Keeping up with Kory

Lead for God's Sake- Urban Meyer Interview

2011-10-25T11:24:00.001-07:00

Check out what Urban Meyer had to say about Lead for God's Sake. Pretty neat stuff! To God be the glory!

Be a Trader!

2011-09-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

Great video introduced to me by my awesome sister in law! Take a few minutes to be challenged!

Lead for God's Sake

2011-08-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to post this for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. But after getting the opportunity to spend some time with Todd this past week I was inspired to post this. Todd is a mentor and family friend- somebody I respect for his willingness to actively fight his sinful flesh and pursue what God has for him. He has written a remarkable book, Lead for God's Sake, but is quick to point the glory back to Jesus. As his book is becoming more popular he is prayerfully trying to figure out how to handle the growth in a way that glorifies God above all else. Take some time to watch how the book came out of his heart to lead others in a God honoring way that matters.

Videos

2011-07-09T09:48:00.001-07:00

It seems that I run across a lot of videos throughout a week that really resonate with me. I wish I could share them more often, but I don't have a good way to do that. I share a few on the Transformation website, but not all relate to the urban ministry we are doing in Keller Park. I have decided to post them on my blog as I run across videos that challenge, enlighten, sharpen, or encourage me. I am a visual person so videos speak loudly to me.

Hope you enjoy!

Keep pushing!

2011-07-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

It's our 5th day in Moca and God has blessed our activities, adventures and fellowship more than we could have ever imagined!

We wrapped up VBS in all three towns (Guanabano, Hoya Grande and Naranjal) yesterday with the salvation story and salvation bracelets. Several hundred children heard what Jesus did for them on the cross and how He wants to live in each of their hearts. Please pray that those seeds will be watered by the church leaders in the DR and God will make them grow into a lifelong relationship with his son, Jesus Christ.

The continuing theme of God's love is still strong throughout each day. We are gaining new perspective of the love He lavishes on us each day, each hour. Pray that the people of the DR will see and feel that love coming through us!

We've been part of church services that past two nights. Thursday night at Naranjal the students presented two dramas and two testimonies. All were incredibly powerful and those in the church were fully engaged. The night ended with a powerful celebration that included dancing, clapping, sweat and smiles. It was a beautiful time!

Friday night the team split up to two locations. Most of the team went to a church service at Hoya Grande. The students again presented dramas, worship, testimonies and even the sermon. God is using these students to do incredible things - things they probably didn't think they could do just a few days ago! Praise the Lord! A small group went to a basketball facility in Guanabano to play an organized game against a team from the town. It gives me great pleasure to report that the American team won the game, but even greater than that the students were very intentional following the game about striking up conversations with people from Guanabano and sharing their faith. God has used so many of our abilities to plant seeds, share our faith and glorify His name!

Please continue to pray for your students and all of the leaders. Now that VBS is over, there could be a temptation to turn off the ministry switch and coast through the rest of the trip. BUT, the ministry isn't done here. Today we've got a great opportunit to spend time in the park in Guanabano interacting with the people there. Please pray that God would speak through us and season all of our conversations with His spirit. We don't want to just spend a day playing at the park. We want to spend a day playing at the park and bringing people closer to Jesus!

Please pray also for the health of the team. Through God's grace, we have experienced very little sickness, no injuries and even very little fatigue despite the long days in the heat. So, lift us up and plead with God to continue blessing us with good health and safety so that we can be effective in serving Him.

We love you all. God loves you all. His love is greater than anything in the world. Please don't ever pass up the chance to share that love with the people you know and the new people you meet.

More to come later!

God loves.

2011-06-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

I think that has been a theme so far. God loves the DR. God loves us. No matter what, God loves.

God has been rocking us the past few days (in a good way). We have done 2 extremely hot, intense, and crazy VBS days. The kids are doing so well! They are jumping right in and loving kids like crazy! This group has so much excitement that follows them... in the bus, in the rooms, eating dinner, and all that definitely flows into VBS as well. So proud of them.

This team has blown us leaders away so far. They are unified. There has been no drama. They have bonded as a group with Dominicans (already getting Pastor Quena to do crazy dance moves on the first day and laugh a lot). They are so flexible (despite the difficult living conditions... water in rooms, no showers at times, wet beds from leaking AC, AC that often doesn't work and when it does it's under 40 degrees, etc). They care so much about each other. But because of this, the enemy is going to be trying to break this apart. Be praying for that.

We had a amazing moment of brokneness as a team for debrief last night. Super vulnerable with each other. Lots of prayer. God is good!

More to come later, but sorry for short posts but internet has been shaky.

Thanks for all your prayers and comments. I will try to read some to team.

If you are parents, you would be so proud of your kids. They are rocking it!

-Kory

We are here!

2011-06-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

We made it! Flights went smoothly. Some kids slept on bus, plane, and bus again... while others still are going on no sleep. We are at Pastor Quena's right now eating a FEAST! Good thing because the kids were hungry. We will be heading back to the hotel soon to get some much needed sleep. Just wanted to send a quick update to say we are here all safe and sound.

Please be praying for strong rest tonight! Tomorrow will be a prep day, but will be packed full as well. It is a crucial day to prepare the students for the week of ministry.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. We will keep you posted.

-Kory

Get Realtime Updates on your Phone!

2011-06-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

No Twitter account? No problem!

Are you a NEW Twitter user and want to start sending tweets from your mobile phone? Just follow the steps below from you phone to set up your brand new Twitter account and begin tweeting via SMS.
(Already have an account? You'll need to read our article about adding your phone vis SMS, or adding your phone via web for instructions.)

To create your new Twitter account...
1. Send a text message to your Twitter shortcode (such as 40404 in the U.S.) with the word 'START'
2. Twitter will send you a reply and ask you to reply with the word 'SIGNUP' to create a new account. Send 'SIGNUP'.
3. Next, Twitter will ask you to pick a username. Your username must be unique and less than 15 characters. Reply with the username you want (see below for advice on picking a username).
4. You will get a confirmation message when you pick a unique username (Twitter will tell you to pick a new name if someone else has the username you wanted).
5. Choose a password.
You're all set! Send a message and it will post as your first Tweet.

To Follow via SMS:

For instance, if you'd like to follow @NMC_IMPACT_DR and get their Tweets delivered to your phone, send a message to your Twitter code with the command 'FOLLOW NMC_IMPACT_DR'. If you do not follow @NMC_IMPACT_DR already, this command adds them to the list of people you follow and sends all of their Tweets to your mobile phone. If you already follow them, the command will simply make sure you get their Tweets on your mobile.

The Team

2011-06-22T08:02:00.001-07:00

IMPACT DR 2011 - Here we come!

2011-06-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hello parents, friends, family, and prayer warriors! This is the blog you will be following over the course of the next couple of weeks to stay tuned with what is happening with the IMPACT team! We are so excited about this group of 20 students who have worked so hard since January to prepare for this trip. Please be praying in the following ways:

-PRAY for divine appointments with the Dominican people
-PRAY for health and physical endurance
-PRAY for VBS-energy, enthusiasm, and a connection with the kids in hopes to plant seeds
-PRAY for dramas and testimonies-allow our stories to relate to their stories
-PRAY that we offer encouragement to the leaders that have been there before us and will stay there after us
-PRAY against the the enemy's schemes
-PRAY for wisdom and discernment by leaders
-PRAY for ready, open, willing hearts from students
-PRAY for debrief time

Please be in prayer and allow the Spirit to lead you to pray for us. Please intercede on our behalf.

Expect more to come on this blog later!

-Kory

Who is my neighbor?

2010-11-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months I have been doing a lot of reading and thinking about helping my neighbors. Helping people has become more complex for me than it ever has before. Maybe it’s because I’ve been burned by those I have tried to help in the past. Maybe it’s because I am so afraid of stripping away someone’s dignity if I offer help. Maybe it’s because I will be taken advantage of. Maybe it’s because I’m afraid. The bottom line is that all these “maybes” are starting to paralyze the helpful heart inside of me. All these books that are supposed to better equip me to help people have hindered my willingness to help people. This thinking all came to a head when I picked up the book, “Who is my neighbor?” by Wayne Gordon from Chicago. Wayne Gordon uses a unique approach to answer the question by drawing 40 different characteristics of “my neighbor” by analyzing the story of the Great Samaritan in Luke 10.

About 2 weeks ago I had an encounter with a homeless man in Phoenix, Arizona. I had just bought some breakfast from McDonald’s (Egg, Bacon, and Cheese Biscuits… sooo good!) and walked by a man lying in the shade by an abandoned building. As I stumbled upon him I felt a nudging to give him one of my egg biscuits (I had two and really didn’t need both). It is important to note that this man did not even ask for any food. I don’t even know if he knew I walked by, but it was obvious that he was hungry. I chose to ignore the prompting in my spirit and continued walking. Here is what went through my mind in the moments I walked by him: Will this demean him if I offer him this food? Will this enable him to continually rely on others to supply his daily needs? Will this encourage him to not get a job? Does he really need it? My reasons for not giving him the egg biscuit went beyond the simple fact that I was really hungry and wanted two biscuits. The thoughts in my head were legitimate questions to be thinking about. But once again I let my “paralysis of analysis” get the best of me and I chose to ignore this man. I as I continued walking to my hotel I could not get the situation off my mind. I quickly realized that I let my mind prevent me from helping someone in need once again. I didn’t follow the leading in my heart. After about an hour I went back to buy this man an egg biscuit because I knew I missed a moment to help my neighbor. However, he was nowhere to be found. I asked God to forgive me for not listening to His leading and asked that he would give me another chance to obey His leading.

I could sit here and make a good argument either way on why I should or should not have helped this man in downtown Phoenix, but for me it was clear what I needed to do. Yes, I still believe it is good to process through the questions of helping others in a beneficial way, but I also know I need to think less and help more. I need to put to rest the “maybes” and questions for a little while and learn to help again. I am choosing to help in the times when I am don’t know what to do. I have to believe that God would rather me do something than just simply “think” about the pros and cons involved in helping. I may get burnt, but I would rather that happen than miss another opportunity.

Look to help your neighbors today. And tomorrow. And next week. Think about the “maybes” and questions that may be holding you back, but help anyway. That’s what I’m going to do.

-Kory

Top 10 Things that would help our ministry right now:

2010-03-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

1. Ranch Dressing.
2. A big van (preferably denoted to Keller Park Church)
3. Cross Word Puzzles.
4. Frozen Meals. Unfrozen drinks.
5. Prayer.
6. A.D.D. Medicine.
7. TV (that works).
8. Plastic cups.
9. Pencils.
10. Jesus.

Note: These are not in any specific order. If you would like to help out any of these ways let me know. :)

koryandalison@gmail.com

Blessings!

Kory and Ali

Hope In Haiti

2010-02-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

India in january!

2010-01-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to inform you that Ali and I will be leaving for India this Sunday (Jan. 17) and will be gone until Jan. 31. We have been blessed with the opportunity to go with Dave and Christy Engbrecht (Pastor of Nappanee Missionary Church) and to help with 2 family camps. The first camp is in Ragunhathpur and the second is in Northeast India near Bhutan. Ali and I will be in charge of all the games and teaching with the youth of both the camps (this consists of about 2 sessions a day). We are expecting around 700 people at each camp. Some of you may be wondering how we can afford to raise more support for this trip and also leave "The Transformation" at Keller Park. Well... We are NOT rasing any support as Nappanee Missionary will be graciously covering our expenses. We also have things lined up in Keller Park while we are gone. This trip is actually a much needed break as the urban ministry has been pretty tough lately. Satan seems to be working over-time here in Keller Park.

Anyways, we ask that you could pray for our time in India. Here are a few specific prayer requests:

1) Pray for strength and energy as the camps can be very demanding. International travel can really take it out of you.
2) Pray against sickness as this can hamper any kind of ministry you try to do.
3) Technical parts of camp... specifically sound systems as power is often sporadic.
4) Translators... This is a key in any country where the language is different. Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak no matter how "good/bad" the translator is. There are at least 5 primary language groups in these camps.
5) Annointing of Holy Spirit in all services.
6) Safety for 1400 people that will be traveling 2-3 days to each camp.
7) Safety for our travel as in-country travel has a higher risk in India.
8) Humility as we share our messages. We will be sharing about issues such as persecution and many of the kids have already faced more persecution at a greater level than I ever will.

Blessings!

Going Back: Vanuatu 2010

2009-12-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

It's official... We are going back! After much prayer and wrestling with God about the possibility of a followup trip back to Vanuatu we have decided to go back. We were very careful not to make a rash decision and do something out of our own excitement. Although I am excited to go back it is not because I just want to take a 2 week vacation and see some old friends. I truly believe that God is calling us to "followup" with what happened on our trip last summer. I believe that there is a need for discipleship and Biblical teaching as there seems to be a spirit of confusion across the entire island. We are planning a week long discipleship conference with roughly 30 nationals for one week in July of 2010. These select 30 will then go out to the forbidden "kustom" villages around them to share the love of Christ with their own neighbors. There is no better way to reach the people of Vanuatu than to have them reach each other!

A small team of 4 including myself, my brother, and 2 others (yet to be determined) and a key discipleship trainer (possibly Caleb Bislow) will be going back for 2 weeks in July. Mike Phipps, who also went last year, will not be going back this year because he is getting married in June (Congrats Mike!) but will be helping out with the preparation. Please let us know if you would like to join us in this endeavor through prayer or financial support! Our goal is to raise around $5,000 to make the whole conference possible! If you would like to give send a check to:

Keller Park Church

1003 W. Bryan St.

South Bend, IN 46616

Write "Vanuatu" on the memo line to make sure it gets in the proper account. Do not write my name on the check. Please include a slip of paper which says my name.

Please do not feel obligated to give for this trip, but continue to check this blog for more updated information regarding the trip. I will be posting more specific details, stories, prayer requests, plans, etc. on this site over the next few months leading up to the trip.

God Speed!

Kory

THE TRANSFORMATION

2009-11-03T08:19:00.001-08:00

I will not be posting on this blog as much anymore until my next mission trips come around again. So far, the next one on the schedule is India in January. If you want to view posts on THE TRANSFORMATION visit our blog at koryandalison.blogspot.com.

Is this how you want your life to go?

2009-08-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Fear

2009-07-31T22:03:00.001-07:00

After spending some time reflecting on some summer events including overseas missions, summer camp, Keller Park ministry, etc. I have found a very common theme come up. This common theme has come up among students, family, friends, and myself. I began to wonder why "Fear" has to control and grip us. I began to get upset that Satan deceives me and many others through this ugly tactic.

I wrote a poem to express some of my feelings concerning fear. It's really raw. Here it is:

Fear. An epidemic. It's contagious.

Those who have it go outrageous!

It controls you. It can mold you.

It basically tells you what not to do.

Fear is a sickness.

For many... it's our greatest weakness.

Fear is a wildfire.

The enemy's lies are the spark.

The lie creeps into our mind and heart;

And sparks a fire... a fear of being apart...

Being apart from family and friends,

Like we can control all of our ends.

We are not God.

But isn't it kind of odd,

We try to play the role of the creature of this universe.

Like we know what's best for our lives on this earth.

We know nothing so why do we try,

The only thing fear does is make us say good-bye...

Good-bye to true life...

Good-bye to God's will...

Lock me in a room and make me sit still.

Nothing will happen, good or bad.

The only thing is God will be sad.

Because we gave into fear and didn't fight back,

We gave ourselves our own heart attack.

The lies lead to worry... The worry to fear.

That paralyzes us from everything far and near.

We have two options when it comes to fear-

We give in and we die; or we fight and we fly!

Fear is just a big twisted lie.

God wants us to follow Him with all of our heart-

Even when the world says it's not smart.

Following God is not always attractive,

But Satan is telling us to be inactive.

He's telling us to get out of the game and sit on the side.

Satan is everyday, always, telling us to hide.

To hide from fear, disappointment, set backs, and pain-

This will only make things worse because we aren't in the game!

children...

2009-06-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

No time to rest!

2009-06-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

I would like to start out by saying that I am sorry for not posting more frequently. I am saying this in all honesty when I say that there is hardly any time to get to a computer. We are on the GO! Ever since Wednesday morning we have hardly even had time to breathe. The kids (and myself) are getting tired, but God has truly been renewing our strength daily. It has been neat to see the kids fight through extreme heat, minor sicknesses, and major fatigue. God has been good in restoring our strength while the kids are embracing every thing thrown their way and not complaining in the process.

A few nights ago Sam Borg (our project leader) spoke to us about spiritual warfare and it was extremely powerful! He talked about eating from the tree of life rather thant he tree of knowledge of good and evil. He talked about hating sin with righteous anger. He became vulnerable with us about his own life as he shared his burden to see people "stand up" and be warriors for Christ. He talked about the spiritual battle on our hands and how much power we have in Jesus Christ... if we acknowledge it and use it. Many kids began to recognize the spiritual battle all around us for the first time and accepted the challenge to fight off the enemy's attempts to "seek, kill, and destroy." Very powerful night!

VBS has pretty much finished and the kids ended on a strong note. It has been exciting to see how the little things have impacted the lives of our kids in supernatural ways. I am praying that many of our kids will bring these "life lessons" back with them as they dive into the sinful world surrounding them. Today was a day that helped in preparing them for that. We spent most of the day at the local park loving the people in very intentional ways. Each of the kids had an assignment. They had a list of specific questions that they needed to use in sparking spiritual conversations. It was probably very similar to DCGO but with a language barrier. Our team loved hundreds of more kids and many older adults which was very rewarding. The students were nervous heading into the day, but many left with rewarding results as many spiritual conversations took place.

There has been a lot of laughter, some tears, and many great experiences over the past week that have hopefully blessed the Dominican people and challenged us to take these experiences from here (DR) to there (Indiana).

Keep praying as this trip is far from over!

Comfort Zone

2009-06-25T04:48:00.000-07:00

God has already stretched the kids out of their comfort zones in so many ways. It all started with an impromptu worship service at Pastor Quena’s house on Tuesday night. We were planning just relaxing and figuring out last minute VBS stuff and then all the sudden Quena had some visitors. For us leaders, the visitors looked like a perfect group of people to do some dramas, testimonies, and worship for. So, in the midst of some crazy chaos for about 5 minutes we told the kids to be ready to go! The kids were freaked! They didn’t have their drama supplies. They didn’t have their notes for testimonies. They hadn’t practiced enough to lead worship. What the kids saw as a very scary situation the leaders saw as a great opportunity to really stretch the kids. We prayed and the kids did awesome! So proud of how they took on the challenge without complaining and just pressed through. I didn’t know it at the time, but they passed the first of many more “comfort zone” challenges to come.

Little did I know that this Tuesday night would prepare them so well for the next day. The chaos and nervousness was just minuscule compared to the next day of VBS on Wednesday. Each of the three VBS sites had many more numbers than we (and Pastor Quena) anticipated. At the biggest site, Guanabano, we were planning on a large number of about 100 and had well over 160 kids!! The kids were loud and CRAZY! This can be intimidating when you ask 8 high school kids to take control with all these kids. The craziness was a common theme at all three sites! Even though our kids started the day a little shell-shocked they pressed through and all made big-time relationships with the kids. It was a common site to see one of our students completely covered in sweat with 30 little Dominicans literally climbing all over his or her back. It was a site that I could only look at and smile. These kids were getting the “real deal” VBS experience on the first day! Awesome!

Many of the kids did door-to-door evangelism Wednesday afternoon. This is something parents should definitely ask their students about. It was neat to see the kids struggle through awkward moments and conversations of God and Catholicism (most Dominicans are Catholic). This was a huge stretch for many of the kids because they were usually just at a loss for words. Overall, very good experience.

As you can see, this trip has already been loaded with uncomfortable, stretching situations. Keep praying for this as the kids are pressing through by trusting in nobody else but their Savior. Also pray for energy and enthusiasm as we fight the heat in another intense day of ministry.

Kids are doing great!

Kory

Ready and Waiting...

2009-06-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

Sam (the "AIM" guy that is helping set all this up... fluent in Spanish) and I have been here in Moca, DR for the last few days gettings things all set up. We have worked on all the logistical side of things regarding VBS, door-to-door evangelism, street ministry, big out reach nights, bus pick ups, meals, hotel, etc. etc. etc. It has been exhausting working on all these "logistical" things, but it will be worth it when the kids get down here and we get to see how God transforms their lives in these few short days. Sam and I are ready for the kids to be here! We are excited about the ministry opportunities ahead of us. It is going to be an intense week as we will be on the GO from 6:30 a.m. until bedtime. Pray for energy and more energy! The people of the DR are very excited. We explained to some of them in church today that our kids are giving up summer break/vacation to come be with them. That is "abnormal" for the "normal" high school kid. I am very proud of our kids! I guess you could kind of call me a proud father... hey, that works perfect because it is Father's Day today! Pray for well executed travel as the kids leave tonight! Adios!

Happy Father's Day to all papas!

Kory

IMPACT DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2009

2009-06-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday that I got back from Vanuatu. Now I will be leaving for the Dominican Republic in less than 7 hours from now. One may think that I would be worn down, beat-up, washed-out and not ready to leave the country again, but actually I feel quite the opposite. I'm pumped! Ali (my soon to be wife) and I will be leading a trip of 19 high school kids from Nappanee Missionary Church to Moca, Dominican Republic. These kids are amazing! I have already grown to enjoy every moment with them throughout the vigorous training process that started in January. I have seen some amazing strides in each of the kids thus far and can only imagine how God is going to "rock their world" in the DR. My parents and Kathy Brown will also be leading this venture as we minister to and with the Dominicans from June 22 to July 2.

If you read this post please pray for these kids. Pray that they will be open and obedient to the Holy Spirit's leading. As we ended our final meeting last night with communion, sharing, and prayer I sensed that the Holy Spirit is going to manifest Himself in a powerful way on this trip. It is my prayer that we (the team) will not get in the way. The verse in Proverbs 16 keeps coming to mind, "A man plans his course, but the Lord directs his path." We have surely planned our course as a team. We will be doing VBS, door-to-door evangelism, dramas, testimonies, and prayer walks. Even though we have planned our course we never want to get in the way of the path the Holy Spirit wants us to take. Please pray that the kids will begin understanding the importance of listening prayer and then obeying the Spirit's leading (even when it seems uncomfortable). Please pray that the leaders will know how to push the students out of their comfort zones without pushing them over the edge.

I will be updating this blog through twitter (every day) and posts (every couple days) during the next 2 weeks. The twitter tweets will be acting as a "preview" for what the kids are about to do and the blog posts will be acting as a "review" of what has been happening. Please forgive me as I am not as dedicated as Derry at keeping everyone informed on our every move :)

Thanks again for all your prayers. Keep checking this blog to know more detailed ways to be praying. Dios te bendiga! Adios!

I am humbled!

2009-06-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

It was humbling to know that I had over 50 people praying and fasting for me before I left for Vanuatu a couple of weeks ago. It was even more humbling to know that 50 people were at my house this past Saturday to hear how the trip went. I was in amazement to know that a group of people would care enough about our trip to come and hear about it. Wow! It literally brought me to tears as I thanked the people that I love the most for making my trip to Vanuatu possible through prayers and financial support. Without them it would not have been possible. I am the fortunate one that gets to go while I have a group back home doing the dirty work. I can't thank them enough for supporting me in my endeavor. Mike and I made a video to share with those who supported us. It is just a little way of saying, "Thanks." So... here it is!

Wrecked!

2009-06-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

After Vanuatu we had a chance to do some ministry in Auckland New Zealand. This video was filmed on the last night. It blew our minds!

"Forbidden" Village

2009-06-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

The following videos help paint a picture of the forbidden village that we entered during the last part of our trip in Vanuatu. We spent five days prior to our entry preparing for this village that has a history persecuting Christians, deliberately rejecting Jesus, and burning Bibles. We asked many pastors if they would go with us and none of would. We even had one of our translators bail on us at the last minute. We finally found a guy by the name of Keith of had the same heartbeat we did: to reach the unreachables! Watch what happened...

I'm back!

2009-06-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

I will be posting some videos in the next few days helping explain our trip. Thanks for all the prayers!

Final Prayer List

2009-05-11T04:54:00.000-07:00

I have to make this quick because I am running behind and need to take off for Nebraska. We are meeting out in Nebraska for a day of training then driving to Denver to fly out there. We leave Denver on the 14th and get to Vanuatu on the 16th... weird how we miss a day. I have put some more things to pray about below, but I would ask that each one of you who are praying to really ask God to give you words to pray. Ask Him to give you things that we need most at that very time. Intercede for us! I appreciate all of you prayers so much. I have said that a lot lately, but it makes me feel so confident knowing I have warriors like you back home praying.

Pray for:

Body (Physical)
Soul (Spiritual)
Mind (Emotional)
Discernment
Energy
Courage, boldness
Unity of team
Compassion for the people
One day at time... no looking ahead
Pentecost Island (and possibly others such as Abrym, Malekula, etc. if we go island jumping)
Translator- native and loves Jesus

Pray against the attack of the enemy! Satan is looking to destroy our mission! We can't let Him do that! We have the power of JESUS...

See you in a few weeks.

"You are only as strong as your weakest man"

2009-05-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

Pray for Unity. This team does not know each other at a very deep level yet. We have only talked on the phone as all four of us one time. We need to get deep and get there quick. There can't be any half-hearted communications and poor feelings toward each other on a trip like this. We need to be a unified group of guys that learns to love and care about each other quickly. Fortunately, I know Mike Phipps really well already. We both went to Bethel together and have become very good friends and accountability partners. I truly believe that our group is very solid, but prayer could still be used in this area because of the fact we have not spent much time together, let alone in an extremely different environment for all of us.

Please pray against sickness. I have this feeling that Satan is going to try to use sickness to stop us from accomplishing our mission. If one man goes down it holds us all back. As a group we need everyone to be healthy. Pray that God would protect all that we come in contact with physically through our mouth (food) and through our skin (mosquitos, spiders, etc.).

Thanks again. I will be leaving in less than 2 days! Wow...

Translation please?!?!

2009-05-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

Please pray for a translator. This is a huge prayer request. Vanuatu's primary language is Bislama (pidgin), but the country has the most languages per capita in the world. They have 113 different languages that are spoken. The language barrier can be a huge obstacle in this whole process. Caleb has been in the process of looking for translators. There are three things that Caleb looks for in a translator:

He has a huge heart for God and is willing to do anything for Him.
He is a native (knows the culture).
He can speak both english and Bislama.

Finding a translator with a passionate heart for the lost people of Vanuatu is a very big request. Please keep this request at the forefront of your mind. Thanks for all your prayers!!

Children of Vanuatu "Barrier Breaker"

2009-05-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

Please pray for the children of Vanuatu. Whenever I spend time praying for Vanuatu God keeps giving me a strong burden for the children. I can't get them off my mind. I feel that the children could be a huge "barrier breaker" for us. If the people of the village see that we care and love their children then they may be more open to accept us as well. I am taking some bubbles, balloons, and coloring books in hopes to interact with the kids. Please pray that the kids will be warm and welcoming to us and that they will trust us quickly. Pray that the parents and adults would see the love we have for the children and accept us because of it.

Prayer Team

2009-05-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

I just got done sending out a "mass" email to my supporters asking for group of people to back me up in prayer while I am in Vanuatu. If you did not get an email about prayer, and would like one, then give me your email address in the "comments" section below this post.

For the next few days before I leave on May 11 I am going to be posting specific prayer requests. Today I have three:

Comfort Zone - Pray that God will stretch me out of my comfort zone so that I can rely on only Him and not my own strength. I want to be completely led by His Spirit and sometimes I do too much with my own strength. This trip will be a great time for me to put even more trust and faith in God.
Discernment - Pray that my team and I will have discernment and leading from the Holy Spirit at all times. Pray that we will not give into the lies of Satan, but will only hear and follow the voice of God. Pray that we are wise in what God wants us to do.
Energy - Pray that we will have supernatural energy. We could be walking 5-10 miles in some days in the hot weather with large packs (40+ lbs.). We are probably not going to be sleeping great either so we are going to need energy from God.

More prayer requests will be coming tomorrow!!

Land Diving

2009-04-15T10:17:00.002-07:00

The village we hope to befriend is called the Bunlap Tribe on Pentecost Island. They actually invented "Bungee Jumping" many years ago. They call it Naghol, or land diving. This event will happen during the time we will be there in May. We are hoping that we can see the land diving performed and possibly use it as a way to interact with the people. There are many different reasons why this annual ritual is performed. From what we understand, the Bunlaps believe that if this activity is done correctly then it will ensure them a good harvest of the Yam crop (type of root). They believe strongly in the spirit world and never want to upset the spirits who have the ability to negatively affect their crops. I am very excited about the opportunity to see this event and hope it will provide us with an opportunity connect with these people at a deeper level. I would also like to ask that you pray against the powers of the spirits in this area. Pray that we are covered with God's power and authority through his Son Jesus. Pray that we are discerning in knowing how to go about interacting with the Bunlap people. Pray for open doors. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I am not planning on participating in the actual "land diving' in case you were wondering. I am deathly afraid of heights.

Giving you "the biz"...

2009-04-15T10:17:00.001-07:00

Many of you are probably wondering "who" the crazy guy is that I am going with to Vanuatu. His name is Caleb Bislow and he is an itinerant speaker for Kingdom Building Ministries. He has a heart for the "unreached" people that have not heard the Gospel. I met Caleb about 3 years ago through my youth pastor, Derry Prenkert. Caleb and I hit it off instantly as our passions collided. From that point on I knew that Caleb and I would venture on an overseas mission trip sometime in the future. Caleb developed a strong burden for the Vanuatu people several years ago. He has kept his eye on this specific people group (Bunlap Tribe) on Pentecost ever since.

Caleb asked me to venture with him to Vanuatu a little over a year ago. I have spent a great deal of time praying and seeking guidance in making this decision for the past 12 months. I even wrote a semester long research paper on the Bunlap Tribe of Pentecost Island. I have developed a strong burden to share with these people the hope in Jesus that I have.

This trip is very unique. It is much different than any trip I have ever been on. While my previous trips have been scheduled out in detail, this trip will not. This is what Caleb calls a "scouting trip." We have no agenda except to learn and love. We want to learn as much as we can about the culture, people, history, rituals, etc. while loving the people in the process. Caleb plans to come back sometime in the next year to take the next steps. If there is one specific thing that can be prayed for at this time it is that the Holy Spirit would lead us in every decision and action we take on this trip. We plan to spend a lot of time listening to what God wants us to do.

I am very excited about venturing with Caleb, Mike Phipps (good friend and future cousin-in-law), and Brandon (whom I have not yet met). I plan to post more and more as the trip gets closer.

(The picture above includes Caleb holding his son Trace with his wife Jess Bislow.)

23 days and counting...

2009-04-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

I will leaving for the country of Vanuatu in only 23 days to minister to the people there. I am planning on posting several more entries in these next 23 days to help keep those interested informed on what is going on. I want to thank those who have supported me financially and prayerfully thus far. It has not been unnoticed, but greatly appreciated. I couldn't be doing this without your help. Please pray that God will continue to work out the financial side of things, but more importantly that He will continue increasing my burden and compassion for the people that we will be living with. I pray that I, as well as my team members, will be completely Holy Spirit lead and obedient to the calling He has placed on our hearts. As I am nervous for all the "unknown" we will be encountering, I am extremely excited to "love the least of these" as God calls us to!

Senior Speech "Firsts" and "Lasts"

2009-04-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

I spent some time talking about all the things that we had done as a team this year for the first time. I then followed all the "Firsts" with all the things I will never be able to do again. All good things need to come to an end sometime. Note: Some of these statements are inside jokes that you will most likely not think are funny).

As I spent time reflecting back on this season I realized how This year was filled with many firsts for our group:

First time we started 17-0.

**First time we beat IWU on their home court (This war wrongly stated).

First time we beat Taylor on their home court.

First time we tied for the regular season conference championship after beating the team we tied with 3 times.

First time we ever made it to the Final 4 in Branson.

First time we got to see Coach Lightfoot get inducted into the Hall of Fame…because that was the first time he was inducted. J

First time we got to be part of 600 career wins with a Coach.

First time we got to play in front of a crowd like we did when we played Grace in Wiekamp.

First time we got to play with a Player of the Year.

First time we won 33 games in a season.

Each of those “Firsts” is accompanied by many lasts for me as a player. Here are just a few of the many lasts for me:

Last time I will ever play in front of the Wiekamp Wackos.

Last time I will ever hear “Lantz for 3.”

Last time I will ever get to guard Kyle Benge or Anthony Murrell.

Last time I will ever dive on the floor for anything that actually means something. (I’ve pretty much decided I’m not diving on the floor in any church leagues.)

Last time I will ever play a complete game with a concussion.

(It still ticks me off that the guy I was guarding had like 35 points on me.)

Last time I will ever get to laugh hysterically at all the different characters we have on this team.

Last time I will ever get to sleep with Tyler on our road trips.

Last time I will ever get to shut down Derek and Tony in practice.

Last time I will ever have Will around to lift me up so I can dunk it.

Last time I will ever get to sit in the ice bath with Mark.

Last time I will have THE fast break handicap, Wes Laidig, throwing rockets at my head from less than five feet away.

Last time I will ever get to play for a legendary coach that can’t dress himself.

(Kind of glad I don’t have to see Coach in Daisy Dukes again!)

Last time I will ever play for a coach who is afraid to play me in one-on-one again.

Last time I will ever play for a coach that gets his words mixed up.

“What is easy?!?!”

Said something to Will, “Square, score, and attack.”

Last time I will ever be part of a “Band of Brothers” where people care about others more than themselves.

Senior Speech "Thanks"

2009-04-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who missed the Bethel basketball banquet and wanted to hear my senior speech, I am going to be posting bits and pieces of it on this sight over the next couple weeks. I would post the entire speech but it was too big. I am posting my notes so obviously it will not be exactly the same speech as I tend to "add-lib" throughout most of it. This is for you KK, wish you could have been there!

I normally don’t prepare any thing for speeches like this, but I didn’t want to forget anything so I put some stuff together. I don’t know if I’m going to read this stuff or just paraphrase, but I’m not here to give some fantastic speech but to just get my feelings across. I hope I am organized enough to do that. But before I say anything else I would like to say thanks to a few people. There have been so many times throughout the season where I have really wanted to say thanks to people. I thought about writing tons of thank you notes (that is something my mom would try to do), but I realized I just didn’t have the time for it. Just saying thank you doesn’t do justice for the appreciation I feel. However, this is the best place for me to begin showing my appreciation.

Special Thanks:

Parents on the team – We have the best parents of any team I have ever played on! I’ve never been part of a team where the parents treat each player as their own. I really feel like I could call you all family.

Gingerichs – I want to single you guys out because you guys have been awesome. It’s easy to be supportive and encouraging when your son is playing, but you guys exemplify the ultimate supporters. You came to nearly every game (including Florida and Branson) and cheered without bitterness as your son Robbie didn’t see much time. You are the kind of supporters I want to be towards my kids someday. (Because if my kids get their athleticism from me they will be riding pine and I will need to be able to cheer with my son on the bench. I pray that they get it from Ali.)

Linda Man – Thanks for putting up with me. We have spent a lot of time together the past few months. Thanks for inventing a tape job for my foot that worked. Thanks for serving all of us so much. Sorry I got a concussion and I didn’t tell you, but I really don’t remember that. I may have to fake some injuries to come see you again.

Brent and Brenda Vanderswag – Thanks for all your support. Not only did you come to so many games, but you also brought a gift for me as well. You guys made up for me not having a sponsor the last couple of years.

My Parents –

We all know that basketball brings about many ups and downs… valleys and mountains… and thinking clear back to highschool and throughout college, I don’t think I could have gotten through them without my family.

Mom- Thanks for being my prayer warrior. Thanks for always being there to cheer me on and always there to give me a hug afterwards, no matter how I played. Thanks for taking so many pictures over the years that will allow me keep these memories even more fresh in my mind.

Dad- I couldn’t have made a better decision to be at a place with you for four years. These last four years will always be so special to me because of you. All the rebounding, pre-game frappuccinos, notes of encouragement, and solid support over the years has meant the world to me. The thing that makes you so special is that you played with me and you prayed with me. Most kids have a dad that will play with them and rebound for them and watch games with them. But, not many guys have a dad who will pray with them. I will never forget all the times you have prayed for me in your office. You have taught me a lot through these years of playing basketball… more than you will probably ever know. I can’t wait for the many more memories we create together.I can only hope and pray that I will be able to sacrificially love my kids the way my parents have loved me. Thanks for everything.

I guess after hearing that you could call me a momma’s boy or a daddy’s boy. To be honest, I really don’t care. They are two of my best friends and I would never be able to thank them enough.

Grandparents – I can’t believe all the 2 hour drives you have made from Wabash to come see me play. Thanks for being there for so many basketball games. Grandpa, thanks for taking all the stats over the years even though you missed half the game because you were writing so much stuff down. It doesn’t help that we play so fast either. Grandma, thanks for yelling for me and at the refs. I can always hear your voice in the stands. You guys are sweet! I always enjoy being with you guys!Then, you got my other grandparents who fly home from FL just to see me play. That's an expensive ticket for a Bethel game. I will never forget my grandpa's "coaching tips" over the years. Neither will I forget always seeing Grandma Shirley's face in the crowd. Thanks for taking so much interest in me.

Ali – You have been such a strong support over the past 2 years of basketball. For never playing basketball, it amazes me to see how you understand the emotions of basketball. Thanks for being so patient with me when I basketball seemed to take up so much of my time and energy. I was a little nervous to ask you to marry me during the season because of what others might think, but it became obvious to me that I had to do it when I realized how much more important you were to me than the game of basketball. I was definitely not going to let that hold me back. Now, we can start talking about wedding stuff. Thanks for understanding when I asked you to marry me and then said that we couldn’t talk about anything until after the season though.

Wow, now all the sappy stuff is done.

Why I'm Blogging...

2009-03-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

I thought I would never enter the blogging world. I like to read blogs, but I didn't think I would like people reading my blog. Before I start posting, I want everyone to know what to expect from reading my blog.

Here is what to expect:

Updates about my previous or upcoming mission endeavors.
Personal stories that I feel may be of interest to you.
Areas where God is "messing with me."
Anything that I can give to you (that is not too personal or boring) that may help you better understand me.

Here is what NOT to expect:

A diary.
A daily post.
Posts about people that don't want to read about themselves on a blog.
Randomness.
Worthlessness.

My primary reason for blogging is to help the people that are closest to me keep updated on what God is doing in and through me in life. Most of my posts will consist of missions information so that my supporters (prayer warriors and financial givers) will be able to keep updated on my adventures. My hope is that this blog provides my supporters an opportunity for my experiences to become there experiences.

For those reading... Thank you and I hope this gives you some insight on who and what you are supporting.

Disclaimer: You may see me take many breaks from posting as I will not rely on this blog to be my journal.