It’s been entirely too long since I’ve blogged but that’s beside the point! I make no excuse! Really...none! So here goes!
Without me you can do nothing! WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING! That has been like an anthem for me in the last month! I really can do nothing on my own. It doesn't matter how long, hard, or often I try, if I am not connected to the vine-Abba Father-I get nothing done! Nothing....nada...zilch...zero!!
John15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."
I have learned so much in the last month about abiding in the vine. Time and time again, when I abide in Him, he works through me, I produce fruit, and the Father is glorified. And isn't that what it's all about? The Father being glorified?
One day this past week, I woke up, we (Joshua, Leah, and I) had a skype date with our coaches back in the states, and then went into our prayer time that we usually have every morning. After praying for awhile, I just felt God saying, "You are not going anywhere today...all I want of you today, is to spend time with me...nothing else."
Here we had our day planned out and thought we knew what we would be doing that day, but God had other plans. I literally laid there on the bed for the next four-five hours allowing God to download new revelations and plans into me, and having my mind blown by Him! It was so refreshing to be able to abide in Him and allow Him to work in me.
(This is what my day looked like!)
You may think that I am actively involved in "ministry" every day, but I'm not. There are days like this day in particular, where we wait in the beautiful presence of our awesome Father, and have our minds blown by Him. Where all He asks of us is to spend time with Him! These days are not only a necessity for us...without them we can do nothing...there is no fruit....and the Father is not glorified.
Abiding in the vine is not just something that we need on the race, but also something we need at home. You need it. So my question for you is, "Are you abiding in the vine"? Are you seriously spending time in intimacy with the Father? Because if you're not, you are powerless, and you're efforts for the Kingdom are in vain. Just saying.
One of the words that Jesus used all the time was meno, often translated "remain," "stay," or "abide." It describes a relationship of intimacy. We cannot gain the permanace of this relationship by our own effort; this relationship is only made permanant by God supernaturally living in us through his Spirit!
I hope this challenges and changes you as much as it has changed me! Really! As I write this, I pray that you are drawn into deeper intimacy with the Father through this blog!
Thank you for praying! It's not about me...it's all about Him! -Jamie
Where Did My Race Go?
Changes! There have been so many changes in the last two weeks for me personally and for my squad. Hearts have been stretched, faith has been increased, and I have seen intercessors step up more into the calling God has on them!
There was Nicaragua, that came and went in a flash. After all, we were only there in ministry for about three weeks. God continued to prepare my heart in Nicaragua for what was about to come. He taught me more about surrender, more about total dependence on Him, and more about being intentional with my teammates.
I have learned more about holding every position of leadership that I’m in, with open hands. I have been through different seasons even here on the race, and I don’t want to miss anything that God may want to teach me in every season that the He has me in.
Then there was Granada. I was invited to go to Granada a few days early with Joshua, Leah, and the three squad leaders. Joshua, Leah, and I were not told why we were asked to go to Granada with the squad leaders(Allan, Lindsay, and Hannah), but of course we could only assume!
You see, we have three squad leaders that have previously done the race, who lead us the first three months, and at the end of the third month they raise up new squad leaders to take their place. (They leave the race after the fourth month)
And so it was over dinner the first night in Granada, where they asked us if we would be willing to accept that position of leadership over the squad. It didn’t necessarily come as a surprise, but at the same time I was extremely humbled and honored to be invited to squad-lead.
They gave us till the next morning to give our answer on whether we would accept the invitation or not, but I already knew that this is where God wanted me for this next season of my life. I knew this is where I would be stretched in so many new ways. I knew that God had been preparing me for this. And so I accepted the invitation to lead the squad along with a brother and sister who are totally sold out for God… Joshua Savage, and Leah Johnson.
So what does this mean for us for the rest of the race? Basically we give up our race to pour into the team leaders and the squad. I really am thrilled that I get to do this! It means I get to be involved in disciplship. It means more dependence on God, less of myself, and more of Him working through me. If I don’t come to those places where “if God doesn’t show up, we’re going to fall,” I’m trying to do too many things on my own! It means spending hours in prayer and in the presence of God, seeking His heart for us personally, and then for the squad.
Yes! I love it! Spending time in the presence of the Father! This is something that has been on my heart since the beginning of the race, and now I get to so much of it daily!
I will admit it is a little hard letting go of being involved in ministry all the time…especially here in Thailand…the land that I love! The ministry we are currently working with, goes into the red-light district of Chiang Mai to speak with, and build relationships with the men and women there who are entrapped in human trafficking. Please be in prayer for my brothers and sisters as they go into these bars at night with the love of Jesus.
I do know however, that I can have a huge impact on the ministry we are with by pouring into those on our squad and speaking life over them!
So here we are in Thailand, traveling around as a team of six squad leaders. It is a transition month…the three former squad leaders pouring into those of us who have been raised up to lead. I am so grateful to Allan, Hannah, and Lindsay for the way they have poured into us and set an example for us. Their heart for us to go farther than they ever could go, is so awesome!
As I step into this new role that God has for me, I know that I don’t have to be overwhelmed by how huge the job may seem at times, because God has given us what it takes to lead!
The race has changed for me, but God remains the same! He is still good! He's still Abba Father and I'm still his beloved son!
My new awesome co-squad leaders...Joshua and Leah
A little bit about Joshua and Leah... Joshua-is a great bro that I've grown close to through being fellow team leaders. He brings a great sense of humor to our team, and also has some pretty sweet dance moves which the squad loves! He's steadfast, calm, cool and collected, speaks with an authority that comes from God, and is gifted with an incredible amount of wisdom. He's truly a courageous warrior and even looks like one with the beard and wild hair! Leah-seems quiet at first, but she has a beautiful heart that is in tunred to the Lord and in tune with what He is saying. She has a gifting in the prophetic and has an incredible heart for the women on the squad. When she speaks, you want to listen because she hears from the Lord and speaks it out confidently! I'm so blessed to be serving alongside this woman of God.
PRAY!Please pray for our squad this month as some of them work in the red-light district of Chiang Mai, some of them in the villages, and some of them at a cafe.
Also continue to pray for surrendered hearts and team unity. Teams were switched up a lot in Granada, so pray that these new teams could connect and function as part of the body of Christ!
This week our ministry has been in the colony of los Pinos(The Pines). Los Pinos is one of the most dangerous colonies here in Tegucigalpa where the gangs pretty much control the streets at night. It is one of the poorest colonies of Tegucigalpa and is where some of the boys come from that stay at Zion's Gate.
During the day, it appears as if los Pinos is a fairly safe place. But at night, the youth and gangs fill the streets, smoke pot, do drugs, thinner, and create trouble. Many of the kids that live on the street do so by choice simply because this is their life, this is where they grow up, and this is where they are comfortable. It's normal for these kids to be on thinner, pot, and drugs at ten years old. It's normal for these kids to rob the coke truck at knife point for several Limpiras...why not, everyone has to make their money. But there is hope! And God is working through Tony's ministry to change one life at a time. If I look at the whole picture, It's depressing...there's to many of them, and not enough of us. But if I just focus on one life at a time...there is hope!
And that is exactly what Tony has done. He has been focusing on just seven guys. These seven guys have come with Tony to Zion's Gate on their own choice. At Zion's Gate they are fed three meals a day, given responsibilities and household chores, discipled, and loved. They learn that life is much more than growing up with absolutly no purpose. The transformation in these kids the last several months have been amazing. Are they perfect? No, of course not! They have their days where they get into fights and can be annoying! But these are kids that are used to the rough life of the streets of los Pinos. And one thing is for sure. They are living different lives today, because someone took time for them...someone showed them love. Someone gave them a chance.
This is Herman (17) and his mom. Herman is a walking testimony of a life transformed by grace! Currently one of our ministries in los Pinos is painting his house...thus the face paint!
God is really breaking my heart for this colony and the kids that roam its streets.. The first day when we entered the colony and Tony (The director of Zion's Gate) gave us an overview of what is going on there, there was just this stirring in my heart for the people there…especially the youth of los Pinos.
I really can't explain what was going on and still is going on in my spirit but maybe, just maybe...
-Maybe it's the endless opportunities there to establish relationships with the teens on the streets.
-Maybe it's the need for mentors.
-Maybe it's the young men that have just come off the streets that need discipleship.
-Maybe it's the down-syndrome girl that has captured my heart.
-Maybe it's the kids there who are starved for love.
-Maybe it's the need for God's light in this dark, dangerous colony.
-Maybe it's God calling me to this place.
-Maybe it's God saying, "This is what makes you come alive."
How can I remain the same person after I see the need. After I feel the stirrings that are going on in my heart. After I hear God speaking to me about the youth of los Pinos. After I start giving my heart to these love starved kids? Especially this little girl with downs syndrome that has stolen my heart!
There is no way a human can love on these kids, and than leave a few weeks later unchanged.
The race goes on. There are nine more countries that we will go to. Hundreds more kids that we will love. Other ministries that I will pour myself into. But there is a huge question that remains inside of me at the moment.
At 6 a.m. Sunday morning, while taking my shift in the outdoor 24 hour prayer room that we did this past weekend, I opened my Bible and it flipped to Psalm 100.
“Shout to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before Him singing with joy.
As I was praying I began to ponder what it really meant to SHOUT TO THE LORD! Really, what does it mean to shout to the LORD? What does it mean to worship the Lord with gladness?
So being perched on top of the wall that surrounds the property, I literally shouted scripture, especially Psalms 97, I shouted prayers, declarations for this ministry and city, and I shouted praises to God. Wow! It was so awesome! There is something so free about shouting…especially to the Lord! Picture with me, this is six o-clock Sunday morning. There are tents scattered across the property. Most of my squad mates are still asleep, or at least they had been until I began shouting, and here I am shouting to the Lord from the mountains of Honduras.
If you have never shouted to the Lord, or if you think it’s weird, than you had better try it because if you think it’s ridiculous, then many of the Psalms that David wrote were a total waste.
Psalm 95: “Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout to Rock of our salvation.
Not only was the Sunday of 24 hour prayer time a time of intercession for me, but it was also a time of learning what it means to shout to the Lord, and how much it pleases Abba Father’s heart to hear his children shout to Him!
So go ahead, try it! Shout to the Lord! I don’t care where and how you do it, just shout to Him! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. –Psalm 96:2
-Seen a scorpion in our house
-Been awakened once again to the reality that we might not have tomorrow due to the death of a neighbor lady.
-Witnessed an El Salvador funeral basically in our front yard.
-Ate sandwiches where some of them had inchworms in them
-Laid in bed for three days straight sick-as-dog!
-Wished I would’ve died several times because I felt so miserable several times.
-Made way too many trips to the toilet!
-Had a squad member get peed on by a dog(literally)
-Preached on Sonship
-Learned more about living as a son.
-Been through enough of hard times with my team to last for the year(And it’s only been the first month!)
-Truly been learning what it means to depend on God because often times, there is nowhere else to go.
-Taken on the challenge of bringing our team with its diverse personalities, together and focusing on the one thing we have in common…it’s Jesus!
-Learned two worship songs in Spanish(and counting)
-Did I mention I was sick!
-Praised God for the times of trial because of the good that is coming out of it.
-Led worship, shared a testimony, and preached the WORD all in one night at the same church! After lying in bed for three days as sick as a dog. (Says to the Devil)hows that for a comeback!
-Loved on so many kids!
-Prayed over countless homeless people.
-Felt alone at times.
-Gotten in the great habit of throwing my TP into the waste basket.
-Had more free time than I imagined we would have.
-Learned to be intentional with my free time.
-Spiritually fought for those in my team.
-Fell in love with these awesome chocolate covered bananas they have here!
-Fell even more in love with my Father!
-Seen lives changed by the Father’s love…I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything in the world!
But as fun and crazy as all those things may sound, this first month of the race here in El Salvy has been hard. Not hard as in physically hard. But hard as in spiritually and emotionally hard. “Perseverance through difficulty”…this is the phrase that would best describe what our first month of the race has been like. I had never imagined that our first month of the race would be this difficult.
-Difficult in the area of team unity.
-Difficult in loving each other as Jesus would.
-Difficult in bringing unity when there are differences. Not uniformity!
-Difficult in learning when to stand up and use my voice, and when to remain quiet.
-Difficult in appreciating every person’s views and opinions.
-Difficult in ministry not being what we expected it would be.
-Difficult in learning to be intentional with all our free time.
But even though it has been difficult, I have loved every minute of it because I know God has been in every part of it. I have loved every minute of it because I know that, “GOD IS FOR ME”! No matter how difficult a situation may be, God is always for me!
God is also teaching me so much about love. Real true love! The love that Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 13.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice in injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
This is the kind of love that I'm praying over my team, and my squad. If we really have that kind of love flowing from our lives for each other as brothers and sisters, nations are going to be changed! Lives are going to be restored. Healing will rain down. The Kingdom of God will come! Simply by having true AGAPE love for God and for others, we fulfill the two greatest commandment in the Bible!
Please join me in prayer that our team would be unified in that love! That our squad would be empowered by that love, and that nations would be changed by the love!
He sits on a dusty street corner, paralyzed in his legs, migraines in his head, and no food in his stomach. He is an orphan…no father, no mother. His rusty, blue wheelchair is parked along the street, and he sits on the sidewalk in the shade to escape the heat of the noon day sun. He is forsaken by society and by the (Catholic) church. His brothers have spent the last two months drinking their lives away. People take advantage of him, steal his new wheelchair if he is given one, and even worse, make degrading comments of him in his situation. His paralysis comes from being pushed off a bell tower, and breaking his back in a Catholic church around 25 years ago. Begging is his source of income. And more often than not, his stomach is empty from lack of food.
Is there any hope for this man? Will he live the rest of his life on this street corner? Will he ever walk again?
As we walked home from “Ministry”, the real ministry began. We rounded the street corner and there he sat, dejectedly working on fixing a part on his wheelchair. We continued to walk until someone said, “Hey, we have to pray for this man!” And so we gathered round him and began blessing him, and speaking life into him. Sara-a local who is working with is in ministry-explained the gospel to him and what Christ did for us, then asked him if he wants to accept Jesus into his life. He said, “Yes”! He bows his head and repeats a prayer after Sara repenting of his sins, and surrendering his life to Jesus Christ! After the prayer he lifts his head, a smile replaces a look of dejection, and a sparkle chases out the hopelessness in his dark brown eyes. A miracle has just taken place! Greater than any blind eye seeing, deaf ear opening, and dead being raised to life, is the greatest miracle of God taking His life, and placing it inside of the human body!
We ask for healing in his body, for relief from his migraines, buy him lunch, take up a little offering him, and go on our way, thanking God for replacing hopelessness, with hope, and sadness with joy.
His name is Tonito. Please join me in praying for his complete healing. He said his headaches had cleared up, but we are also believing for complete healing in his legs as well! Tonito, may you feel the embrace of the Father even though the rest of the world passes you by!
So here goes!
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