Missions - Reign Ministries

All right. Good morning. Matt is great to be here in this nice. Beautiful. Cool, Oregon weather Jen and I we live in South Florida down by West Palm Beach and if it ever okay, how many ways did Disney lot of Disney people here? Yeah, but we live south of Orlando down between Miami and by West Palm Beach area and we laughed I mean it. Is it right now? It's so humid where you can just cut it with a knife and you can slice it into quarters and pieces, you know, and like hold it. That's how we got here. It is. So nice and cool and dry. We're sit. We were spent two days in Sunriver. We're sitting out yesterday on a bench eating in the Sun was shining on us and it felt so good because we're laughing going we're sitting out here is a nice Sunshine is hot is warm or not sweating, you know coming to Florida where you just step outside. You just start sweating. So did you guys have a beautiful place here? This is absolutely This is definitely God's country. In fact, when you look out and you see those mountains, there is no way you can deny that there's no God here because God has declared his glory through his creation here. It's amazing. So we got some fun things. We hiked up to Benham Falls. We went to the lava rocks. We went into the coolest thing we did was the mile hike in a cave Xi River Cave that was really really fun. That was way cool and just enjoyed being in the in Oregon. So thanks for having us come and and get a chance to share. And today what I want to do this morning is I wanted to give you guys a chance to get to know Jen and I and who we are and what we do, but I also want to share about our mission and why be at behind everything that we do every what does a y And we know our why our what becomes so much more powerful. I make sense when Jen and I joined rain Ministries. I just kind of give you the history about our lives Jen and I've been married for 29 years. We have four kids Travis is 24. He is a CPA accountant in Tampa Florida, or you've done something you're like, what was I thinking? You don't why did he do this again? And there have been moments in my wife and I were we just not to ourselves what have we done? But my wife and I threw a lot of this we've learned that in our obedience to God. There's no guarantee that life can be easy. And if you are wrestling right now with whether or not to walk in obedience with God, I'm going to tell you it's worth it no matter how hard it is and we know that this story is not over we know that God is uses in our lives to teach ASL. I obviously you can see it's a very emotional part in my life still but we've learned so much about obedience through what we've gone through but I want to share with you guys. I just a Lil Bit about us on Jen and I love what we do. We've been in youth ministry really pretty much since the day we were married and so we have have a heart for youth ministry of a heart for Missions and for discipling young people and discipling people in general but 16 years ago Jen and I were at a Crossroads in our life and just going to figure out what's next. We know that you have something to store and we heard about rained Industries and we heard about this and instantly I gravitated towards what They were doing and what they were doing was they were having a chance to impact young people in America and taking them on missions trips all over the world with a purpose of discipling them and training them and equipping them. But also we had an opportunity to do something that we are passionate about Nessie quit being leaders in equipped and trained other leaders and sew in 2002 We join rain Ministries, we resign from a position. I was a youth pastor in Anchorage Alaska and we decided to to sell everything we owned we load up our van through everything in a little trailer hitch the back of the van and off we went to move to Florida south Florida and we moved to Palm City Florida sight unseen and and landed there it on our way through he stopped by and saw. Sabina at that time. Our kids are little tiny things. And now they're drawn with you is really first about is why we do we do and what is our mission and I miss you. Simply this it is to build an advance the kingdom of God and to develop a great commandment heart in a Great Commission lifestyle in the hearts and lives of Youth and youth leaders now and I say that I want to break that down for you and this is really my part of my message for you today is to build and Advance the kingdom of God. Now when you think about the kingdom of God, you know, is she in the culture that day when when Jesus talked about the kingdom in fat Jesus all throughout the gospels. He talked about the kingdom. It starts at the back of the kingdom was at hand repent for the kingdom is at hand. He talked about that the kingdom of God of the Kingdom of Heaven is like the man who went out and sold everything he had and bought the field because he found a treasure all throughout the gospels. We see Jesus referring to the kingdom of God in the culture of that Jay, especially in the Jewish culture. That meant something different for them for the Jewish culture and for his disciples at the beginning before they really understood who Jesus was and what he was about in his mission and purpose. They were thinking of the Kingdom as it's amazing ruler. That was Anna come down that was going to set them free if politically from the Roman rule and they were going to be a nation again and their own Rule and have a key that was going to sit on the throne and rule them for ever. And that is completely the opposite of what God had in mind when he talked about his kingdom. In fact that were changed them actually means rain and so when you talk about God's kingdom in the gospels, he Jesus was saying the reign of God the reign of God. What what Jesus did and what God the Father did is in the reign of God coming to this earth. It was a complete opposite of what we humans would think of someone raining God's idea of rainy was the send his one and only son Jesus Christ to this earth. With the sole purpose of sacrificing his life for you and I and for Lost World. It's so instead of him coming to this world and being served. Jesus came to this world and he's served and he gave his life as a ransom for every single lost soul. And that was the idea of raining for God that he was going to come and Rain through the death the burial and resurrection and at the end we know who wins at the resurrection Jesus conquered death. He conquered sin. He conquers everything. Therefore the king of that you just talked about was a kingdom that was going to rain and you don't so excited. I thought you guys and this is the part that I got excited about when we joined rain Ministries, and that's why we're calling Ministries because of the Kingdom. But when I got excited about was I was a youth pastor to time. I was in a large church. We Jen and I had the privilege of seeing this church grow from we started with six kids and our youth group to having a hundreds and hundreds of students are youth ministry our church a drone in the thousands and we had the privilege of being a part of this but you know inside of me Jen and I both there was something that we said, you know what it's not just about this church is about the grain of God throughout the world is about the kingdom of God and what he's doing all over the world and we don't want to just get stuck in this little kingdom right here because God's kingdom is so much greater than this and when we heard that we could go out and we can help build an advanced Gods rain. Around the world and right now this morning on Sunday, there are communities of Faith just like this Believers in Christ Vol De Jesus Christ communities that are meeting right now that are part of that rain of God that Kingdom and we thought we can go out to be a part of that and help build in advance that and use our gifts and talents and passions. We got really excited about that. I don't know about you but I still 16 years later. I am still excited about that. That's something that motivates me that why drives my what I do. And I get excited about that. And so I want to tell you guys that I think we all have a part in that I think we all have a part in the reign of God on this Earth. He is in still in each one of us gifts passions talents that he wants us to use to build an advanced that rain that Kingdom and we all get to be a part of that and fulfilling it and I don't have all the gifts. So you might have gifts that I don't have the we all need to use those gifts and talents together so that we can accomplish the mission that God has for us. So what I want to start with is looking at a verse in 1st John Chapter 2 because we're going to kind of see what is that mission look like and in the mission that we have is a building Advanced God's kingdom and I think it's something that we all are called to do not just missionaries like Jen and I but we're all called to do this and we're all called to do Juju both feel that in one way shape or another in what I love about this pathogen John. We're I apologize. We're in a bounce around a little bit here, but my make appointment first John chapter 2 verse 6, it says whoever claims to live in him, which is living Christ must live as Jesus did So whoever claims to follow Christ must live as you just did or walk as you just walked now, that word walk is a keyword. Because and I think was cool about this is John the Apostle who wrote this letter. He had experienced Walking With Jesus literally literally and and I don't know if you've ever tried to follow someone's footsteps as a little tiny kid might my dad. We had our cattle ranch in California and I never my dad to be walking to the Mucky mud and I would try to follow his footsteps in his footsteps are bigger than mine, but I will try to follow me so I wouldn't get stuck in the mud and that's rule Italy what John is talking about. He's talking about walking in Jesus's step is he's talking about following the pattern of Jesus Is Life John had first-hand experience doing this and one of the things that

He was calling the church to do. He's in if you claim to follow Christ the year also called to walk as Jesus walked your called the following his footsteps the fall of the pattern of how Jesus lived his life. And that is one of the things that we are passionate about doing is how do we lead people to follow Jesus not to follow a philosophy not to follow a way of living life, but to follow Jesus the follow the pattern of his life the fall the way he lived his life and I think if we as a body of Christ and we as individual Falls reprise can really grab a hold of what that looks like in our life and we start taking those steps and following Jesus is life and following the pattern of his life. We're going to see incredible transformation in our hearts. And that's something that was in our mission is just try to accomplish with our students and I'll tell you more about that little bit You know, what happened was I believe that John understood this. Well, John understand this well, because if you go to Mark chapter 1 verse 17 and Mark chapter 1 verse 17, Jesus had established a relationship with the disciples and he had built a relationship and started building trust with them. And at one point in the relationship. He invites the disciples to follow him come and follow me and get to know me and they spent time following Jesus traveling with Jesus seeing what he did, but then there comes a point in that relationship like every relationship where there's almost like a y in the road. and it's a point where it's like, okay, it's either you're all in or you're not and she is at this point tells his disciples follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men At this point in the relationship. Jesus is taking that next step with his disciples, and he's calling them to something bigger and greater than just follow me and hang out with me and get to know me know he's now he's saying follow me and as a result the following me. I am going to make you Fishers of Men. A lot of times what happens with that is a lot of times we flip flop that and a lot of times what we do is we challenge people to be Fishers of Men everybody going to church and people challenge you to do that. But sometimes if we've been taught how to follow Jesus first and follow his footsteps in the pattern his life. We can't really be a fisher of men but Jesus told his disciples. He said follow me and as you follow me I am going to teach you in the result is going to be you are going to be a fisher of men and here we seeing first John chapter 2 verse 6, John is the fruit of Jesus's Ministry. John is a fruit and John Xperia. Spurs hand and following Jesus for three and a half years spending time with Jesus watching juice in Ministry watching Jesus at work and then it all the sudden he gets to Appoint his ministry in his life and now he's challenging people to do the same thing. John reproduces himself through Christ and he put himself to challenge other you to follow Christ. So in reality, that's what we get to do. That's what we can do the students this so we want to build an advanced God's kingdom and we want to develop in our heart in the students a heart for God do it great commandment heart and a great commandment heart is is this if you turn to Matthew chapter 22, Matthew 22 verse 34

In this In this passage, Jesus is being challenged. She's being challenged by a Pharisees and and and they're trying to trap him and they say this hearing that Jesus had silenced excited. She's a Pharisees got together one of them an expert in the law texted him with this question teacher which is which is the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus replied love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul. And with all your mind. This is a first and greatest commandment and the second is like it love your neighbor as yourself all the law and the prophets. Hang on these two commands. What's interesting here is that this Pharisees trying to trap Jesus and any at this point you think the Pharisees would give up on trying but they've been trying and trying and you just ask question, but Jesus is answer is so straight to the point. You know, he doesn't try to get him. Some deep answer is simple, isn't it? It's the greatest commandment is love God with all your heart your soul in your mind. And what we see Jesus doing at this point is he is pointing at a vertical relationship. He says focus on loving God Focus all your attention on the vertical relationship. And the results of focusing all your attention lyric relationship. Is this the second commandment love your neighbor as yourself when we focus our vertical tension on God. the horizontal relationships are taken care of. Because our focus on God, that's God working in and through us to love those people around us. And all throughout the gospels, we see Jesus living us out weird. You just had a heart for the father hit of heart to see the father glorified through his life. He had a heart to see the father's will be fulfilled.

And then at the end of it all.

in Matthew 28 He says this.

He challenges them to take everything that they have learned and to give it away to other people and it Matthew 28 verse 19. I Miss Universe 18 then Jesus came to them and said all authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me therefore since all three been given to me since I have the authority to do this he saying therefore now go and make disciples of all Nations baptizing in the name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything. I have commanded you and surely I am with you always the very end of the age at the end of all this Jesus commissions his disciple. He gives him a Great Commission to go out and live out with and learn from him. teaching people to obey to follow Baptizing identifying them with Christ and the idea of going isn't just that you have to go a lot of times you think of going and that we have to go to the outermost part of the world God call some of us to go but the idea of girl that Jesus is talking about here. Is he that as you go about your daily life as you go about as you go to work tomorrow as you go to school as you go hang out with friends as you go to the coffee shop, whatever you said you go do as you go about doing those lives you are making disciples you are bringing and you are advancing the kingdom of God and so I share with you because I think that's something that we all can apply to Everyday Life redeemers Church as a body can be a church that is building advancing God's kingdom that's developing a great commandment hard in a Great Commission lifestyle in the hearts and lives of people right here in this community of Believers that's giving multiplied all over the City of Redmond. I need to bend and sisters Portland and Beyond and so I think God has that for all of us. What does that look like for for us in our ministry? And right now to this morning but I want to do is I'm just going to throw up some pictures you just going to tell you guys some stories. She just kind of share with you about how we accomplish this mission of building advanced in God's kingdom and how we do that in the first way that we do that is through our ministry call Royal servants every summer. We take hundreds of students on mission trips all over the world this summer. We had teams Odyssey and Europe trip that Jen and I'll eat every summer we had teams in Costa Rica. We've had a Seth and Phillip actually went several years back to Costa Rica on a team with us. We had teams to Ireland Scotland China Uganda this year in Kenya Israel. And our goal is to take those students on these missions trips and give them an opportunity to live out advancing God's Kingdom. Growing their faith and on this is our team in Europe. Is that our training camp facility students come together to our training camp for a week. We teach them how to share their faith. We teach them how to get to the word and we break up in a small discipleship groups and all the students are being discipled all throughout the summer. They learn different ways of doing Ministry. We have some school teams like our China team they go to China and they actually teach English to Chinese students and they put on English camps for high school students in China and little kids and through those Believe it or not. We are seeing God raised up followers of Christ in China through our students teaching English. I could tell you so many cool stories where young people in China have come to try. So I'll just tell you one. My son Travis have gone this team to China and at the end of it all this one student came to Christ. And if this student in China, he posted on Facebook, I just want you all to know that I now have the same God as my friends from America have because that young person to give their life to Christ and it's actually post it on Facebook cuz he said yeah that that person give electric rice. It is all because just being with these students and then sharing their life and sharing their stories and sharing the gospel. And so that's just one example in Europe you go to the next slide Britain. What is ice in the morning is just kind of idea of what training camp looks like the students live in tents, and we haven't all split broken down by teams. And it really early in the morning as you can see the sun. Just coming up we get out we get to see this going early and exercising and we just had their days packed in argolis. We have a week to prepare these students for anything that could happen and believe me. We're traveling all over the world anything can happen. And so we have to have the students ready to go because Anything could happen and we love training camp is a lot of fun as you can see the nice line of porta-potties over there that think of that use that we have never ever use a porta-potty ever imagined so

This is just sitting around her family area of this a couple years ago. And we have our Littleton Trail in each team has area we're just kind of getting ready as soon as we're doing some Bible study and and sharing. So yeah, it was cool that summer cuz my kids are three kids right here Tyler Travis and snowy right in the corner. That's it then so it's just a lot of fun doing this what we do go ahead next line. This is Jen. We prepare students by just doing all kinds of activities trying to get them to learn how to trust God to trust each other and there's just doing a truss walk with them and Jen is leading in through the stress walk. And God has blessed us with Incredible facility in Wisconsin in Portage, Wisconsin. We were able to purchase his Camp As Old Farm and we turned it into a training camp and we're pretty simple. It's a building and the Restless tents in Porta-Potty. So we live out like this. I lived there for a month wouldn't like this before we go overseas Jenny to come a little bit later, but it's just a lot of fun and just incredible experience affect students will say one of their favorite at the end of the SimpliSafe. My favorite time. This summer was back at training camp, even though it was so hard God taught me so much. There you go ahead to next slide. So this is what we prepared at training camp for so that when were overseas this is our team and Warsaw Poland and we will go out into the streets of Europe especially in Europe is Street performance is part of the culture there and we'll put on shape for pharmacy right here. We're doing a drama call the clocks and you'll see the people to start gathering around and sometimes it might be a small crowd other times. It could be a large crowd no matter how many people stopped to watch. We give it all we have because at the end of it where to get a chance to share and talk with those people. So if you go to the next slide, hopefully, we'll see you here's a good example after we perform we just go out and talk and this is Jen actually having a conversation with a young couple and getting a chance to share the gospel. What's amazing is Europe Europe is one of the least evangelize continents in the world. Is post-christian but there is a hunger to have that spiritual conversation. They are completely turned off by religion. But they're open to talk about Jesus as a one of the things that we do is we don't talk about religion. In fact, we didn't tell them we're not religious people or we don't believe in religion even what we talked about the fact that it's about a relationship with God through Jesus and they're open to talk about that and it's very very seldom. Do we see people come to Christ in Europe, but the way we see it is that's that's God responsibility. Our responsibility is a plant seeds a truth and let God do what he does best and that's change hearts. And so do we get a chance to do a lot of sharing and that's just a shot of gin get the chance to share the gospel with some people after a performance. Go ahead Britain. Here's one of the things to in Europe as many of you know, there's a large large Muslim population. And as you can see our young ladies here, they're actually having conversation with Muslim girls and and God has given us an opportunity. I'm all throughout Europe to have conversations with Muslims. And again, we know that they might not come to Christ right then but by planting those seeds a truth we know that God is going to use that in their lives and we trust God and so this was in Brussels Belgium. There's a very large Muslim population there and it's oh, yes, it will be exciting things about this part of what we do is that students that share their faith and a regular basis every day. They will say at the end of the summer. You know, what the more I share my faith no more passionate. I become for my relationship with Christ ownership I have and what we want to see happen in the hearts and lives of students. Is he wanting to be exposed to the needs the world has for Christ, don't you? Think about this for yourself for a second? When you're exposed to something, you see the needs it softens your heart. Doesn't it even write in your own Community ever been to spot and right here in your own community and you go. Wow, I didn't realize that we had that issue or problem right here and all the sudden your heart is softened because you're exposed to something that you didn't realize was a reality and that's it. We're trying to do we're trying to expose students to the reality that they live in a world that has lost the people need a savior they need Jesus and the next thing I do is make whipped him and how to share their faith week with them and how to go out and talk to people and how that conversation we clip them and how to grow in their face. Why did you want to ignite in a passion for God and we do that through specific teaching and discipleship and then at the end of it all we want to send them home to be active actually involved in Ministry.

What are the big parts of what we do in the discipleship process is just the relationships that we build Jen and I have the privilege of an error making our regular peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the end of the summer. You're sick and tired of peanut butter. You think Curtis you eat peanut butter now, I still love peanut butter peanut butter and jelly the summertime you get tired after a while, but one of the cool things about this shot is this is Jen with Maria. They're building their making sandwiches and and Jen is getting a chance to build a relationship that we get to do as we're letting his life of these students for 6 weeks. We were traveling with him 24/7. We're getting a chance to just build relationships and pour our lives in their life. And she was really life on life disciple making disciples. He poured his life in his disciples and he taught them he live with them and you laugh with him. He shared with them and as he did that We sit 2000 + years later as a result of what you just started with his disciples. Is that exciting to think about and we the past that on it so Jen I get to do that. And so this is one of the ways that we do is just simply by working together and living life together. Go ahead next slide. There were traveling we were leaving. I think it was Zagreb on our way somewhere else and we travel by train the last couple years and were lined up waiting for the train to show up and you just got to get on that train as fast as you can if not, you get left behind as happened. This happened Pursuits of gotten left on the train. So I just want to find a means hot out there and we're traveling it's exciting there long travel days, but it is so worth it. Go ahead the next shot. And there's a funny picture. We were in Slovenia and Jen's laughing because she just train was probably what gen a hundred degrees plus inside as she gets on the train in the whole trained to smell like urine, you know as though she's just like it was an old old trains that is Eastern Europe, you know, Sylvania so you can see it's not the most beautiful train is not as glamorous change that you see in movies, you know that you were traveling in Europe, but the funny thing about his she's got the most sensitive nose have any of us and so she was the first one on and all of a sudden this smell which is like a man. So anyways, but uncomfortable that's of everything so go ahead and go to next shot. Now I'm going to just kind of transition a little bit with the last you saw it was Royal servants something that we do every summer and we take hundreds of kids all over the world and Jen. I've had the privilege of leading that trip to Europe for the last 14 years. And so we've had a chance to see God just do amazing things that again I can say I didn't tell you story after story after Story what I've seen God do and where students are at today, but I will say this I've heard it said this way is that one parent said that trip not just need to change my child's life, but it changed the trajectory of their life. And I think that is cute. I think that's a Jesus can do in our lives. She can not just change your life, but he can change the trajectory of where our life is going. Now. Something else that we need to do is throughout the year. I do a lot of spring break Mission strips and in short-term mission trips like 10 days like you guys have been on with me to Costa Rica. This was a youth group 2 / bring that I took from Alaska and we were working. The youth group in Kechi Costa Rica you go to the next picture but not only that walking through Europe somewhere. So pictures of Costa Rica, we've gotten a chance to go into schools and teach English and they want to learn English because English is so prevalent if you can speak good English in Costa Rica or even better and so we've been going to high schools and teaching English and through teaching English. We are getting a chance to share the gospel and this specific school. I remember during the break time. What are the young ladies can't resist curse. I just got to sit down and walk to the whole gospel Spanish track with this girl during break time, and we're getting opportunities in the teachers are so we're doing such a good job with English. The teachers are starting to get excited and they want us to come back every year. So we're not getting invited to come back every year we spent They just going everyday in the schools teaching English and the contact that he has all these students was pretty cool to get a chance to share with these dudes and she relies with them. Go ahead the next picture. We make it interactive get a chance to build a relationship and overtime going back and forth every day every day of the week. We get a chance to really get to know the students as well. Go ahead and keep going.

Now here is a cool picture. And those of you that went to Costa Rica this last year can appreciate this but this happened afterwards and they had their first baptism in the pool and they had I think it was they said like 12 or 13 people that were being baptized but that picture brought tears to my eyes because as I saw that it was like well Lord, you know, you guys played a big part in this we got the grant for the swimming pool you guys I told the team this last year we have never I've never had so hard and I felt so guilty a little bit. Because we worked our tails off this man right here going to work concrete like none other and and can just kept going and going and going and we were Mixing concrete mixing concrete. But you know, it was exciting. I told the team that every every year I bring change down God puts together the right people for what we're trying to accomplish and had not you guys come we would not be able to accomplish what we got to call this accomplished on this trip is like God has orchestrated that and I'm not just saying that I really really mean that every year God puts together the right team to accomplish and this is what I'm talking about about building advancing God's kingdom God Reigns and God is using this Camp to npac Young people's lives and impact the Dolls Slide, but not only the people there but God is using this Camp to impact the lives of people that go and serve. Do I guarantee you those of you who went your life was different wasn't it? And I say I hear that from every that goes on these trips. So if you want God to shake up your life and you want God to do something your life that I would challenge you to go on one of these trips with us. It's exciting. So I said give it to you. If you look over there right to those of you who care those sticks in the ground. They are now green and beautiful those are actually plants and they are now growing and and they're pretty

This is a vacation bible school at we did and Matt was a teacher did a phenomenal job. We were blown away with how many kids we had. And again, I'm sharing this with you because this is part of what God is allowing us to do in the impact. We're having this is a neighborhood that I had never had anything like this before and it was a brand new neighborhood and at the church was not sure how I was going to go but God has gave us favor with the families and the kids and we just had a great time and we're hoping to do it again this coming year when we go back in january-february see the relationships that are built over time and it's just a lot of fun. Go ahead. Now this is in Columbia. Last October. One of the things I got to do as well as doing youth ministry training all over Latin America and last year in Columbia. I was there with about 300 soccer players from all over Columbia. Am I friends, you know, which is got the ball in his head. That's Gino. We grew up together in Columbia. Gino felt led by guy to start a sports club for kids that might not ever have an opportunity to join a sports club. And so he use soccer as a tool to share the gospel if he started little by little just started really small and it kept growing and growing and growing our paths cross about 10 years ago. And he says Curtis when you come down and train us and teach us how to disciple making how to do missions. So I spent about three years just going to Columbia and training his team in working with them. Then from there. What we did is we actually had the Colombians come to our training camp for sale. Play with royal servants and we started training them and how do short-term missions trips. You can go ahead and go to the next picture. This is a Colombia team that was in in our training camp facility this summer. We had 22 Colombians that came through our training camp for a week. We've actually a translate Oliver material the Spanish so they can have in Spanish then what we did is they actually went on their own missions trip in the inner city Chicago and then made their way back to Florida and disa Ministry in Florida and then went back to Columbia. We have had a hundreds of Colombian since you started doing this and we always laugh about the fact that it's a miracle in itself that the United States song is in the country have the best reputation and and we joke about it, but every year John raises the money for them to come and in a lot of these people don't have a lot of money. This is something he wants your lifetime. That's what's really exciting and ineffective.

Since then since the last eight years has been taking teams to all the Olympics. They've been to London. They've been to Brazil. They've been to several World COPS and they started a worldwide World Cup with Christians on that come and play soccer together, but it all started from just being trained and equipped and if with a vision of what how to do this and what to do and now we're seeing got you some really cool stuff in Columbia through stalker going to go to the next line and they were actually in Russia at the World Cup and just had an opportunity to go out and share Christ with people Columbia's are really proud of their flag. And so they are there flags everywhere next picture. This guy is name is Kevin. He's on Geno's team. And I share this picture with his Gino and a small team this past year went to the Middle East and and they went to the Middle East to Jordan to teach people how to use soccer to reach Muslim young people and Kevin and his wife went with Gina on this team and Kevin and his wife felt. So strongly that God was calling them to stay in Jordan talk about faith. Kevin wasn't planning on going to the move and stay but they needed help in the clubs and they need help Indian train and how to do all this and how to disciple kids to soccer Kevin. His wife decided by faith is stay in Jordan and to continue doing Ministry there and they're still there right now on a short-term Visa working in Jordan is a guy says so much passion and love for discipling young people through Sports. So I had to share the story of Kevin. This was actually in Bogota way up on the mountain overlooking the city of Bogota on this past year. Going to the next slide. No that was in Columbia to take you to a little place little tiny little country called El Salvador El Salvador is one of the roughest places when I go to El Salvador, I pray a lot more El Salvador is u v red things in the news about El Salvador and the gang violence with MS-13 18th street gangs and how they are just completely taken over my buddy song in the yellow. We met a while back in Nicaragua at a youth workers conference and he asked you would you come to El Salvador and do what you do training people. If we need help in our community in our sit in our country end up going about 7 years ago and spent about four years just training and working with them and I still have an ongoing relationship and we still are working together. That's all it was a homeless guy in self and he was a crackhead and he lived on the streets and San Salvador. He actually was deported from Chicago back in the way long time ago, and he's young because he had been doing drugs and he got caught and got sent. El Salvador but he lived on the streets. He was homeless and God got a hold of his life and change his heart and he felt God calling him to go to reach the people that he once was and so he started going back and he went back to kiss out that Becky where he grew up where the 18th Street gang was formed and he is reaching a lot of those kids. You see in that picture their parents are gang members and he is reaching kids of of the gangs and he has a house in old house. He rented out he kind of fixed it up and he is bring people in 3 days a week to feed them and he's got a youth group that he started and Gino. Came to El Salvador and we had to the Colombian team come and train them and how to do soccer clubs. He has about 50 kids that come weekly to his soccer club and he's recycling kids through that those were my heroes because he is passionate about disciple young people and reaching them and he will risk his life for what he does then go to the next picture. This is a group of this is one of the poorest communities you'll ever go to you go there and and I'm used to it. I'm used to seeing a lot and I've been to a lot of really poor places, but when I go there and I stay there it's uncomfortable uncomfortable. It's hard. It's not easy, but the fact that he doesn't he lives and he loves these kids. It's amazing what God is doing through the ministry of he has their do I go to next slide.

And that's pretty much it. That is it. So that's just in a nutshell. Hopefully kind of give you a better understanding about what we get to do and people might say so one of the questions that people ask sometimes is so how do you see your success? That's a great question. Sometimes you know what I don't get to see. All the success. I don't always get to see the fruit and I think a lot of time to explain it to this to people especially in a western mindset us Americans in our mind said we are results-oriented. Are we going to see our results and if we don't start thinking well, maybe it's just not worth doing but something that God has taught us Jen and I is that you don't always see the results right away. In fact, I've come to the conclusion that what we are called to do is work called each one of us. We're all called to be disciple makers in one way shape or form or another. Are all called to minister to people in the power of the holy spirit is not us doing the work is it it's a holy spirit working in and through us. And we are have to leave the results to God. These results are gods and that is something that God has taught Gemini these past years that we've been doing Ministry like this is that we don't always get to see the results. But what we do know is that we're acting out in obedience and we're trusting God that he is going to use it and then every once in awhile God blesses me and gives me an opportunity and gives us an opportunity to hear the story or hear what God is doing next. Like I said, I could go on and on and tell you stories of things that I'm seeing God do now that started 10 years ago, and I'd be like next thing I think is important to remember that we see in the Life of Christ and building in advancing God's kingdom you guys here at this church is excited to see that God has provided a place for you that you are a community of Believers that are making an impact in your in your community and we don't know what's happened right now today how God is going to use what's happening right now a year from now. And that's kind of exciting. And that's where our faith comes in and that's what motivates me to continue pursuing tries to continue walking with him and following him because at the end of the day is going to be his work this happening through me and that's the way it's supposed to be. So I really encourage you if God is nudging your heart. Maybe he's calling you to serve anyone with shape one way or another. I'm sure there's opportunities right here. I challenge you to step out in faith and say God, I'm going to let you use me. Where do you want to use me right here in Redmond, Oregon? osprey father I want to thank you so much.