Seattle Week 3

Whew, I am so thankful Week 3 is finally done. This week was craziness. In fact, our team called it the Crazy Week for that reason. We had two people added to our team from South Carolina which was a huge blessing. Then we also had a team from Southeastern (Seminary class), a team from Lakeview (high school youth group from SC), and then a group of adults from Southside (Also east coast). Plus we worked with the Prestonwood Choir on a couple of events, which was cool for me because they are a massive high school choir from Dallas, Texas. Anyways, the Lord definitely blessed this week by providing so many teams to work alongside us because without them, I do not know how smoothly this week would have gone. The Southeastern team was incredible with working with kids, outreach, and stepping in wherever I needed them. Further, the Southside team was essential to the success of the hotdog grilling and maintenance of other food items. The Lakeview team helped us primarily with working game stations and I was so thankful for them and how they would engage the kids.

Southside Team

 

To give a quick understanding, there were three different block parties on Tuesday (10am – 2pm), Wednesday (6pm – 8pm), and Thursday (6:30pm – 9pm) at three different locations. We had a bounce house, an inflatable obstacle course and slide, a snow cone and popcorn machine, music, various smaller games, and then hotdogs, chips, cookies, and drinks. Now we planned for about 200 for each block party which ended up working out pretty well when you include the workers and those who ate more than one hot dog. But anyways, it pretty intense in that sense because we had so much going on, we needed people to work stations, but we needed to give the workers breaks plus have people walking around talking to the families who came. It was definitely my prayer that the control aspect of my flesh would fade and the Lord would be present throughout it all.

There were definitely stressful times but I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Jesse because he thought of things that I didn’t and vice versa. We balanced each other nicely and I appreciated the way he encouraged me, especially as being the youngest, and always checked in on me to see if I was doing okay.

Me, Alyssa, and Jesse on the van ride home

 

Another cool thing came from the fact that the times when I did get to really talk with people at the block parties, rather than evangelizing, the Lord used them to provide encouragement to me in what they said and how they live their lives out every day for him. One man I met had two sons with Asperger’s who had been a part of the soccer camp that half of our team was working. He had such a positive outlook on life and doesn’t see any point in being negative towards people since it benefits no one – which I thought was such a cool way to approach life on a day to day basis. Another woman I met near the end, and she actually wasn’t even a part of the block party, she just happened to be at the building in which we were right outside of. Talking to her was such a blessing because she and I think very similarly and to hear her talk about God was so incredible. At the end, when I asked how I could pray for her, she reciprocated the question. Well I asked her to pray that God’s light would just shine in and through me and that he would use me to do His will. She said that He already is because I came to talk to her and answered her prayer which was such a God-thing.

Mt. Rainier

Last thing, after crazy week was over, the Southside team invited me to join them on a day trip to visit Mt. Rainier. The invitation alone blessed my heart because out of my entire team, I was the only one they invited. Moreover, they paid my entire way – the ticket for the gondola ride up and then for my lunch. I am such an old soul anyways and being around them was such a blessing and I was so thankful for all that they had done throughout the week.  And seeing God’s creation and how he can still make something so incredible even through the destruction of the flood and his wrath from so long ago. It makes me that much more excited for the beauty he will create in the new heaven and new earth through his love.

 Mt. Rainier from our seats at the outdoor café on top of Crystal Mountain.

 

There were gorgeous flowers right before we went up on the gondola.

 

In summation, this week (while tough) has been such a blessing to my heart. We were blessed with adding a couple to the kingdom of God through their salvation on the last block party. I got to come into contact with people who I look forward to the day we are reunited at the gates of heaven. God works in such incredible ways. I have officially reached my halfway point too and so it’s humbling to see how far I’ve come and yet how much more the Lord still has planned. Be praying for my obedience to him and to my leaders. As we get further along, I feel myself getting really comfortable, and when that happens I find myself blurring the boundary lines. So just be praying that I will constantly humble myself before God and the cross and I know everything will follow suit as it should. My love to those at home!

 

By: Blair Cowden

Slink Seattle: Week 2

From our time on Tiger Mountain- amazing to see God's handiwork.

The Ferris wheel in Seattle

So to pick up where I left off, after an incredible start on Monday with our first time at the schools, we started off our second Tuesday with working at a thrift store. At two stories high it is one of the largest, most diverse thrift stores I have ever been too. Plus, the cool part is the witness of the people who work there – some go to Essential Church while others are not reached at all. It is definitely amazing to see how God has worked through Warren and his staff to reach so many people in the community.

After the thrift store, my team went back to Odle Middle School and we got to hang out with some new kids and got to know the ones from yesterday a little more. I started bonding with a kid named Kevin who is about to be in 7^th grade. We bonded after he got me out in Dodgeball, but hey anything for the kids right? ;) No, but he is such a sweetheart and definitely desires to be loved on as do most of the kids there. Another cool thing, was another girl Jaelin came with a friend that day who had to leave pretty early. The cool part is that by her friend leaving, the door opened for me to talk with her and really start developing that friendship. So today was another amazing day with these kids and my team.

That night, we went to the Mariners baseball game (MLB), and it was Irish Heritage Night so we all got a free baseball cap. After all, who doesn’t want free stuff? But anyways, the Mariners lost to the Red Sox 8-11, but it was such an incredible experience because it was my first major league baseball game and I really bonded with the team from Georgia. I had to ride over to the game with them for lack of room in our own van, and I’m so glad I did because they are amazing young men. With only knowing me a day and a half, they had no fears of belting God Bless America, alongside their leaders, and very tone deaf I might add. But it’s cool to see how God can bring people together from across the country and build friendships of a lifetime.

 

The rest of the week follows in a similar way. In the mornings we work at the thrift store, followed by hanging out with the kids at Odle Middle School. One quick comment about the work we do at Odle. Every day we go in not knowing how many kids we will have or if they will be ones who have come before or are completely new. It’s an open forum in the sense that they can come and go as they please, they can play a variety of games alongside arts and crafts, and they have snacks and water available to them. With that being said, we have seen new kids almost every day and hope to see more of the older ones on a more consistent basis. But the Lord is definitely teaching me to love and always extend to these kids. As a school program we are not allowed to blatantly say we are a part of Essential Church or even share the Gospel, so it’s our prayer that the Lord will work in and through us so much so that the kids ask what it is about us or why we are here. So as you read this, be praying that the Lord will open up those doors that we might have the opportunity to share the Gospel so long as the kids ask and that we show them Christ’s love in all of our actions.

Had our first team bible study on Thursday night and it was incredible. We are working through 2 Thessalonians and my team is so diverse in the way we view the same scriptures and we each bring something different to analyze further or just simply different observations. We have some in seminary, others who have taken multiple classes in college over the bible, and then there is me who is soaking up all of their wisdom. I am constantly humbled but how little I know in my head, but it is such an encouragement to me because it challenges me and makes me even hungrier for the Word.

I am so excited for what the Lord is teaching me through dependence on him in everything and in preparing my heart to let him shine through in my thoughts, words, and actions when I am with others and especially in my response to them. It’s been a blessing to work with my team and the Georgia team. I feel the Lord working in a powerful way in all of our hearts. One of the guys from the Georgia team is coming back to Seattle next summer for the same internship that my team is on now, and I thought that was cool how the Lord spoke to him and called him in that way. Next week is our crazy week and we will see how that goes. Be praying for patience for me, because Jesse and I are in charge of three block parties back to back. We have bought all of the supplies, prepared layouts for the three different locations, and have workers in place for each thing. I am praying that the Lord works in and through it all and reveals himself in incredible ways to us and to the people of Bellevue and Seattle. Everyone back home has been in my thoughts and prayers – miss all of you and praying that you are growing closer to the Lord.

By: Blair Cowden

Coming home. . .

We wrapped up the last day of music camp today and the kiddos got to present a program for the parents afterwards.   I can't properly express to you what a blessing it was to see the children singing songs and expressing what they've learned about God's love this week.

I think I learned about God's love this week, too.  I was reminded of how constant it is;  how it's universal, beyond the confines of geography or languages.  

We will truly miss the people of this town, but look forward to seeing you all.   We thank you for your continued prayers as we travel home tomorrow.  

In conclusion, my heart is so full tonight that I feel simultaneously elated to write about our time here and frustrated at how my words fall short.  This blog has served as a good but inadequate vehicle to express all the facets of ministry that took place this week.  So I'm going to do something a little different to end this post.  I want to encourage you to personally ask one of the team members about the trip when we get back.  I think the best way that we can convey to you the huge blessings that abounded on this trip is to tell you in person.  

Much love in Christ. . .to you and to the people of Marseille:-)

Carey D

ANOTHER great day in France!:-)

Day four of music camp and all is well:-). I hope that the smiles in these pics below convey what a great time we're having sharing God's love and the gift of music with the children of Marseilles.  Tomorrow is the last day of the camp, when the parents will come to see and hear all that the kids have learned.

Yesterday, we got a half-day to explore Marseilles on our own.  We were getting really physically tired from the past few days, so it was great to have some free time.  A few of us took a boat tour on the Mediterranean Sea, around the coast of this beautiful city.  The views were breathtaking!  Others hiked some nearby hills and went cliff-diving (yep, you heard me right:-) -- whatever the activity, everyone seemed to have a great time.

In a couple of hours (France time is 7 hours later than Texas), all of us team members will be doing a special evening concert open to the public.  We're prayerful that many will hear our hearts and sense God's presence.  

It's hard to believe that we're only a couple of days away from coming back home.  We're definitely ready to see our families and get back to our routines. . .but we will not soon forget the wonderful time that we had here, ministering aside local believers and seeing the world in a whole different way.

Thanks for your continued prayers. . .

Seattle Week 1

To start off with, we just finished up our week at Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach is a week of briefing and prep work for all of the teams serving with Generation Link in their summer program (Summer LINK). Generation Link has eight teams total with six serving in the United States, one in Honduras, and one in India. The week was so incredible in the fact that we got to actually have some seminary classes over evangelism, various religions, and how our own walk should be being developed in a time where we will be stretched thin. I think it was a great way to prepare our hearts and minds for what we would face as well as great bonding time with not only our team, but also with the other teams and hearing their incredible stories.  

 

Anyways, we are settled into our home at the Purple Door, a former fraternity house at the University of Washington that is now a home and ministry base for church planters and interns. About 20 other people engaged in ministry live in the Purple Door with us. It is awesome to be in community with them and hear about their ministries. Several have already had a huge impact on me. Our two RA's - Hyuntae (for the guys) and Marie (for the girls) are both incredibly sweet and are so easy to talk to. On a side note, Hyuntae has been helping me with a strum pattern on a song I've been writing while up here. Esther, a sweet Asian girl, is definitely one of my favorites. She is so sweet and funny. She has blessed me by singing a couple of her own songs and gosh they are incredible. Plus, so many of the people living here are so into music, it truly is infectious and I hope to come home being a much better guitar player and hopefully having learned to play the piano. There are several others to mention, but those have been some of the main ones thus far and I'll add more later.

 

We live right beside the UW’s campus, which, along with the Seattle area in general, is so beautiful! I went running one morning around some of the paths and it's amazing. The weather is chilly but oh so refreshing and clear. There are still a lot of students here and there are parties going on around us until the early hours of the morning. So interesting is a great word needless to say. We keep the windows open at night for lack of air conditioning and I find myself waking up just trying to get warmer - a far cry from Texas... lol.

 

Anyways, our primary role is to serve as interns at Essential Church, a recent church plant in Bellevue, WA (a city in the Eastside area of Seattle). Last week, we worked with Essential’s pastor, Warren Mainard, to prepare for several outreach events over the next few weeks. We will be engaging with the community through block parties, a soccer camp, an after school program for middle schoolers, and helping families in need with the Heart and Home Thrift Store. Jesse (One of my team members from North Carolina) and I are the point people for the block parties meaning we are the ones who take care of making sure we have everything, people have jobs, and that everything runs smoothly at those events. It was different being on that side of administration but it makes me appreciate all that's been done similarly on my behalf in the past.

 

In the evenings, we’ve had our first Men’s/Women’s Bible study, group Bible study, and reflection night. These consisted of getting to know each other better through letting one another know how we tick spiritually. Also, it's been a great learning curve to see how different personalities approach various topics. I have contributed when I have a question or comment but as a whole I am soaking in everything they say and taking it back to the scripture. I already feel my walk growing exponentially and I am so thankful to be around people who literally give me headaches with their knowledge of scripture or seminary classes or simply their intriguing arguments. It has truly been a blessing thus far.

 

A few nights ago, we ventured to downtown Seattle to view the area from Columbia Tower (76 floors high!) and had dinner by the Puget Sound waterfront. Honestly, a night where I felt God move within some of my team because of a conversation that started with an interaction between a guy on our team and a homeless guy. We had such a deep conversation which allowed us (five of our team who were within hearing distance at dinner) to be vulnerable with one another and start establishing that personal bond in depth. 

 

Thursday was the fourth and that was an amazing day as well. I got a chance to bond with Jesse, Parker, and Robbie as we walked the Ave - which is a street lined with various shops and restaurants and such. I feel like I got to know them so much better one on one and am impressed by the Godly young men that they are and consistently strive to be. But the cool part about that day was that night when we went to Bellevue for the fireworks show, we ate our picnic dinner on a grassy slope that happened to be by some people who were apart of Jubilee (An organization focused on giving back to community/ non-profit, etc.). Well the cool part comes bc as we started to play with their kids, other kids joined in which opened the door for us to share the gospel with their family who was from Ethiopia initially but moved to America ten or so years ago. One of the girls on our team, Alyssa, actually went to Ethiopia last summer on a mission trip. And it was a blessing on that family bc she was able to communicate a little in their language and also share with the mom about her trip and exchanged contact info to hopefully continue pouring into her. Such a God thing.

 

On Friday, Pastor Warren took us hiking on Tiger Mountain. I don’t think the beauty around this city could ever get old and the weather has been perfect! The outdoors were the most incredible views I have ever seen. The mountain overlooked the Sammamish Lake, and a few of the surrounding towns. Plus we were blessed to watch several Para-gliders jump and slowly make their descent. More than that, we got to hear more of Pastor Warren's story and how he came to Seattle which I thoroughly enjoyed since I had only heard bits and pieces beforehand.

 

Also, throughout the summer, several one-week missions teams will be coming to serve at Essential, and we will help coordinate their ministry efforts. This past Saturday, a team from Gainesville, Georgia flew in consisting of two leaders, a sophomore, junior, senior, and college freshman - all guys (Ages 15-18). I have gotten a chance to know them a little bit and they are all pretty funny and sociable which is nice. Also, fun fact, one of their leaders grew up in Granbury and went to high school there. He actually won the Golden Gloves while living there and has his picture in the Will Rodgers (I think that's the name) Coliseum in Ft. Worth. So cool, right? But anyways, they are here until Saturday, and I am excited to see how God moves in them.

 

We had our first Sunday service at Essential yesterday and it's amazing to see how God already has his hand on everything. Worship led by Robbie, Leah (Warren's wife) and Connor (A younger brother of a woman on the Essential staff) was incredible. God spoke through them and through Warren and it was overall a great morning of time in Him.

 

Today we had our first true day of serving in the soccer camps and at Odle Middle School. I got the chance to interact with several people, but the one I spent the most time with was a guy named Dariell (Probably spelled wrong...) who is in a wheelchair. He is nineteen years old, has recently come to Christ, and was a soccer coach for some of the middle school guys this past year. His testimony was incredible and I hope to attend his baptism this Saturday! We finished the day with a barbecue and some worship. Warren's two kids shared some times when they had shared the gospel with their unbelieving friends and how the Lord had blessed them and their friends came to Christ. It's always incredible for me to witness the faith of a child as they are simply fearless and have full dependence on what the Lord will do - such a witness!

 

Well I believe that wraps everything up mainly! This reflects our first week and I will hopefully try to blog here in the next couple days on our second week. Keep praying for not only my heart in everything but that the Lord is preparing the hearts of all those we will come in contact with.

Blair Cowden

Deux jours (day two:-) of music camp

Well, another great day at music camp Marseilles.  We're really starting to connect with the kiddos.  We started the opening session with "Cowboy Steve" (a.k.a. Steve Quinn) talking to the children about the first two fruits of the spirit -- love and joy.  Then we broke into our smaller groups for crafts, songs, instruments and more.  One of our really fun times has been at noon each day -- the music camp is officially over at noon, but the parents aren't scheduled for pick-up until 1 PM.  That gives us an hour to spend with the little ones -- just playing, dancing and acting silly together.  I continue to be pleasantly surprised at how much you can communicate with a child who speaks a different language. It reminds me of that old Sandi Patty song "Love in Any Language":-)

Last night, we broke up into three small groups and had dinner with some of the local families from the church.  Everyone had a great time and felt so warmly welcomed into these homes.  Our group (Carey, Christian and Jordan) ate with a sweet, sweet family.  She is a French teacher and he is a writer.  We quickly relaxed into their pace -- a four-course meal, spread out over about two hours, seasoned with lots of laughs and great stories.  We have found the people of Marseilles to be so warm and accommodating.

Pease continue to pray for our team, the music camp kids and the strangers that we meet out and about town.  We're only here for a week, but we feel confident that God is using us to touch lives in some small way.

Au revoir. . .

Day 1 of music camp:-)

Day one of our music camp was a blast!  Like any trip, there were a few curveballs and a bit of "wingin' it" -- but our team adapted well and had a great time.  We have so many new little friends -- the children of Marseilles are precious.  We're working through translators, but the language barrier is not as difficult as one might think.  Smiles, hugs and just good old-fashioned fun -- these things are universal:-) Our theme this week is "the fruit of the spirit" -- and we're expressing God's love through  stories, songs and games. We're still a bit weary from travel, but our spirits are high, and we're starting to get caught up on our sleep.

(Random: Did you know that Subway restaurants in France have chicken-flavored potato chips?)

Please pray for us, as we continue to love and minister to the people of Marseilles.  When you travel about the city, you can tell that the need for God is so great here.

Later gator. . .:-)

We made it!:-)

Praise the Lord, we made it!:-). Not too much to report here tonight.  We had a lovely evening eating dinner at our contact family's home, and now we get some much-needed sleep.  Please be in prayer for us -- tomorrow morning at 9 AM (that's 2 AM for you guys:-), we start our children's music camp for the church here in Marseilles.  More to report later.  We miss Texas, but we're loving it here!

Off we go. . .

This is Carey Dyer, music and worship minister at LBC.  In two days (Saturday), 9 of us will be off to Marseilles, France to partner in ministry with our friends Daniel and Tiffany.  Among other things, we'll be leading a music camp for some of the sweet, local kiddos there.  Please be in prayer for us, and keep an eye on this blog during the next week for updates on how things are going.  Thx:-)

Zambia Mission Trip

It has been almost 20 years since I was on the continent of Africa.  I actually had some anxiety about the long journey, but was so excited to be a part of the ministry there.  We finally arrived after two days of travel and were amazed at the hospitality of Darren and Elissa.  Darren is a physician at Mukinge Hospital in Western Zambia.  There are 200 beds, a great staff, and even a nursing school.  The "boma" or town is about three miles away and I enjoyed doing a few morning runs through the market.  The Tompkins have four precious children and they really love the people there, who are mostly Kikaunde, which is a language and a tribe.  By the way, June or July is a great time to go to that part of the world because it is winter time, so it was a relief from the Texas heat.  The Tompkins had put together a pastor's conference for us to lead for three days as well as several devotionals and Bible studies for the missionaries and hospital staff.   I also was able to preach both Sundays at one of the churches which was without a pastor.  The pastor's conference was a highlight because many of the pastors are laymen and do not have access to much training.  Darren's dad found some study Bibles online that we were able to bring which they greatly appreciated.  The pastor's requested that we teach on preaching, discipleship, and leadership.  Brad Humphrey really knows his stuff on leadership and so we asked the pastors to invite local business leaders to come sit in on the last session and incorporate a Gospel presentation as well.  Let me sum up our trip by saying that I loved Africa, it was amazing being with Brad and Jeannie Humphrey, the Tompkins are amazing missionaries and really fun to be around, the pastors were definitely filled with the Holy Spirit and their churches are evangelizing that small part of the world, and the hospital is hard at work saving lives and sharing the Gospel.   

Thanks again, Lakeside, for allowing me to go to a place I have always loved. 

Mark Forrest