Nepal has come

Namaste!

After traveling 30 or so hours to Nepal and arriving yesterday afternoon, I decided to get up early, ignore jet lag and help dig a place for an outdoor baptismal area in a flowing stream. It sounds like I should be tired sitting here at 7pm the day after arrival, and I am! Therefore, I will share just a quick highlight from the day here in Nepal before heading to bed early. Also, I will be here until March 20th with updates to come!

Though I am just meeting some ministries here in Kathmandu, Nepal, my heart was stirred by who I was able to be with today. A South African named Bill has an aquaponics greenhouse area that can be taught and multiplied by locals. What is aquaponics? Well, I am not sure I will be able to give the full picture, but here goes my best effort. It is a greenhouse that can grow plants without soil and develops fish naturally in a mutually beneficial way! The fish, kept in a small tank, produce nutrient rich water for the plants. The plants in turn take the nutrients while giving good water back to the fish. The vision is to see this sustainable and environmentally beneficial farm system reproduced by locals. In short, my heart was stirred to see the Gospel going into another area of society.

After a short tour of the facility, we walked down to the stream right and began digging around the stream to create a baptismal pool. Personally, I like to work with my hands, so today was a great day. We moved earth for most of the day before heading back to home. Pray for this ministry as there is only one Christian in this village. May God use this man and his business!

Thank you Jesus for Nepal!

Also, there is some really exciting new that most of you know about, but I am going to wait to share it along with a 2012 tentative schedule. Blessings from Asia!

2011 year

Enjoy the celebration of 2011! Thank you Jesus. Thank you family. Thank you friends. I am blessed by so many.

Amsterdam testimonies

Here are some testimonies towards the end of our time in Amsterdam. They were definite highlights! Enjoy and I look forward to sharing about 2012 and what God has planned!

Stories from Amsterdam and beyond...

Hallo again from Holland,

It is difficult to summarize the past four weeks in the Netherlands, but I have become convinced of God's desire to use prayer to reveal Himself to others. Here are a few stories to share how God has used some of our prayers here.

A few weeks ago during the homeless ministry we have been serving every Monday and Friday night, a women named Clare came. I was playing some worship songs outside when I started a conversation with her. From Poland, she had landed in Amsterdam without a job or a home. I shared what I had been doing in Amsterdam and some of who Jesus is. By the end of the conversation, she said that she did not believe in God, but I offered prayer anyway. She was looking for a job, so I simply asked God to provide her with one. I did not see her for two weeks after this conversation.

The next time I saw her, she looked much happier than before. In the two weeks after getting a chance to pray for her, she did find a job and a place to stay, at a Christian hostel! In that time, other fellow believers had shared the love of God and the Gospel. She was resistant, but the love of God broke through her doubt. She had asked for God's Spirit to fill her and everything changed in that moment. She was now convinced not only that God was real but that His Holy Spirit was amazing. After introducing her to some of the girls on the team, they met with her a few times. The discipleship process had begun. Unfortunately she had to return to Poland, but not without coming to meet the Lord. Now we must continue to pray!

This past week, my team has been partnering with a church in the city of Groningen, about 2.5 hours outside of Amsterdam by train. While partnering with a local church, we were meeting college students during the day to share the Gospel. Wednesday afternoon, I approached a group of students with Amanda, a student from California. After sharing what they were studying we shared why we had come to Holland. A couple became interested as we shared. Rebecca was a Christian but her boyfriend, Yenz, was not a believer. He said he believed there was "something out there" but could not be sure of a one way. We continued to share the Gospel and listen to who he was. He was open for us to pray for him at the end of the conversation but not ready for life with Jesus. We prayed for the love and Presence of God to reveal itself to him and left.

Rebecca had invited us to her Bible study the next day. I went with Amanda and Elizabeth to the Bible study. When we got there, Rebecca shared how Yenz could not get the prayer out of his mind from earlier in the day. She said he was more open to Jesus and interested in God than at any point in their relationship. It was so encouraging to see the way God moves after our simple prayers. Who knows how many have been impacted through prayer here in Holland?

There are many more stories and testimonies of God's goodness here in Holland and I cannot wait to share more on the next update! God bless, and keep praying!

Amsterdam Update!

Hallo from Amsterdam,

the first four weeks here in the Netherlands have been quite busy, and finally I have a chance to give a short update. I hope it is encouraging and I will be doing more frequent updates now that I know when I will have time. Blessings from Amsterdam!

Off to Europe!

After spending 11 life-changing weeks with over a hundred friends in Kona, Hawaii, I am now en route to the Netherlands. While most of my friends are from Kona are dispersing across the globe to spread the light and love of Jesus, I have the joy of continuing on with a family of 7. After three months, eleven teams will return to share the testimony of God's faithfulness across the nations.

As I currently await a 10 hour flight from Houston to Amsterdam, the anticipation for this journey with the Lord only grows. What part of God's story will we witness? How will He use us to display His glory? What parts of His heart will we discover in Amsterdam? Will God change an entire city in just months? Will lifelong friendships continue to grow? These are just a few of the questions that have stirred my heart in anticipation and expectation. The coming weeks will reveal the plans of God's heart for this family and my friends around the world.

May God's love and goodness capture hearts in Amsterdam.

"Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Isaiah 60:3

(Next update will be from the Netherlands!)

Awakening and Amsterdam

The time is nearing for a 3 month outreach to Amterdam and the love of God to change the people of the Netherlands! Enjoy the update. The light of Jesus is shining upon us!