From the Woods to the World

As we passed mile marker 49, delight and gloom swept over me simultaneously. We were more than halfway there, but still had five miles to hike, and night was fast approaching. Climbing up and over the ridge, the valley below us came into view, and the next ridge opposite us, thick with skeletal December trees. Somewhere beyond that lay our destination.

We descended the slope and came to a creek. Rather than removing our shoes and crossing in sandals, we opted to search upstream and down for a possible dry crossing. Ever so carefully, all fourteen of us managed to tiptoe from rock to slippery rock, reaching the opposite side with dry feet. By now, everyone had dug into their bags to retrieve headlamps. We still had at least an hour of hiking. Night had set in, and the already chill temperatures began to drop.

No longer could we enjoy the scenery, and instead, the landscape became a mystery. Where are those lights coming from? I can tell that the terrain drops down below this trail, but how steep is it and how far down does it go? Will I be able to recognize tonight's campsite, or will we hike past it, unnoticed in the dark?

When it was all said and done, we each burrowed down with sore feet and full stomachs, into our tents and sleeping bags, thankful for a dry place to sleep.

The next morning we sat around the fire, the campsite-turned-classroom, as our teacher spoke to us regarding God’s desire for all nations to know Him, and how it is the obligation of the children of faith to be a blessing to all nations – all going back to God’s promise to Abraham. In response, there beside the gently flowing Ozark creek, our group burst out into a time of spontaneous worship, declaring God’s greatness and singing our love to the Creator.

You Look Cold

A warm place on a cold street; a light glowing in the darkness - are two very appropriate ways to describe the Freak Fest outreach from two weeks ago. In downtown Madison, Wisconsin, the Phos House (Phos is Greek for light), a ministry of YWAM Madison, stood as headquarters for the 100 volunteers who participated. Walking up and down the street to engage party-goers in conversation about God was attempted, but the greatest success was found in the proximity of the house.

Being a Halloween celebration, many sported costumes - costumes that did not seem to provide adequate warmth and insulation for their wearers, so the large heater on the porch was always surrounded, as were the tables where free hot chocolate and hot dogs were handed out. With people on hand to initiate and direct conversations toward faith and God, there were positive encounters, despite the intoxicated state of most.

Humankind is a rebellious and wicked species, but even before that, we were made in the image of God. And, in the midst of our evil, we are perfect candidates for grace and redemption. The kindness and love we displayed toward Freak Fest participants, we hope, signaled the beauty and life that our Savior makes available to all. We also felt it was important in order to demonstrate to them their inherent value as God's image bearers.

After the event ended at 2am, we piled in the van and began our 14-hour journey back to Ozark. Our fears and nervousness that marked the beginning of the outreach faded into an excitement that overpowered fatigue. Students compared tales from the night before drifting off to sleep, as I drove on, with heat blasting and headlights leading the way.

See Photos from the Event

Forgetting Something?

We at YWAM Ozarks recently developed a new activity for the purpose of fun and education when youth groups and teams come here for a missions week. We simply call it the Missions Game, in which participants compete at a variety of stations with several objectives. Each station is designed to mimic an encountered on a foreign mission field. Examples of the stations include washing clothes by hand, using a "squatty potty," and picking lice (rice) from a scalp. (We own no copyrights, so feel free to use it yourself if you so desire!)

When students arrived at my station, instructions went something like this:

"You've just met me. I'm a Buddhist (or Muslim or atheist, etc). You are here to share the Gospel with me. Your group has one minute to prepare, and three minutes to present. Go."

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The students typically responded with nervousness, and the results varied widely. But one observation from the game stood out to me in particular, and I want to share it with you. Most groups told me about God sending His son, Jesus, to die for us, to cleanse us from our sins. Good. They often mentioned that He died on a cross. These are indeed critical components of the message. But something was frequently left out, something so vital, so important, that the message makes no sense, no attraction, and no power without it.

The tomb sat empty three days later.

This Easter, it is important to reflect on Christ's sufferings and death. But the Easter holiday doesn't end on Good Friday. The message of the Gospel is centered on the Resurrection. Allow me to close with two quotes on the subject:

"This, then, is the more or less universal witness of the early Christians: that they are who they are, they do what they do, they tell the stories they tell not because of a new religious expreience or insight but because of something that happened; something that happened to the crucified Jesus; something that they at once interpreted as meaning that he was after all the Messiah, that God's new age had after all broken into the present time, and that they were charged with a new commission..." (N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope)

"If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep... in Christ shall all be made alive." (The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:19-20, 22)

Thinking Higher

It all began with the house at the bottom of the hill, a small and run-down little cottage that we could have had for a dime. But as we walked home after looking at the house, we sensed God say to us “My thoughts are higher than yours!”

That was a year ago, and although the meaning was a bit obscure, it caused us to broaden our search. One thing was clear, however. Simply, that our family needed to move out of the dormitory, where we’ve lived for the past five years, and into a place of our own. We met with a realtor, a banker, and saw many different houses. Nothing really clicked, and when the DTS began last fall, we put our search on hold.

The search has now, we hope, come to an end. We have a found a house that we really like, would fit the needs of our family, and is located very close to the campus. This coming weekend we will meet with the owners, and hope that we can negotiate a price that works for us both. The Lord is faithful, and His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. This house sits at the top of the hill.

Given the right price, it appears we can move ahead with a mortgage, but over time, our current support will not sustain the monthly payments. This is a pretty big step of faith for us, and we keep Philippians 4:6 at the front of our minds, “Do not be anxious for anything…”

Please pray for us as we meet with the owners – that things will go smoothly, that we will be able to reach a favorable price, and that everything will be done quickly and honestly. Also, please consider contributing toward this. We want to be a healthy family in ministry, and believe that having our own house is critical in achieving that goal. But we can’t do it, financially, without your help. You can give two ways:

1. Write out a check to “YWAM,” and mail to:

YWAM Ozarks

7119 Mountain View Dr
Ozark, AR 72949

(Make sure to include a separate note with your check indicating that it is for “Josh and Jen.")

2. Online via credit card or Paypal. Visit our website, http://ywamozarks.com/donate.php, choose the “Donate Online” option, and follow the instructions.

Re-learning English

When a word that ends in "y" is made plural, sometimes you replace the "y" with an "ie". When do you make the change, and when do you not?

• fly/flies
• toy/toys

Why do you add an "s" behind a present-tense verb when using it in combination with a third-person noun?

• I drive the car.
• You drive the car.
• She drives the car.

Because, well, that's just what you do. Because!

English, the language we all know and love. But, if ever asked to explain it, we can't seem to find the words. Coincidentally, people the world over see English as the gateway to their success. Whether it be migrant workers living within our own cities, or university students in Asia or Africa, they know that opportunities and quality of life can dramatically increase for them if they are able to get a grasp on this language.

Evidence of this reality confronted us around every corner during our recent trip to Thailand and Cambodia. I am reminded of the private, American-run orphanage we volunteered at in Cambodia. The children living there received an education in their own native language, as well as an English education. Employment opportunities will be much broader for these children once they've completed their schooling.

Several times our team was thrown into classrooms in Thailand with the instructions to "teach English." The problem, however, was that we were not prepared for it, and at times felt useless. For the past three days I (Josh) have attended a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) workshop, where I have been learning, obviously, to teach English to non-English speaking individuals. It is a simple, yet very effective way in which to bless and serve people, build relationships, and share our faith.

Next time I'm thrown into a classroom and told to "teach English," I'll whip out my alphabet flash cards and play a fierce game of Alphabet Basketball!