our sunday!

Our day in a nutshell:
- breakfast
- church service
- lunch
- VBS training (where we looked at our material that we'll be helping lead, as well as learning a whole series of choreographed actions - which the whole group did amazing job!!!
- a dinner of a lifetime (authentic Mexican tacos!!)
- evening session with our guest speaker, Martin, learning about putting faith into actions, and a little about cross cultural missions.

This is a picture of our team, in front of our host church.

A quote from our YWAM host Sheril,

"I think that God has a lot of amazing and cool things to happen here in San Diego, because satan doesn't want your team here. The things we normally do, or the things we have had lined up - are falling through - and yet the changes are working out!"

And now, after looking at my two days here, and the events (personally) in the last two weeks - I feel this to be very much true. Now that things are taken care of, both personally and here in San Diego - I'm quite excited to see what the Lord really does have in store for us here!!!

Leave your comments below.

Prayer requests:
- our ministries are going to really get started tomorrow - for that we are really excited!!
- those of us who are away from families - are feeling it.
- that the Lord would work closely with us leaders, guiding our actions and conversations with the youth
- for the team of youth, as they continue to stretch their comfort zones

we've arrived!

It seems so long ago that we left. That might be just because it was a long time ago that we left.

I left home 56 hours ago, and early this morning, at 1.30am we and the trinity group parted ways. It was a sad good-bye, but yet one filled with so much hope and energy. It was a great time traveling with them on the train.

So here we are, in Chula Vista, a suburb of San Diego, at "First Baptist Church of Chula Vista" (map) awaiting our first main meal time and our activities of service to start.

This morning, in our leadership meeting Rudy shared with the group something he realized on the train, and that our lives are much like being on the train.

Sometimes our train was completely fogged in, and we could not see a thing.
Many times we went through tunnels, and could not see a thing.
Other times, the train jostled us and made us loose balance.

And other times, we were offered short, but yet amazing glimpses of nature. Views of Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainer, Mt. Hood, the Cascade Mountain passes (where many of the tunnels were), and the coastline of mid-california, where we saw whales, para-chute surfers, & iconic palm tree'd beaches.

Like the fog and tunnels, and being thrown off balance, our lives have limited view's, where answers and solutions seem distant, if any at all. Then at times, we get glimpses of something greater, a victory here, an answer there. Many of us leaders all agreed that the times of darkness and tunnels are prominent, and often.

We shared our struggles with being away from home,
We shared our struggles with not knowing God's plan.

And then, we saw the hope that we all have. That we're here, in this place for the work of the Lord, whether it is within our team, or the people we serve, or both!?

Perhaps some us are in tunnels, or stuck in the fog, perhaps you are as well.

We read this morning in our leadership devotions from 2 Peter 3:8-9...

"With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you."

These 11 days that we're gone, might feel like eternity for some of us, but this passage reminded all of us that we are part of something much bigger and grandeur than we can all imagine - which is all happening within HIS timing, not ours.

Prayer requests:

1. Continued health and sustenance
2. Feelings of away from home, are starting to hit some
3. Thanksgiving that we have arrived safe and sound, (although at the time of writing, we're still waiting for Amanda to arrive via flight).
4. For the Trinity as they continue to travel into Mexico.
5. Continued development of unity and fellowship.

We covet your prayers, and continued support.

Feel free to post comments below, as they will be read for the team as a whole.

luggage: packed.

So, tonight, our luggage was packed. Early in the morning, it'll be on its way.

We're praying that:

- Terril & her dad, Bill, will have a very safe journey with all the luggage,

- the border guards will be very open to the luggage going through undisturbed,

- that they will make it in time to the train station to meet us there,

- and finally, that their relationship as father and daughter will continue to grow tighter through this journey together!

May the Lord protect you both as you travel!

This means that the rest of us are leaving soon! in just 28 hours (from this typing) I will be getting up to meet the team at the church, starting with the leadership at 4.00am.

That'll go by quickly.

So, for the rest of us:

- spend as much time as you can with those you love (that's my plan!!),

- spend time in prayer, prepping yourself spiritually for the ministry we will be doing,

- and pray for our travels.

~ adam.

9 days to go ...

We're down to just 9 days to go.

It's amazing how fast time flies. The send off service is this coming sunday, 10am at Living Hope. Would be cool if you all came. I've also invited all my family. I encourage you to invite yours.

It's funny though, when you start thinking about time, and how it is so irrelevant to God. Sure He needs us to be living in the confines of time, it's something to give us a limit. If we lived without time as a limiter, the world would truly be 'our oyster.' We in theory could do what ever we want.

So just 9 days? Then gone for 10. In 21 days, I, and my family are going camping for 12. Soon, it'll be September and schools will (I'm sorry) be opening.

So time - what are you doing with yours? What are you doing with the rest of your (ahem) summer? How is God using you in this 'time'?

Psalm 31:14-15a says,

But I trust in you, LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands."

We are going forward, trusting that the Lord will use our time to benefit His timing. What does He have in store for us,
- on the train?
- with the YWAM hosts?
- in the inner city San Diego churches?
- in the parks that we clean up?
- with the homeless that we feed?

My prayer is that we all, whether you are going on this trip or not, or even one of your own, that we all can place that same trust in God's timing.

Leaving home will be hard, leaving my wife, my daughter, and #2 (who isn't here yet) - and I'm sure it'll be hard for others, (perhaps not so hard for the youth leaving parents ... ya, I was there one time), but - with strength from the Lord, we all can do what He is calling us to do.

That's what I'm going on.

It's been a whirl-wind tour up to now ...

After reading that last entries title, the memories of the past couple months came back. To keep it all short, we are no longer going to Ensenada, Mexico - but are staying in San Diego, partnering with the YWAM base there.

Currently we are only 16 days away.

We have raised nearly $25,000, with many thanks to the congregation of Living Hope CRC - without all of your support, this trip truly could not happen.

So what's next?
.one more training night to cover final details, at 7.00pm at Living Hope on July 17th
.send off service at Living Hope at 10.00am on July 24th.

Then, we leave.

Prayer requests up to now:
.that all the final money will come in,
.that our team will continue to gel,
.that all the final details will come beautifully together,
.for myself, as I prepare the message for the send-off service.