And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full (1 John 1:4).
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Update from Katie's Mission Trip
We just got this update from Katie, our friend who is on a mission trip.
Merhaba! ("Hello")
Well, it has been about five days here in XXXXXXXX and I must say I am loving this city! There are so many people, and lost people who don't know our Lord at that. Our team is starting to really see the need for the gospel in this city. Today was our first day of outreach on the numerous campuses here. Sadly my project leader, Tristan, and I were turned away from a campus because of security reasons. We sat and prayed for a while and we have others coming back tomorrow to try again... Others on our team were able to get into conversations with students today and even got some phone numbers to hang out with them again. It seems as if making a decision for Christ among the students takes a great amount of consideration and time. It could possibly be a couple years after hearing the gospel that most of them will make a decision for Christ. However, God is capable of anything and He may change this trend that other missionaries have witnessed over the years. We are making connections with them so that they can get connected with Christians who are staying here long term. SO I'm excited to see the students God puts in our paths this week, and telling you about some of the conversations and how God is moving in XXXXXXX!
Our team I believe is getting even closer and we are enjoying each other's company as well as challenging each other in our relationships with one another and the Lord. We have the same goals and we are able to work toward it together.
We are asking for prayer for the students and among our team we pray that we can share the gospel with at least 200 students. We are praying that God will go beyond what we imagine and we are dreaming big! Please pray that God would prepare the hearts of the students so that they will be receptive to the gospel message. We would like prayer for our team that we can be bold in our conversations and allow students to understand His grace-filled salvation through the truth of His Word! We praise God for placing us in this city and giving us hearts for the people and for God's eternal Kingdom!
Well, we continue to have adventures like taking the wrong bus and thus causing us to have a 2.5 hour travel time instead of 1.5 hours, and standing most of the way with one very heavy grocery bag...! Live and learn! Or getting lost on our way to the boys' apartment a couple of miles away, we couldn't find the street. It would probably help if we could learn the street names. My team member Lauren just informed me how she was sitting in our flat (a very nice one) listening to worship music, eating a massive whole carrot, reading her Bible, sitting next to me,... and this will probably never happen again! I had to put some randomness in here somewhere! Oh and I had "doner" today...if you get the good stuff, it is one of the best cheap meals. A hogie with shaved meat, lettuce, tomato, ketsup, mayo and french fries (yes, I said french fries!) and it is only like 1-2 US dollars, for a whole sandwich! And I believe I had a very unique experience while sitting in an outside cafe, next to an abandoned house, listening to a lamb baaaahing in the yard, me drinking coffee and having quiet time, in the scorching sun, with no sunscreen for 2 hours, would be one of my most interesting experiences!... Well, no more randomness...!
Tesekular! (thank you) for all your prayers and support! More updates to come...!
In Christ,
Katie
Well, it has been about five days here in XXXXXXXX and I must say I am loving this city! There are so many people, and lost people who don't know our Lord at that. Our team is starting to really see the need for the gospel in this city. Today was our first day of outreach on the numerous campuses here. Sadly my project leader, Tristan, and I were turned away from a campus because of security reasons. We sat and prayed for a while and we have others coming back tomorrow to try again... Others on our team were able to get into conversations with students today and even got some phone numbers to hang out with them again. It seems as if making a decision for Christ among the students takes a great amount of consideration and time. It could possibly be a couple years after hearing the gospel that most of them will make a decision for Christ. However, God is capable of anything and He may change this trend that other missionaries have witnessed over the years. We are making connections with them so that they can get connected with Christians who are staying here long term. SO I'm excited to see the students God puts in our paths this week, and telling you about some of the conversations and how God is moving in XXXXXXX!
Our team I believe is getting even closer and we are enjoying each other's company as well as challenging each other in our relationships with one another and the Lord. We have the same goals and we are able to work toward it together.
We are asking for prayer for the students and among our team we pray that we can share the gospel with at least 200 students. We are praying that God will go beyond what we imagine and we are dreaming big! Please pray that God would prepare the hearts of the students so that they will be receptive to the gospel message. We would like prayer for our team that we can be bold in our conversations and allow students to understand His grace-filled salvation through the truth of His Word! We praise God for placing us in this city and giving us hearts for the people and for God's eternal Kingdom!
Well, we continue to have adventures like taking the wrong bus and thus causing us to have a 2.5 hour travel time instead of 1.5 hours, and standing most of the way with one very heavy grocery bag...! Live and learn! Or getting lost on our way to the boys' apartment a couple of miles away, we couldn't find the street. It would probably help if we could learn the street names. My team member Lauren just informed me how she was sitting in our flat (a very nice one) listening to worship music, eating a massive whole carrot, reading her Bible, sitting next to me,... and this will probably never happen again! I had to put some randomness in here somewhere! Oh and I had "doner" today...if you get the good stuff, it is one of the best cheap meals. A hogie with shaved meat, lettuce, tomato, ketsup, mayo and french fries (yes, I said french fries!) and it is only like 1-2 US dollars, for a whole sandwich! And I believe I had a very unique experience while sitting in an outside cafe, next to an abandoned house, listening to a lamb baaaahing in the yard, me drinking coffee and having quiet time, in the scorching sun, with no sunscreen for 2 hours, would be one of my most interesting experiences!... Well, no more randomness...!
Tesekular! (thank you) for all your prayers and support! More updates to come...!
In Christ,
Katie
Please continue to keep Katie and her team in your prayers.
Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations (1Ch 16:24).
And the gospel must first be published (preached, proclaimed) among all nations (Mar 13:10).
Labels: discipleship, God, mission, MSU, prayer
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Katie's Summer Mission Trip
We have a friend, Katie, who is making a mission trip with Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) this summer. Katie is very active with CCC, and here is her letter explaining her upcoming trip:I am a student at Montana State University majoring in Animal Science, Equine Science option, with a minor in Psychology. Graduation is still a year and a half off, but I'm enjoying my current classes. Although challenging, I am working hard to get the most out of them! I am continuing to enjoy leading Bible study in the dorms through CCC. It has been a blessing to be in the lives of freshman women and to watch and encourage them to grow in Christ, as well as everything God has been teaching and revealing to me about His faithfulness, love and grace!
I have recently been accepted to participate in an international summer project with CCC, called Acts 29. Acts 29 takes place in the largest city in the Middle East and is geared towards reaching more than 400,000 university students in that city.
Our primary focus during the summer will be to reach Muslim students with the Gospel through various large group outreaches, building relationships with students, and also building our own relationship with the Lord through fellowship, weekly meetings, and Bible studies.
In order for me to take advantage of this great opportunity to grow in my faith, I need to raise $4,850 to cover the cost of my portion of the summer project budget. I'm asking people to consider partnering with me in two ways: one, by praying for me regularly, and two, by supporting me financially.
Would you prayerfully consider partnering with me to reach students in the Middle East this summer through prayer and giving financially? I'm trusting that God will raise up partners who will invest in my life and the lives of the students I will minister to this summer. Would you invest to help reach Muslim students for Christ?
If the Lord is asking you to give, please make the check payable to Campus Crusade for Christ. All of my support is due before our briefing on May 13th; I would appreciate if the Lord is leading you, to send your gift soon.
I want to thank you very much for your prayers, encouragement and support. I greatly appreciate you!
If you are interested in helping support Katie, you can contact us here at Training for the Cross.
Labels: discipleship, God, mission, MSU, prayer
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Ty's Eulogy for Ray Hunt
Ty Van Norman spoke these words at Ray Hunt's funeral in Texas.
I am the eldest grandson of Ray Hunt. I live on a ranch in Nevada where my family has been ranching for generations. The area I live in has birthed some of the greatest horseman of all time: The Dorrance brothers, Lee and Clyde Revorse, Grandpa Ray, Horns, Jones and Marvels just to name a few. They all had an influence on men in the industry today. I consider myself privileged to have grown up there. I am merely a man, but I wouldn't do my blood justice if I didn't get up and share what's on my heart today. What I have to say may make some of you mad and some glad, but I am pretty sure you won't leave here the same as you came.
We are all gathered here today, to pay our respects to a man who loved horses. He defended what he was passionate about; that was his life. You could hardly talk to him about anything else. He was a master at what he did. I cherished the times I got to spend with him growing up. I only got to see him about once a year when I was young. I remember him and Dad sitting and talking horse. There were a few times we went fishing. Once Dad and he went to Alaska on a hunting trip; I still remember the stories. In the spring of '93 I got to go to Australia with him and travel up the East coast doing clinics. That was an awesome experience that would not have been possible for me, if it hadn't been for Grandpa Ray and Caroline.
Anyone who really knew Grandpa knew there was no nonsense around him; you did it his way. If you didn't, he would tell you exactly what he thought and he didn't care how it made you feel. I'm not saying that was right or wrong; that was Ray. Some of you I am sure he offended at times and encouraged at others. I'm not here to apologize or defend him. I'm here to remind you that he was a great man in the horse world, but he was still just a man. He struggled with the same things in life we all do. The way he handled them was his choice.
I see a lot of familiar faces here that also stand out in the horse world. A lot of you, whether you are aware of it or not, have a lot in common. I'm not talking about horsemanship. I'm talking of being held on a pedestal and the deception that comes with that position of God-likeness. I'm definitely not accusing anyone; least of all Grandpa Ray. That is not my purpose. My purpose is to give you warning of the position you hold. This is where my Father has me today. To remind you that we are just men that struggle in life and are presented with choices. Grandpa was a man that found a way to make a living using the gifts and talents God gave him.
My brother got to spend some time with Grandpa last winter and I remember him telling me that every thing Grandpa said was so true for the situation at hand. Grandpa's Cowboy Logic book is full of one liners that speak truth:
-Don't try to go through something bad and come out good....stop and start over. Facing death is unsettling to most of us. I'm not an expert on it, but I've seen some of it lately. (Just over the last three years Ty lost a son, dad, brother and grandfather.)
-You have to prepare to position for the transition. The transition for all of us at one point or another is leaving this life behind. Are you prepared?
-Adjust to fit the situation. You might have to adjust your thinking to fit this situation.
-Confidence is knowing that you are prepared.
-In John 14:6 Jesus states, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
-I'll tell you what happens before what happened, happened. God's Spirit moves, the truth is revealed, your spirit is quickened, you are called and you are given a choice; the choice is yours. Sin and death will lose its power and you will stand in the Supernatural Power of God.
To some of you this means nothing. And to some of you this means everything. Worship the God who made the man and use the gifts He has given you to glorify God, and He will give you life and life more abundantly. Romans 5:1-4 talks about the Glory of God and how we can change our history. As I said before, I am the oldest grandchild of Ray Hunt. That is why I am here on this platform in the boldness of the Holy Spirit to change my history.
We all have history wrong or right, good or bad; it is called character. Grandpa's character was his own and that's why we are here; to remember the man, Ray Hunt. Love him or hate him, you wouldn't be here today if he hadn't had some kind of impact in your life.
On behalf of my family - I thank you for coming and may God bless you.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Prayer for Ray Hunt
I read this prayer at my grandfather's funeral in Texas.
Lord,
We gather here today to celebrate the life of Ray Hunt. As we come together for this celebration I would like to thank You for the many gifts you have provided for the occasion. I thank You for the gifts you gave my grandpa that he was able to share with the world. Gifts applied to horses but applicable to life as well. Through Grandpa's teachings, people around the world saw how man and horse could truly become one, and I thank You for this gift. I thank You also for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ that through His death and resurrection and believing in Him, man and God can also truly become one.
I thank You for the gift of feel, timing, and balance You gave my grandpa to show the world, the gift that could never be comprehended by head knowledge but had to be experienced between man and horse. Through this feel, timing, and balance man can communicate with the horse and keep them in our perfect will. I also thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit that too can never be comprehended by head knowledge but has to be experienced between man and God. Through the Holy Spirit we may learn to feel of You and learn to stay in Your perfect will.
Lord, I thank You for my grandpa and the gifts he leaves behind for me and for the world. I thank You that his teachings not only taught me how to feel of the horse and to have unity with the horse, but also taught me how to feel of You and to have unity with You.
I thank You for the many gifted people that have gathered here today to celebrate the life of Ray Hunt. I pray that these people would learn from my grandpa's teachings, what You have taught me. That is, the gift of applying Tom Dorrance's and Ray Hunt's teachings to their life and to experience "True Unity and Willing Communication between God and Man."
I thank You for my grandpa, Oh Lord.
I pray these things in Jesus' Holy name.
Amen.
Labels: God, horsemanship, prayer, Wade