Jesus Doesn't Care about Numbers

     So this past week a medical team came to work with us here in Uganda. The team was great. They spent two days in Kampala seeing people, and then came up to Gulu for their last three days of ministry to see people. It was great having them here and I loved watching the way that they served Jesus through their short time here. But there was one thing that they did that got under my skin- at the end of the day they would talk about what was done and everything, but the thing they would focus on was numbers. “_____ people were saved, _____ people were seen by the doctors and given medicine, and _____ people were seen at the eye clinic.” Even though I didn’t really like that, I am still confident that this team’s hearts were in the right place. But I feel like this team, as well as many other people out there need to know one thing- Jesus doesn’t care about numbers.

     At the beginning of this week I began to really dive into one of the parables of Jesus called “The Parable of the Lost Sheep” (Luke 15:1-7). It stresses that if one sheep runs away from a group of one hundred a good shepherd (John 10) would leave the ninety-nine that are safe in the open country to pursue the one that is lost. I feel like most of us would just say, “Oh well, I still have ninety-nine. That isn’t too bad.” But Jesus does the opposite. He goes after the one.

     I have also been meditating on “The Cost of Being a Disciple” (Luke 14:25-35). I realized that in this passage, Jesus says a lot of things that would make people not want to follow him: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters- yes, even his own life- he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple…. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26, 27, 33).

     It is the same case in John 6. In the beginning of the chapter Jesus feeds the five thousand. The next day Jesus and His disciples went somewhere else, but the crowd from the day before followed them because they ate the bread until they were full (v. 26). And in verse 35 Jesus began to teach them: “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’” He then elaborates on that statement. Then right after he gets done teaching them it says, “On hearing it many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:60, 66). Jesus taught things that made people stop following Him! He told them THE TRUTH! *gasp*

     I feel like so often people just preach “Hey, Jesus loves you and came to die for you so that you could live in heaven”, and that is all true. But they forget to tell them what Jesus says in Matthew 16:24-25: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.’”

     Jesus doesn’t care about numbers, He cares about genuine followers. So instead of preaching the stuff that will make the crowd bigger and bigger, why don’t we try preaching the radical message that Jesus did- the message that made some people stop following him? After all, we are called to Christ-likeness, aren’t we?

Like a Child

     There is a team coming over here in one week from the States, and they are going to do a medical clinic up here in Gulu. So over the past few days we have been trying to prepare for this by talking to the LC's (the leader of the community) and pre-registering people. Yesterday Jamie, Willy, and I went out to do this in the village around the house. We started off by getting permission from the LC in Bardege to do the clinic. After we got done with that Willy went to go get Richard, one of our friends from the village that would help us out by translating for us, and then Jamie and I went to Grace's house to get her pre-registered. Well while we were there, there were five children that were following us. While Jamie was getting Grace registered, I began to play with the children. I know none of their names (except for little Obama, of course) and none of them know mine because none of them speak any English. What we did was one of them would hold on to my left hand and another would hold on to my right, and they would begin running in circles chasing each other while I was in the center spinning circles. What I did was I would start spinning so fast that I would lift the children up into the air while I was spinning in circles. They loved doing that. We did it for a long time because once Willy got Richard, they went to talk to the LC. I got little breaks, but in what felt like seconds they were wanting to do it again. It didn't take long for me to get tired, so after a pretty good while I was just in the middle of the kids chasing each other while I was holding their hands. We continued to play for what seemed like a couple of hours. Eventually we had to move on and keep registering people, so we had to leave those kids behind to keep going.

 

     What I realized today was that those kids taught me a very important lesson. Matthew 18:1-5 says, "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.'" Yesterday while I was playing with those kids, I became one. As I thought about that throughout today, I began to think about what becoming a kid meant. What I came up with was living without worry, because someone else was in control and they knew what was best. Living "life to the full" (John 10:10). Having fun! Jesus wants us to be like children because children listen to their Father and trust Him. Become like children- trust the Father, listen to Him. Know that He is in control and do not worry. Live life to the full.

Me and the 5 children



My First Month Living in Uganda

     For those of you that were expecting this post a lot earlier than one month in, sorry to disappoint. There has been a lot happening and quite honestly I have had to digest a lot of the things that I have seen and just think about it in light of Scripture.

     I guess it was about a week or two in that I first went out by myself. That morning I decided to go down to the rock quarry- a place where people work busting rocks all day long out in the hot sun. On the way there a guy was walking behind me so I slowed down so that I could meet him. I can't remember his name because at the time I didn't know that they say their last name first, then their first name, and the last name was so difficult to remember that I forgot it very quickly. Anyways, we went down to the rock quarry together and just talked. He wasn't the most fluent English speaker, but I got plenty of things out of that conversation. He is 16 years old and he usually goes down to the rock quarry to work because he can't afford school fees. From what I could gather, he seemed like a pretty cool guy. On the way back to the house I began to ask him about his family. He said that he had a brother, but he was killed by someone- I couldn't understand what he was saying until later in the conversation. I then proceeded to ask about his mother and father. He said they were both killed, and this time I clearly understood what he was saying. All of them were killed by the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army a.k.a. Joseph Kony's Army). It made me so sad to hear this, but I know that God has put him in this situation for a reason and that He is in control.

     Maybe a week later, Willy and I were walking through the village and we stumbled upon what looked like a big meeting. I asked Willy if he knew what it was, and he said no, but we will find out. So we went up to someone and of course asked "How are you?". Big mistake. Little did we know that what we had stumbled upon was a funeral, and when you are at a funeral it is EXTREMELY inappropriate to ask how anyone is doing because everyone is mourning. It was sad to just stumble upon that, but it was very humbling as well because God was once again showing me that He is in control. But this time it wasn't control over people's situations in life, it was control over what we ran in to out in the field.

     Just last week the FCM board was here and Willy and I were taking some of the people on the trip through the village. We ended up at the rock quarry and I went and sat next to a guy named Caesar. He is 20 years old. I then asked if he was married, and he said no, that he was a student. I was wondering what a student was doing down at the rock quarry in the middle of the day instead of in school. He explained to me that he was at the rock quarry working because he couldn't afford school fees, so he took a year off to get some money to go to school. This made me realize how fortunate I am. I got a great education paid for by the government- the sad thing is that all I did was complain about it.

What I have learned through these experiences:
     I have said this already, but what I am learning is that God is in control of EVERYTHING. The verse that comes to mind is, of course, Jeremiah 29:11. That is a lot of people's favorite verse, but for some reason I don't think that many people read the text around that verse. What most people don't realize about that verse is that at the time, the Israelites are living as exiles in Babylon. In their mind, God has abandoned them. They have no hope. Then Jeremiah sends this letter from Jerusalem, and in that letter it has Jeremiah 29:11. Now put yourself in the Israelites shoes. What would you be saying after reading this letter? I would think that Jeremiah is crazy, but that isn't the point. The point is that this letter was given to the Israelites when they were at their lowest. They had no reason to believe that God had a plan for them. And somehow when these people seem like they are at their lowest, they know that God has a plan. You remember that guy Caesar? I asked him what he wanted to do when he got out of school. He told me that he prays to God everyday that some job would come his way- he doesn't care what job, just some job. He trusts that once he is done with school that God will provide a job for him, even though he can't even go to school right now because he can't afford it. That my friends, is genuine faith.

     I am also learning is to be thankful for everything I have. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances..." The people here are thankful for what they have, and some of them have next to nothing. But I have everything you could ask for- a great family, amazing friends, a roof over my head, food everyday, etc. And sometimes, you know what I do? Complain about it. Just like my education. I have it and it didn't cost me anything, but all I did while getting it was complain about it. But now, seeing that other people are longing to go to school but can't afford it I really appreciate that I got to go to school. But it isn't just school that we take for granted and the Ugandans greatly appreciate. There are multiple things. So appreciate everything that you have.

     That isn't all that I have experienced or learned by any means, but these are just a few of the things. I hope to post again before another month flies by.

Camp Hand

Why do bad things happen?

Well, this is my first post from my second trip to Uganda. I know that most of you are expecting something about how I'm doing, and what I'm doing, but the Lord has put something on my heart more important than that.

"As He went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'
'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'"- John 9:1-3

Last night a huge storm rolled through, and I had left my Bible open to John 1 before I went to sleep. When I woke up it was at John 9 and thought that there was some reason that the wind had blown it to that chapter, so I read it. And boy, was I blown away by what I saw.

Verse 1 starts out saying that the man was "blind from birth." Why is that so significant? Well, according to the Pharisees there were 3 miracles that the Messiah would perform that were impossible for anyone else. Healing a man that was blind from birth was one of those three. Then it says His disciples asked did the man or his parent's sin make him blind. I'm sitting here thinking why in the world would they ask a question like that. The Pharisees had taught the people that a child would be punished by the parent's sin because they interpreted verses like Numbers 14:18 ("The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.") the wrong way. What God is saying is that He will punish the whole nation of Israel for the sins of their forefathers, not just individuals. Then Jesus comes back with this amazing answer that stuns everyone. The man had been born blind for that very moment when Jesus would heal him and everyone would see God at work.

I feel like a very common question among believers is why does God let bad things happen? I have often asked this question myself. I vividly remember asking myself that question while walking through the slums of Kampala earlier this summer. Even here in Gulu, people are in tough situations. At home, some of my best friends are struggling with things wondering why God is "letting" it happen. I used to struggle with a lot of things and often asked myself, "Well if God is really there, why is He letting me struggle with all of this? I mean, couldn't He just stop it if He really wanted to?" The answer to this question is made very obvious with the reading of this passage. Bad things happen so that God may be glorified through those situations.

I can look back on my life and definitely say that this is true. Heck, I can go out and look in the village and say that this is true. Yeah, some people are in rough places, but in the end God will be glorified. May this be true in your life, as well as mine. God bless.

Tomorrow is the day!

Well folks, tomorrow is the day that I leave for Uganda! I am super excited and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me. But before I leave (and while I'm gone) I want to ask you guys to pray for and with me. Here are some things y'all can be praying for:

1. My family and I- This is going to be hard for me and my family. It is the longest we have ever been away from each other. Just pray that the Lord would show us that this is His will and that we are supposed to submit to that.
2. Safe travels
3. Psalm 25:4-5- This is one of my favorite Bible verses and I pray it at least once a day. Just pray that the Lord would show me His ways and teach me His paths.
4. Ephesians 6:19-20- Pray that God would give me words to speak so that the Gospel will be made known through me.
5. Pray that the Lord will love people through me, because I sure as heck can't do it on my own.

Thanks guys! That's all I have right now, but there will be more coming soon.

Camp Hand

The Call to Uganda

So yesterday's blog pretty much left off at the end of my junior year. That was one of my favorite years in high school. I took classes that were a lot of fun, made a lot of good friends, and grew a lot in the faith. That summer was a lot of fun. I took a trip to Europe and made a lot of great friends that I still keep in touch with today. That trip helped me grow a lot in my faith. That summer was a big time of growth. I read almost every day, all day. I had gotten to where if I started reading when I woke up and stopped only to eat, I could finish a 250 page book in a couple of days. I finished anywhere between 7-10 books that summer and I loved every second of it. I finished the Bible on July 1, 2011 and dedicated my time to books people had recommended and that I had discovered. After a month I had finished all of those books and decided to read the Bible again, except I was reading the Message version.

At the beginning of senior year I was on track to graduate and go to college just like the average high school senior. By October I had applied to Asbury University, Mississippi College, and Auburn, and been accepted to all three, so I had a decision to make. I went and toured the colleges throughout the month of November, but just couldn't make a decision. I absolutely loved Asbury, but it was way too expensive. I liked Mississippi College, but they were covering half of the cost to go there. And Auburn was just home, but no scholarship. Amongst all of this my friend, Daniel Harris, told me about this thing called Passion that happens in January in Atlanta. So I looked it up and I was dying to go. They had some really awesome people like Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, Kristian Stanfill, Francis Chan, David Crowder band, Beth Moore, Hillsong, John Piper, and many more. I was looking for any way to go that I could. Then I saw the college pastor at our church tweet that they had spots to fill, and as soon as I saw it I emailed him asking if I could go. He said that I could, and I was super excited.

So all of Christmas break I was looking forward to Passion. For Christmas my dad got me this book called "Kisses from Katie" by Katie Davis. Katie is a girl that decided to take a year off after her high school to go do a mission experience somewhere, and she ended up in Uganda. At this time I knew that I was going to Uganda for a little while, and that was the amazing trip I took earlier this summer. Keep in mind that I still hadn't made a decision on where to go to college yet.

I finished that book in about 3 days, but didn't really think anything of it. The day that I finished that book I picked up the Bible and began to read out of Isaiah, and this is what I read:
"What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families" (Isaiah 58:7, The Message).

As soon as I got done reading that verse, I knew that the Lord was trying to tell me something. Fast forward about a week. I'm at Passion having an amazing time. Chris Tomlin tells us that we are going to sing "How Great is Our God" but we were going to sing it in different languages. I didn't really think much of it when he told us that. It was getting close to the end of the song and an African Children's Choir jumped in and began to sing with us. It was one of the most beautiful things that I have ever heard. I had to stop singing multiple times because I was so choked up.

At the very end, Louie Giglio got up and he said, "I know that God has put a country on your heart." And right at that moment, I heard what sounded like a faint whisper and it said "Uganda". Since I had been through this once before, I knew that it was God telling me that. And at that moment I knew that God wanted me to go to Uganda for longer than a week.

I didn't think about it much while I was at Passion, but the whole ride home and the whole weekend I thought about how I was going to get there. My whole family left the weekend I got back and I had the whole weekend to think about it. That weekend I contacted Jamie East. She was my history teacher junior year and I knew that 5 months earlier she had moved to Uganda to work with 4 Corners Ministries. So I asked her if it was alright if I came and did an internship with them in the fall. They were all for it, so I was on board.

Then I had to find a way to tell my parents. This was going to be a lot of fun. So they got back on Sunday and that Sunday night I pulled them into my dad's office to tell them about this. Surprisingly, they were pretty cool with it. Yes, they had their questions, but they were on board.

Over the following months I had to apply for the internship, interview, and I got accepted. I was so excited!! I now have a plane ticket and I leave in 12 days! I am so excited to go back over there and see what the Lord has in store for me.

My Call to Ministry

So as most of you know, in 13 days from today (August 22, 2012) I will be leaving for Uganda for 3 months. I'm so excited to see what the Lord has planned for me! But over the past few days I have really been reflecting on how I have come to this point. Over the next couple of days I will be sharing that with all of you.

Before I really began following Jesus, I was really struggling. I was doing things that I shouldn't have been for almost 3 years. I remember many times throughout this 3 year period thinking that there is no way that God could exist. I don't exactly know why, but I did. Needless to say, I was giving in to Satan's tricks. At the very end of this three year span I remember thinking, "I've had enough of this. There has to be more to life." That was really when I began to turn my life around.

That was in November of 2010. In January of 2011 one of my best friends, Michael Hutson, invited me to a small group that his youth group did every Sunday night at a different person's house. I just went on and told him that I would come. So I went and the leaders challenged us to have a verse ready to talk about for the next week. I went home and opened up my Bible (for the first time in years) to Ephesians 4:1, which I had never read before. It says, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." So the next week came around and I shared that with everyone. I remember thinking that I had no idea what my calling was, and we were about to go to college. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So the leaders of the small group really encouraged me to pray about it. One of my favorite verses that I began to pray was Psalm 25:4-5 and it says, "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." So I began praying about what God wanted me to do with my life.

It had gotten to be February of 2011, and Lent was fast approaching so I was deciding what to give up and what to take on. Well the thing I decided to take on was reading the whole Bible in chronological order. So I started at the end of February and in chronological order the Bible goes from Genesis 1-11 to the whole book of Job, then back to Genesis 12. So I had read up to Genesis 12 by the time that Spring Break of my junior year had come along. About halfway through the week I was at my grandparent's house doing a little turkey hunting. Right after we had gotten home from the morning hunt I decided to go upstairs and read a little bit. So I picked up the Bible, opened to Genesis 12, and this is what I read:
"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you'" (Genesis 12:1-3).

As soon as I got done reading that, for some reason I sat up and looked straight ahead. Then a thought ran through my mind: "I can't believe people haven't heard about this! I have to go tell someone!" And I will never forget what I thought after that. I sat there and thought that was the weirdest thing ever, that I was going to keep that to myself, and no one was ever going to know about it. Then I went downstairs and tried to get my mind off of it. Of course now I look back and want to go to myself and yell in my face, "IT WAS GOD YOU IDIOT!" But that is impossible so I have to live with it.

I stuck that memory in the back of my head until the first weekend of April. I signed up for a retreat with a study for my church called Man2Man. I didn't think much of it. One of my best friends, Christopher Slagley, told me to sign up for it, so I did just thinking I would at least have a good time. Well the theme for the weekend was "All In." That saying had gotten very popular around Auburn considering that the team won a national championship that year and pretty much trademarked that saying. But anyways, I will never forget on that first night at the retreat, a man was speaking and he said, "How has God called you to be all in?" And that question really hit me hard. I wouldn't realize how hard until the next day though.

The next day a different guy was speaking and for like 2 hours he talked about Matthew 16:24-25, which is one of my favorite verses today. It says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." After we spent a good long time talking about that verse, I realized that that moment almost a month earlier was a call to ministry.

So of course, I felt the call to ministry so I automatically thought that I was going to be a preacher. But little did I know, that God wasn't done telling me what He wanted me to do, but I will get more into that tomorrow.

Post Work Crew

Hey guys!! So I was just reading after not looking at anything having to do with my blog for the past six weeks, and in my last one I said that I would post something after we were done at Work Crew to let everyone know how it went. Well me being my forgetful self, I forgot to do it until now, but here goes nothing.

Work Crew was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was also one of the hardest things that I have ever done. We were supposed to wake up at 6:40 every morning, but on some mornings we didn't because the alarm got unplugged somehow. Anyways, usually up by 6:40 every morning, because we had devotional at 7:00. After that we had breakfast at 8:00, then we had to do everything to get ready for camper breakfast which was at 9:00. Their breakfast was usually over around 9:30, so then we started bussing our tables and resetting. By the time we got done it was 11:00 and we only had 30 minutes until we ate our lunch. Then we did it all over again until about 2:30. Usually we had a couple of hours of freetime between getting done setting up for dinner and our dinner which was at 5:00. Then we did it all over again and usually got done around 9:15-9:30. Some nights we had Work Crew meeting which would last until about 10:30, then we stayed up goofing off until about midnight and did it all over again. It was really hard doing that every day, but it was worth it.

Our Work Crew had 22 people, and since we lived together for a month we all got to know each other pretty well. One of the many things that I learned while I was at Southwind was that everyone's story is a story of God's grace and redemption. All of us had been redeemed, or made a new creation and you could see that through our stories. Another thing was that some people had been in way worse situations than others, but they all show God's grace. For the people that were in very dark places in life, it is by God's grace that they had gotten out of those places. And for the people that didn't go through as rough of a time as others did, it is by God's grace that they haven't experienced any of that.

On this trip, I learned what hard work was. I've never had a real job, and doing this was a job. But not only that, it was a job that required everything you had to give for 30 days and not get paid for it. One verse that kept coming up was Mark 8:34-35: "Then he called the crowd to him along with the disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.'" That verse has been one of my favorites ever since the first time I heard it, but we lived out that verse during that month at Southwind and it was absolutely amazing to see.

The most important thing that I left Southwind knowing was that I am a son of the Living God. Our work crew boss read a verse to us every opportunity he could and it was Mark 1:10-11: "As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'" One morning for devo, we read the parable of the Prodigal Son. That is one of my favorite stories that Jesus tells. After hearing the verse from Mark read over us so many times and then reading the parable of the Prodigal Son, it finally hit me. I am a son of God.

One of my favorite things about spending a month at Southwind was making friends that will last a lifetime. We spent every waking moment together every day for a month, and we all became great friends. It was just amazing to me to see how quickly God brought us so close to each other, and to see how hard it was for us to leave each other. I love every single person that spent that month with us at Southwind and I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

That time at Southwind was one of the best months of my life. I loved every second of being there and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It was absolutely amazing.

Work Crew at Southwind

Hey guys!! So most of you know that Friday me and a group of 5 seniors (6 if you want to count Mr. Rusty- all credit goes to Brian) arrived home from Uganda. It was an absolutely amazing experience, and I can't wait to get back this fall. But in between now and then I have other stuff to do.

Some of you know that I am involved with a youth ministry called Young Life, and I have been since sophomore year. Well, Young Life has multiple camps that kids go to every summer and they have to have volunteers to keep the camp running. Tomorrow morning I am flying out of Atlanta to go be one of those volunteers for a month! The camp I will be going to is called Southwind and my job is to be a server at all of the meals. I have been looking forward to this for a long time and I am glad that it is finally here! There are more people going to the same camp from Auburn, which I am really happy about because I will already know some people there but I am glad that I will have the opportunity to meet new people and build friendships with them that will hopefully last forever.

I am telling you this so that you will know why I won't be around very much over the next month, but more importantly so that you will PRAY! Here are some things to pray for:
- Safe travels for everyone going to Southwind today/tomorrow
- A heart to serve for all of the volunteers
- That the kids coming to Southwind might be impacted by the Spirit
- That the love and patience of Jesus Christ will be abundant in that place (Southwind is a middle school camp, hence praying for patience)
- Just ask God to lead us and guide us over the next month

I will not have my phone or internet access while I am there so I won't be able to let you know how it is going throughout our time there, but when I get back home I will post about how it went and how God revealed Himself to all of us there. I appreciate all of your prayers!!

Camp Hand

Final Days in Uganda- Days 8-11

We just landed in Amsterdam on the flight home and I figured I would use some of the time that I have to post the last blog about our trip to Uganda.

Day 8- June 18, 2012
Today was a very short day. We were supposed to leave at 8:00, but Eddie took the keys to our van and we had to wait for another vehicle to get to the house. So we ended up leaving at like 10:30.
We got to Buloba at about 11:30 and started putting on rain catches. They are gutters at a slope and at the end there is a hole for the rain to fall out and into a barrel. The people use that for drinking, washing clothes/dishes and other things. It amazed me at how excited they were about something as simple as a gutter. It was once again an example of how we take a lot of things for granted.
After that we ate lunch then we played with the kids for like 20 minutes, then we had to leave.
It wasn't a very long day, but it was good.

Day 9- June 19, 2012
Again, today was a very short day. We went to Bethany Village to play soccer with the kids. Once again, we had to ride a boat and boda bodas to get there. My boda boda driver fish tailed it one time and scared the crap out of me.
Anyways, we played soccer and I was on defense. On our team there were six americans and five Ugandans, then 11 Ugandans on the other team. We did pretty good in the first half. We were up 1-0 at the end of the first half, but the final score was 5-3 and the Ugandans won but we still had fun.
When we got back we took a nap and then went to a really good restaurant. I had a steak, pork chop, chicken leg, and beef sausage for $15 or 30,000 Ugandan Shillings.
It was a good day even though it was short.

Day 10- June 20, 2012
Today we went to the Loving Hearts Babies Home. It was an orphanage for babies ages 0-2 that is run by Gaba Church. We got a tour and played with the kids for about an hour. We met some people from North Carolina and it turns out that they were involved with Young Life. The woman's son is actually at Sharptop Cove right now. Small world, huh?
After that we went to Buloba to say our final goodbyes. I was glad that we got to see them all one last time.
Once we left there we went to a Wal-Mart type store called Game, went back to the coffee shop, and got more minutes for my Ugandan phone.
It was a good last full day in country.

Day 11- June 21, 2012
Well, today was our last day in country and we experienced some pretty neat stuff.
This morning we walked around the slums of Kampala. The people that live there literally have nothing. The living conditions are awful. It also smells really bad. There were just tons of people there crammed into a small space. While we were walking through, we saw a man having a seizure, but no one could help him. It was awful. As we were leaving there, I was trying to come up with a Bible verse to help me understand why God would allow such a bad place to exist. The verse that came to mind was Colossians 1:15-20. Verse 16 says that all things were made by Jesus, for Jesus. I don't really understand how God can use that place for good, but somehow He will (Proverbs 3:5-6).
After we got done there, we went to the best resort in Uganda. It was weird going from the poorest place in the country to the richest place in the country and they were both in the same city.
My experience here has been life changing. I have a new perspective on just about everything. It has also been great to experience it with some of my closest friends. My life had been changed forever and I am looking forward to coming back and staying for a longer period of time.

Uganda Days 6-7

On the last blog I posted I talked about days 1-5 of the trip, and now I have more awesome stuff to talk about from the past two days, so here we go.

Day 6- June 16, 2012
     Today was a really neat day. We went to Buloba, which is the community that our church invests in.
     We started out by meeting a bunch of people, then we went down to the well that our church helped build. It is broken right now, so the people have to go get the water about a mile away from the well. We all got to carry jerry cans full of water up to the church in Buloba. A jerry can is about 20 liters and the walk was a little over a mile.
     When we got back we sat down for a little bit, then helped serve the kids lunch. I was one pineapple duty. After that we ate our lunch.
     When we got done eating, we got to meet our sponsored children. I met my family's child, Karren. She couldn't speak too much English, but I could talk to her a little bit. After that we went to play with all of the kids. It is amazing how easily entertained they are. They love cameras and taking pictures. They love playing jump rope and soccer too. It was a ton of fun playing with them.
     All of the kids LOVE Mzungus (white people). They literally made us feel like celebrities. I just can't explain how much fun it was to just play with the kids today. They wore us out though!
     Tomorrow we are going to Gaba Church and Buloba Community Church. We also might be able to see where our sponsored children live. It is going to be a great experience.

Day 7- June 17, 2012
     Today was quite an experience. We started off at Gaba Church, and it was really neat because it was children's Sunday. Patrick's son Mark preached on Job 1. The children's choir did the music, which was absolutely amazing. When I felt the call to come to Africa long term, it was while I was at Passion and the children's choir came in on "How Great is Our God". So to experience a children's choir in Africa was just absolutely amazing.
     We had to leave early to get to Buloba Community Church. It was really neat to experience how they worship the Lord. They were dancing, singing, screaming, and many other things. The preacher talked about work and how we are to work and glorify God through it.
     After that we went to our sponsored child's home. It was neat for me to go there and meet Karren's family. They were so grateful that our family was sponsoring her. They gave us tons of food like G-nuts (peanuts), maize (corn), and bananas. Karren lives with her mother, 2 brothers, 1 sister, and her mother's parents. We took some pictures before we had to go, then we said our goodbyes because today was the last time I would get to see Karren.
     It was really neat getting to meet Karren. It just takes a picture on our fridge and makes it real. I am glad that I got to meet her, and I know that she can't wait to meet the rest of my family.

The past two days have been fantastic. Tomorrow the plan is to go back to Buloba to put on rain catches that the people can use to collect fresh water, and then Tuesday we are planning to go play soccer with the children at Bethany Village. I don't really know what the plan is for the last two days, but whatever it is it will be great.

In Him and from Uganda,
Camp Hand

Uganda: Days 1-5

So, most of you know that right now I am in Uganda. A lot has happened over the past 5 days and I'm going to put in this what I have written down in a journal at the end of every day. So here goes nothing.

Day 1- June 11, 2012
Today we arrived in Africa. We traveled for 21 straight hours, but we finally got here! I didn't sleep very much on the plane- maybe about four hours or so. To say the least, I'm a tad bit tired. We got to Entebee, Uganda around 10:00 pm and our driver, Eddie, was there to pick us up. People here drive crazy! They are always flashing lights and honking at each other. A lot of us got scared at certain points on the drive to the house we are staying at in Kampala. Tomorrow we are driving up to 4 Corners Ministries in Gulu, Uganda. It is about a 5 hour drive if everything goes as planned. I am really excited about going because I will get a glimpse of what I'll be doing this fall. I am so ready to see what God has in store for all of us on this trip.

Day 2- June 12, 2012
     Today we made the drive to Gulu from Kampala. It took about 6 hours, but it felt way longer than that. What was neat was seeing a slum outside of Kampala. It may have been one square mile, but it had about 500,000 thousand people. Patrick told us that when it rains it floods in there.
     Patrick is the guide for our trip. He is an awesome guy. He has told us a lot about the history of the country, and is a great story teller. He does a lot of work here with Passion.
     On the drive here we went through a lot of villages. Lots of huts, schools, farms, and people. We stopped at a gas station and I literally stood outside for 10 minutes and I started burning.
     We exchanged money today. It was 2,640 shillings for 1 U.S. dollar. I exchanged $90 and got like 230,000 shillings. It sounds like a lot, but the prices are about equivalent.
     Tomorrow we will be working with 4 Corners either clearing brush of busting up rocks. I am really excited to experience that before I come in September.
     Today I got to thinking about how much I bet these people appreciate rain. It is their source of clean drinking water, and it waters the plants that produce their food. Then I began to compare it to how Americans look at rain; most Americans don't like it. They look at rain as a bad thing most of the time because it keeps them from doing what they want to do. I was just interesting to think about.
     Today we crossed the Nile River to get to Gulu. It was really cool. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I did anyways. The armed guards aren't very fond of people taking pictures for some reason.
     As soon as we crossed the Nile, we saw a bunch of baboons. It was pretty neat, so I took a few pictures.
     We took a walk tonight after dinner, and it was interesting. Vehicles don't yield to pedestrians. There were lots of smells- B.O., stuff cooking, bodily waste. The people here seem very nice, but we haven't really interacted with them yet, which is why I'm looking so forward to tomorrow.

Day 3- June 13, 2012
     Today was an amazing day. We went to Matt and Jamie's this morning to help out with the interns. We walked around for a little bit, and we didn't find anyone so we went down to the rock quarry. What we did was get big rocks and break them into smaller rocks that a company uses to build buildings.
     While I was breaking rocks, I was sitting next to two guys named Dennis and Francis. Dennis has 10 brothers and sisters and is 20 years old. Francis has 8 brothers and sisters, a son, and is 29 years old. They were very nice. They asked a lot of questions about America, and I tried to answer as best as I could.
     The land is absolutely beautiful. I took a lot of pictures. It is just hard to appreciate unless you experience it.
     Today, it was hard for me to interact with the children. I tried talking to them, but they just didn't warm up to me like they did everyone else. It was a lot easier for me to talk with the adults. I'm not sure why, but that is how it was.
     Matt and Jamie's house is really nice. I like it a lot and am looking forward to living there.
     I am glad that we came up here to experience what I'll be doing in September. I am really looking forward to coming back. The funny thing is that it feels like home- like I am welcome here and I am supposed to be here. It was a great day. Tomorrow we are going to Matt and Jamie's in the morning, and then driving back to Kampala.

Day 4- June 14, 2012
     Today we went back to Matt and Jamie's to work again. Everyone went out and me and Patrick went back into town to get me a phone and then fill the car with gas.
     When we got done I went into the village. I saw some of the people I met yesterday, and met some more people. I tried to spend more time with the kids today. One of the ones I met was Steven. He didn't go to school, but could speak a little English. He was a great kid. He was the leader of the kids that stayed at home. He always wanted to help do something. I was helping a man load water onto his bike and Steven and the other kids were singing songs that they learned at VBS with 4 Corners. Mattie later told me that someone told her that Steven has active HIV. It made me very sad, but he was having a great time no matter what.
     I think that there are a couple of people with our team that might want to inter with 4 Corners. I think that would be really cool. What I love about what 4 Corners is doing is that they don't just go out and give the people stuff or do stuff for them. They work WITH the people, which is awesome. They are also targeting the next generation of Ugandans and teaching them the ways of the Lord so that they will do good for the country.
     I am really glad that we went to Gulu on this trip so that I could experience what I'll be doing in the fall. I told Jamie this morning before we left that I am ready to be back and that I am 100% sure that I am supposed to be with them. She told me that they feel that way too and that they just have a peace about me coming.
     Romans 12:1-2 talks about how we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices, then we can test and approve what God's will is. I'm not trying to say that I have it all together or that I am perfect by any means, but I am saying that I know God wants me in Uganda for a reason. I don't know what it is yet, but I will find out.
     I am really excited to come back because I feel like I belong here.

Day 5- June 15, 2012
     This morning we went to Bethany Village. It was started by Francis Chan's old church. They have 11 houses with house mothers and 188 orphans. The orphans wake up at 5 am, do an hour devotional and then do house chores. At 7 am they go to school and come back at 5 pm and then do homework and go to sleep.
     They also have a camp that kids can come to for a week and the leaders there teach the kids how to be practical leaders. They teach them how to farm organically (no fertilizers or sprays) and support the local economy. They also say that if the kids grow up to have a farm, they will have people working under them, so they will lead them. It is a great, practical way to invest in the next generation in Uganda. We are going back there on Tuesday to play soccer with the kids.
     To get there we had to take a boat across Lake Victoria, then ride boda bodas (dirt bike taxis) to the village. It was a really neat experience.
     After that we went to the market to shop. They had a lot of good, cheap stuff.
     That was really about all we did today. Tomorrow we are going to Buloba for center day and we will meet our sponsored kids. I am really looking forward to that.

So, I know that is a lot but a lot can happen in 5 days. I have absolutely loved it here so far, and I am looking forward to the remainder of our trip.

In Him and from Uganda,
Camp Hand

Cornerstone Senior Trip to Uganda

Hey guys! So for those of you that didn't know, tomorrow a team of 8 people (6 graduated high school seniors, and 2 leaders) are going to Uganda with Cornerstone Church!! I am one of the 6 seniors going! We are all very excited and have been looking forward to this for over a year. We have all put a lot of work into preparing for this trip, but there is still more that can be done- prayer. If you would please, pray for all of the things in this list:

1. Safe travels
2. Open-mindedness
3. Transformation
4. That He would open our eyes to what we need to see over there
5. That He would reveal Himself to these people, and us
6. That no one gets sick while over there
7. That God would enact His will on this trip

I would really appreciate it, and I know that the rest of the team would as well, if you just kept us in your prayers for the next couple of weeks.

Thanks!!
Camp Hand

What you have

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But he answered, "You give them something to eat."
They said to him, "That would take more than half a year's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see."
When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish." (Mark 6:35-38 NIV)

This is an amazing story of Jesus feeding five thousand men, but there is something else that we can get out of it.

The disciples are trying to tell Jesus that it is about time to wrap it up for the day because it is around dinner time and the people had to have time to get something to eat. Jesus tells them to give the people something to eat. The disciples think that Jesus has gone crazy! They tell Him that it would take 6 months pay to feed all of these people. Then Jesus asks them how many loaves they have. They tell Him five, then He blesses it and uses it to minister to the people He was feeding.

I believe that Jesus is using this to show us that He has given all of us a gift that He can use to minister to people, if we allow Him. He has given all of us a gift that He can use to minister to people in our current situation, no matter what that situation looks like. So often we focus on what we think we need to do ministry, but God has given us what we need!

Use the gifts that God has given you and allow Him to use them to do His ministry through you.

Preciousness of Life

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-15 NIV)

So, God has just been showing me how precious life is recently and I have really felt the need to share it with you all.

I have a really good friend, Rob Taber, that got in a really bad long boarding accident on April 7. When I heard about it, I knew that it was bad but I didn't know how bad. I went to visit Rob in Columbus, GA before they moved him to Atlanta and his mom told me all of the details. Rob was on death's doorstep. He was put on life support on the helicopter ride over to Columbus and the nurses were preparing his parents for the worst. Rob is now, by the grace of God, alive and well. He is at home and he is doing a lot better than he was. One thing that Rob struggles with though is sleeping. So if you would please pray for peace for Rob so that he can sleep.

Anyways, the point of that was to tell you that we never know which day could be our last. I'm going to be brutally honest for a second and tell you that God could have planned for me to not wake up in the morning. It is tough to think about, but it could happen!!!

In the Old Testament, over and over again, it says that humility comes from fear of God (Proverbs 22:4). I feel like thinking about stuff like this does keep us humble because we know that we aren't the ones in control and there is only one Person in control. I also feel like this brings the fear of God upon us. I feel like so often people always talk about the love of God, which is very important, but tend to stray away from the fear of God part. The way I think about this fear is this: I love God, but I also know what he is capable of doing. He is in control of everything- including life and death. He could end our lives in the blink of an eye.

I hope that you now realize (if you didn't already) how precious life is. You only live once, so don't mess it up and live it for the glory of God.

National Day of Prayer

Today is the national day of prayer. I don't know why we even have this, because everyone should pray everyday. The key to a good relationship is COMMUNICATION and the way we do that with God is prayer.

If you don't know what to pray for, here are a few things:
- The World- that God might awaken the world and shine His Light in the dark places.
- People preaching The Word everywhere.
- Courage to be bold.
- Thanks to God for saving us by sending His Son to become sin on our behalf so that we can be free.
- What God wants you to do- and just a little side note on this, if you don't want to know God's will for your life then don't ask Him. Because if you do ask Him, He will definitely show you. Trust me.
- Ask God to put it on people's hearts to reach out and be a Light.
- Ask God to reveal His heart to you.

Don't just pray today, pray all the time.
"Be joyful always; PRAY CONTINUALLY; give thanks IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Good Friday- The Events accompanying the death of Jesus

There are many significant things that accompanied the death of Jesus that a lot of people don't know about. To me, they help further explain how amazing God is and how the death of Jesus was His Will.

Mark 15:38- "The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

In the temple in Jerusalem there are two different parts. The Holy Place, then the Most Holy Place. There was a curtain that separated the two of them. All priests could go into the Holy Place, but only the high priest could go into the Most Holy Place and he could only go in there once a year. He could only go in there on the Day of Atonement. The high priest went in there and made Atonement for himself and the people of Israel, and did it every year. The reason it is called the Most Holy Place is because it is where God's Spirit was. If the priest did one thing wrong while making the sacrifice, he died in the middle of it. You had to be perfect to get into the Most Holy Place and live. Well when Jesus died, His Spirit went into the temple and tore the curtain into the Most Holy Place down the middle from top to bottom. That means that through Jesus, we have access to God because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.


This next account came from an unbelieving Jew.
The Legend of Azazel (Azazel is the personification of uncleanliness.)
On the day of Atonement, the priest would always have two goats. One of them was always sacrificed and the blood of it would be taken by the high priest into the Most Holy Place to atone for his sins. The second goat was called a scapegoat, and what happened to it was that it was released into the wilderness. This scapegoat bore the sins of the people. When they released the scapegoat, there was a scarlet piece of ribbon tied around his neck. When it was found, the scarlet ribbon had mysteriously turned white- that was a sign that the people's sins had been atoned for. Here is what the Talmud says: "If you assume it was R. Johanan b. Zaccai [who made the rule], was there in the days of R. Johanan Zaccai a thread of scarlet [which turned white]? Has it not been taught: R. Johanan Zaccai lived altogether a hundred and twenty years. For forty years he was in business, forty years he studied, and forty years he taught, and it has further been taught: For forty years before the destruction of the temple the thread of scarlet never turned white but it remained red" (Rosh HaShana 31b). The destruction of the temple happened ca. 70 AD. For forty years before that, which would have been ca. 30 AD, the scarlet ribbon never turned white. Jesus died ca. 30 AD. What this means is that God was showing the people that sending the goat into the wilderness didn't atone for their sin anymore because JESUS ALREADY DID IT!

Remember what Jesus went through today for all of us. He did it all out of love. And don't just remember today- remember forever.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the last day that Jesus lived on earth, and there are a bunch of things that He left us with. There are three things that always stick out to me when I think about this day: the washing of the disciples' feet, the Lord's Supper, and Jesus praying in Gethsemane.

John 13:7-Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

Jesus washed the disciples' feet during the Passover meal. Foot washing was something reserved for gentile slaves, if someone had slaves. If there were no slaves then everyone washed their own feet. What Jesus was doing was exactly what Paul describes in Philippians 2- humbling Himself. He is also showing them what the command He gives them- to love one another- looks like. Another thing He is doing by this is pointing to the cross. Death by crucifixion is usually reserved for slaves- no one that was high on the social ladder was ever crucified. So what Jesus is showing them is that He will humble Himself from King of Kings and Lord of Lords to a slave. He is telling the disciples at the time of the foot washing that they don't understand what He is doing now, but later they will. By later, He means the crucifixion.

Matthew 26:26-28- While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Jesus then institutes the Lord's supper. He takes the bread, gives thanks, then breaks it and tells us to eat it and that it is His body. Jesus says in John 6:51, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Jesus is laying down His body (the bread) to be crucified (broken). He then holds up the cup and tells the disciples to drink from it and that it is His blood of the new covenant which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins. During the Passover feast there are three cups used. The one Jesus used for this was called "the cup of redemption." This is symbolic of Jesus' blood being shed for the remission of our sins. What makes this amazing is that right now, through Jesus, God is instituting a new covenant. God knew that the old covenant (the Mosaic Law) would never work, but it was used to show the people that they need a Savior. The new covenant is between Jesus and God with the disciples as witnesses. It is saying that we are saved by grace, through faith in what Jesus has done on the cross out of love for us. 

Luke 22:41-44- "He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.' An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."

After all of this took place, Jesus took His disciples and went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. In Matthew 26:38 Jesus tells Peter, James, and John that His soul is "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Jesus' sorrow was dangerously close to shutting down His bodily functions. Luke 22:44 says that He was in "anguish". Jesus was experiencing a level of spiritual conflict that none of us could ever comprehend. Matthew 26:37 tells us that Jesus was "sorrowful and troubled" at the level of intense spiritual conflict that He was experiencing. None of us have ever experienced the level of agony that Jesus is going through at this moment. No matter what kind of anguish any of us has ever been through, we have never experienced what was going on in the body, mind, or spirit of Jesus at this time. What amazes me about this is as He is going through all of this agony, He went and prayed. He prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." The "cup" Jesus is talking about isn't about dying a premature death, it might have a little to do with the fear and pain of dying on a cross, but it was mostly the realization that for the first time ever, Jesus would be completely detached for His Father. What amazes me about this prayer is that Jesus really doesn't want to be separated from the Father, but in the end He wants the Father's will to be done. Jesus is going to become a curse (Galatians 3:13) and sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) on our behalf. Luke 22:44 says that Jesus' sweat was "like drops of blood falling to the ground." This phenomenon is called hemohidrosis. The agony was so great that the capillaries of Jesus' skin burst and blood actually seeped through His pores. That is how much agony Jesus went through the day before He was crucified.

Remember what Jesus went through for us, and thank God for it everyday. It was all out of love for us. The least we can do is love Him back.

Power of Prayer

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matthew 21:18-22 NIV)

This is one of my favorite things that Jesus teaches the disciples while He was here on earth and probably my favorite during Holy Week.

Jesus was going back into the city and He got hungry. He saw a fig tree. There are a couple of days until Passover which means that it was early spring. Jesus knows good and well that the figs aren't ready yet. I mean, He created them. I can just imagine Him walking up and seeing the fig tree and thinking, "Oh man, I am fixing to teach them something that is amazing."

Jesus didn't find any figs on the fig tree so He cursed it, and it withered immediately! The disciples were amazed and I can just imagine them thinking, "How in the world did that happen so fast?!"

Jesus then starts using this to show them and us something that Is absolutely awesome. Jesus is saying, "Guys, if you will just believe in me with all of your hearts you can ask for anything in my name and it will be given to you!" All we have to do is believe and we can say to a mountain, "In the name of Jesus, throw yourself into the sea!" AND IT WILL HAPPEN!!!

Do you believe in the power of prayer? I sure do. I have been through, heard, and seen too many things not to. Jesus said that all we have to do is believe, so believe with all of your heart that He died on a cross and three days later rose from the dead. Then once you believe that and ask Him for something, believe that He will answer your prayers because He will.

The Potter and the clay

In Jeremiah 18, God tells Jeremiah to go to the potter's house. When he gets there he sees the potter working a jar. When he saw the way the jar was forming, he didn't like it so he started again and made it into a beautiful jar. God then asks Jeremiah, "Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?"

God isn't just talking about the nation of Israel here. He is talking about all of us.I'm not much of an artist, so I don't know much about sculpting, but I do know that you put the clay on the wheel and spin it while constantly using your hands to shape it into what you want it to be.  We all started out as dust. God just added a little water, and sculpted us out of the dust. Pretty much, we are a lump of clay and God is constantly shaping us. He constantly has His hands on us, pushing us, pulling us, making us into something beautiful.

I love this imagery of us being the clay and God being the Potter. It is really cool if you think about it. Let's say you're going through something really rough. You just feel like you can't last much longer. I just think about that and see God pushing the clay until it is really thin, like about to rip. It is one of those refining seasons. Let's say you have done something and you are just on top of the world. You are just the biggest and baddest person around. God sees that and He says, "Well, that isn't quite what I intended." So, he tears you down, or takes all of it away and starts over again. After all of that refining He has made you into something beautiful and what He intended for you to look like all along.

Just think about this next time something doesn't go your way. Maybe it wasn't what the Potter wanted you to look like, or it wasn't in His will for you. But always remember that even if something doesn't go your way there is always a Light at the end of the tunnel, and the Potter is constantly shaping you to get there.

Kony 2012

If you haven't watched the Kony 2012 video, it is fantastic and you should watch it. Just go to Youtube and search "Kony 2012" and it should be the first result.

I love what these people are doing. They are taking something that they care about, and making sure the word gets out that this kind of injustice is still in the world. What Joseph Kony is doing is wrong and it is ridiculous that it has taken this long to get the word out about him.

One thing that these people said in their video is that it was their goal to "Make Joseph Kony famous." A friend of mine retweeted Katie Davis today, and she said, "I say, let's make Jesus famous." That has been on my mind a lot today. You know, maybe if Jesus was famous, this guy wouldn't be doing this kind of stuff to children, or at least it wouldn't have lasted as long as it has. Maybe if Jesus was famous, 9/11 wouldn't have happened. Maybe if Jesus was famous, the holocaust wouldn't have happened. We can't keep our minds in the past, but what we can do is look at the past and learn from it. Then we have to look forward to make sure nothing like these tragedies will ever happen again. Jesus could have stopped any of this if He wanted to, but you know what I think He is doing? I think He is giving us opportunities to make Him famous, and us being our worldly selves try to make others famous. So through this, I say let's make Jesus famous. We are called to be witnesses everywhere (Acts 1:8), so let's do it, and by doing it, make Him famous.

Make Jesus famous.

The Love of God

     It has been a while since I posted anything, but for the past few days this has really been speaking to me. I am reading through the Message version of the Bible right now and today I started the book of Hosea. In the Message version of the Bible, there is a little introduction before each chapter that gives a little background on the book that follows it. The introduction to Hosea just blew me away.

     The first three sentences say, "We live in a world awash in love stories. Most of them are lies. They are not love stories at all-- they are lust stories, sex-fantasy stories, domination stories. From the cradle we are fed lies about love." I don't know what you are thinking when you read this, but when I read this I was just thinking, "YES!" It is so true! The author then goes on to talk about how it is bad enough that this messes up human relationships, but it also messes up our relationship with God. We all say that God is love, and if these stories are our definition of love, then that is one of the worst definitions of God I have ever heard. It also makes what Jesus says are the most important commandments very hard to understand: "Jesus said, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:37-39). It is hard to love God and love people if our definition of love is these "love stories". Then the author says, "We require true stories of love if we are to live truly."

     The author then goes on to talking about the prophet Hosea. I don't know about y'all, but I look at Hosea is a real man. He did exactly what God told him, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. He married a whore! All I have to say is, I wish my faith were as strong as Hosea's. Not only did he marry her, but he had children with her. But guess what... She still sells herself after they are married. She still sleeps with multiple men. Guess what else... HOSEA STILL GOES AFTER HER! Like, what the heck?! This just doesn't make any sense! Why would you still go after someone if they slept with multiple people after you had gotten married? It makes absolutely no sense!

     So, guess what God is showing us through Hosea. THAT IS HOW HE LOVES US!!! We slap God in the face multiple times every day by sinning. But He is still pursuing us! He still loves us! He STILL loves us!!!!! It makes no sense! We go against Him multiple times every day, but He still loves us! THAT IS FREAKING AWESOME!!! We are so undeserving! What we deserve is hell. Brad Cooper told our community group one morning that "Hell is the most fair thing ever." We absolutely deserve hell, BUT GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE SENT HIS ONE AND ONLY SON THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!!!! That is just what it all comes back to. It all comes back to God's love. And don't try to wrap your mind around this, just accept it! Our puny, little, Earthly minds can't comprehend the LOVE of God. Just know that God loves you like this, and thank Him for this every day!

Passion 2012: Day 4

Today was the last day of Passion, but it was AMAZING.

We started off the morning with our community groups. We talked about how to make this moment (Passion 2012) into a movement. We all believe that something big is going to come from our generation because of these days. We then said goodbye to our family groups. I love my family group and I will miss them greatly.

In the last main session, Louie talked to us. He talked about Ephesians 6:19 and it says, "Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel". If you ever pray for me, pray this. Pray that whenever I speak, words may be given to me (from the Spirit) so that I may FEARLESSLY proclaim the mystery of the gospel. I will pray the same for you. I emphasized fearlessly because it is what stuck out to me. We are supposed to fearlessly proclaim the gospel! I like the example of a missionary in this. Missionaries go into the darkness to bring some light. In that darkness, they could very well be killed, but they go fearlessly because they know that they no longer live, but Christ lives in them (Galatians 2:20)! They fully believe in Romans 8:28. They take Jesus at His word when He said not to be afraid of what man can do to the flesh. Why don't we do that?

Another thing that Louie talked about that hit me in the face was God's will. He talked about Ephesians 6:19 and how THAT IS GOD'S WILL! That is awesome! I used to pray about God's will for my life everyday because I was worried about the future. Well guess what. We need to live in the moment because we are not promised tomorrow. Louie just said to find something you are passionate about and that you love to do, and do that but fearlessly proclaim the gospel while doing it! Isn't that awesome?!

Louie told us during the main session that the grand total that we rose for slavery was over 3 million dollars! That is awesome, and a lot of people didn't think that we could do it. The verse that came to my mind was one from yesterday. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."- Ephesians 3:20-21 The reason we even accomplished this is because of God! He did what was impossible, and it is all for His glory!

I have absolutely loved being at Passion for the past four days, and I have learned so much that I hope will become part of my life.

Passion 2012: Day 3

Today has been another fantastic day.

We started the day off in our community groups. We talked about how we have been saved for something- Ephesians 2:10. We talked about how Jesus was the only way (John 14:6) that the church can be one. Something that I really liked that we talked about was this: Jesus+nothing=everything

In the first main session, we read through the book of Ephesians. Lecrae, Beth Moore, Francis Chan, Louie Giglio, and John Piper all took turns reading it. There were some verses that really stood out to me:
Ephesians 3:20-21
Ephesians 4:1-6, 32
Ephesians 5:14

In the second main session we talked more about slavery and Do Something Now. A website they talked a lot about was slaveryfootprint.org.

In the third main session, John Piper was the speaker. If you haven't ever heard him speak, he is BRILLIANT. He started off with the statement, "Seeing and savoring the supremacy of Christ frees us from sin for the sacrifices of love." The thing that stuck with me was the supremacy of Christ. He is supreme over everything. Just think about it this way. Jesus never began, and He will never end. Read John 1:1 and replace "The Word" with Jesus' name. After that read Genesis 1:26. Isn't it crazy how God said let US make man in OUR image. That is crazy.

We ended up with our community groups trying to break down what John Piper said, because not a whole lot of us understood it. After that we went and stood around a monument that Passion made for the 27 million slaves and lit candles because we will be the light of the world.

Tomorrow is our last day. These have definitely been some of the best days of my life.

Passion Day 2

Today has been FANTASTIC to say the least.

We started the morning in our community groups talking about Ephesians 2:1-10. We talked a lot about how we have to really understand the bad news to understand the magnitude of the Cross and what God did for us.

Beth Moore spoke in the first main session of the day. Matt Redman led worship during this session. God has blessed her with immeasurable amounts of wisdom. She talked about how we are never too unclean for Jesus and He is the only God that isn't afraid of sin. Isn't that amazing?

A woman by the name of Christine Kain spoke at the second main session and Kristian Stanfill led worship. Christine is the pastor at the Hillsong church in Sydney, Australia. He talked to us about Do Something Now, and the twenty-seven million slaves in the world. She is a very passionate woman, and she was amazing. One thing that she said that stuck with me was, "A light isn't fully effective unless it is in the darkness."

Francis Chan spoke in the third main session and Chris Tomlin led worship. We sang one of my favorite songs, "All My Fountains". It was absolutely amazing to sing that with 45,000 people. Another thing we did was sing "How Great is Our God". The neat thing about that is that we had 5 different languages being sung on stage, and the Ugandan Children's Choir was on stage singing. That was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. Anyways, I love Francis. He just preaches the Word the way it is. Doesn't try to interpret it. He told us to read God's Word and take it literally. His message was just begging us to get into the Word, which I loved. I feel like that is how God speaks to me. I also feel like we all crave God's Word. We are missing something, and His Word is the only thing that can satisfy us. Francis said a lot of stuff that I just love, and I would encourage all of you to watch it at the passion website. www.268generation.com/passion I believe. If that isn't it, just google passion 2012. At the end of this session Louie decided to tell us how much money we have already donated. Just to let you know, we could only donate today so far. We have already donated $550,000. Not even everyone donated today. God definitely has His Hand in this.

After that session we went to community groups. My family group consists of 9 people, and today we became family. We know more about each other after 24 hours than most people know about us. I think that is amazing.

We ended the day with a Hillsong concert. Once again, didn't stay the whole time, but stayed for a few songs.

God is speaking to our generation, and is stirring up something in us. We will rise up.

Passion 2012: Day 1

For the next few days I will be at Passion 2012, and I will be telling y'all about it.

Today we arrived in Atlanta, got registered, and went to the first session. The first session was absolutely amazing. Before it even started, there were six people on stage reading God's Word. This was awesome. They read for an hour leading up to the beginning of the main session. I think while they were reading in Psalm 103, I was on the verge of tears. It was just awesome to hear those people read the Word with such PASSION. I could feel the Holy Spirit moving among us before the first main session even started.

When the session did start, we sang for a good while (Chris Tomlin led worship), then Louie Giglio talked about Do Something Now, and showed a video on modern day slavery. Did you know that there are more slaves in the world today than there ever were during the African Slave Trade? There are 27,000,000 slaves in the world right now. Pretty freaking ridiculous.

Then Louie talked. You can definitely tell that the Spirit is speaking through him. He talked about Luke 7:11-17. Great passage, and I encourage you to read it. He talked about how some people are dead (in sin), and are being carried to their funeral. But at just the right time, Jesus comes and says "Get up!" It was a great message.

After that we went to community groups.... Well most everyone went to community groups. I went on a wild goose chase. I went to the community group on my bracelet, and they said that high school seniors need to go somewhere else. Didn't tell us where. Well I asked someone and they said go to A2. So I was on my way there, and a person asked me where I was going, and I told them the whole thing. They said I needed to go to registration. That just happened to be in the building I just left, so I went back. Well I got the right bracelet, and guess where they told me to go...... Yep A2. So I went back to A2, and met my community group. They were all really cool people. For some reason I could remember where all of them were from, but couldn't remember their names.

After that we went to David Crowder Band's last concert. We didn't stay for the whole thing, but it was still really cool.

I'm looking forward to big things happening throughout this week.

-Camp