NEW PHOTOS

IMPACT

Here are just a few ways that we have influenced the people of this area:

We've been going and ministering to people as we meet them around town.  Two main people we've been talking to are Mary and Jonas.

Mary is a girl that we met at a restaurant.  We went there to prepare a bible study and she was asking questions about it.  We told her about what we were doing and we've been visiting her periodically to hang-out with her.  It turns out that she goes to church already which is a great thing to find out!

Jonas works at a Soda Shop and we're still not sure about him.  We didn't get to spend as much time with him but will continue to pray for him.

One of the youth of our church hangs out with a group of youth that we've been trying to spend some time with before we leave.  We did a scavenger hunt at our church recently and this group of youth came and had a great time.  I had been praying that God would be there with us as we had the scavenger hunt and he was.  I gave a devotional to them afterward and prayed that through that God would plant seeds.

Another amazing thing that happened recently was during VBS week.  After we were done on the third night of VBS, we were at home and I had a free night with nothing to do but relax.  We got a knock at the door and a feeling of evil loomed on the other side.  I opened the door and it was a man named Wayland that lives across the street.  He asked if we would pray for him and as I invited him in, I noticed that there were no longer any evil spirits around him.  We talked to him for about two hours and then prayed all together before he left.  He is a man consumed by sin after having been called to preach to his Native American people.  He stood alone against them and now he stands as a brother supported by more.  Three strands are stronger than one. 

The amazing thing about that story is that I had being praying almost everyday in that block across the street that God would send legions of angels to fill that area houses and playgrounds driving out any evil that resided there so that there would be nothing left to see but the face of God.  And so, as you can see it happened.

One thing I learned through a VBS that we did recently is that only God can speak to people.  There were a group of kids I wanted to minister to but they didn't come the second night.  I was devastated because I had spent extra time preparing so that I could minister to them.  God told me very clearly that day that it isn't for me to speak to Jesus' sheep.  Only God can decide the day and time that someone will come to the Lord, not me.  All I can do is trust that God will use the knowledge that He has placed in my head to minister to his people.

THE POWER OF GOD (SCAVENGER HUNT)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Since I got here to Fargo, I've been learning photography.  Before I got here, I had a couple people teach me a little bit about it, but it wasn't until I got here that I had a camera to practice on.  It was June 9th that I was introduced to photography by my host, Mr. Pat.

He gave me a basic lesson about how to use the camera, helped me load my first roll, then I was out and taking my first pictures.

I developed my first few rolls and they are on a website now:

Home Page – First Roll of 35mm – Some General Pictures in Fargo – Some Random Pictures

Week 3 in North Dakota

I'm sorry I'm just now getting around to sending out an update, but here it is.  There should be more to come. 

During my third week there in North Dakota, we went to the Sioux Indian Reservation near Devils Lake.  We helped to build a playground and work at their VBS.  It was mostly difficult because I was not able to do my quiet time as often or as long as I would have liked to.  We also had to work very long hours every day without much rest.  I ended up working close to 30 hours during a 4 day period on strickly ministry work.  The whole week was both physically and spiritually tiring.  The thing that made it worse was the fact that I would only be coming back to Fargo to get ready to do another VBS the very next week.  I do believe that I still learned a lot this week though.  I felt like God was still using me to minister to the kids.  He was also ministering to me especially when I got to the end of the week and by the time Sunday rolled around, I just could not get into worship.  Sunday morning was dead to me.  I was not doing well spiritually by any means.  I had to sit down and pray with my host and with another man of the church when I got home.  I couldn't even describle why I felt the way I did but we prayed anyway and God does work miracles.  After we prayed, I just laid down prayed while I listened to some worship music.  I did that for a while.  One song that keeps coming back to mind that I listened to that day is the Casting Crowns song called “American Dream”.  It talks about a guy that works all the time and never rests.  He doesn’t allow God to help him and give him the comfort he needs.  The song continues by protraying the man as building a castle in the sand.  The singer says he would take “a shack on the rock" rather than "a castle in the sand” like the man was makeing.  As the man “works all day and lies awake at night”, he thinks things will eventually get better, but they won’t.  He’ll keep on working and trying to do things without God, but he’s just dragging himself into the ground.  This song ministers to me mostly because I always try to do things on my own like the man does.  I don't stop and give it to God like I need to.  Please pray that I would stop and give everything to God.  He is the only one that can sustain me.  He's my Rock and my salvation. 

One thing that I did learn through the time I spent at the reservation is that whatever effort you put forth to spend your time with God, He will bless you for that.  Sometimes you'll only be able to pray for 10 minutes in the morning, but God will bless you for that as long as you've tried your best to spend the time you need.  God will give us rest.  He is our Rock and fortress.

Another cool thing that happened was that I recently was offered the opportunity to preach to a congregation while I’m here this summer.  I have never done that in my entire life and I am still scared out of my whits, but I said yes because I know that God will be with me and I will be able to speak from my heart the words that God will give me.  I keep getting worried everytime I think about it but God keeps comforting me.  He is my Rock, my comforter.  I have been encouraged by different people with things like "not everyone is made to preach.  So, If [I] don’t do well then don’t worry about it."  Another man told me that the main thing I need to remember is that whatever I speak on has to make me feel like I need to hear this more than the congregation does.  I am very excited.

Remember to pray for me as I prepare to preach and as I continue to follow God's plans for my life.  My God, our Father, is my Rock and Comforter.