Uruguay
After a two day delay in Miami, ATM issues and other obstacles to overcome, our Uruguay team discovered God already at work on campuses around the city. During their first week of evangelism they saw students pray to receive Christ all 5 campuses in Montevideo! From the team leaders: We continually remind ourselves that success is not doing a great bible study, putting on the perfect weekly meeting, or even having the most evangelism conversations, but simply walking well with Jesus this summer! 4th Journey Things are going well on our Middle Eastern team.They have been meeting a lot of friends on campus and are developing relationships with them. The team is learning the ways that ministry looks different in 4th Journey. From the team leaders: We are learning that our ministry performance is not our identity, and doesn't change the way God views us. To be successful in evangelism means taking steps of faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. We have seen growth in all the students and a realization of their identity resting solely on Christ. Australia This year marks 10 years of sending summer laborers to Brisbane, Australia. This summer will be our last in Brisbane, as we seek to open a partnership with a new city on the west coast, Perth. From the team leaders: The Lord has been doing a lot of really cool things as we've encountered students on campus. Just this week, we did an outreach on campus on Wednesday night at Griffith Uni and saw 6 students accept Christ!! So far since we've been here as a team we've seen 10 students accept Christ. France From the team leaders: It has been interesting to experience first hand the dark, apathetic spiritual climate of France. Even though I explained vision of it to our students before coming, it didn't quite prepare me for the experience of sitting across from someone that fully understands the Gospel but simply doesn't care. The good part about this is that I think our whole team truly has a heart for the people and we are experiencing what it means for our heart to break for what breaks God's. Considering the hard soil in France I think our team is doing well, we just have to continue to encourage and celebrate the small victories! Our teams are halfway through their summer assignments. Please be praying for God to continue to move in the hearts and minds of students all across the world. Pray for our teams to continue to step out in faith, and that they would grow in their dependence on God. May they see their identity in Christ and not in their ministry success or performance.
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Today's Throwback Thursday comes from a year ago, on my summer mission in "4th Journey." A student and I were prayer-walking around campus and hoping to get into some spiritual conversations. As we prayed and explored and took everything in, I noticed below my feet a heart shaped like a stone. My team and I had been in-country for about a week and I had finally settled into a routine. We knew where to buy groceries and how to put money on our metro cards and order food in a restaurant. We knew what Ataturk looked like and that there were cats everywhere and that the "burger" place down the street was hit or miss. In the midst of helping my team adjust well, I hadn't given much concern to my own heart. When I saw that stone my pulse quickened. I snapped a photo to remember the moment. I felt like I could express what I'd been feeling but couldn't put words to. I felt like my heart was like stone towards the people we were meeting, even my teammates at times. It would be a long six weeks if that continued. I wasn't there just to help lead the team, but to experience the culture and learn and grow and share my faith, along with leading. In Ezekiel 36, God tells the Israelites: I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Every once in awhile I glance at that stone picture while scrolling through my phone's photo album. I remember how I felt, and what God taught me about being present in the moment and not so "type A" like I like to be. It's a reminder I need quite a bit, but luckily God's mercies are new every morning. |
Amy WellnerEncouraging others to intentionally live out their God-given identity. Archives
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