Free Breakfast...With a Price

Unfortunately, our flight this morning was canceled, even more unfortunate- we didn't find out until we were at the airport this morning. We awoke at 3:45 to head town, and once our first group of people arrived at the airport we were greeted with the rude news of our flight cancellation. Fortunately, we all will be squeezed onto a flight at 2pm today and will arrive in LA at 4:30 (ish). Instead of moping around, we made the most of the opportunity. The students responded fantastically as we got vouchers for a free breakfast (that came with the price of being awake for roughly 21 hours by the end of this day), and returned to the hotel to partake in some team building exercises.







The guys trying to untangle a "Human Knot."







The girls working on the same thing-







The girls were a lot more successful.



The guys did have some success here though. They had to put themselves in Alphabetical order by last name without being able to talk or see each other:







The games are a little silly, but they force team cohesion and we get to see who steps up as leaders. We also "disabled" some leaders so they couldn't talk; forcing others to step up. We learned a lot about each other and I am excited to press onward. It has been a good morning. God has kept us upbeat and life is good. We will rest now until we head to LA this afternoon. Thank you Lord for your goodness in all things.

Nights and Days

Los Angeles Dream Center 2010

Mini Update

I woke up this morning to the sound of someone’s alarm clock going off on their cell phone. This could only mean one thing. We had hit that wonderful time of morning known as 3:30 am. After a wonderful night of tossing and turning, I somehow I managed to drag myself out of the bed and take a shower. By about 4:30, I was all packed and ready to whip this day into shape. As we loaded up the airport shuttle and prepared for transit in between our two destinations, we were stopped by Leslie Ellingson. She informed us that our flight had been canceled. So now, we wait. Waiting at a hotel is by far, not the worst of things ever, but I can’t help thinking how this might just be some cheap shot against our team. I know that right now, the devil is doing everything that he can to try and discourage our team of 27 people. I believe that he knows just what we’re capable of. He knows the strength and the light that this team will be bringing to the desolate, broken, and needy of Los Angeles, and he doesn’t like it one bit. He is running scared, and that gives me hope and motivation. I know that if the devil is this threatened by what we are bringing to the people of LA, then God is going to do some amazing work with and through us on this trip. And that makes me more excited than ever!

Day 1/2?

It's bed time in Portland. We made it safely to our destination, and we are hitting the hay with full bellies, anxious hearts, and excited minds. It will be a short night's sleep this evening as tomorrow will bring a 3:30 am wake-up and day of work. I was impressed with the cohesion of the team even on the trip over. I have already challenged them, as they have seen their van assignments are a bit unusual. I have done my best to split up "cliques" and put together challenging groups that will force some to step up and lead and others to accept a different than usual position in humility. I am excited, the team is excited, and thank you all for your prayers. You will hear from us tomorrow after a day of travel and team building. Until then, we sleep with this in our hearts:

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)

Lord Jesus- Make it so. Make us people who bring light. Amen

Dream Center 2010

It's Easter! Today is going to be a great day. It's a little bitter-sweet for me personally, because in about 9 hours we send a team from ECC down to the Dream Center, for our annual Spring Break missions trip. You can read the blogs from last years trip on this blog...needless to say, it was life-changing. Due to some other responsibilities I am not able to attend the trip this year, so the mantle of leadership has been passed to my capable and Spirit-led associate pastor Jake Gamble (alongside pro and 3rd time leader Christy Briggs), and an experienced team of leadership.

This is an email that Jake sent to the team last night. Unreal.

I hope Good Friday was wonderful for all of you. Just a quick word before we leave tomorrow-

We are leaving Olympia on Easter Sunday, the day of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is no coincidence that on this day His resurrection secured our place in heaven at the right hand of the father, and on this day 27 people from Olympia will head to southern California to display the love and righteousness of this very Savior to a group of people we don't even know. The knowledge that Jesus died for us yesterday, and rose again for us tomorrow pushes us and moves us forward. The fact that he was exhausted and overwhelmed, even to the point of death prior to heading to the cross urges us onward, no matter what our last week looked like. Knowing that he suffered much for our sake calls out to us to set aside our own lives, even if just for a week, to help the poor and the broken. The hope that comes from His resurrection is the same driving factor leading us to California, and for some of you eventually to El Salvador, Guatemala, Poland, Russia, China, or Pakistan. It is that hope that will keep us going as we push our bodies and minds to help others. It is that help that will bring light to the faces of so many in darkness. It is that hope that brings us joy in knowing that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all! It is that hope that says we are pressed but not crushed! That forevermore we will press on and run this race with perseverance, throwing off everything that hinders. It is that hope that moves you from the comfort of your homes on Spring Break, to the heat of the California sun to see things that you have never seen before. It is that hope that will change the people we minister to. Let me say that clearly- we as a team are not much. We are young, probably immature, selfish sinners. But submitted to Christ and his mission, we are a mighty group. We are carriers of a light that cannot and will not ever be snuffed out, no matter how far we travel into the depths of suffering on this earth. That light we carry, that hope we deliver in the form of food or relief, it is greater than us- it is so much greater than Los Angeles! This very hope will turn us into messengers, and will change the lives of the recipients. I am so honored to travel there with every one of you and deliver this message. May we never be the same- and may Los Angeles forever be changed by the love poured into it by 27 humble strangers.
For the Glory of God,
Jake Gamble

I wish I was going! Nevertheless, as you undoubtedly can see, this trip is being led by a man of God with a pulse for the leading of His Spirit.

Commit to pray with me each day this week for this team. I can't wait to see what God is going to do through them and in them!

FOS Church on Wednesday, April 14 will be testimonies. Don't miss it!

Introduction to Dream Center 2010

The theme of FOS Missions has taken on a new identity. The overarching theme for FOS Missions is “Let the nations be glad…” which is taken from Psalm 67:4. The point of this theme- that every FOS missions team will be sent with the express purpose of bringing the joy of God to people around the globe. This Spring, 28 people will travel to inner city Los Angeles to bring that joy to people who have never experienced it, never known it, and possibly never heard of it. There is no greater purpose on this earth, nor a greater glorification of God than reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The unique theme of this year’s trip is “Light in Darkness;” taken from Isaiah 9:2. There are a few major ways that this light will manifest itself in our lives during this trip. First, we will be carriers of light for people living in a land of darkness. The city of Los Angeles has a population of roughly 4 million people, 800,000 of which live in poverty. Twenty-five percent of those 800,000 (200,000) are children ages 11 and younger. If you would like a comparison- the total population of Thurston County (Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and neighbors) is 204,300. There are as many children living in poverty in the city of Los Angeles as there are people in Thurston County. The light we will be bringing to these people isn’t preaching and it isn’t discipleship- it’s things like food, water, soap, and tears. We will bring the light of the love of God as we give them basic necessities that they couldn’t have had on their own, and through that they will know the love of God and the value of every human being in God’s eyes.

I believe we will also see a light shine out of darkness in our hearts. As a community we are blessed, but we often take for granted the blessings we have when we sit down to eat dinner. There are needs we have met every day that we don’t even give thought to, and on this trip we will see people who are lacking in those needs. It is my greatest hope that your perspective will be changed before returning home. And not changed for a moment, for a few weeks, or even a year; but having your heart and mind changed for a lifetime as you see the reality that people face every day. Things we never gave a thought to will be highlighted as essential and incredible, and through this God’s grace in our lives will ring out. He will shed light on dark corners of our hearts that we did not even know existed, and we need to return home changed.

Finally, we will bring light to FOS. There is a message, an attitude, and a heart that returns from a missions trip. Many of you have seen it before. We should never forget that message. Through this trip some of us may be called to world missions for a lifetime, some for a season and others will recognize the desperate need to help in our very own town. But we can never forget what we witness, what we hear, what we do, or even what God reveals in our hearts as we serve. That is a message that has to be passed on to FOS, to Evergreen Christian Community, and to the body of Christ as a whole. It is a message of grace and compassion, a message of heartache and brokenness, but most of all a message about hope. It is a message that brings joy where there was none, and a message that brings light to those trapped in darkness- whether that is Olympia, Los Angeles, Burma, Indonesia, Mexico, or Spain- it must go on.

Take a posture of humility in this trip, and allow God to do with you as He wills- you will be surprised to find the depths of joy in serving such a caring God.

El Sal Day 1

Our first full day in El Salvador started bright and early with breakfast at 6:30am, followed by a short orientation before we headed to the gym for several hours of training. When we woke up we were thankful to at least have running water to bathe in, something we didn't have the night before and wouldn't have for most of the trip. The King's Castle camp is right on a lake, set within gorgeous, lush mountains and not too far from an active volcano. We spent several hours of the first day learning the songs, dances, and dramas that we would use to minister for the remainder of the week. King's Castle has a wide variety of ministries as they strive to respond to a diverse range of the physical and spiritual needs in El Salvador and Nicaragua. However, their principal method of ministry has always been through the avenues of drama and what they call "spectacle evangelism".

This means that when teams like ours invade the streets of El Salvador, they quickly get people's attention and draw a crowd by creating a spectacle -- clowning, games, music, dramas, dancing, yo-yo tricks, parades, puppet shows, illustrated sermons, you name it! I can't see this method working too well in the States, but it is absolutely perfect for this culture. As crowds gather, the curious spectators soon become drawn in to the core message of every King's Castle program: "Jesus saves and is coming soon."

The motto of King's Castle's method has always been (in Spanish), "utilizando todo los medios que estan a nuestro alcance", which means:

"...to utilize every method that is within our reach to preach the Gospel."

After sweating profusely for several hours, we were more than ready for a swim in the lake. Pictured below is the King's Castle dock and trapeze swing. SUPER FUN. Our team enjoyed a couple hours of free time before heading to dinner and then to the prayer tower for an evening of intercession and spiritual preparation for our week of ministry.

The dock.

One side of the beautiful view.

Hannah, Olivia, Brittany, Tiffany, and Sarah enjoying a refreshing swim.

Josh and Cannon getting ready to pull a dangerous stunt.

El Salvador Mission Trip

August 8-16 marked a significant "first" for the FOS community as 15 students and leaders ventured out on the first ever FOS foreign mission trip. At 4am on Saturday, August 8, while most of you were still in dreamy-dream land, we were groggily rubbing the sleep out of our eyes as we loaded the ECC bus and headed to Seattle to catch our 7am flight. As tired as we were, there was no mistaking the excitement and expectancy in each of our hearts for what we were about to encounter. After months of planning, prayer, and fundraising -- it was finally here!

After a long day of traveling we arrived in at the San Salvador airport at 5:30pm. It gets dark in El Salvador by 6:30pm, so by the time we retrieved our bags, made it through customs, immigration, and stepped outside, it already felt much later than it really was. Nonetheless, setting foot on El Salvador soil (or should I say "pavement") for the first time is not something any of us will soon forget. The sky was a deep, dark, royal blue. The tropical trees were a beautiful, rich, emerald green. The air was thick with humidity and littered with the sounds and silhouettes of lively birds.

There waiting for us were a group of five nationals (the El Salvadorian Master's Commission students who would work with our group all week), one lively American intern (Caleb), and the dream machine pictured to the right-- the Castillo Del Rey bus. We were really blessed to meet up with another mission team from Washington who arrived in El Salvador the day before us. These ten students and leaders from all over Washington were a perfect match for our FOS team. We bonded instantly and had a blast ministering with them all week.

After a very bumpy and rainy 3 hr bus ride we arrived at the Kings Castle camp. By this time it was quite late and we were all thoroughly exhausted so we headed straight to bed. We needed to get our rest because the next day would start bright and early with breakfast at 6:30am, followed by orientation and a whole lot of training.

More to come very soon!!