A great piece from a partner in Zambia with Jubilee Center about justice and courage in Zambia...hoping to visit their ministry with students this May back in the mother land!
We argued last week that Evangelical and Pentecostal leaders are a major force on the Zambian political scene. Our leaders receive invitations to the State House; and public media outlets: the ZNBC, the Times of Zambia, and the Daily Mail quote Pentecostal and Evangelical leaders more than any other religious constituency. We also noted that during the election candidates will be appealing for our votes and the votes of those we lead. How much difference do we make in how our members vote? Leaders do influence their people, but in the absence of quantifiable data we are not sure how many Evangelical or Pentecostals vote or what other issues we care about apart from the “Christian Nation” clause.
Evangelicals are rightly known for efforts to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost. Pentecostals are known for proclaiming the message of generous giving as a way of coming out of poverty as well as for exploring new forms of worship and for building new church structures. Both groups however are still lacking when it comes to caring for the needy beyond their church community. As one who identifies with both groups I can say we also have a difficult time making disciples who practically understand what it means to be Christian citizens in Zambia and the world.
Consider the economy of England in the 18th century that was largely built on the abusing children from poor families who were made to work in coalmines and factories under terrible conditions, and on the slave trade that cruelly exploited Indians and Africans. A ruling class addicted to privilege, licentious living, and status dominated the English government. It was during this period that God raised up William Wilberforce out of a life of wealth and class, who in part was a disciple of John Newton a former slave trader turned pastor, to lead through his position as a Member of Parliament to influence his fellow lawmakers to abolish the slave trade in England.
Much of Zambia’s current leadership is no different than the 18th century ruling class that enslaved the poor and oppressed the weak for personal gain. Copper prices have soared to record highs and yet those living in poor communities are seeing little change. Our natural resources and economic future are being sold and yet the proceeds are benefitting only a small band of investors and the elite ruling class. The majority of the Zambians still lack access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation. As a result, women and children spend a disproportionate amount of time collecting water and then caring for those who have contracted water-borne sicknesses from that water. Jeremiah lamented in the scriptures, “Remember O Lord what happened to us; look and see our disgrace. Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens our homes to foreigners” (Lam.5: 1-2) He cried, “Harvest is past, summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken; I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?”(Jeremiah 8:20-22)
Zambia needs a John Newton who will tell our Wilberforce in Parliament that “God has raised you up for the good of the church and the good of the nation.” Do we have a Wilberforce in Parliament...someone who will forgo wealth and privilege for a higher cause? Do we have a John Newton in our pulpits...one who has the credibility and courage to speak boldly to the ruling class on behalf of the marginalized and disciple them to make a difference for good?
Lawrence Temfwe
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Notes from A Chapel Message to Open the Spring Semester in 2011...
I JOHN 3:18...
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”
I JOHN 4:7-12...
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
I JOHN 4:16-21...
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.
WHAT IS LOVE?
Love means I will follow through on my commitment to:
do what I say I will do
and
be who I say I will be
JAMES 1:19-27
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
THE PROBLEM WITH WORDS...
*so many of us don’t want to fully believe because of the broken promises we have experienced
*how often do we say things we don’t actually do?
I JOHN 3:16-20
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
A Quote from Generous Justice by Tim Keller on the story of the Good Samaritan…
In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was giving a radical answer to the questions, “What is love?” and “What does it mean to love your neighbor?” Jesus answered the questions of a law expert by depicting a man meeting material, physical, and economic needs through deeds. Caring for people’s material and economic needs is not an option for Jesus. He refused to limit the implications of this command to love. He said it meant being sacrificially involved with the vulnerable…
Jesus also refuses to let us limit not only how we love, but who we love. It is typical for us to think of our neighbors as people of the same social class and means. We instinctively tend to limit for whom we exert ourselves. We do it for people like us, and for people whom we like. Jesus will have none of that. By depicting a Samaritan helping a Jew, Jesus could not have found a more forceful way to say that anyone at all in need—regardless of race, politics, class, and religion—is your neighbor. Not everyone is your brother or sister in the faith, but everyone is your neighbor, and you must love your neighbor.
THE POWER OF ACTIONS...
*this is where you see ideas turned into reality and a desire becomes your true passion in life
“The greatest cause of atheism is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
BRENNAN MANNING
THE CHALLENGE FOR GOD'S PEOPLE...
*truly care for people in your communities…
*focus on the needs of others rather than fixating on your own stuff…
*when you have the opportunity to simply change another’s life, you must take it…
A VISION FOR CU THIS SEMESTER...
Speak Less
Do More
Friday, January 21, 2011
Young People Who Walk Away from Faith and May Not Come Back...
The latest research spelled out here drives me to help this generation of students discover together with me the goodness of God, the blessings of following His call, and the joy of being engaged in Kingdom work...those are the things that draw people toward Jesus and His Church and keep students engaged in the community of faith...
The statistics are grim. According to Rainer Research, 70 percent of youth leave church by the time they are 22 years old. Barna Group estimates that 80 percent of those reared in the church will be "disengaged" by the time they are 29 years old. Unlike older church dropouts, these young "leavers" are unlikely to seek out alternative forms of Christian community, such as home churches and small groups. When they leave church, many leave the faith as well. Barna Group president, David Kinnaman put the reality in stark terms:
Imagine a group photo of all the students who come to your church (or live within your community of believers) in a typical year. Take a big fat marker and cross out three out of every four faces. That's the probable toll of spiritual disengagement as students navigate through their faith during the next two decades.
Strangers from Our Midst
Kinnaman reports that 65 percent of all American young people report making a commitment to Jesus Christ at some point in their lives. Yet, based on his surveys, Kinnaman concludes that only about 3 percent of these young adults have a biblical worldview.
Kinnaman translates the percentages into real numbers: "This means that out of the 95million Americans who are ages 18 to 41, about 60 million say they have already made a commitment to Jesus that is still important; however, only about 3 million of them have a biblical worldview."
Of course, that doesn't mean that there are 57 million young ex-Christians in the country. Only the most theologically lax would count anyone that makes a pledge or says a prayer as a genuine disciple of Jesus. On the other side of the coin, not having a biblical worldview doesn't seal your fate as an unbeliever. Ultimately the precise number of young adults leaving is beyond human knowing. Still, such research shows us something very valuable about young people outside the faith. As Kinnaman concludes, "the vast majority of outsiders in this country, particularly among young generations, are actually dechurched individuals."
In other words, these are not strangers, some mysterious denizens of a heathen underworld. Rather, most unbelieving outsiders are old friends, yesterday's worshipers, children who once prayed to Jesus, even if they didn't fully grasp what they were saying. Strictly speaking, they are not an "unreached people group." They are our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, and our friends. They have dwelt among us.
Won't They Just Come Back?
Some hold out hope for a mass return, believing that once these young people settle down and have families, they'll come back to faith. And indeed, in past generations, people raised in the church who leave do tend to come back once they establish careers, marry, and have children. However, there are reasons to believe that this return will not automatically occur with this generation.
First, there's reason to believe that today's young people are leaving the faith at a greater rate than young people of previous generations. Reporting on the latest studies, Harvard professor Robert Putnam and Notre Dame professor David Campbell note: "Young Americans are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of 5 to 6 times the historic rate (30-40% have no religion today versus 5-10% a generation ago)." Comparing today's young people with their parents may be like comparing apples and oranges.
Second, young adulthood is not what it used to be. For one, it's much longer. Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith describes this new extended phase in life: "The transition from the teenage years to fully-achieved adulthood has stretched out into an extended stage that is often amorphous, unstructured, and convoluted, lasting upward of twelve or more years." This is important because some of the defining milestones of adulthood, such as establishing a career, getting married, and having children are also factors that tend to drive people back to religious involvement. Past generations may have returned after the leaving during young adulthood. But coming back after a two or three year departure is one thing; returning after a decade or more away is much more unlikely.
It may be comforting to view what's happening with young adults as a temporary phenomenon, a short-term hiatus, and assume that they will automatically return en masse. Let's pray that they will. Unfortunately, such thinking may do more harm than good by giving us false hope and luring us into complacency.
The statistics are grim. According to Rainer Research, 70 percent of youth leave church by the time they are 22 years old. Barna Group estimates that 80 percent of those reared in the church will be "disengaged" by the time they are 29 years old. Unlike older church dropouts, these young "leavers" are unlikely to seek out alternative forms of Christian community, such as home churches and small groups. When they leave church, many leave the faith as well. Barna Group president, David Kinnaman put the reality in stark terms:
Imagine a group photo of all the students who come to your church (or live within your community of believers) in a typical year. Take a big fat marker and cross out three out of every four faces. That's the probable toll of spiritual disengagement as students navigate through their faith during the next two decades.
Strangers from Our Midst
Kinnaman reports that 65 percent of all American young people report making a commitment to Jesus Christ at some point in their lives. Yet, based on his surveys, Kinnaman concludes that only about 3 percent of these young adults have a biblical worldview.
Kinnaman translates the percentages into real numbers: "This means that out of the 95million Americans who are ages 18 to 41, about 60 million say they have already made a commitment to Jesus that is still important; however, only about 3 million of them have a biblical worldview."
Of course, that doesn't mean that there are 57 million young ex-Christians in the country. Only the most theologically lax would count anyone that makes a pledge or says a prayer as a genuine disciple of Jesus. On the other side of the coin, not having a biblical worldview doesn't seal your fate as an unbeliever. Ultimately the precise number of young adults leaving is beyond human knowing. Still, such research shows us something very valuable about young people outside the faith. As Kinnaman concludes, "the vast majority of outsiders in this country, particularly among young generations, are actually dechurched individuals."
In other words, these are not strangers, some mysterious denizens of a heathen underworld. Rather, most unbelieving outsiders are old friends, yesterday's worshipers, children who once prayed to Jesus, even if they didn't fully grasp what they were saying. Strictly speaking, they are not an "unreached people group." They are our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, and our friends. They have dwelt among us.
Won't They Just Come Back?
Some hold out hope for a mass return, believing that once these young people settle down and have families, they'll come back to faith. And indeed, in past generations, people raised in the church who leave do tend to come back once they establish careers, marry, and have children. However, there are reasons to believe that this return will not automatically occur with this generation.
First, there's reason to believe that today's young people are leaving the faith at a greater rate than young people of previous generations. Reporting on the latest studies, Harvard professor Robert Putnam and Notre Dame professor David Campbell note: "Young Americans are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of 5 to 6 times the historic rate (30-40% have no religion today versus 5-10% a generation ago)." Comparing today's young people with their parents may be like comparing apples and oranges.
Second, young adulthood is not what it used to be. For one, it's much longer. Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith describes this new extended phase in life: "The transition from the teenage years to fully-achieved adulthood has stretched out into an extended stage that is often amorphous, unstructured, and convoluted, lasting upward of twelve or more years." This is important because some of the defining milestones of adulthood, such as establishing a career, getting married, and having children are also factors that tend to drive people back to religious involvement. Past generations may have returned after the leaving during young adulthood. But coming back after a two or three year departure is one thing; returning after a decade or more away is much more unlikely.
It may be comforting to view what's happening with young adults as a temporary phenomenon, a short-term hiatus, and assume that they will automatically return en masse. Let's pray that they will. Unfortunately, such thinking may do more harm than good by giving us false hope and luring us into complacency.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A Final Blog from the DR...
Hello for the last time from the Dominican Republic...we are just getting ready for a final team dinner together on a warm and breezy night...we said goodbye to new friends this morning at our ministry site and then headed into the capital city of Santo Domingo...we visited the market and then walked in and around some of the oldest buildings in the Western hemisphere, including the National Cathedral and National Monuments of the DR...these buildings are amazing structures and are almost 500 years old!
We then drove to the coast and spent some time this afternoon enjoying a resort on the ocean...there has been good food, lots of Dominican music, and a time to relax at the beach after a very busy week for us all...in many ways, it is somewhat strange to be at a resort after being part of a community with such great physical needs during our time in the DR...you find yourself feeling somewhat guilty and somewhat resistant to what you see all around you...yet in many ways this resort represents more of who we are as blessed Americans...and the greatest challenge of this trip is yet to come in many ways...God's calling to us is not to just feel guilty and grateful...it is to live with what we have seen, experienced, and heard from God in a place of prominence in our daily lives...it is the challenge of living in our own community and culture that God has placed us in as a Christian who is compassionate, communicates about the needs of others near and far, and serves out of a heart that is full because of what God has done in Jesus for us...that's really our final task of this trip...to spend time asking God to show us specifically what our response individually and as a team will be as we come back to Cornerstone and the semester ahead...we'd ask you to pray for us to be motivated and passionate to be advocates for the people of the DR and to help us to build a community that is focused on others and creates a mindset of service and love and character in the soccer community and other places of influence in our lives...
We are tired and yet so very blessed after our time on this missions trip...we appreciate your prayers and support more than you know...we are excited to tell stories, show pictures, and talk about what God is up to in this world when we return...don't be afraid to ask questions of us when we are back with you...
Thanks for reading this blog and giving us encouraging comments back...I've loved being with young men who I believe will indeed change the world...CHIP
p.s. If all goes well, we should arrive back at CU sometime around 2:30 am or so after our travel day tomorrow!
We then drove to the coast and spent some time this afternoon enjoying a resort on the ocean...there has been good food, lots of Dominican music, and a time to relax at the beach after a very busy week for us all...in many ways, it is somewhat strange to be at a resort after being part of a community with such great physical needs during our time in the DR...you find yourself feeling somewhat guilty and somewhat resistant to what you see all around you...yet in many ways this resort represents more of who we are as blessed Americans...and the greatest challenge of this trip is yet to come in many ways...God's calling to us is not to just feel guilty and grateful...it is to live with what we have seen, experienced, and heard from God in a place of prominence in our daily lives...it is the challenge of living in our own community and culture that God has placed us in as a Christian who is compassionate, communicates about the needs of others near and far, and serves out of a heart that is full because of what God has done in Jesus for us...that's really our final task of this trip...to spend time asking God to show us specifically what our response individually and as a team will be as we come back to Cornerstone and the semester ahead...we'd ask you to pray for us to be motivated and passionate to be advocates for the people of the DR and to help us to build a community that is focused on others and creates a mindset of service and love and character in the soccer community and other places of influence in our lives...
We are tired and yet so very blessed after our time on this missions trip...we appreciate your prayers and support more than you know...we are excited to tell stories, show pictures, and talk about what God is up to in this world when we return...don't be afraid to ask questions of us when we are back with you...
Thanks for reading this blog and giving us encouraging comments back...I've loved being with young men who I believe will indeed change the world...CHIP
p.s. If all goes well, we should arrive back at CU sometime around 2:30 am or so after our travel day tomorrow!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A Final Day and Night in Los Alcarrizos
It is just about 10 pm here and we are all hanging out as a team after a full last day of work and conversation here in the community we have enjoyed being part of for the last 6 days...today was a day of sweat and reflection for all of us...we spent several hours under the warm Caribbean sun breaking rock, shoveling and wheelbarrowing dirt, and smoothing out the ground of a future community center space where a new church plant will soon become reality and there will be a new well where people can come to get water used for bathing and cleaning in a community where almost have no access to running water or even a natural water source...the guys on this team have worked and worked and worked this week...it truly is an act of worship as we work so that change can happen in the lives of those we work alongside in the days and years to come...they love the sense of being part of God's work in progress...and very much look forward to possibly seeing one day what they helped to start...
It is easy to see why we are doing what we are doing as Zac Tolsma and I spent time with the little guy and girl the Bell and Huber families sponsor here so they can attend the Lighthouse school...as the little girl hugged me and asked when we would be back again, you are blessed by your chance to invest your blessings to bless the lives of someone who you pray and believe God will use mightily someday...
We then somehow found the energy to beat a Dominican softball team that had previously been undefeated in the mission trip team challenge world...who says soccer players aren't good baseball players?
And then we sat down for a time where we refelected on what God has spoken to us individually and as a team, what he has taught us from His Word and our experiences, and the responses and next steps we plan to take in our lives, the soccer community, CU, and the world...
Here's a little window into our world and what God has been up to this past week in the DR:
*We see again that the church is a global church and doesn't just look like American in its worship and passions...
*We embrace a new passion for service and evangelism...and love how the two fit together so very well...
*We are excited to discover individually the specific callings God has upon our lives to use soccer and other gifts for impact on other people's lives
*We are committed to hosting local soccer clinics for kids in need in the Grand Rapids community...
*We are pumped to expand our Night of Nets event to have even greater involvement at CU and impact globally as we meet the needs of those in desperate need around the globe...
*And we are dreaming of a community that is built on brotherly love, demonstrates the character of Christ on and off the field, and grows in its care for each other and vision for what Jesus can do in and through us as His athletes and followers...
Needless to say, it was an inspiring time of celebration...a time to thank God for calling us here so we can learn from and embrace a new people and culture, discover and build new relationships, see how the game of soccer is a connection to people and vehicle for sharing the hope and meaning found only in Jesus wherever you go in this world, and leave with tired hands and full hearts from a place where God is physically and spiritually building something that reflects His glory to the people of the Dominican Republic...
Tomorrow we will share a last meal with the staff here and take a little visit to Santo Domingo and spend a few hours in the capital city at the market and the incredible historical sites in the place Christopher Columbus came to so many centuries ago...and then we will relax together at a beach resort and enjoy a little AC and a warm shower before heading back to Grand Rapids on Thursday...
Know tonight as we head to bed that your prayers are being answered in the lives of young men...for all the CU Soccer crew, CHIP
It is easy to see why we are doing what we are doing as Zac Tolsma and I spent time with the little guy and girl the Bell and Huber families sponsor here so they can attend the Lighthouse school...as the little girl hugged me and asked when we would be back again, you are blessed by your chance to invest your blessings to bless the lives of someone who you pray and believe God will use mightily someday...
We then somehow found the energy to beat a Dominican softball team that had previously been undefeated in the mission trip team challenge world...who says soccer players aren't good baseball players?
And then we sat down for a time where we refelected on what God has spoken to us individually and as a team, what he has taught us from His Word and our experiences, and the responses and next steps we plan to take in our lives, the soccer community, CU, and the world...
Here's a little window into our world and what God has been up to this past week in the DR:
*We see again that the church is a global church and doesn't just look like American in its worship and passions...
*We embrace a new passion for service and evangelism...and love how the two fit together so very well...
*We are excited to discover individually the specific callings God has upon our lives to use soccer and other gifts for impact on other people's lives
*We are committed to hosting local soccer clinics for kids in need in the Grand Rapids community...
*We are pumped to expand our Night of Nets event to have even greater involvement at CU and impact globally as we meet the needs of those in desperate need around the globe...
*And we are dreaming of a community that is built on brotherly love, demonstrates the character of Christ on and off the field, and grows in its care for each other and vision for what Jesus can do in and through us as His athletes and followers...
Needless to say, it was an inspiring time of celebration...a time to thank God for calling us here so we can learn from and embrace a new people and culture, discover and build new relationships, see how the game of soccer is a connection to people and vehicle for sharing the hope and meaning found only in Jesus wherever you go in this world, and leave with tired hands and full hearts from a place where God is physically and spiritually building something that reflects His glory to the people of the Dominican Republic...
Tomorrow we will share a last meal with the staff here and take a little visit to Santo Domingo and spend a few hours in the capital city at the market and the incredible historical sites in the place Christopher Columbus came to so many centuries ago...and then we will relax together at a beach resort and enjoy a little AC and a warm shower before heading back to Grand Rapids on Thursday...
Know tonight as we head to bed that your prayers are being answered in the lives of young men...for all the CU Soccer crew, CHIP
Monday, January 10, 2011
Guest Blogger Night...A Few Words from CU Soccer Player Josh Rimel
Tonight I am turning over my writing job to one of the CU soccer guys...Josh Rimel came back for a second year here in the DR and offers his perspective on the trip so far...tomorrow is our final work day here at our ministry site...we are blessed and learning and experiencing much...I would have loved you to hear our conversation about how being a soccer athlete offers us incredible opportunities for ministry on the field and across the world...can't wait to see some of the visions God is birthing becoming reality...and here's Josh's insider's perspective:
It has now been five days since we have gotten here and everyday has been just as exciting as the day before. To start off each day we usually work in the beating sun for a minimum of about four hours doing brick work. This can possibly involve anything from carrying cinder blocks up flights of stairs to lifting buckets of cement above your head to fill in colums for a new floor on a building. At the end of each day you are so sore and tired that you can't wait to fall asleep on your bed that is most likely surounded by mosquitoes that show no mercy to your aching body... and in the morning you wake up to do it all again. Some people would question why would a group of college guys would raise $1500 to spend their semester break doing this for a week. Well, the answer is quite simple. We all were presented with an oportunity to be able to take a little time out of our busy lives to fly down to the Dominican Republic and help an orginaztion in a small community that is trying to make a difference, and we couldn't pass the invitation up. Every day here I can say I have definitely gained much more than I have given. As you walk out the gates of the ministry camp and walk a block away you find yourself literally in the midst of pretty sever poverty. You see what so many times you only hear about exisiting somewhere in the world. This has really opened my eyes and made it so much more personnal to me. Also being able to actually be an active part of what your money goes toward, and seeing what it is being used for I feel encourages your desire to send and return again. I can honestly say that each one of the guys who came down here to the Dominican Republic wouldn't have changed their mind if they were given another chance to spend their vacation time serving people, sharing Jesus, and playing soccer in the Dominican Republic. Good night from the DR!
It has now been five days since we have gotten here and everyday has been just as exciting as the day before. To start off each day we usually work in the beating sun for a minimum of about four hours doing brick work. This can possibly involve anything from carrying cinder blocks up flights of stairs to lifting buckets of cement above your head to fill in colums for a new floor on a building. At the end of each day you are so sore and tired that you can't wait to fall asleep on your bed that is most likely surounded by mosquitoes that show no mercy to your aching body... and in the morning you wake up to do it all again. Some people would question why would a group of college guys would raise $1500 to spend their semester break doing this for a week. Well, the answer is quite simple. We all were presented with an oportunity to be able to take a little time out of our busy lives to fly down to the Dominican Republic and help an orginaztion in a small community that is trying to make a difference, and we couldn't pass the invitation up. Every day here I can say I have definitely gained much more than I have given. As you walk out the gates of the ministry camp and walk a block away you find yourself literally in the midst of pretty sever poverty. You see what so many times you only hear about exisiting somewhere in the world. This has really opened my eyes and made it so much more personnal to me. Also being able to actually be an active part of what your money goes toward, and seeing what it is being used for I feel encourages your desire to send and return again. I can honestly say that each one of the guys who came down here to the Dominican Republic wouldn't have changed their mind if they were given another chance to spend their vacation time serving people, sharing Jesus, and playing soccer in the Dominican Republic. Good night from the DR!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A Sabbath Day in the Caribbean
Sunday is always a bit different on trips here in the Dominican Republic...most of our other days are filled with work, with play, and a busy schedule...today is our different day in our time here in this community...we walked to church this morning...the church was planted many years ago by a missionary from South Korea and we enjoyed the worship service as a team...there is often a freshness and a vibrant spirit to the church celebrations around the world...and you can't help but be caught up in the authentic and passionate worship of God in His people here in the Dominican Republic...
One of the blessings of being here is the food we are eating that is cooked by some outstanding Dominican ladies...the food is authentic and we have all the energy we need to do what we are called to do in our time here...
In the heat of a Sunday afternoon we still found the energy to play a softball game with some guys from the area and played a little futbal with our new friends from Haiti...Ian Grotenhuis talked with the guys about how his teammates have often served as key people in helping him to become more the person that Christ is calling him to be, and encouraged the Haitian guys to care for one another...
Tonight we are headed to get a little ice cream together...it has been a great day to enjoy each other's company, worship together, play together, and talk about anything and everything...we are blessed to be here and blessed to be a community of Christian soccer players and coaches...tomorrow we are back on the work site and will be traveling to a community that loves soccer here in the DR...it is a joy to be able to share the Gospel in word and deed together...
We pray for a great week ahead for you all!
CHIP for the CU Soccer Crew
One of the blessings of being here is the food we are eating that is cooked by some outstanding Dominican ladies...the food is authentic and we have all the energy we need to do what we are called to do in our time here...
In the heat of a Sunday afternoon we still found the energy to play a softball game with some guys from the area and played a little futbal with our new friends from Haiti...Ian Grotenhuis talked with the guys about how his teammates have often served as key people in helping him to become more the person that Christ is calling him to be, and encouraged the Haitian guys to care for one another...
Tonight we are headed to get a little ice cream together...it has been a great day to enjoy each other's company, worship together, play together, and talk about anything and everything...we are blessed to be here and blessed to be a community of Christian soccer players and coaches...tomorrow we are back on the work site and will be traveling to a community that loves soccer here in the DR...it is a joy to be able to share the Gospel in word and deed together...
We pray for a great week ahead for you all!
CHIP for the CU Soccer Crew
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Saturday Happenings
On a warm and sunny day in the DR, we once again tackled the task of helping to build the walls of an addition to the Lighthouse School...many of the guys are becoming quite accomplished at laying block and it is always fun to see the levels of the walls growing as you think about the lives that will be changed inside those walls...we also got a chance to knock the soccer ball around with some guys who enjoy the game at a local field here in the DR...and it's always fun to see and play with children playing on the dirt fields anywhere in the world...this game we love truly does connect and transcend all cultures...Isaac Grotenhuis got a chance to share with the guys about how Christ has changed his life and his love for the people of the DR as He's been involved in God's work for the second year here in this community...
Tonight we reflected on the things we have seen so far here in the DR...we've seen poverty, we've seen community, we've seen obvious needs, and we've seen joy in the children and friends we have made...this morning we looked at a myriad of Scriptures that speak so clearly about God's overwhelming heart for the poor, the oppressed, and for justice...and we talked tonight about the struggle we often face in knowing how to respond to what is going on in our world as we have been made aware in a fresh way of the needs in places outside of our own communities...I often tell students that I actually pray for them to be gripped by this tension...gripped to the point where they have to struggle with God and made a decision to respond and get personally involved in the physical and spiritual needs of the people of the world God has made...we'd love if you would pray and even ask us as we get home about the struggle that we want to produce fruit of change and commitment in our spiritual lives...we want to hear I John 3:18 and not see our brother and sister in need and then choose to not do anything for the long haul...for we want God's love for us and for them to compel us to action and not just words...
Tomorrow will be a bit of a rest day...we actually need it...we'll walk to a Dominican church in the community here and then will welcome our Haitian friends back for a little more futbal later in the afternoon...and we might even need to practice a little baseball...some Dominican kids want to play us Tuesday night...and let me tell ya...Dominican kids can play baseball!
May you enjoy Sunday and we will think of you worshipping back at home as we do the smae in another place in the world!
For all the guys...CHIP
Tonight we reflected on the things we have seen so far here in the DR...we've seen poverty, we've seen community, we've seen obvious needs, and we've seen joy in the children and friends we have made...this morning we looked at a myriad of Scriptures that speak so clearly about God's overwhelming heart for the poor, the oppressed, and for justice...and we talked tonight about the struggle we often face in knowing how to respond to what is going on in our world as we have been made aware in a fresh way of the needs in places outside of our own communities...I often tell students that I actually pray for them to be gripped by this tension...gripped to the point where they have to struggle with God and made a decision to respond and get personally involved in the physical and spiritual needs of the people of the world God has made...we'd love if you would pray and even ask us as we get home about the struggle that we want to produce fruit of change and commitment in our spiritual lives...we want to hear I John 3:18 and not see our brother and sister in need and then choose to not do anything for the long haul...for we want God's love for us and for them to compel us to action and not just words...
Tomorrow will be a bit of a rest day...we actually need it...we'll walk to a Dominican church in the community here and then will welcome our Haitian friends back for a little more futbal later in the afternoon...and we might even need to practice a little baseball...some Dominican kids want to play us Tuesday night...and let me tell ya...Dominican kids can play baseball!
May you enjoy Sunday and we will think of you worshipping back at home as we do the smae in another place in the world!
For all the guys...CHIP
Friday, January 7, 2011
A Busy Friday in the DR
Hello again from the DR...we have had a more than full day together here on our first full day on our ministry site...we spent most of the day working hard in the sun and heat! The guys were involved in mixing cement, laying block for a kitchen facility, filling columns on the third floor of an addition that will make 5 new classrooms and make a Christian school education available for 150 more children in the community, and shoveling and wheelbarrowing and getting dirty...there is a joy and energy that I love seeing in young men serving with passion and joy in being part of all that God is doing here...
We spent the early evening playing some pick up soccer on the small field here by the school with some local Haitian guys who love the game of soccer...Matt Roberts had a chance to share with them why we are here and how his soccer playing is an expression of love and passion from the gifts God has given Him to honor Him...and we heard from them about how their families have been affected by the Haiti earthquake and the challenges of being a refugee of sorts here in the DR...and mayn of them were still wearing some CU jerseys we had distributed last year...always a joy to play the game we love in another part of the world...
And we just finished a pretty intense conversation about the challenge of living a life of compassion and service, both in other cultures and among the poor, and yet even more so in the soccer community at CU where God has placed each of us at this time...there was a real sense in the room tonight that there must be a greater commitment to caring for, building each other up, and reaching out and holding one another accountable so as to experience the richness of the community Christ longs for us to experience as brothers in Christ who have been invited to play and do life together in this season...we'd ask you to pray for courage and wisdom as to how they can live out a heart of compassion and service in the days to come...
We are always reminded down here of God's presence in all of our world...and the reality that He has made each Dominican and each American, each Canadian, in His very image...we looked at several passages this morning before breakfast focusing on the Imago Dei, the reality that we are made in the image of a Creator and bear the Likeness of His Son as His Creation...it's a powerful idea that gives us love and passion to see change come to the lives of people in need here in the DR, and invites us to love our neighbors that God has brought into our daily lives...
We will sleep well tonight...and tomorrow we will be doing more work and playing more soccer...we are headed to another community later tomorrow afternoon and I may not be able to blog until Sunday...we miss you all and pray for a wonderful weekend back at our homes...we promise not to complain too much about the heat down here!
With our LOVE from all the soccer crew,
CHIP
We spent the early evening playing some pick up soccer on the small field here by the school with some local Haitian guys who love the game of soccer...Matt Roberts had a chance to share with them why we are here and how his soccer playing is an expression of love and passion from the gifts God has given Him to honor Him...and we heard from them about how their families have been affected by the Haiti earthquake and the challenges of being a refugee of sorts here in the DR...and mayn of them were still wearing some CU jerseys we had distributed last year...always a joy to play the game we love in another part of the world...
And we just finished a pretty intense conversation about the challenge of living a life of compassion and service, both in other cultures and among the poor, and yet even more so in the soccer community at CU where God has placed each of us at this time...there was a real sense in the room tonight that there must be a greater commitment to caring for, building each other up, and reaching out and holding one another accountable so as to experience the richness of the community Christ longs for us to experience as brothers in Christ who have been invited to play and do life together in this season...we'd ask you to pray for courage and wisdom as to how they can live out a heart of compassion and service in the days to come...
We are always reminded down here of God's presence in all of our world...and the reality that He has made each Dominican and each American, each Canadian, in His very image...we looked at several passages this morning before breakfast focusing on the Imago Dei, the reality that we are made in the image of a Creator and bear the Likeness of His Son as His Creation...it's a powerful idea that gives us love and passion to see change come to the lives of people in need here in the DR, and invites us to love our neighbors that God has brought into our daily lives...
We will sleep well tonight...and tomorrow we will be doing more work and playing more soccer...we are headed to another community later tomorrow afternoon and I may not be able to blog until Sunday...we miss you all and pray for a wonderful weekend back at our homes...we promise not to complain too much about the heat down here!
With our LOVE from all the soccer crew,
CHIP
Thursday, January 6, 2011
HELLO from the DR...A Study in Contrasts
Hello from the DR soccer missions crew! I am sitting outside on a little porch area outside a Christian school where over 1100 students come to school each morning...we had an uneventful travel day and were warmly greeted by our Dominican hosts at the airport when we arrived on this beautiful island...to be honesat, we are all pretty exhausted after just grabbing a few hours of sleep on one of our two flights...it will be an early bed time for this typically late-night crew!
When we got to the Los Alcarrizos community where we are staying and serving this coming week, we had a chance to see all that God is up to down here...the ministry we are partnering with here is involved in all kinds of Kingdom activity...we saw the water purification plant they operate that provides clean and affordable water for the community while also employing local pastors to provide them income; the school we'll be working on to add 5 new classrooms providing outstanding Christian education to over 1000 kids in one of the poorest areas in this part of the country; a kitchen facility we will be laying a foundation for that will provide breakfast for 400 children each day; new houses for the poorest of the poor here; a fantastic weight room and workout facility we helped to build last year that is now finished and serves as a center for relational evangelism with all types of kids and young adults in the community; and a new community center site where we will be hosting an outreach event for kids in the community later this week...it is exciting to see our opportunity to join God and others from all over the world in the work He is doing here to change people's lives in Jesus' name here...
And as we walked through the community past people's homes and talked with hundreds of local children, I couldn't help but be struck by the incredible contrast in where we came from and then found ourselves in the same day...we left the blowing snow and found ourselves sweating on a twilight walk dressed in tshirts and shorts; we left homes and cars and clothing that were replaced with things some had only seen in charity specials late at night on our televisions; and we left behind lives cluttered with media and grades and constant communication and busyness for a place where we spend the evening writing and talking about why we came to this place and what we think God might want us to wrestle with both this week and in the future...
I always love hearing the hearts of young men as they share about their very real desires to know Jesus more deeply and understand in a fresh way what God is calling them to do in terms of how they live and what kind of impact their lives might be able to have...your prayers for their prayers really will make a difference this week...
Tomorrow we will be up early and get to work on the construction sites here...we miss you and look forward to sharing our stories in the days ahead...
Stay warm thinking of us down here! For all the soccer guys...
CHIP
When we got to the Los Alcarrizos community where we are staying and serving this coming week, we had a chance to see all that God is up to down here...the ministry we are partnering with here is involved in all kinds of Kingdom activity...we saw the water purification plant they operate that provides clean and affordable water for the community while also employing local pastors to provide them income; the school we'll be working on to add 5 new classrooms providing outstanding Christian education to over 1000 kids in one of the poorest areas in this part of the country; a kitchen facility we will be laying a foundation for that will provide breakfast for 400 children each day; new houses for the poorest of the poor here; a fantastic weight room and workout facility we helped to build last year that is now finished and serves as a center for relational evangelism with all types of kids and young adults in the community; and a new community center site where we will be hosting an outreach event for kids in the community later this week...it is exciting to see our opportunity to join God and others from all over the world in the work He is doing here to change people's lives in Jesus' name here...
And as we walked through the community past people's homes and talked with hundreds of local children, I couldn't help but be struck by the incredible contrast in where we came from and then found ourselves in the same day...we left the blowing snow and found ourselves sweating on a twilight walk dressed in tshirts and shorts; we left homes and cars and clothing that were replaced with things some had only seen in charity specials late at night on our televisions; and we left behind lives cluttered with media and grades and constant communication and busyness for a place where we spend the evening writing and talking about why we came to this place and what we think God might want us to wrestle with both this week and in the future...
I always love hearing the hearts of young men as they share about their very real desires to know Jesus more deeply and understand in a fresh way what God is calling them to do in terms of how they live and what kind of impact their lives might be able to have...your prayers for their prayers really will make a difference this week...
Tomorrow we will be up early and get to work on the construction sites here...we miss you and look forward to sharing our stories in the days ahead...
Stay warm thinking of us down here! For all the soccer guys...
CHIP
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Thoughts on Millennials Leaving Their Faith and the Church Behind...An Interview with My Friend Josh Riebock
Josh Riebock speaks to young people at camps, churches, colleges, retreats, seminars, and conferences. He recently spoke to the students I work with at Cornerstone University. He is author of My Generation: A Real Journey of Change and Hope (Baker, 2009). In this interview, he speaks with Drew Dyck about how churches can impact the lives of young people.
Ed Stetzer has described many youth groups as "holding tanks with pizza." Teenagers generally seem happy with their youth groups, but then most of them end up drifting out of church after graduation. What's going on?
Let's be honest, you can find a lot more fun things to do in college than eat pizza. If there's not a more compelling reason, why would you waste your time? Growing up I hated youth group. I didn't see the point. To me, if it doesn't get beyond the pizza and movie and games, eventually you're going to drift away.
When I look at my life, and the lives of the people that I know and still know, the people that end up wandering off from church often do so simply because they never understood the need to be in a community. The church that they were a part of before perhaps never presented it that way or told them that existed. It was more like, hey, just one more night of fun! Come get a break from homework. There's just nothing inspiring about that. It potentially creates a real faith struggle. You wonder, "If I don't see the point of church and church seems to play such a major role in this whole Jesus thing—what does that tell me about Jesus?" There's a potential domino effect. I think the church needs to either say that it's not essential, or it needs to act essential. To say it is and then to not act that way—it creates so many problems.
In your book you write that Jesus was relevant, but not relevant because he wore the latest tunic and fashion sandals. We've all seen the leader who is 40 years old and wears skinny jeans and a faux hawk, but doesn't get it. How can you be both relevant and authentic?
Part of relevance is tied to the second word you used: authenticity is crucial. As a soon as that disappears, irrelevance is soon to follow. I don't believe that someone has to look like me, act like me, and like the same things as me in order to impact me. Most of the time, and when I look back through my life, some of the people that have had the greatest impact on me, and some of the people that I will still go in my life regularly, are more than 20 years older, and are in completely different vocations. They dress like suburban dads.
The reason I go to them is because more than anything, their actions have demonstrated to me over and over that they care about me. I mean, honestly, what is more relevant to someone than that, than knowing someone cares about you? If we invested half as much time thinking of how to care for young people as we did sitting in meetings talking about this new series we're doing, or how we're going to amp up a program, things would be much different. None of this is new. But when we insult young people when we think that because a building is cool or the music is good, that all of a sudden they're going to go, "Oh, now I want to be here!" They just think, how shallow do you think I am? It needs to be about something more. What would it look like as a church to really demonstrate humility to these students, to demonstrate what it looks like to serve and to be involved as opposed to laboring over that other stuff? I think students would get a completely different picture of why the church matters and of who Jesus is.
The younger generation is so media saturated. They've been inundated with advertisements their whole lives. They can really smell when someone is trying to package something and sell them full of goods.
In my six years of being a youth pastor, I found that the one thing that seemed to break through to students is when someone got involved in their lives. It's not that being relevant doesn't help. It does. But those things are not compelling enough to keep someone. It's not compelling enough to draw them deeply into something. And we know this. Can you tell me what the number one movie in America was a year ago?
Oh, man, you got me there.
We don't remember that stuff. It all comes and goes! If you were to try to remember what series your church studied four months ago, that's tough. I barely remember the message I heard three days ago. But I remember the people who were involved in my life. I realize that this is guess basic stuff. But I think if we would invest in students, we'd find that God's wired our souls that way. Unless we speak that language, and unless we invest our hours in people, we're not going to demonstrate to students how essential Jesus is and the essential role the church plays in conveying his message.
Why do many young people seem to be bailing on the church and even on the Christian faith?
A big part of it is that we haven't communicated anything compelling about it. The way we demonstrate it is boring. The faith that we live out in front of them isn't the faith that they find if they actually read scripture. It's almost feels like there are two completely different stories being told. If someone is actually investigating their faith and pursuing Jesus, at some point those things are going to collide and it just creates problems. Some choose not to reconcile those two experiences. They choose to ditch it rather than work through it.
Another factor is that we've kept younger people out of most leadership positions. That's a problem. The younger people don't have a voice. I heard about an older church that's wrestling through the idea of how to connect with the younger generation. So they gathered all the leaders and some younger individuals and asked for their input. One of the teens said, "Well, if you really want to demonstrate that you care about us, about the younger generation, you've got to let us make some of the decisions." Someone asked, "Well, what exactly do you mean?" The young person said, "For example, why not let us have a say in the music and the worship?" The elder looked at this young person and said, "That's a great idea, but your generation doesn't fund this church, we do."
When I hear things like that, it's no mystery why young people walk away. Of course not every church is like that, but sometimes there's a sense of entitlement with the older generation because they have the power and money. That can be incredibly discouraging for a young person. They just think, well, I'm 20 years away from having a voice here anyway, so maybe I'll come back then when I actually matter.
It's just exactly the opposite of the message Jesus teaches. He would say that you have power so that you can serve. You have resources so you can give and not ask for anything in return. You've been put in a position of leadership to demonstrate what it looks like to be a servant rather than lording over people.
That kind of posture of humility changes everything. Suddenly young people would feel like they're contributing something that matters to them instead of just being asked to join in something that matters to someone else.
Ed Stetzer has described many youth groups as "holding tanks with pizza." Teenagers generally seem happy with their youth groups, but then most of them end up drifting out of church after graduation. What's going on?
Let's be honest, you can find a lot more fun things to do in college than eat pizza. If there's not a more compelling reason, why would you waste your time? Growing up I hated youth group. I didn't see the point. To me, if it doesn't get beyond the pizza and movie and games, eventually you're going to drift away.
When I look at my life, and the lives of the people that I know and still know, the people that end up wandering off from church often do so simply because they never understood the need to be in a community. The church that they were a part of before perhaps never presented it that way or told them that existed. It was more like, hey, just one more night of fun! Come get a break from homework. There's just nothing inspiring about that. It potentially creates a real faith struggle. You wonder, "If I don't see the point of church and church seems to play such a major role in this whole Jesus thing—what does that tell me about Jesus?" There's a potential domino effect. I think the church needs to either say that it's not essential, or it needs to act essential. To say it is and then to not act that way—it creates so many problems.
In your book you write that Jesus was relevant, but not relevant because he wore the latest tunic and fashion sandals. We've all seen the leader who is 40 years old and wears skinny jeans and a faux hawk, but doesn't get it. How can you be both relevant and authentic?
Part of relevance is tied to the second word you used: authenticity is crucial. As a soon as that disappears, irrelevance is soon to follow. I don't believe that someone has to look like me, act like me, and like the same things as me in order to impact me. Most of the time, and when I look back through my life, some of the people that have had the greatest impact on me, and some of the people that I will still go in my life regularly, are more than 20 years older, and are in completely different vocations. They dress like suburban dads.
The reason I go to them is because more than anything, their actions have demonstrated to me over and over that they care about me. I mean, honestly, what is more relevant to someone than that, than knowing someone cares about you? If we invested half as much time thinking of how to care for young people as we did sitting in meetings talking about this new series we're doing, or how we're going to amp up a program, things would be much different. None of this is new. But when we insult young people when we think that because a building is cool or the music is good, that all of a sudden they're going to go, "Oh, now I want to be here!" They just think, how shallow do you think I am? It needs to be about something more. What would it look like as a church to really demonstrate humility to these students, to demonstrate what it looks like to serve and to be involved as opposed to laboring over that other stuff? I think students would get a completely different picture of why the church matters and of who Jesus is.
The younger generation is so media saturated. They've been inundated with advertisements their whole lives. They can really smell when someone is trying to package something and sell them full of goods.
In my six years of being a youth pastor, I found that the one thing that seemed to break through to students is when someone got involved in their lives. It's not that being relevant doesn't help. It does. But those things are not compelling enough to keep someone. It's not compelling enough to draw them deeply into something. And we know this. Can you tell me what the number one movie in America was a year ago?
Oh, man, you got me there.
We don't remember that stuff. It all comes and goes! If you were to try to remember what series your church studied four months ago, that's tough. I barely remember the message I heard three days ago. But I remember the people who were involved in my life. I realize that this is guess basic stuff. But I think if we would invest in students, we'd find that God's wired our souls that way. Unless we speak that language, and unless we invest our hours in people, we're not going to demonstrate to students how essential Jesus is and the essential role the church plays in conveying his message.
Why do many young people seem to be bailing on the church and even on the Christian faith?
A big part of it is that we haven't communicated anything compelling about it. The way we demonstrate it is boring. The faith that we live out in front of them isn't the faith that they find if they actually read scripture. It's almost feels like there are two completely different stories being told. If someone is actually investigating their faith and pursuing Jesus, at some point those things are going to collide and it just creates problems. Some choose not to reconcile those two experiences. They choose to ditch it rather than work through it.
Another factor is that we've kept younger people out of most leadership positions. That's a problem. The younger people don't have a voice. I heard about an older church that's wrestling through the idea of how to connect with the younger generation. So they gathered all the leaders and some younger individuals and asked for their input. One of the teens said, "Well, if you really want to demonstrate that you care about us, about the younger generation, you've got to let us make some of the decisions." Someone asked, "Well, what exactly do you mean?" The young person said, "For example, why not let us have a say in the music and the worship?" The elder looked at this young person and said, "That's a great idea, but your generation doesn't fund this church, we do."
When I hear things like that, it's no mystery why young people walk away. Of course not every church is like that, but sometimes there's a sense of entitlement with the older generation because they have the power and money. That can be incredibly discouraging for a young person. They just think, well, I'm 20 years away from having a voice here anyway, so maybe I'll come back then when I actually matter.
It's just exactly the opposite of the message Jesus teaches. He would say that you have power so that you can serve. You have resources so you can give and not ask for anything in return. You've been put in a position of leadership to demonstrate what it looks like to be a servant rather than lording over people.
That kind of posture of humility changes everything. Suddenly young people would feel like they're contributing something that matters to them instead of just being asked to join in something that matters to someone else.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Prayers for the 2011 CU Men's Soccer Trip to the DR
My name is Chip Huber and this is my second year serving in the Spiritual Formation office at CU...I also happen to be a long-time soccer player, coach, and lover of the game...one of the highlights of my time here working with students at CU has been the opportunity to get to know many of the guys in our soccer program and be part of their lives and team as God is at work in and through them...and I am thrilled to once again have the opportunity to help lead and travel with coaches and players from the CU soccer community on this mission trip experience...
This trip is something that we see as being an integral part of our soccer program...sports is truly an incredible relational connection and ministry tool all across our world...and we are excited to be returning to a place in the Dominican Republic where several of the team members went last year and we are able to use our hands, our resources, and our soccer abilities to serve and build relationships with a wonderful community of kids and adults in the DR...
As we head off to the Dominican Republic in a few hours, here's a prayer update I want to offer to you...we covet your prayers as we seek to have a transformational life experience together as a team and with the people in the DR...I'll be blogging from the DR several times over the next week and will get some help from the guys in sharing stories and experiences from our trip...…here are ten specific ways you can pray for us:
1.Safety and health in our travels to and from and around the DR over the next 7 days
2.A good working out of schedule and administrative details as we attempt to see and be part of many different experiences in a short time period
3.Ability to connect with and love and learn from our Domincan brothers and sisters
4.The continued impact of the Christian school which is being used by hundreds and hundreds of students in this community, and the physical strength to help in the further expansion of this school to serve the needs of a growing child population
6.A deep sense of community and growth in our team as we seek to discuss and mull over the experiences and resulting questions we will encounter...we are excited to build deeper friendships with each other and use our athletic gifts in soccer as a ministry and witness tool...
7.A fresh vision for future projects and personal involvement in the work God is doing in the DR and other nations around the world
8.A greater love for Christ and a heart that beats and cares for and loves the poor and oppressed people in our world
9.Opportunities to pray for/with and encourage believers and the local body of Christ in the DR as we share the Gospel in word and deed with the children and adults in these communities
10.Ability to hear and receive stories and learnings that we can then take and use as powerful resources in being advocates and leaders when we return home
We can’t wait to return and give you the stories of our trip along with some photos and videos we will have taken…once again, thank you for being part of this Kingdom venture for these young men…your overwhelming generosity and partnership is truly a remarkable blessing in our lives…we thank God for your friendship, gifts of love, and your prayers…
Together in His Work and for the 2011 Soccer Missions Crew,
Chip Huber
Dean of Student Engagement at Cornerstone University
This trip is something that we see as being an integral part of our soccer program...sports is truly an incredible relational connection and ministry tool all across our world...and we are excited to be returning to a place in the Dominican Republic where several of the team members went last year and we are able to use our hands, our resources, and our soccer abilities to serve and build relationships with a wonderful community of kids and adults in the DR...
As we head off to the Dominican Republic in a few hours, here's a prayer update I want to offer to you...we covet your prayers as we seek to have a transformational life experience together as a team and with the people in the DR...I'll be blogging from the DR several times over the next week and will get some help from the guys in sharing stories and experiences from our trip...…here are ten specific ways you can pray for us:
1.Safety and health in our travels to and from and around the DR over the next 7 days
2.A good working out of schedule and administrative details as we attempt to see and be part of many different experiences in a short time period
3.Ability to connect with and love and learn from our Domincan brothers and sisters
4.The continued impact of the Christian school which is being used by hundreds and hundreds of students in this community, and the physical strength to help in the further expansion of this school to serve the needs of a growing child population
6.A deep sense of community and growth in our team as we seek to discuss and mull over the experiences and resulting questions we will encounter...we are excited to build deeper friendships with each other and use our athletic gifts in soccer as a ministry and witness tool...
7.A fresh vision for future projects and personal involvement in the work God is doing in the DR and other nations around the world
8.A greater love for Christ and a heart that beats and cares for and loves the poor and oppressed people in our world
9.Opportunities to pray for/with and encourage believers and the local body of Christ in the DR as we share the Gospel in word and deed with the children and adults in these communities
10.Ability to hear and receive stories and learnings that we can then take and use as powerful resources in being advocates and leaders when we return home
We can’t wait to return and give you the stories of our trip along with some photos and videos we will have taken…once again, thank you for being part of this Kingdom venture for these young men…your overwhelming generosity and partnership is truly a remarkable blessing in our lives…we thank God for your friendship, gifts of love, and your prayers…
Together in His Work and for the 2011 Soccer Missions Crew,
Chip Huber
Dean of Student Engagement at Cornerstone University
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