New Beginnings!

Did you know that the number 8 means 'new beginnings.' My grandmother Mart told me this little known fact on my birthday this year (FYI its January 13 for anyone wanting to give me presents! ) That has definitely turned out to be true for me and many of my friends this year. Here are the new beginnings I know of.
1. I have a new job! I started this week at 121 Community Church as the Local Missions Minister. I love it!
2. My friends Mark and Leslie adopted 4 children at once! They are the cutest clan of sisters and brother that I have ever seen.
3. My house has had a whole makeover from new pipes to bathroom makeover (much of it not of my choosing, but because of everything breaking!) and God provided the funds to do it!
4. My friend Callie has a new job in Oklahoma and a new home too!
5. My friend Nicole has a new baby, welcome little Alex!
6. My friend Rebecca has a new home and finished her thesis! Woohoo!
7. My friend Kim is having her first baby this fall. So exciting!
8. My friend Traci is having twins! Doubly blessed!
9. My friend Kelli has a new home! After years of traveling the world, its good for them to be home!
10. My friend Tammy has totally remodeled her home this year! It looks great Tam!
11. My friend Molly started a new ministry this year. I love Spark Ministry Molly!

Anyway, the list could go on and on, but all this to say, this has truly been a year of new beginnings for many of us and I am celebrating it!

The book of James says "Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Heaven" and I just wanted to publicly thank our Good Father and His Son Jesus for every good thing we have.

Sunset

Last night I watched the sunset while I was flying home. Have you ever seen the sunset while flying through the clouds? The sun was brilliant orange and all the clouds glowed in it's brilliance as it made its exit for the day. It reminded me of that song, 'when I leave I want to go out like Elijah. In a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire.' Rich Mullins sure got it right. When I leave I want to go out like the brilliant sunset I saw today.

I am jet lagging! I have been home for over a week and am just now getting to the final part of my trip review. Not sure if anyone will still be interested, but I want finish what I started!

August 13 – 20 Madrid, Spain.
I am so thankful to Amy Swacina and the Oasis Madrid church for their hospitality. Oasis Madrid was started by some Christian Associates missionaries. It’s a fantastic church, dedicating to loving the city of Madrid with the gospel. I joined their team one day to pass out food to the homeless. Every Friday they pack 24 lunches to give out to folks who live on the streets of their neighborhood. They have been doing this for two years and as a result, developed real friendships. The gospel is shared very naturally as they give hugs and hand out a lunch. Inevitably someone will always ask, ‘why are you doing this?” Kelly told me the best answer she has for them is that Jesus said that we are to share our possessions. She says it’s a basic Christian teaching. I went away from my time with Oasis Madrid realizing that I don’t share like that near enough. Thank you for the great admonition to love others as I would like to be loved!
I also spent time with my dear friends the Wilsons who also live in Madrid. Traveling solo can get lonely so it was very timely to see some old friends. We laughed, caught up on life, and rejoiced at Levi’s 4th bday party. The party was complete with a Nemo Pinata for all the kids to enjoy. What fu to see the Wilson’s enjoying their lives in Madrid and meet many of their wonderful friends.

August 7- 13 Brussels, Belgium. Visited with my friend Janee. I met her incredible fiancée Hary, her godly friends, watched her prepare for her wedding (Sept 6!), went shopping together in Brugge, and just had fun! We also spent time praying together and encouraging each other in the Lord. It is so critical that we do this when we gather as Christians. I love it that Janee is always ready to give a word of admonition and offer a prayer. What a blessing she is!

It was here that I had my ‘divine appointment’ experience. I wrote about that in an earlier entry. I am always amazed how the Lord allows me to share the gospel on every overseas trip experience. It continues to affirm my gift of evangelism and delights my heart when the opportunities arise. Thank you Jesus!

August 2 – 6 Kandern, Germany.
I visited with my friends the Ellis’s who work with SIL. They live in the beautiful Black Forest which borders France and Switzerland. We took an outing to France one day and visited a midievil castle (pictured right). I so enjoyed a time of refreshment with them and also a time of learning about the ministries in that region. It turns out that Kandern is home to quite a few organizations (IMB, SIL, JANZ, GEM). I visited three different ministry headquarters, met leaders, and learned more about Europe. It was here where I learned that the attrition rate for missionaries in Europe is the highest in the entire world. Wow. I had no idea.

One ministry I learned about was the JANZ team. The JANZ team ministers in Europe through gospel music. They have a beautiful recording studio and Danny Plett, a worship leader with JANZ, gave me the tour. As a fellow worship leader, I was very interested in their studio. It is beautiful and well equpped. I must confess I was a little jealous of the Steinway piano!

Below is a pic of Kandern, Germany. Isn't it beautiful and quintessentially Bavarian? I just love the flower boxes.

Below is the fun Ellis family. I know this is a random shot of their family, but I love it. We all had a fun day touring the castle in France.

July 27- August 2 Sopron, Hungary.

I attended the Connect Conference hosted by Christian Associates. My time with the church planters of CA proved very fruitful and affirming. Darrin Jones (pictured here), a church planter in Aix-en-Provence, France said to me, “If you aren’t living a missional life at home, don’t think you will do it in Europe.” I really resonated with this. In fact I have told myself this very thing for many years, but to hear it from someone who lives overseas resonated even more. Something about Darrin’s comment just gave me freedom. I could sense a big sigh of relief in my spirit. I know that God has me exactly where he wants me for now and I am so thankful.

Over the next few posts I am going to do a Europe 2008 Trip Summary. I have broken it into dates and places. I think this is the easiest way to share what I have experienced. Thanks for reading!

July 24-26 Marseille, France. Visited with my friends, Scott and Mentanna. We talked about lots of things, but the main thing I took away from my time with them is that the soil is very hard in Europe (If you have a minute, read the parable of the soils in Luke 8). Imagine a farmer having to overturn a rocky field. That is what life is like here, slow, hard work. Planting churches here doesn't happen quickly like it does in other parts of the world. It takes constant preparation of the soil and consistent scattering of seed.

In my observations of Europe, I think that most Europeans are overall confused about the message of Christianity and the Bible. This coupled with the great wealth most enjoy creates major stumbling blocks for the gospel to be heard. But, I have had some wonderful conversations with people about my life as a follower of Jesus and they were very receptive. Unforuntately the God of the Scriptures has not been represented well for hundreds of years in this part of the world. (The Crusades are a major hurdle, and rightly so). But if someone lives authentic Christ-likeness in the world, people take note. That type of living gives one the right to be heard.

So my question today is this, am I living authentic Christ likeness? Am I living in a way that honors the teachings of Christ and gives voice to the love of God? If not, then should the world even listen to me? The more I see a world hungering for real love, forgiveness, truth, healing, help, friendship, acceptance, joy, patience, and life, the more I want to share that it is all found in one person... Jesus.

Let's walk the walk.

Divine Appointments…
A few years ago I heard the phrase ‘Divine appointment’ and it was intriguing to me. I first heard the phrase in a foreign country and we were told to pray that God would cross our path with someone who might want to talk about spiritual matters. I must confess that I was somewhat skeptical. When I looked out upon a city of 15 million that day, I really wondered how God would order the universe in a way so detailed that He would cross my path with someone who wanted to talk of faith.
Well, God began to ruin my small minded view on that first trip overseas and now 8 years later, He continues to ruin me. God is ALL about crossing our paths with those who want to talk about faith. In fact, He loves to do it! The problem is that I am not usually praying in the spiritual realm most of the time. I am usually asking God for the natural things I need like food, clothing, my keys (I lose them all the time) and things on that level. While God will take care of this (his promise to his children in Matt 6) I really think He is more interested in the bigger things. I think the bigger thing He is interested in is souls. We are spiritual beings, created for eternity. I think God wants us to ask Him about the spiritual realm more than the physical. There is a spiritual war being waged around us every minute. Am I engaged, am I asking God about it? Am I equipping myself with the Word and the Good News so that I am ready to participate in the eternal? (Ephesians 6) Too often my lame brain is concentrating more on this world that is passing away, rather than the world that is yet to come. (Rev 7)
So I wanted to share a story of how God jerked me into the spiritual realm while I was in Brussels. I was having a super time with my friend Janee. I so loved being with her and meeting her fiancée. My time was so wonderful with them that I was unable to schedule any time with my friend Nada, who works for Christian Associates. I wanted to meet Nada and hear about the CA work there but I had given that desire to the Lord a few days before and said to God, “If you want me to see Nada, I know you will do it.” So, with that short prayer I went on having a great time with Janee and Hary.
So, Janee and I were spending our last day together in the city. We walked out of the restaurant we were in and who did we ‘bump’ into? Nada!!! I was so thrilled! God ordered the world so that we could meet up in a city of millions of people! This is what I mean by Divine appointments. It is just so incredible how God does this. Nada invited us to join her and a friend that she was meeting for coffee. Well it just so happens that this friend she was meeting wanted to talk about spiritual matters. She and Nada were meeting for this purpose.
Well, 6 hours later our coffee was long gone and our hearts were so full because of the conversation had! Nada’s friend asked so many wonderful questions and intently listened to our testimonies. She told us that she is very open to the teachings of Jesus and that she wants to explore it more. It will be a privilege to pray for her as she and Nada continue to discuss the gospel. I know God will bless her pursuit because Jesus promises ‘that if you seek me you will find me if you seek me with all your heart.’
Isn’t our God so great? After experiencing such a miracle, you want other Christians to experience something similiar. And I believe God wants all of us to experience Him like this all the time. So, I am writing this to encourage you and also to dare you. You may be like I was 8 years ago, somewhat skeptical. That’s ok, I still dare you to ask God for a divine appointment. I dare you to ask God to allow you to share your testimony with someone in the next few days. Or ask God that you can minister to a friend in a special way that is unexpected by you and them. Maybe you can minister through prayer, service, hospitality, something… God can use us in a variety of ways to incarnate the gospel to someone else. So, I dare you to ask God for a divine encounter. Then I dare you to share it by commenting on my blog. If we all started sharing our experiences, I think we will be much more daring and much more encouraged to step out on faith with bold prayers.
So “I dare you to move.” (Hopefully the chorus of the Switchfoot song is playing in your mind now.)

I have participated in three very diverse church services since being in Europe. It has been wonderful! Last Sunday, I worshipped at the Arabic Christian Church in Brussels. They welcomed me with open arms and even invited me to share a song with them. So, I shared my song, "Lord I Praise You" along with that song story. It was a very encouraging time. I loved listening as this church sang "Father I adore You" in Arabic. It was beautiful.

Here are a few pics of my time with my friends in Brussels.

These are my treasured friends Janee and Hary. It is because of my friendship with Janee that I even had the privilege to meet everyone at the Arabic Christian Church of Brussels. Janee and I met in seminary. She is now an English teacher in Brussels and is engaged to Hary, a wonderful Christian man who loves Jesus with all his heart. They will marry on Sept 6 and I am so thankful I got to meet Hary before he marries my friend! Hary, you passed inspection! Janee, I am so happy for you! Thank you for a wonderful time in your home. You both really blessed me more than words can say.

This is Buchra. Buchra prayed for me during the worship service in French. I was very blessed by that. Even when you can't understand, in the Spirit you know that God is blessing your life through the prayer of a sister.

The other two church experiences have been in Madrid. Right now I am in Madrid and really enjoying myself. CA has two teams located in this area. One team planted a church in the suburbs, about 45 minutes outside of the city (Mountainview). The other team is in the city center (Oasis Madrid). I have been staying with a gal who works for Oasis Madrid. Last night we had house church at her apartment. It was wonderful as we heard Troy tell us the story of Onesimus in dramatic story telling style. It was incredible. And one of the gals, Kelly, led us in worship. (Kelly is in the middle of the pic below) This morning I attended Mountainview and played with their worship band. They rocked! I have really enjoyed Madrid. Here is a pic of one of my outings with the girls here!

I talked to my Mom yesterday and she requested more pictures. So, per her request, here are some pictures. I thought I would give you some of the best so far.

Christian Associates Conference

Sopron, Hungary

July 27-August 2

This is Steve Severs. He met with Amber and I in March and shared with us about CAI. Steve is 6'9" and yes, he plays basketball. He actually played professionally in Europe. After becoming a Christian he returned to Europe with CAI to start churches in Brussels. When I met with Steve I had no idea it would lead to me attending Connect. It's always fun to see where a first conversation can lead.

Danish was a big blessing to us at our conference. Danish is Hungarian and handled all the PR between our group and the hotel. He was incredible! With a conference of 250 Americans, you can bet he was busy helping us! As a gift, I gave Danish some of my music and am praying that it blesses him as he blessed me! Thank you Danish!

This is Greg Boyd and his wife. Greg was the teacher for our conference. He is most famous for his book, "Letters to a Skeptic." Greg has a wonderful heart for Jesus and really ministered to me. The Holy Spirit spoke through him powerfully and I was very challenged by his messages. All the messages from the conference are on itunes. If you do a search in itunes under "Christian Associates" You will find the Connect messages. I highly encourage you to check it out.

I had high hopes of posting more pics but I am tired. As I look at this picture with Greg, I am reminded of what he said from the platform, "I feel like I found my tribe." I echo that sentiment. This band of brothers and sisters called "Christian Associates" are my kind of people. They are just real people, serving a real Savior and doing whatever it takes to share Christ in a relevant way.

One of the church planters of CA said to me, "Amy, if you aren't engaged in your own culture, sharing Jesus, then what makes you think you will do it here?" I keep thinking about that. I am so convicted by that statement. Why do we think missions is for someone else in another place? Why don't we think of ourselves as missionaries to our neighbors, friends, business partners? Did you know that is what missionaries do? They just look for people around them to share the gospel with. They wake up each morning and ask God for an opportunity to share the love of Jesus in a tangible way. Am I doing that at home? If I am not doing that in Texas, what makes me think I will do it in Europe?

So, as I come home to Texas I have decided I must learn Spanish. I have said this 100 times, but really, I know it's time. (Rebecca, get ready! I need a tutor!) I am actually very excited about the future in Texas and what God will do in the next season of life.

Blessings friends. Let's go share Jesus today.

amy

Due to little availability of internet, I have not been able to keep you updated. I finished the conference on Saturday, put Amber on a plane home, caught a train to Basel, SWZ and have been in Kandern Germany since Sunday morning. Oh, and did mention I took a night train? I reserved a 'couchette', which simply means very little bed. It was not as Euro-glamorous as I thought it would be! I think I got about 3 hours of sleep.

My friends, the Ellis's live in this region. They have so been so hospitable. We have had a wonderful time seeing the sites, eating wonderful food, visiting a French castle. (see pic below)

I have learned more about their work with Wycliff. It is amazing how God is using them to further the Kingdom.

The Black Forest is a must see for any of you considering a visit to Germany. It's so beautiful. Here are a few pics from our outings around here. Bless you all and thank you for praying. My time has been refreshing and full of Jesus.

Amy

This morning Amber and I led worship for the missionaries here at the Christian Associates conference.  We had a great time! The musicians here are very talented and we jammed with them.  Amber played drums, I played keys, a bass player joined name Marty, a guy played electric and another guy named Scott played acoustic.  We did everything from Waterdeep stuff, to Billy and Cindy Foote's 'Sing to the King'.  God was so good because the 5 of us had never played together and after about 45 minutes of practice, we gelled. 

There was a huge response during our time of worship.  We were all very moved. we really celebrated together and it was so evident that the Holy Spirit was at work in all of our hearts.  

So far this experience with Christian Associates has been far beyond my expectations.  As one guy said, 'this is my tribe.'  I must say that I feel the same way.  So does Amber.  It is so refreshing to be around a group of folks that really only care about you knowing Christ intimately.  They aren't hung up on the 'extras'.  It is really is all about Jesus.  I am very blessed.

Sorry for the delay in posting! We arrived in Hungary by the grace of God! Thank you for praying. We actually had to fly to get here. Our plan was to use our Eurail passes, which we did. But those passes couldn't get us to Hungary in time. Thank God for Ryan Air which got us to Vienna in time for our conference and at a reasonable price. If you ever travel Europe you must know that Ryan Air is awesome. Only 20€ to get from Milan to Vienna. Getting to Milan from Marseille by train was a lesson for Amber in culture. She didn't know you could fit so many people on a train!! Personal space was definitely invaded along the way, but nonetheless, we made it!

Now for some long awaited pics! The picture above is of a cool building in Milan,Italy. Amber took this picture and I liked the shot.

The Duomo (cathedral) in Milan, Italy. (left) We did not expect to travel through Italy, but we definitely made the most of it. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner that night and of course, some Italian wine from the Chianti region. Delicioso!

These pictures below are of Notre Dame in Marseille, France. (Notre Dame means 'Our lady', which refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is common for there to be a Notre Dame in most cities of France. Most Americans think that Notre Dame is just in Paris. I thought this until I visited other cities in France.) Notre Dame Marseille sits on the top of the hill and this church is the 'protector' of the port of Marseille. People come to this cathedral and ask Mary to heal their city, heal their children, protect the port. So this church is the religious and spiritual marker for the entire city. There were hundreds of visitors that day. It felt more like a museum than a place of worship.

We Arrived!!!

After 29 hours of travel we finally reached our destination! We are tired, but we made it.
We are spending our first few days with some good friends here in Marseille. Marseille is a port city so it is very international. And being a port city, that means there is a beach! We plan to take a dip in the Mediterranean today. We will also check out the old city of Marseille and find out more about it's diverse culture. We learned last night while eating dinner that some of the Campbell's friends here just found out that their child has cancer of the blood. Please pray for this child and pray that as the Campbells try to encourage these friends that the love of Jesus would shine through and that they will be more ready to receive the gospel as a result.

Last night our friends cooked us an awesome French meal! I had to take pics of the food! I love pretty and tasty food. And believe me, this meal was more than tasty, it was heavenly!

Salad with goat cheese (the best goat cheese I have ever had. These French don't play when it comes to cheese!)

We also had a beautiful main course of pork medallions with fromage sauce (that would be another word for cheese). Yes, we are in the land of cheese and I love it!

If you are still reading, please pray for Amber and I and our travel plans to Vienna on Saturday. It seems that the Eurail system is pretty booked this time of year and we are having to really work hard to get from Marseille to our conference outside of Vienna. I know we will get there, but I am thinking its going to be tricky. So please pray that we can make connections. Thank you!

Amy

So in the morning I leave for Europe to take part in a conference called "CONNECT" with Christian Associates. Christian Associates is a church planting ministry that is reaching the continent of Europe. Every year they host this conference to bring together their church planters and those interested in the vision of reaching Europe.
Did you know that 600 million people live in Europe and less than 5% of them attend church regularly? And of the churches they might choose to attend, very few of them offer a relevant and Biblical view of life and the gospel. As a result, less then 2% of those 600 million profess faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Most Europeans believe that God is a myth and that the Bible is irrelevant.
There is a great need in Europe for vibrant Christians to share their faith in Jesus and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). So, I am looking forward to meeting Christians who are doing just that! Connect Conference will be full of vibrant Christians who are burdened to share the gospel in Europe. I look forward to my time with these church planters. I am eager to ask them questions about their work and how they are reaching the post modern ,secular humanists of Europe. I am increasingly aware of secular humanism's handprint on our own society and I think spending time in Europe will teach me much about reaching my own culture.
I will do my best to share what I am learning along the way. Oh, I almost forgot! I am reading a book that all the church planters with Christian Associates have read. It's called the "Forgotten Ways" by Alan Hirsch. It's all about missions and church. So feel free to read along with me and post any comments you have about it.
Ok, I gotta get some shut eye before a big day of travel!
Blessings,
Amy

I established this blog two years ago and I only posted one time!!!  I know of only one person who found my blog, ( sorry that I kept you hanging Weems).  The moral of this story is that there is a good chance I won't be faithful to this.  But, right now I feel up to the challenge.  I leave for Europe in 4 days and what better way to share my journey? 

So here we go... Global Nobles is back!