“You can't change today's outcome but you can control your effort. Push through it.” That is the saying I have posted on a sticky note on the desktop of my laptop. At the beginning of the day I had every intention of being back in Lennoxville by this point but circumstances have lead to me spending the night at the airport in New York.


Things this time around have been very different, even before this day came. For the past couple months I have fought with if God was leading me back. Amidst my obstacles I was lead to know and trust that I was on the right track because of these obstacles. When you're doing Kingdom work, Satan will try every way in the world to get you to turn away from it. It started with shoulder pains that became very intense, so much so that I thought I needed another operation to fix it. Another member of the team was facing a similar situation with physical pain and so with this I really wondered if I was doing the right thing. Today we start the day off great with the first two flights to D.C. And New York arriving on time only to find that our flight to Montreal was canceled. To make it worse, every other flight was canceled to Montreal and even to Toronto. The reason was because of bad weather and now we are in the middle of enduring a 15 hour wait before our next flight.

Indeed Satan does whatever he can to stop the pursuit the Gospel to the nations. During this time I have been reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In a chapter I read earlier in the week, he talked having and placing yourself in positions where only God can pull through. That's radical faith! My situations and obstacles have been things only God can come through with. Is it terrifying? Absolutely. Is it uncomfortable? Yes. Will it be rewarding? You bet. I believe God thrives off of situations where only He can make it happen. It's how He shows how big and sovereign He is and how small and needy we are for Him.

I may not enjoy sitting and spending the night on an uncomfortable metal bench in New York but then again when was the last time Jesus had a comfortable spot (or a spot in general for that matter) to lay his head? Francis Chan ends his book by making really think about what you want to be doing when Christ comes back. It's easy to say that I would want to be glorifying Him when He comes back but the reality is is that I'm to full of sin not to beg Him to give me the desire to be doing that.

So what will you do? What will I do? “You can't change today's outcome but you can control your effort. Push through it.” It's fitting and true. I sure tried to change today's outcome, but couldn't. But there is a God who can change today's outcome. I probably wouldn't be sitting here typing this if things had stayed on schedule. My prayer this week leading up to the trip was one of just asking God to bring me closer to Him, no matter what it will take. That is my prayer for you as well.

Now that I have been home for a couple days and had some time to reflect on the last 7 months of my life, I guess the only place to start is at the beginning. September 27th was the first post I put on here speculating about chances of going to Canada and experiencing what an International Missionary experiences. That speculation would soon turn into a reality in January. For the last 4 months I have been in the trenches of the mission field going through the everyday grind of ministry in a spiritually dark place. All the questions I had going into it were answered along the way. I learned a lot about God, his power, myself, how to respond in frustrating times and prayer.

I think prayer is something that we take for granted and that was the case for me. It is instant access to the Almighty God of this world. I know I have mentioned about the prayer meeting I went to on Tuesday afternoons with the local pastors in town. These men laid everything they had out in prayer and they were seeing results. They prayed for people to come to Quebec, done. They prayed for ways to reach out to people, done. They prayed asking for the one empty church for sale in the middle of town so they could be more effective in ministry, done. These things and so much more they prayed for and they didn't use prayer has the last option, it was the only option. I'm convinced we don't use the power that is readily available when prayer takes place and I learned what can take place when faithful people use prayer.

Moving on, I just flat out hurt for Quebec. One of the main questions that I got before going was, "Why Canada? It's so close to us." I didn't know how to respond to that question other than saying it was where God wanted me during that time. The answer to that question without a doubt is because the people of Quebec need Christ. Millions of people go throughout their day without hope.

It has been flat out hard being home in a comfortable environment known as the "Bible Belt" where usually one of the first questions asked is "Where do you go to church?" How can we sit back and be satisfied with anything when almost 3 billion people in the world have no hope? On Friday I had 11 hours to kill sitting in the Montreal airport waiting for the first of my flights home. I think off and on for about an hour and a half I held back tears because of the things I knew and saw. One of the things that replayed over in my mind that day and has replayed over since is two short sentences someone told me while saying goodbye at church my last Sunday morning. After a hug and wishes well for a safe trip home, a lady simply said to me, "Tell your people back home about us and Quebec. Tell them that we need help."

So why did I go to Quebec? I went so God could use my team and I for his sake. I went because that is the way God used to reveal a life of mission work for him. I went because people need Christ. Even though I don't feel right being home because of the comfortable life I have here, I was simply reminded of my thoughts I had right before leaving. My mission didn't end once I left. I just changed fields. Hopefully and God willing I will get to go back to Quebec soon and continue to help with the ministry there. When you devote yourself and your life to people in another land, it becomes apart of you. This has been the case for me in my few short months in Canada. The name of this blog really does make sense. As a follower of Christ we really don't have a home. I'm torn between home in Tennessee and home in Lennoxville. Either way I'm on a mission, a mission for souls. I'm also just a homeless person, walking my way towards home.

Finish The Race

It's hard to believe that one month from Saturday I will be on my way to the airport to fly home. I only hope that the words I've placed on here in the first 3 months have given you some idea as to how enjoyable, challenging and life changing this trip has been and now I can see the finish line.

Last Friday night we had the priviledge of putting on, what we called, an "All Night Sports Craze" for high schoolers in the area. This is a night where the goal is to bring as many youth together, stay up all night, play sports and present them with some kind of message. This year was a great success. We had 188 high schoolers show up for this night, which was the most youth that showed up in the history of this annual event. We broke the youth up into 10 teams, played big group games and team games throughout the night. I will take a minute to brag and say that my team was the overall winner of the Sports Craze so if nothing else I have bragging rights over the other 2 members of my team! Most, if not all, of the students that showed up were from the high school that we held the event at. They recently went through the tragedy of losing a fellow student so it left a lot of students asking questions. During the night we had 3 speakers, which I was fortunate enough to be one, and we felt as if it was set up to share the gospel and share about eternity.

The first speaker set it up. He asked the students about choices and things that are important that help you succeed in life and ended by saying that there were people here that wanted to share something that would help you in a certain part of life. I was the 2nd speaker, speaking at 2:30am, and I shared what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians about athlete's running the race and more specifically about Paul training and persuing the imperishable prize in his Christian life. At the end I was able to give a simple gospel presentation to these 188 students. The 3rd speaker went more in depth about the gospel and about the eternal life in heaven a person can receive if they accept the free gift of salvation.

As I go back to the beginning of this post, I am reminded of what I spoke about last Friday night. It reminds me that even though I only have a month left, that I need to run it as hard as I ran the first three months. We have a lot of great things planned like a weekend retreat to Cody, New Hampshire this weekend, bonfires and hikes the following two weekends after that and anything else we can think of that can impact this tiny town for Christ. Finish strong, finish well and finish together. That's the goal in mind when I look at this final month.

Again it has taken me a long time to update and to be honest I've found it hard to do so. When I came in January it was easy to because it was a new place. New things were happening and I was engaged in things that was new to me in the ministry but as time has passed this place has started to become home in a way. As I walk around and take part in the ongoing ministry we started in January, the more the people and this place has become a part of me.

With that being said, more new things have been taking place in the past couple weeks, for me especially. It was mentioned about a month ago to the people on our team that it might be possible for us to come back in the fall. I immediately threw the idea out the door. The reason I did so was because I had already received my International calling and when I got home felt it was a good opportunity to knock out classes so I could pursue the long term path that God was laying out for me. Just like so many times before, but this time with much less resistance, I began to pray about what that meant both in the short term and in the long term. So many options have been presented and it's an exciting time for sure. I never thought that so many options could lead towards the same end goal and look so good! A couple weeks ago the option to come back was presented to me again but this time straightforward. I was spending some time with our supervisor and he just flat out asked if I had an opportunity to come back, would I take it. I said yes I would and from there the option to come back in the fall came back to my mind. As I have prayed about it, it has slowly made its way from a thought to this actually could happen.

I feel like God is fixing to do great things here. Just to give you an example, I go to a pastor's prayer meeting every Tuesday. A short back story is needed at this point. The local catholic churches here have, in the years, had to sell their buildings because of how turned off the people are towards them and so companies are people place bids on them to turn them into whatever. A catholic church that sits on the corner of the only intersection in the middle of Lennoxville, was selling their building and places were putting in bids for it. A pastor who attends this prayer meeting stated that his church was going to place a bid in for this church because of the central location in town. He stated that this was a great place to have a ministry and so we began to pray for it. After about 2-3 weeks of praying, rumor was that McDonald's was the one that was going to get the church. This didn't stop us from praying for it the following week because it wasn't set in stone. A week after that the pastor was informed that his bid for the church won! This is just one story about what God is doing here. Most stories and chats we have with people here are disappointing in some way but it's the ones with hope that keep spirits alive.

That is all written to say that I am working on an application with the North American Mission Board to come back to Canada in August, God willing. As I look back on the past several months of how all of this has taken place and I marvel at where God has taken me. A little less than a year ago I wondered if ministry Internationally was it. In a chain of events and prayer I was lead here. In a little over 2 months here, I've seen that ministry Internationally is it and now just might, as well, be finding out where in the world I need to be. The Gospel is needed here in Quebec. I've been among one of the most unreached people groups in the world, which might seem surprising since it's so close to the United States but it is.

Sure its difficult being in a place that is so spiritually dark, I would be lying if I said it wasn't. Satan can be relentless at some points with small subtle attacks but it's because he knows the light is trying and will break through! To his disliking, God is pleased to go where his people are driven to take the Gospel too and I believe Quebec is being setup for something special.

Half Way Point

So to start off with I have to apologize for the lack of updates in the last 3 weeks. It has definitely been a busy time but thankfully I have some time now to rest. It's hard to believe that this trip is already half over. When I got here it felt like time was creeping by the first couple of weeks and once things picked up and I began to get into my routine, time has gone by much faster. I guess the saying is true that time flies when you're having fun.

The last 3 weeks have been filled with our team taking on a little bit more than what we already do. Our missionary spent a week in London with the IMB and that week my two team mates and I held the fort down so to speak. Once he returned the next two weeks were devoted to doing things to help get our Haiti team all ready to go. They are currently in Haiti this week and I would like to ask you to pray for them as they help rebuild homes for people who haven't had one in a long time.

If there is one thing that I could pass along that has really stuck out to me, it would be the Bible Study we had a couple Thursday nights ago. We are going through the book Radical by David Platt and in one of the first couple of chapters he talks about Christians and missionaries who are in countries where they have to have church in secret. A couple of the girls here thought that it would be a good idea to have our Bible study in the same fashion that week and so we did. As I walked to the study that night, I tried to put myself in the shoes of those missionaries who have to do that. Walking alone to a place that is a secret and showing up at different times and then sitting in a pitch black room with no heat, no music, no chairs...no nothing. We kept the heat off that night so it was kind of chilly (some people might say it was cold), didn't turn on the lights, didn't play any music and sat together as a group in the midst of candle's. We whispered as we talked about our subject that night and it was incredible what was felt that night. I think it is something that everyone should try at least once with a study. I think that sometimes the Gospel can get lost in the middle of trying to make everything else around you fancy to a certain degree but when you gather as believers in a place with just the Gospel, you're mind focus' in because honestly the Gospel is all you have and need in those moments. Thus is the case with our brothers and sisters in Christ in certain parts of the world.

I would also be lying if I said that I didn't hit a couple day stretch where I had low points of just wanting to be home. I figured that it would happen at least once but before I came I had wondered how I would respond in a place with no family or really any friends. As I reflect on the time that I have spent here so far, it has been a great experience and I have learned a lot about God and about myself in God. I think living in a place where the Gospel is so common can blind a person to the lost world around them. I know this has been the case for me. I don't think I can or could ever look at people the same again when I've spent everyday for the last 2 months in a place where 99.5% of the people I walk by could spend an eternity separated from Christ.

After a month I can say that a lot has happened, personally and with others. I've met some awesome people and built relationships that have felt older than just a month, I've seen some good times in this ministry and some frustrating ones. The past 3 days have been the most revealing as far as my personal life goes.

While here, I'm taking a Intro to Missiology class for Seminary which has been a great class to take while out in the field. Over the weekend, I watched and listened to my first two lectures of the class which were introductory lectures and the foundation to what we will study later on in the semester. As I watched the constant theme and message was go, go, go. On our second lecture outine, there was an outline that had the percentages of the world as far as evangelism goes. They were labeled World A (unreached areas), Evangelized (break through areas) and "Christian" (areas with easy access to the Gospel). The other column was the percentages of where full time ministers were serving. A shocking 91% were in the "Christian" areas, 8% were in the evangelized areas and only 1% were in World A. 1%...that's it.

While all of that was marinating in my mind, yesterday I had sort of an "off day" where I had a lot of down time to catch up on rest, hang out or do whatever. After shoveling snow (sounds like a blast I know!) I decided to start reading a book for class. The book is called Bill Wallace Of China. It's a book about Bill Wallace (didn't see that one coming did you!) who was from Knoxville and his story of how he left his comfortable life in Tennessee to go do medical missions in China right before and during World War 2. Talk about a brave man with courage! I read the first 3 chapters and then went to the girl's apt for dinner. As I was walking and listening to music, tears began to come to my eyes. My first thought was God why do I tear up when I think you are telling me something?!? I continued walking and began to realize that God was revealing to me that my life was meant to be served Internationally long term! As I started to process this and wonder about it at the same time, the song By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North came on my ipod. The only words that stuck out to me to make me realize this song was on was, "Please don't fight these hands that are holding you."

Wow. So much so fast. As I have had time to sit back and process this a lot has gone through my mind and a lot of emotions have been felt. Joy, fear, excitement...you name it I probably felt it. But looking back it makes perect sense. I went to Spain to get my feet wet Internationally. I came home and had a lot of questions that could only be answered by going back out for a longer period of time. I came to Canada to experience and find out that this is going to be my life!

It is definitely an exciting time and a sense of awe that I'm being used for this amazing task. I ask that you be praying for me as I continue to go through each day here and as God reveals more.

He's Not That Far

As I sit here and do some reflecting, the one thing that continually comes to mind is how frustrating spiritual warfare can be (if you allow it to get to you) in a place that is dead as a doornail. The biggest thing is how mentally draining it is when Satan has a stronghold on a place and uses it to try and peck away at the light that enters. Even while I'm typing this, the internet keeps going in and out.

The spiritual deadness of this place is everywhere. It looks dead, feels dead and can find you at any moment. Today it seemed to find me more than normal. This morning as I was walking to campus on a nature trail close to my house, I was praying and enjoying the brief 10-15 minutes of being away from people. This is a good spot to say it's not uncommon to see students pass by while walking but usually no eye contact is made or words are spoken. This morning was different. I passed two girls that were having a conversation outloud that I didn't want to hear. It was a conversation that just screamed spiritual darkness and came in a moment while I was praying. The next thing came while having a meeting with the guy who is over the athletic facility about using the gym for a night for only an hour to start a sports ministry. Even though it was positive, it felt like a win/lose situation. We can have the gym to start our ministry but we have to wait until after basketball and intermural season. This only leaves us with a month to try and get it off the ground. The last thing that happened today was being informed that a package of children's supplies we are intending to use at the French church to get a children's ministry started failed to reach me because I didn't live at the address that was placed on the package. UPS thought this was reasonable grounds to send it back to Tennessee.

After all of this that has happened today, it was easy to feel like I'm fighting a losing battle in which God seems far off. This, in a sense, felt like my Goliath. I was simply reminded in a couple different ways that God hasn't gone anywhere. Tomorrow night I'm leading a study on chapter 3 of the radical book and the topic is titled "Beginning at the end of Ourselves" and as I looked at my notes I saw the story of Joshua and Jericho. This is a great image of what can do with our limitations and it encouraged me that God loves to put us in situations where only he can come through. Wow! Me of all people should realize this by now with the way the past few months has gone but it's great to be reminded.

The second thing was while discussing about a Sports Night on Friday night. This night is to raise money for the people going back to Haiti in a couple weeks. I remembered that Lecrae had made a video after he returned from his trip and I showed it to the girl who is in charge of the Sports Night. As we watched the video and listened to the words, some in particular screamed out to me. After Lecrae goes through the song talking about how there seems to be no hope and God seems to be far away, he ends the song with verses from Psalm 62 and with the words "Even though he seems far, we can trust that he is not that far away." Wow again! So sitting here tonight and typing this, I know more days will come where it seems nothing can be done to break through the walls of darkness that surround this place but after two short and reassuring times, I know with God's power anything can be accomplished and I can trust that he is not that far away.

Bringing In The Focus

After a couple weeks of being here, I've been able to see the different things that are happening to plant seeds and tend to the field to use ministry language. In the last week I have had chances to settle in and build trust in the new found relationships with the different people involved. This has also given me a chance to think and pray about what the next step is in my time here.

To update on the events in the last week, I had a chance to go to Montreal last Monday night with a few people from Sherbrooke to a Church Planting Strategy Meeting for the providence of Quebec. The meeting was in all French unfortunately but I was able to pick up here and there some things that they were talking about. The main goal (I think) is to plant 1,000 churches by 2020 in this providence and also to have more French churches in this area.

Tuesday through Friday my team and I spent the day at Bishop's University continuing to try and build relationships with people and then try to draw them to the different activities we have going on. On Tuesday nights we meet at a house called "The Cottage." This is a place where a family opens up their home, cooks a meal for free for college students (who wouldn't pass that up!) and then just hang out for the rest of the evening. This allows us to meet new people and continue to build on the relationships with people who we've already met. Wednesday night we went to the University of Sherbrooke to check out a Bible Study that they have on campus. They kindly started in English for us but naturally went to speaking French to finish out the study but I was gracious for the chance to be able to at least know what the discussion was about! Thursday nights are the big night to disciple the Christians in the town. We have a thing called Down Under, where this semester, we are going through the book Radical by David Platt. We meet on Thursday's to discuss a chapter and then throughout the week we meet in smaller groups to try and get on a deeper level with the book.

On Saturday we got to experience our first ski trip since coming to Canada. For me this was my first ski trip ever so definitely new territory! Just for the record I didn't fall! It was a great time with friends just getting out and experiencing parts of the beautiful creation around us here.

Going back to what I mentioned at first about the next step here, we had a meeting this morning to talk about just that. Some thoughts I've had is about the focus on evangelizing or discipling. I think that there needs to be an emphasis on both but I also believe that more emphasis needs to be placed in the area of discipleship. With only a short time here, it is necessary to plug into other people who will be here after we are gone so that things can continue to go on. Jesus had only 12 men that he continually poured himself into so that when he left they were ready to continue what Jesus had started. He discipled the 12 so the 12 could disciple many more and the ripple affect continued.

Along with this, I am thinking about joining another member of the team in researching on starting some kind of organization that is similar to FCA on the campus of Bishop's. With a lot of emphasis on athletics, this would be a great way to reach out to those believer's as well as the non-believer's who love to play sports.

Please continue to pray as we map out what needs to happen next. There are a lot of opportunities to do great things and also pray that we are lead to the people and area's we need to focus on.

First Week

It's hard to believe that I have only been here a week. As I was riding in the car yesterday going around town with our supervising family, we were talking about how it has felt like we have been here for a month. To me this week has seemed like it has been a busy week full of things but at the same time slow in the fact that the things we are doing haven't fully picked up yet. The students at Bishop's University (where I am serving) just started a new semester this week and have started to settle back into classes, which means that the ministries here are kicking back up as well.

Monday morning our team met on the campus of Bishop's to talk about the culture and the things we should expect while being here. After that, we spent the afternoon hanging out and just trying to get to know our surroundings on campus.

With a leader who believe's in using spiritual gifts and talents, he wants us to find the things we enjoy, do them and impact that certain thing for Christ. So with this, I decided to go on a prayer walk around campus Tuesday morning. The best way to allow God to open up your mind to the surroundings is by bathing it in prayer. To be honest after spending time praying on campus, I felt nothing. I felt as if that campus was dead and Satan had such a stronghold on it I couldn't feel anything.

On Tuesday afternoon I had the chance to go with one of the local pastors to what is called the QHOP (Quebec House of Prayer). This is where all the local pastors get together once a week and pray for the people of Quebec and the impact that they are having for Christ. I didn't know what to expect when I went to this meeting so I just sat and listened at first. At the beginning of the meeting, they went over an outline and discussed what they are calling "Unity Sunday" which is tomorrow. All the churches in Lennoxville are gathering together for one big worship service on the campus of Bishop's. Once they finished discussing the outline for Sunday, they began to pray. This was an open time where the men just sat and popcorn prayed for about an hour. I felt so humbled during and after this time because each man prayed with such unselfishness to themselves and with an openness to God and for what He wanted for them. They prayed for the town, the people, the campus, the students, the stronghold Satan had and for the expansion of the Gospel. It was such an encouraging time.

The rest of the week has been spent with time on campus and with the people that I have come into contact with. Wednesday night we got to go sledding at the local golf course and Friday we went to the Bishop's basketball games and then spent time with new friends at the apt of the other Hands On members.

With some reflection after a week into it, I feel like we have both made progress and not made progress. I feel like we have made progress in the fact that the friendships we have built with each other as a Hands On team and the people we have met are stronger then just a week old and with that it will lead to more friendships and deeper ones. I feel like we haven't made progress in the fact that this town is so dead spiritually. I feel like I have walked into a whole different world then the United States spiritually speaking. The United States is on it's way to being a full blown postmodern world as compared to Quebec which is already there. I get the sense that people are cool with what others believe until it looks like you are imposing it on them because it brings back memories of the oppression. I know that with this it will be difficult to minister without getting frustrated and at times the discouraging feeling will come that it may not look like anything is happening but this is a marathon and not a sprint. If I get discouraged then I will loose focus of the end goal in mind for the time I'm here.

I ask that you be praying for Unity Sunday with the churches of Lennoxville and for the ministries here as they get back into full swing during this semester. If I feel like so much has happened in just this first week, I can't wait to see what unfolds as each day comes.

Trust God

Greetings from Canada! The past couple of days has been an adventure to say the least. Friday things started off well from Knoxville and the fun began in Detroit. When Ashlee and I arrived we found out that the airlines had over booked our flight to Montreal and were told that we might not have a seat. The next flight to Montreal was Saturday morning at 10am so we were in a bit of a bind. After about 10 minutes Ashlee received a seat on the flight but I was still waiting. After talking with the people who would pick us up and finding out that they wouldn't be able to come get me the next day, we basically told the airline that I had to get to Montreal on Friday and if they couldn't do it then to please find another airline that could. It's amazing what those words will do because I then immediately received a seat assignment and we flew to Montreal.

After getting to Montreal, through customs and immigration, more fun arose. I went to go pick up my luggage and after watching every piece of luggage pass by me twice I went and told a person at the Delta desk that my luggage may have been missing....turns out it was and it was put on another flight to Montreal and would be arriving 2 hrs later in the night. So I had to go through a ridiculous process that sent me to a customs person and then back to the Delta desk. Luckily my luggage was delievered on Saturday afternoon and everything was still there.

As for the first couple of days, it has felt kind of lonely. I have met some friends but so far haven't really been able to actually spend a significant amount of time with other males like I have at home. I know this will change in the upcoming days because the students are not back from break at the University but so far it has taken some getting use to. My apartment is in the basement of a house so it is underground and it gets dark really easy and very early so that is something that will take getting use to.

As we have learned about the culture here, it has brought it home that I am no longer in the "Bible belt." Citizens here were oppressed by the Catholic church and because of this they have rebelled against it and don't want any part of religion or church. The people of Quebec are in the top 20 most unreached people groups in the world. To put this in perspective, 40,000 of the 7 million people here claim to be a true follower of Christ. That is .5% of the population.

Our leader was telling us about his family and their journey to Quebec and something that he talked about was "barefooting." This basically means that you are dropped off in a place and trust God to provide and work. He wants us to experience this for ourselves and in a way this is what I was asking for. What is it like to live and serve for a significant amount of time away from home and loved ones? Luckily our town is small and everything is within walking distance and those times will be good for thinking and prayer. This morning while walking to Ashlee's apartment I acknowledged the fact it was just God and myself on this journey in a way during some thought and prayer. In these first couple of days I can't see yet what the purpose is until students begin coming back and I begin to get in the routine of what I'll be doing but I do know one thing....I just need to trust God.

For His Glory, Not Mine

Well it's here. After all the thoughts, the prayers, the struggles, the waiting and preparation, it's here. In just a few short hours I'll be moving to Canada to serve in ways that, at this moment, I have no clue about. These past couple of days have really started to make this all real and it's hard to put it into words other than what is getting ready to happen is The Great Commission at work. One of the things that I will be doing is leading a study on the book Radical by David Platt (which is an incredible book). In chapter 4, Platt talks about the Great Commission being a command and not just something that a few people are called for. One of the questions that has come to my mind a lot of times on trips and even after I get home is why has God blessed me with so much and not someone else? The answer to this question was revealed to me at the end of the chapter when he placed an e-mail from a woman who had served in Guatemala. This was her answer to that question, "That is why God has given me an income and education and resources. God saves me so that the nations will know him. He blesses me so that all the earth will see his glory."

This is why I'm blessed and have so much...so that I can take that and show the world his glory and through that someone else may experience the same thing!

I want to thank everyone for the many prayers and support in the time leading up to this trip and I carry that with me as I travel and serve. I want to ask that you continue to pray for me and the team that goes. Pray for the people in Canada and the lives that we will come into contact with and walk with each day. I also ask that you pray for the things that God has prepared us for and the things that he is preparing for us. Each day he prepares us for those things that have already been prepared and that is an incredible comfort. 

Two of the songs that I have leaned on in the last couple weeks have been Lead Me by Sanctus Real and Something Holy by Stellar Kart. Each of these songs have lyrics that I've made my prayer and will be my prayer while I'm gone and these words are simply this, "Father give me the strength to be everything I'm called to be. Oh Father show me the way to lead them...Father lead me cause I can't do it alone." The other one is this, "We were born to be apart of something holy, bigger than you and I."

And lastly as I head out, a prayer that I've taken (that has been my motivation) from a person in my life that she made hers on her last trip is this, "I am ready to fight the battle for their souls. Here am I. Send me."

Preparation Update

So it has been about a month since I found out I would be going to Canada and now I'm a little less than a month away from leaving. During this time it has been incredible to see how God has worked to provide for this trip since the main concern I had was the funding. Turns out it was just another way God could use to show how great He is so I'm here to express that to you!

Overall this trip was $2900 and it had to be payed for 2 weeks before I leave which only left me about a month to raise the money. The first gift was from my home church which offered to pay for half of the trip. The next line of gifts came from some of the most amazing people in my life which added up to about $700. So in a little less than a week I had already received about $2150. As if each check that rolled in wasn't mind blowing enough, the the next gift that came was nothing but God at work. Here is the backstory on how this took place. Some people at my dad's work send prayer requests through e-mail and they go around the office and one of those was for this trip. A couple of ladies decided to have a bake sale to raise some money in order to help me go. So far this is normal. My dad's boss then decided that he would match whatever was raised for the bake sale, yet again this seemed pretty normal. On the day of the bake sale around lunch time I received a call from my dad informing me that around $400 was raised which absolutely floored me! At the end of the day I got word that the bake sale had made close to $500 and the boss was matching that. Two and two together makes close to $1000! This absolutely had the hand of God at work in it!

So in 2 short weeks, what I thought was a pretty impossible situation became the right situation for God to reveal Himself.


Another thing that I had prayed about was for a male presence on this trip as I am traveling with 2 other girls, not that I don't love the company I will be with! Haha But for me I felt it was necessary to have a male that I could plug into while I was away and this prayer as well has been answered. While I'm there I will be living with a Christian guy who attends the university I will be serving at.

Through all of this and in the last month the biggest thing that I have learned is that God provides for those He calls! I know that as I continue to prepare and even while I'm away with no income, I will be provided for. There is no better place to be then to be in the providing hands of God.

The Journey Begins

"God my human mind cannot comprehend

what is going on I know that nothing

 is impossible or bigger than you. If

you want me to apply and be accepted

Then I know you will make it happen.

I know that if I'm suppose to be on

a plane to Canada in January then

you will make it happen. Blow my mind"

This was the prayer that Sunday afternoon walking to my car after lunch. A lot has happened since then and really most of it has occurred in the last 36-40 hrs. Just to recap I wanted to go on an extensive missions trip for several reasons, mostly for the fact that it may be a calling. My plans wanted me to wait till next fall, God's plans wanted me to apply now.

I took a leap of faith and followed through with God's way which has lead to a long month of impatience and a lot of anxious times. Through it I have been able to learn a lot about this fruit of the spirit. One thing that has stuck out in that time period was this simple fact, "Don't miss what God wants to teach you in your time of waiting. It's just preparing you for what you will encounter next."

I had a phone interview yesterday (Monday) in which the guy told me that he would send me an e-mail later that day to inform me if I would be going to Canada or not. I received that e-mail and read the words that I had wished to read for a month, "Congrats, were accepting you to go to Canada."

In a little less than 2 months, I'll take my comfortable life in East Tennessee and move it to a spiritually dark and (literally) cold place with 1 friend from home and no family or any other friends. The remaining time that I have left till I leave is crucial to what will happen in the 4 months that follow. I am grateful that I have people that are plugging into me to build me up as I prepare.

What started as a surreal feeling has become a real feeling. I am answering God's call to go minister in Quebec, Canada. The Audio Adrenaline song explains its best;

"I'm willing yet so afraid

You give me strength

When I say

I want to be your hands

I want to be your feet

I'll go where you send me

And I try, Yea I try

To touch the world

Like you touched my life

And I find my way

To be your hands."

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." Isaiah 6:8-9. The journey has begun.

O Canada?

Risks can be daunting. Pray one time for a chance to serve anywhere at anytime or say one time to God Here am I, send me and see what happens. Last week I mentioned that I was on the verge of something great. I also stated a lot of questions that have been burning inside of me. I said that Lord willing I would go next fall....what about January?

I have been debating on an extended out of the country mission trip for a while now and had a few people in my life that wanted me to apply for this spring just to see what happens. My response? I'm going next fall so that way I can prepare for it.

At this point I would like to stop and let you re-read my response to what people were asking me to do. I would also like to stop and say that at this point in my life you think I would have stopped trying to plan out what I will do with my life. College baseball? Failed. Trying to pursue a profession in Special Education? Failed. Answering a ministry calling the first time? Failed. Moving to Louisville within the first 2 years of Seminary? Failed. You see a trend here with the plans I've made for myself?!?

Continuing on, Going on a Hands On trip next fall? On the verge of failing. The past 2 or 3 days have been interesting to say the least. After watching a video about Hands On my heart began to pound. I was feeling so many emotions and knew that the calling was clear that at some point I would go away. Fast forward to Sunday while out to lunch with my parents I get a text message from a friend who is going to Canada in January. The only reason I said I would go is if Canada was an option because it just stuck out to me on the project list. Just so happens that the text message I received said they need 2 more people to go to Canada. My heart immediately began to pound again and it would not quit unless I did something about it.

My prayer as I was walking to my car after lunch went a little something like this;

"God my human mind cannot comprehend

what is going on I know that nothing

 is impossible or bigger than you. If

you want me to apply and be accepted

Then I know you will make it happen.

I know that if I'm suppose to be on

a plan to Canada in January then

you will make it happen. Blow my mind."

So the application has been sent in. I have already received an e-mail telling me that this close to the deadline that it may not even be possible to get a spot on any trip for the spring. I'm reminded of one of my favorite movies called "Facing The Giants" It is a football movie with many plots in it but towards the end when this little school wins the State Championship against a 2 or 3 time defending champion, the coach looks at his players in the locker room and says, "You tell me what's impossible with God? God can do whatever he wants to do however he wants to do it and he chooses to work in our lives because he loves us, because he's good."

What's impossible with God you ask? Nothing...absolutely nothing. God takes ordinary people in ordinary situations and does extraordinary things. Why? Because he is God and can do whatever he wants to do however he wants to do it...for our good and his glory. I'm just an ordinary person who could possibly get to be a part of something extraordinary.

The beginning of something great?

The road leading to ministry was a long and winding road, one filled with many side tracks. I ran from it to the extent I tried to do it my way and when you try and fight God about your ways...well...you lose 100% of the time.

The past couple years have tought me that it is necessary to be in tune with God. At one moment you could be in one place and then in another moment be somewhere else. The side roads of life can be painful ones but graciously we have a God who can steer us back on track. The reason I write this tonight is because I could be on another journey. After taking an eye opening mission trip to Seville, Spain three months ago, I have felt a calling to go back overseas. At first I believed these feelings were more of an emotional high out of the fact I had an amazing time while gone. A new place, new people and a new opportunity.

Over the past three months since returning I have had feelings come and go and they re-surfaced last week when a former missionary to South Africa came to Beaver Dam to speak to the high school students. He was speaking because our church is sending a team of high school and college students to South Africa next summer! Was I ready to jump on that ship? You bet! But while this guy was talking questions began forming in my mind that would cause me to be hesitate;
Do I continue to take short term trips to discover where I feel lead to?
Do I take a long term trip so that I endure the lonely days when no one close is around?
What happens if the first time I experience one of those days it's with a family?
After having the opportunity to speak one on one with this missionary, I again felt the same intense feelings of going back overseas as I had felt once I came home from Spain.

So the next question is this, when and where God? Lord willing the answer to the first part of that question will be next fall. The second part is yet to be determined but after some wise counseling I have decided to do this, just do something! One thing I've learned is that God will not just give you all the answers. Sometimes you have to get up, make a move and trust God will get you where you were intended to go in the first place.

So here I am and here it goes....is this the beginning of something great? How can I best serve with what I have? My prayer as I continue to decipher the thoughts in my heart and mind is that I will ultimately be open to the Lord's word. A quote that I hold close says this, "Taking risks can be daunting. But most often the most rewarding journeys begin with uneasy and faultering first steps." Something great? Absolutely! The worst thing I could do with the desires I have is to not do anything at all.

The Reason For This Blog

Welcome everyone! After a lot of thought and debating I've finally given in. The purpose in this blog is to share the experiences of, not only Seminary, but life. Part of ministry is being able to share the experiences we encounter and to encourage others with those experiences and that is the goal in mind with this blog. I want to share the experiences in both the classroom as well as out in the world.

The idea behind the title of the blog, Walking Towards Home, came from a very inspiring book called Same Kind of Different As Me. It is a story about two men, Ron Hall and Denver Moore, how they met and the friendship they developed. Denver was a man who grew up being a slave in the south then ended up in Fort Worth, Texas as a homeless man when he met Ron. To get to the point, as Denver lived life in search of a home, once a person is saved, "The truth is, whether we are rich or poor or something in between, the earth isn't a final resting place. So in a way we are all homeless - just working our way toward home."

These are stories and encounters of the journey that was created for me by God. I'm just walking towards home.