"Spiritual warfare often means coming to grips with what we are thinking and weighing it against the truth of the Word of God. You will be able to combat lies of the Enemy when you have God's word hidden in your heart. This key to fighting and keeping the faith."
'Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.' Phillippians 4:8
'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' John 8:32
How much of our lives are filled with untruth? What do we set our minds on each day as we wake up and go about our tasks, our jobs, our relationships? The very nature of truth leaves no room for exception. When something is truth, there is no other alternative. It cannot be true part of the time and at other times be false, for then it would not be true at all.
It seems that Jesus speaks of truth and freedom together. One leads to the other. In truth, we are free. How many times did Jesus speak truth and people were set free? Free from disease, free from shame, free from guilt, free from humiliation, free from laws, free from sin.....What would our lives look like if we lived in total freedom? He freed the Samaritan woman, He freed the leper, He freed the hemorrhaging woman, the criminal on the cross....He freed us from the Law. In Him we are accepted and loved completely. In perfect love, there is no fear. No fear is itself freedom.
What are we called to do that we ignore because we are not free? What keeps us from unleashing all of ourselves to serve Him as He has called us? It's a lack of freedom. Maybe we are not free because we don't know the truth. We don't know Him well enough to feel loved, to feel safe, to trust in Him, to take the first step.....
I pray that He would show us truth, so that we can live life freely, so that we can experience things and people that we are currently ignoring and letting pass by us.
"The moment you wake up each morning, all you wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in." --Mere Christianity
"What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could...be their own masters--invent some sort of happiness for themselves apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history...the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy."--Mere Christianity
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Itinerary!
With 2 weeks left before the trip, we had our final team meeting. Below is the tentative itinerary. I have added several links to places where we might visit as side trips. I am closer to my financial goal, but still haven't met it yet....Please continue to pray for me! Thank you so much for your support.
Week 1 (Feb. 7-13): Arrive in Accra on February 7th. Do construction work on a new health post site where a permanent clinic is being built (in the capital, Accra). This includes a lot of cement work/bricking. Currently it is 95 degrees farenheit with a humidity of 60%. (During this time we as a team will be staying in a guest house owned by an American couple who resides in Ghana.) Rest on Saturday.
Week 2 (Feb 14-20): Travel from Accra to Assin Fosu on Sunday. Medical outreach at Amoakrom on 15th and 16th. Medical outreach at Anhwiaso on 17th and 18th. Visit Elmina Castle on 19th. Maybe go to Canopy Walk at National Park as well. Radio Station dedication at Assin Fosu on the 20th.
Week 3 (Feb 21-27): Radio dedication at Asamankese (village of roughly 34,000 people) on the 21st. Medical outreach at Lartey on 22nd and 23rd. Medical outreach at Akurakese on 24th and 25th. Travel back to Accra on 25th. Medical outreach at Theo's church (founder of TheoVision) in Accra on 26th. Fly home on 27th!!
This might be helpful in seeing the names of the villages we will be visiting. It is hard to predict how many will be at the mobile medical clinics. I am currently working on finding visuals to help teach handwashing and general hygiene specifically to the women and children as they wait in line to be seen by the physicians. If you have any suggestions, thoughts, I'd love to hear them!!
As you can see, we do have a day or two of rest on the weekends and some weekend excursions to several tourist attractions. Elmina Castle is one of them. I have posted a link below. Again, thank you so much for all your support, encouragement, and prayers as I close in on the date of departure. I'd love to hear your thoughts.....
Elmina Links
http://www.pbs.org/wonders/Episodes/Epi3/elmina.htm
www.blackhistorysociety.ca/Elmina.htm
Kakum National Park, Canopy Walk
http://www.touringghana.com/ecotourism/kakum.asp
Week 1 (Feb. 7-13): Arrive in Accra on February 7th. Do construction work on a new health post site where a permanent clinic is being built (in the capital, Accra). This includes a lot of cement work/bricking. Currently it is 95 degrees farenheit with a humidity of 60%. (During this time we as a team will be staying in a guest house owned by an American couple who resides in Ghana.) Rest on Saturday.
Week 2 (Feb 14-20): Travel from Accra to Assin Fosu on Sunday. Medical outreach at Amoakrom on 15th and 16th. Medical outreach at Anhwiaso on 17th and 18th. Visit Elmina Castle on 19th. Maybe go to Canopy Walk at National Park as well. Radio Station dedication at Assin Fosu on the 20th.
Week 3 (Feb 21-27): Radio dedication at Asamankese (village of roughly 34,000 people) on the 21st. Medical outreach at Lartey on 22nd and 23rd. Medical outreach at Akurakese on 24th and 25th. Travel back to Accra on 25th. Medical outreach at Theo's church (founder of TheoVision) in Accra on 26th. Fly home on 27th!!
This might be helpful in seeing the names of the villages we will be visiting. It is hard to predict how many will be at the mobile medical clinics. I am currently working on finding visuals to help teach handwashing and general hygiene specifically to the women and children as they wait in line to be seen by the physicians. If you have any suggestions, thoughts, I'd love to hear them!!
As you can see, we do have a day or two of rest on the weekends and some weekend excursions to several tourist attractions. Elmina Castle is one of them. I have posted a link below. Again, thank you so much for all your support, encouragement, and prayers as I close in on the date of departure. I'd love to hear your thoughts.....
Elmina Links
http://www.pbs.org/wonders/Episodes/Epi3/elmina.htm
www.blackhistorysociety.ca/Elmina.htm
Kakum National Park, Canopy Walk
http://www.touringghana.com/ecotourism/kakum.asp
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Rachel Christen
As donations keep coming in from people close to me and those I barely know, I want to share with you the generosity of a family who lost their precious daughter in May of 2008.
After living in Fort Collins for only a couple of months, I asked a fellow co-worker where she attended church. She told me that she and her husband had just moved from Georgia to work with children's ministry at a church in Fort Collins. She stated that the she felt one of the strongest aspects of the church was their college group because of their love for each other and the faith they had in seeking out God. I gave her my phone number and told her I might call her about details of the services later.
That Saturday night as I was sitting at home thinking about where to go to church the next day, my phone rang. It was one the wife of the couple that co-leads the college group at this church, Immanuel Community Church. She talked with me about the services at church and the group's study. After talking for about 20 minutes, I hung up the phone and clearly saw God calling me to this church and these group of people.
Now that I've been a part of this group for the last 6 months, I can see why my co-worker was so passionate about telling me the strength of this group. How can a group of 20-30 kids love each other like a family and welcome new people with such open hearts? Well, maybe God used the loss of a life to teach them more about who He is and the love He has for this world.
Though I never met her, Rachel Christen was a good friend to many and a strong part of the beginning of this group that used to be 3 girls and a boy! She lost her life in a car accident in May of 2008 while driving back to Fort Collins from Rocky Mountain National Park. Several of her friends who are a part of this group were in the car with her. I cannot tell you who she was, because I never knew her.
I do know she loved mission work and wanted to become a nurse....in some ways her desires were identical to mine. After speaking with her mother and with several others in the church, I applied for the trust fund that was made in honor of her and her heart for people throughout the world. They have graciously given me a large portion of the funding I need for my trip. I am blessed beyond what I could ever deserve.
Here is the link to Rachel's website. There, you will get to know her better.....
www.rachelchristen.com
After living in Fort Collins for only a couple of months, I asked a fellow co-worker where she attended church. She told me that she and her husband had just moved from Georgia to work with children's ministry at a church in Fort Collins. She stated that the she felt one of the strongest aspects of the church was their college group because of their love for each other and the faith they had in seeking out God. I gave her my phone number and told her I might call her about details of the services later.
That Saturday night as I was sitting at home thinking about where to go to church the next day, my phone rang. It was one the wife of the couple that co-leads the college group at this church, Immanuel Community Church. She talked with me about the services at church and the group's study. After talking for about 20 minutes, I hung up the phone and clearly saw God calling me to this church and these group of people.
Now that I've been a part of this group for the last 6 months, I can see why my co-worker was so passionate about telling me the strength of this group. How can a group of 20-30 kids love each other like a family and welcome new people with such open hearts? Well, maybe God used the loss of a life to teach them more about who He is and the love He has for this world.
Though I never met her, Rachel Christen was a good friend to many and a strong part of the beginning of this group that used to be 3 girls and a boy! She lost her life in a car accident in May of 2008 while driving back to Fort Collins from Rocky Mountain National Park. Several of her friends who are a part of this group were in the car with her. I cannot tell you who she was, because I never knew her.
I do know she loved mission work and wanted to become a nurse....in some ways her desires were identical to mine. After speaking with her mother and with several others in the church, I applied for the trust fund that was made in honor of her and her heart for people throughout the world. They have graciously given me a large portion of the funding I need for my trip. I am blessed beyond what I could ever deserve.
Here is the link to Rachel's website. There, you will get to know her better.....
www.rachelchristen.com
'The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."
Isaiah 61:1-3
Isaiah 61:1-3
Friday, January 8, 2010
Thoughts on Missions
God is pursuing with omnnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshipers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations.
-John Piper
'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' Psalm 46:10
The best that God's people have to offer is ourselves. Only when we put ourselves in direct, personal relationship with the people of God in the hard places do we begin to understand their needs and accompany them in the pilgramage of faith...It is no longer the rich stepping down to help the poor, but brothers and sisters in Christ stepping across to journey with one another.
-Daniel Rickett
'We want to work together wth you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith you stand firm.' 2 Corinthians 1:24
I support short-term missions...Such trips provide two distinct cultures a taste of the harmony that exists between members of the Body of Christ.
-Phillip Yancey
'Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit.' Ephesians 4:2-4
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.
-Jim Elliot, Missionary to Ecuador, martyred in 1956
'That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!' 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
-John Piper
'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' Psalm 46:10
The best that God's people have to offer is ourselves. Only when we put ourselves in direct, personal relationship with the people of God in the hard places do we begin to understand their needs and accompany them in the pilgramage of faith...It is no longer the rich stepping down to help the poor, but brothers and sisters in Christ stepping across to journey with one another.
-Daniel Rickett
'We want to work together wth you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith you stand firm.' 2 Corinthians 1:24
I support short-term missions...Such trips provide two distinct cultures a taste of the harmony that exists between members of the Body of Christ.
-Phillip Yancey
'Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit.' Ephesians 4:2-4
He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.
-Jim Elliot, Missionary to Ecuador, martyred in 1956
'That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!' 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Did You Know.....
+ The country of Ghana is approximately the same size as Oregon.
+ 1,000 different types of butterfly species of been recorded in Ghana. (The entire continent of North American contains roughly 650.)
+ Ghana was named 'The Gold Coast' by the Portugese in the late 1400's due to the large amount of gold mined on the west coast of the country.
+Ghana supplied roughly 10% of the world's gold by the 16th century.
+In 1957 Ghana was the first African colony to gain independence from European rule. It has been accredited for leading the way for many other African countries.
+Main exports of Ghana include gold, cocoa, timber, and diamonds.
+ The population of Ghana is 22.5 million with an average life expectancy of 59.
+The GDP is $2,600 per capita.
+Climate is tropical, hot and humid in the south, hot and dry in the north.
+ Borders the Atlantic Ocean.
Facts taken from Ghana by Phillip Briggs.
+ 1,000 different types of butterfly species of been recorded in Ghana. (The entire continent of North American contains roughly 650.)
+ Ghana was named 'The Gold Coast' by the Portugese in the late 1400's due to the large amount of gold mined on the west coast of the country.
+Ghana supplied roughly 10% of the world's gold by the 16th century.
+In 1957 Ghana was the first African colony to gain independence from European rule. It has been accredited for leading the way for many other African countries.
+Main exports of Ghana include gold, cocoa, timber, and diamonds.
+ The population of Ghana is 22.5 million with an average life expectancy of 59.
+The GDP is $2,600 per capita.
+Climate is tropical, hot and humid in the south, hot and dry in the north.
+ Borders the Atlantic Ocean.
Facts taken from Ghana by Phillip Briggs.
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