and phone calls! Please keep praying for God to work miracles, creating opportunities for me to connect with the right people to invite them to partner with me in the ministry in New Zealand.

Also, please pray that I will have a mind for details as I begin the NZ Visa application. I am trusting God for HIS timing for my arrival in New Zealand, but I want to be a careful steward of my responsibilities in both partnership development and Visa paperwork.

Refreshed and Ready!

I have not felt so enthused and ready for New Zealand.... ever! Here are my reasons.

1. Revival! I was able to be in revival services at my home church. It was AWESOME, and God has been working revival in my spirit for a while now, including giving me victory over some things that have been struggling with for a long time. Praise Jesus!
2. Encouraged about Partnership Development! I am so motivated by the increase in support and having completed Kingdom Come Training. I love meeting with people, inviting them to join the team, and I am confident that God will meet all my needs in time to be in NZ in January if it is His will.
3. I was able to stay in one town for a week and a half! It's amazing how a respite from travel refreshes me physically and emotionally!
4. I am enthused about upcoming opportunities! I will be on the road a LOT over the next couple weeks, and I am sure God will do great things!
5. It is the season of Thanksgiving, and I am thankful... for God's work in my life, His faithfulness to His people, the opportunity to be with friends and family, and the privilege of serving the Kingdom.
6. I got a haircut that I love! It might be superficial, but I was so thankful for a coupon for a cheap cut, being able to donate my hair to Locks of Love, and getting a fun new "do" on my birthday!

Above: Picture of me with my Grandmother at my family birthday dinner.

71%, KCT Update, Youth Ministry Challenge/Question

• We are officially at 71% Faith Promise! God is continuing to work behind the scenes--I am aware of enough Faith Promises still to come that should put me at 76% or better! Please keep praying for full funding SOON! My hope is to be fully funded before Christmas so that I can enjoy Christmas with my family before leaving without thinking about support.
• Kingdom Come Training has been AWESOME! I am so thankful for this training in how to develop healthy partnerships with my team. The class will end on Wednesday, and then I will just continue with a weekly coaching meeting until we hit the 100% mark.

On a youth ministry level, I have a few thoughts I wanted to share.

• First, I wanted to follow up on some of the book reviews I did a while back. Specifically, I had reviewed Burned by Ellen Hopkins but had not yet touched on other books in this series. Since then, I read Crank and part of Tricks as well. Crank did seem to have a bit more of a point--basically that drugs will lead you to consequences including an addiction that is not easily overcome. However, it was still "filthy" in my opinion--very sexualized, focused on a girl losing her virginity, and the language and overall tenor of the book was very dark. Whatever redeemable quality may have been in Crank was more than made up for by Tricks. I could not finish this book because it was so dirty. The title says it all. This was seriously literary porn geared toward teenagers. Please don't let your kids read this stuff!
• I received an awesome reminder this week about how the church should be approaching youth ministry. My home church is in revival with the Fox family, and Dr. Bryce Fox shared a story that broke my heart. He spoke of a young girl at a church camp who was weeping after the service. When he asked her how he could pray for her, she began to share this story. She had been trying to reach one of the "roughest and toughest" boys at her school for Jesus. She was spending time with him, trying to show him the love of Christ. She finally invited him to church, but he said (paraphrased), "If I decided I wanted to find God and would find him at church, then I'd go. But if I want to find God, and they play games at church, then I don't want to go." The girl began to cry harder and said, "I can't bring him with me to church because I know we will play games!" Youth workers, I don't share this to communicate that we should never play games and have fun with our students. I do share it as a reminder that students are looking for TRUTH and REALITY, and unfortunately there are times and situations when they don't find those things in a student ministry. Let us remember our priority--to share the life-giving hope of the Gospel with every adolescent we can!
• I am also wrestling again with a topic I have wrestled with many times in the past--how do we effectively reach FAMILIES as youth pastors?? Anyone who works with students understands where I'm going with this. If a family comes to Jesus, the chances of a student remaining faithful to God in adulthood are much higher. While I am confident that God can save anyone despite their circumstances, how awesome would it be if we were successfully reaching whole families rather than just individuals! What does it look like to run a "family youth ministry?" We need to engage this question--and then engage it again--and again. This is not something that we can solve overnight, but as youth pastors, we cannot give up on wrestling with the potential our ministries have to transform homes, reconcile familial relationships, and strengthen the church as a whole rather than just youth group attendance. We have an obligation to help families mirror the kind of family discipleship described in Deuteronomy chapter 6. Unfortunately, we are often starting with a student who is curious about God and whose parents maybe couldn't care less. I plan to post some ideas about how to approach this, but I'd love to hear your thoughts first. Any takers?