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Category: Missionary Member Articles

Planning your Engagement, Wedding & Honeymoon

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Plan For God’s Sake!

This post and Ron’s previous article entitled “Sex & Engagement” are excerpts from an upcoming book that he is writing on this topic. Check this space for more information as it becomes available.

What we do is for Future Generations

I often say this to young couples in their pre-marital counseling. I say something like, “This is not about you. This is about God and the generations that follow you.”

Our dating, our engagements and our honeymoons are not only for us. Future generations will look to us in the way that we have conducted ourselves and what we have done. What we do now is also for our grandchildren. We do them a favor by planning well.

If we plan well, it will mark our actions.

We ask for pain if we do not think about future generations in our dating, our engagements and our honeymoons. We write a legacy by the way we date, the way we walk out our engagement and how we take our honeymoon. Will our legacy be a good one or a bad one? So much depends on our planning.

God told his people to write their experiences down for future generations. These future generations would learn and encounter his power by this. The Old Testament repeats this admonition, over and over.

We read that the first generation after Joshua rose up and did not know the Lord nor His word in the way Joshua and his generation did. Israel repeated this pattern-generation after generation. Joshua won, following generations in Israel failed. They did not know Godʼs testimonies, nor did they know the Lord himself like Joshua did. Judges 2:10 tells us that “there arose another generation after Joshua who did not know the Lord, nor the work which he had done for Israel.”

They did not know the work which the Lord had done in the past. Ignorance produced problems. Ignorance allowed idols. Ignorance brought pain for Israel.

Plan Engagements Strategically

I EXPERIENCED UNFORESEEN TEMPTATION, THE DAY AFTER I GOT ENGAGED, WHICH I CAN NEVER FORGET

I prayed for a wife for 5 years after I became a believer. It seemed that the more I prayed, the more God gave each of my friends their wives. Finally, I met the woman I loved. We dated from February 1 until July 4, 1975- then we got engaged. I experienced unforeseen temptation, the day after I got engaged, which I can never forget.

Here is the story.

As a seminary student on summer break, I worked at a yacht club, north of Boston during the summer of my engagement in 1975. I was the “house boy”. This meant, I basically oversaw everything that happened in the building and the facilities of the club. For all intents and purposes, I was the “right hand man” to the manager of the club.

The members of the club liked my work and gave me extra hours from 6-9 pm simply sitting in the office, answering the phone and eating whatever I wanted out of the club kitchen (fortunately, it was usually steak and fries). Directly, above my office, a young woman lived, who was a Ph.D. student at an Ivy league school. She taught the kids of the club members how to sail.

She stormed into my office at 6 pm, the night after I got engaged. She held a large bag of groceries, set it down on my desk, and pulled out a wine bottle from the top of the bag.

She said to me;
“I know you get off work at 9 why donʼt you come up to my room afterward letʼs finish this bottle of wine together.”

Someone could have hit me over the head with something and I would not have been more stunned. I wish I had said “Get behind me Satan.” Instead, I replied, “I will have to think about it.” I am embarrassed to have to write that.
I had been engaged 24 hours. I walked out of the office to the end of the pier and simply stared out at the water.

I do not remember praying. I do not remember thinking of any Bible verses.

I stared for 45 minutes in dazed amazement, thinking, “this girl wants to have sex with me.” From somewhere, this thought came, “If I would do this now (and cheat on Judy), I would do this after we get married.”

Because of the distaste of that thought concerning my future, I somehow dodged a bullet and avoided finishing (or starting) the bottle of wine with my Ivy League co-worker that first night after my engagement. For this, I am totally thankful.

Thinking of an unpleasant future effected my behavior that day in July of 1975. That temptation shook me so deeply that it was years before I even shared it with anyone-including Judy. I am not sure, I could have planned for that incident. The distasteful thought of cheating on my fiancé was so abysmal.

So, I managed my engagement without having sex-either with my future wife or with my sailing instructor co-worker. If the statistics are to be believed, everybody is not quite so fortunate.

When I think of how overpowering that sexual temptation was, I think we are called by God to seriously think in advance about all of this–and plan.

PLAN TO AVOID TEMPTATION AND PRAY TO STAY AWAY FROM TEMPTATION

Plan to avoid temptation and pray to stay away from temptation-Jesus told us to do so in the Lordʼs prayer. The apostle Paul told us to flee.

Plan like the future depends on it, ours and our childrenʼs. It does, it really does!

A lengthy engagement and the romantic moment got the better of my friends Julie and Timothy (not their real names). They had been engaged a long time (around a year). 10 weeks before their wedding, they had their first sex together and Julie got pregnant that night. They, properly repented, and have continued on in the ministry and have a wonderful and broad field of service.

So take heart, if you have failed sexually in your engagement. God still wants a bright future for you anyway! He loves you and can pick you up – if you will make room for Him to do it! It will be painful.

My good friends let the present moment take over their future, so God had to rebuild their future for them after a failure.

Engagements need to be thought through, discussed in depth and strategically planned so that the fury of the moment does not take over sexually.
I think the advice of wisdom is to approach your engagement with a well thought out and discussed strategy.

Plan engagements-our future and the future of our children depend on it.

To be brief-The shorter engagement the better!
Martin Luther (one of the brightest lights in church history) got engaged and married on the same day!

Eight thoughts on planning your engagement:

  1. Set Scriptural boundaries (they are different for different people). 1 Thessalonians 4 states that the standard is “holiness and honor”. Any sexual arousal or genital touching or stimulation is out of bounds. Late night or unplanned dates can be dangerous.
  2. Get good and participatory counseling (the counselors should meet several times with you).
  3. Read in preparation for your marriage (1. A money book, 2. A communication book, 3. A sex book 4. IVP published, A Handbook for Engaged couples.)
  4. Stay in the word, in prayer and in fellowship with other believers
  5. Be reasonable with wedding and honeymoon expectations
  6. Be faith filled with wedding and honeymoon expectations. (Remember future generations will watch what we do and follow our lead). God can do miracles!
  7. Talk, talk, talk–the more the better. (There is an inverse relationship between how physical you are in your engagement relationship and how well you actually get to know each other).
  8. Get married for Godʼs sake!

Plan your Honeymoon Thoughtfully

Alcohol and honeymoons often create pain. We need to think!

Raymond and Estelle, young honeymooning couple, went to the popular Mexican destination, Cozumel. Ray drank Corona beer. Stella drank Margaritas-a lot of them! The ice was made with local water (live with bacteria, parasites and germs). The fire of romance was extinguished for a few days by the fire of Montezumaʼs Revenge!

Another new bride thought it wise to relax with a glass or two of champagne. She never drank. Having downed a glass or three, her husband exited the shower room on his wedding night, to find his new bride under the bed instead of on it.

FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL NEED YOUR ADVICE, EITHER TO FOLLOW OR TO AVOID

The key theme is to plan and think for Godʼs sake!- and for the sake of your spouse. Future generations will need your advice, either to follow or to avoid. We might as well give them something good to follow (or we might give them something to grimace and laugh at).

My friend, Rich, honeymooned in sunny Thailand. He burned! Not with the passion of romance-but from the fire of the sun with a serious and third degree sunburn. Another of my friends, Jake, honeymooned in a beautiful winter ski resort. After skiing one day, he stood too close with his back to the fireplace in his honeymoon suite for far too long. His wife romantically applied aloes to his second degree burned butt for the rest of their time in the mountains.

I have other friends who decided to fly somewhere exotic in the world. Going somewhere unknown can be counterproductive. Places can look great online and not be so nice when we get there. Culture shock is an unwelcome guest on a honeymoon. Others get to their hotel late the first night and want to fly out on the first flight the next morning. This does not make for an optimum first night together. Another friend and his wife spent the first couple of busy days recovering from the unsettled frenzy of the nuptial events surrounding the wedding date. Exhaustion rather than sexual excitement marked their first days together!

It is also important to think about how one leaves the wedding reception. One of my friends, Kyle, drove 30 miles down the highway to find that his 10 year old brother had been hidden in the backseat of his getaway car. That poor little kid was put out on the side of the road on the side of a west Texas highway. Another pair of friends found themselves driving 60 miles an hour down the wrong side of the highway because of their amorous antics on the way from their reception to the honeymoon hotel.

Letʼs not be moronic!

Speaking of planning: My friend Brad, tells the story of his pastor. He failed to properly plan for his wedding night. How you ask? — by forgetting to book a hotel room. Hard to believe but, nevertheless, true. He and his new wife spent their highly anticipated wedding night together in his Ford Pinto!

Plan – and think (!) for Godʼs sake!

Seven thoughts on Planning your Honeymoon:

  1. Discuss Expectations thoroughly. Talk about them at length and honor each otherʼs wishes.
  2. The longer the honeymoon-the better! You are setting a foundation for the rest of your life (and also setting a foundation for following generations)!
  3. Listen discriminately to honeymoon stories for people who had a good engagement experience and a good honeymoon experience. Do not listen to honeymoon horror stories.
  4. Remember you only get one honeymoon-Celebrate!!
  5. Think strategically about the first two or three days. Do not travel far, do get married early in the day, and go easy on the alcohol!
  6. Do not be foolish leaving the reception and traveling to your honeymoon hotel. (People have endangered their own lives and the lives of others by being foolish and not paying attention to the road while driving.)
  7. Be practical in your packing: sun tan lotion, birth control, correct clothing, passports, plane tickets etc. etc. Make a list.
  8. Remember to pray!

 

Did you enjoy this post?

This post and Ron’s article entitled “Sex & Engagement” are excerpts from an upcoming book that he is writing on this topic. Check this space for more information as it becomes available.

Endurance, Discipleship & The Great Outdoors

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I was recently invited to be the guest speaker at a Wisconsin church’s outdoor family ministry banquet.  The banquet is a few months off, but as I started preparing for what I might share – perhaps some personal stories from the great outdoors, tying a life of outdoor pursuits into the life of a disciple of Christ, using outdoor skills for missions – I was compelled to start by writing this piece.

It seems appropriate to take pause for a minute and reflect.  All the more sweet is the fact that I’m writing it while I fly to Portland, OR to attend a friend’s wedding.  More than a friend’s wedding though, but a fellow adventurer who I “did life with” 10 years ago as we thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail.  Life with Jesus and outdoor life is pure adventure, joy, endurance and reliance on God!

It has been nearly 5 years since Betsy and I shared the initial vision for Endurance DTS with our colleagues and partners in ministry and this summer marks the 4th 22-week Endurance DTS that we have led at YWAM Montana – Lakeside.

We’ve learned a lot about outdoor ministry over the past years, adding to a foundation that we have always had for reaching out to those in the industry and those on a journey, along with our life-long enjoyment of camping, hiking and adventure.

What I think is most remarkable about the EDTS program are the outreaches that EDTS has been a part of in the past four years.  They are worth listing, and they communicate a dedication among the 45 EDTS students and 12 different staff through the years to know God and make Him known to the nations and the global outdoor community. 

2011 – Banner Elk, NC and Spain

2012 – Canmore, Canada and Cambodia

2013 – Nepal

2014 – Nepal and Cambodia

But we can’t talk about outreach without emphasizing all of the outreach, networking and Jesus-sharing that happens on a day-to-day basis as we run the EDTS program.  There are dozens of local, national and international partnerships with both Christian and non-Christian local businesses, churches, camps, permitting/regulatory agencies, ministries and outdoor professionals that we rub shoulders with year in and year out.

Furthermore, there are the amazing conversations, relationships and presentations of the gospel message that happen around a campfire at a campground in the states, in a 3-sided shelter along a trail, in a tea house in the mountains of the Himalayas, in a remote village in Cambodia, in a gear shop in a sea town in Northern Spain or on top of a mountain in Montana.

What has struck me most about our 5 years of focused outdoor ministry is God’s faithfulness.  When we started out we had a clear direction for EDTS.  First of all, we knew it would truly be first and foremost a YWAM Discipleship Training School where students come to know God and make Him known. On top of that we wanted to add in the outdoor elements and use them strategically in missions.  But we’ve come to realize that we aren’t just “adding in” outdoor components to a DTS but running a true outdoor school on top of a true DTS program.  Ask any of the staff or students… it’s a 2-in-1 experience!   (As a side note, my parents recently visited and asked, “When do you get some down time?”  I told them that that rest comes around Thanksgiving and Christmas and sticks around until Memorial Day. Outside of that, well, it’s all-in.)

EDTS is an all-out effort by both staff and students.  But the fruit of these efforts only comes to ripen by the grace of God and his commitment to reach all people, and particularly, those in the outdoor industry.

Some of you reading this may by EDTS alumni, or friends of the program, while for others this may be your introduction to what God is doing here at YWAM Montana – Lakeside through EDTS.  Either way, the vision that God gave us for outdoor ministry through EDTS is happening!  The following outlines our goals, focus and vision.  God has faithfully, and continues to be faithful to accomplish the work that he has given us.

  • Know God and make Him known in the outdoor industry.
  • Support, serve and encourage Christians within the outdoor industry and Christian outdoor ministries worldwide.
  • Teach backcountry skills with an eye for use as mission-field skills (i.e. “translatable skills”).
  • Teach, learn and execute excellent outdoor skills in such a way to build credibility with those we interact with within the outdoor industry.
  • Interact with as many people as we can within the outdoors and the industry by offering fellowship and hospitality to all we meet, from the family on vacation together to the elite athlete in competition.
  • Build relationships and communicate with integrity with parks, agencies, businesses and individuals.

Outdoor ministry and EDTS have been no easy task.  It has been fun, challenging, and, at times, stressful, but overall it is a privilege and huge responsibility we’re blessed to be a part of.

The 2014 EDTS is in its 11th week.  Two EDTS teams head out for Cambodia and Nepal, respectively, in less than two weeks (this is our first year with two smaller outreach teams vs. one larger team).  Applications and inquires are coming in for the 2015 EDTS.  The staff team for next summer is also taking shape.  We head to Glacier National Park for one last week of “summer camping” before outreach (the forecast is for highs in the 40’s and lows in the 30’s).  If you’re thinking that facilitating outdoor ministry is a lot of work, you’re right.  But the rewards are endless…

To see students grow in their relationship with Christ is a blessing.  To see students step out and share their faith with other outdoor enthusiasts is an honor.  To see staff walk with students and point them to Christ through discipleship is to see the same work that Christ did with his disciples.  To see a mountain top reached, a rock pitch overcome, a fear of public speaking conquered, a new skill learned, a gospel presentation in a village that has never heard the good news, a person healed physically, mentally and emotionally, a Jesus-following community along a journey with other journeyers, an outreach focused program doing outreach, a Russell family of 4 doing life and ministry together…  Well that is outdoor ministry and that is Endurance DTS.

Let the adventure continue…

Click the image below to learn more about EDTS!

edts
Outdoor Discipleship

Bring Him Home

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There is an ancient Celtic saying that goes something like this: “Heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in thin places that distance is even shorter.” Have you ever experienced a place like this; a moment where, as the poet Sharlande Sledge describes, “Where the door between this world and the next is cracked open for a moment and the light is not all on the other side?” 

This morning as I was enjoying my regular moments of quiet time with the Lord before commencing with my day, I felt prompted to open my internet browser and wend my way to a video clip I have watched many times. The specific piece of which I speak is a rendition of “Bring Him Home” from the extraordinarily popular Broadway musical Les Miserable; sung by, in my humble opinion, one of the best vocalists to have ever graced this unusual masterpiece.

As I listened this morning, eyes closed and caught up in the moment, I think I experienced a “thin place.” For a few fleeting moments, I was no longer hearing the prayer of Jean Valjean for a young revolutionary who had fallen in love with his daughter but I heard the voice of Jesus as he might have sung to the Father just prior to his crucifixion. Filled with concern for the young disciples he would be leaving and knowing what they would soon be facing without him, his voice, filled with passion and pathos, at the same time resonated with a profound confidence. Jesus knew that no matter what the future held, his Father could and would be faithful to do whatever was necessary to “bring them home,” even if it meant allowing His most precious, only begotten son to be sacrificed on their behalf.

As I continued to listen with tears now pooling the corners of my eyes, I found such great comfort in knowing that Jesus not only prayed for them, he was praying for me; that I, too, would one day safely find myself home. As with any analogy, I don’t mean to press this one any farther than it should be intended but would you allow me to invite you to do something within the next few hours? Find a quiet place, click on the link below and after watching the introduction, close your eyes and listen to the magnificent voice of Alfie Boe as he sings “Bring Him Home.” Perhaps like me, you will not just hear the voice of Jean Valjean praying for his future son-in-law but in a “thin place,” you will hear the voice of Jesus as he prays to the Father on your behalf, ever interceding for you until the day you find yourself home in the arms of the Father forever.  Bring Him Home

Bringing Hope to the Darkest Places

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While watching mopeds zip by on one of Chiang Rai’s busiest streets, I wait to meet Kelli at a café. Kelli is the founder of Ezekiel Rain, a ministry committed to bringing restoration to children rescued from sex trafficking. Kelli walks through the door, we order coffee, and before getting into the details of her ministry’s construction project, she begins telling her story. Kelli, a wife and mother in her mid-thirties, started Ezekiel Rain with her husband and another couple four years prior. They moved from the midwest, leaving behind prestigious business careers, to establish this ministry in the northern mountains of Thailand. It seemed like a random career change until Kelli explained further.

When Kelli was in her twenties, she and her husband vacationed in Thailand.What they saw was unexpected and made a lasting impact in their lives. In the early 2000s, the sex trade in Thailand was thriving and blatant. Kelli recounts a day when she was sitting in a café much like the one we were meeting in now. She saw two young girls at a table sitting opposite older gentlemen. While the men read their newspapers, the girls stared intently at Kelli, and tears began streaming down their faces. Kelli recalls how everything in her wanted to grab the girls and take them away. Rescue them. At that moment, there was little she could do beyond crying and praying. Ten years later, her family has moved to Thailand, established Ezekiel Rain, and I am meeting with them to discuss expanding their ministry.

I tell you this story because I think back on it often, and I am moved. I cannot think about Kelli’s story and not be touched and inspired. God is showing me that He is bringing hope to some of the darkest places. Through my work, I am blessed to be a small part of re-establishing this hope. God is using Kelli and her organization to do marvelous things – like give new life to children. What is even more miraculous is that it doesn’t end with Kelli. There are so many people doing marvelous things everywhere you look – from the shady corners of Thailand to America’s suburbs. I am inspired by each of them and honored to work alongside a handful.

Perseverance: Stand up Saints

Posted on by JT Pharr

I write all of this as a biblical christian. One whom desires and seeks foundational truth in scripture, that will help edify us all to persevere and give glory to God along the journey. There is a modern day notion that has been carried through the centuries. In which, as a born again christian you could still somehow lose your salvation, faith, or belief in God completely. This non-biblical concept is one direct reasoning for many believers struggling tremendously in their walk with the Lord today. And even with non-believers, not seeing the point of coming to Christ at all, in fear of eventually losing their salvation all together. However, God is very clear throughout scripture on how He keeps His children in the palm of His hand. Firm and secure, forever. Many people don’t agree, or just don’t like the doctrinal terms: Perseverance of the saints, Assurance of Faith, and even, Once Saved, Always Saved. So, I personally have chosen to use my own: Once Secured, Eternally Kept. As a way for myself to stand firm in perseverance.

“I give them (believers) eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” – John 10:28 | Jesus, addressing the shepherd (Himself) and His flock (believers) having eternal life secured in Him.

 “Neither height not depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us (believers) from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:39 | Apostle Paul, urges that we are more than conquerors in Jesus, our assurer and sustainer.

“They went out from us, because they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” – 1 John 2:19 | Apostle John, examines the non-believers going out from the faith because they were never truly saved in the first place. Along with the true believers who had remained and persevered in faith.

So, we can see through the clarity of scripture, the question is not, Could I lose my faith? Or, Could I backslide (sin) far enough to completely lose my salvation? But rather, the real humbling question is, Am I truly saved? Moreover, Am I securely kept in God’s hand until He brings me home to glory? Because, if you are a born again christian there is no question about it. “He who begun a good work in you will carry it onto completion.” – Philippians 1:6 | Believer, that’s a promise. Hold onto it in glorious times, and in the disastrous times that you have. We are promised many troubles and struggles in this life. Therefore, we will fall short often, and even backslide into worldly pleasures that are ingrained in our sinful nature. There is no question about that. However, the persevering believer must have a new heart that breaks towards that sin, and must always come back, humbly seeking God in genuine repentance and reconciliation towards a pure communion with Him. In Christ we can do all things. He is the one keeping, sanctifying, and sustaining us along the way as we walk out our salvation, and as we fight the good fight of the faith.

“The saints shall persevere in holiness because God perseveres in grace. He perseveres to bless, and there believers persevere in being blessed. He continues to keep His people, and there they continue to keep His commandments.” – C. H. Spurgeon

Destroy Despair with Joy

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Walking into the children’s hospital on the coast city of Guayaquil, Ecuador I thought we had everything planned. We would set up our speakers, do our planned dances, preach the gospel, and pray for the people who came. So when no one showed to watch us dance I began to become discouraged, it was my “job” to make sure we had ministry for our team. I didn’t anticipate the better ministry God had prepared. After waiting for a half an hour after our planned starting time, our contact came up to me with the news that it was visiting hours so most likely no one would show up to watch us perform. So we began to pack up, but I didn’t feel like our time was finished at the hospital.

Just before leaving, a hospital attendant came up to us and asked if we would like to pray for the children who had terminal cancer. What an opportunity! I gathered our team and asked how they felt about praying for these precious children. The decision was unanimous; we would take this opportunity the Lord brought before us. Apprehensive and full of compassion, we entered the small portion of the hospital designated for the terminally ill. We placed the given masks over our faces and half the team entered into this sacred place. I told our team before we went in to listen to what God was saying and be prepared for anything. As we let the Father’s heart consume us we couldn’t help but do what we do best, worship. We began to dance in worship over these beloved ones. Tears began to stream down the faces of the children and parents as hope flooded the room. After we began to pray healing and restoration over all five patients in the room, hope was released. One of the children and his parents gave their hearts to God that day.

After our time of prayer and worship I felt God telling us to destroy despair by bringing joy. So we began to make jokes and in no time colored rubber bands were flying around the room and so was laughter. I left that day not only amazed at how good God is at planning but also in awe of how He used a small team of dancers to bring hope to a very hopeless place. This is just one of the many things God did through our small precious team. God is so faithful!! And he longs to partner with us. Take advantage of the opportunities God places before you to be His hope in hopeless places.

Trust God in the Good and the Bad

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Today marked our last day of ministry here in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. As I looked back and though about the past 2 months I felt God asking me what I learned, after thinking for a moment I responded with “Well God, what did you want me to learn?”

SO… What is it that God wanted me to learn over these past two months in Haiti and the Dominican Republic? I mean, I know that God sent us here as a team to bring Hope, Discipleship, and Restoration to these two countries. and I know that as a leader I was here to walk along the students and help them reach personal/team goals and grow into men/women of God. But what is it that God had for me here and how did he want me to grow and learn?

Could it be that he wanted me to come to the realization that despite my age I can be the leader that he tells me I am? Could it be that he wanted me to learn that his plan is better then mine? Could it be that he wanted to remind me that he is always in control? Could it be that he wanted me to learn that walking out in obedience is the best example of walking out effective ministry? YES… I fully believe that these are all things he wanted me to learn, but I also believe that the number one thing that he wanted me to learn was to simply trust in him.

Simple enough right? Yes… But… I can promise you that it gets a whole lot harder to trust in him when all the pre-planned ministry that was set up falls through in the first week of outreach; or when Co-leaders and students are extremely sick and you have to make the decision to leave Haiti (despite being where God has so clearly called you) to head back to the DR early for everyone’s safety and heath… Oh yes, trust me, it is one thing to tell God that you trust in him, but it is a whole lot harder to still trust in him when everything is falling apart.

That being said, over the past 2 months I have had so many chances to trust him in the good and the bad. To trust him when everything is going great and when everything is falling apart. To trust that what we are doing here will have a lasting effect. To trust him that my mess ups won’t effect what the students receive from outreach. To trust him with my future plans. To trust him with finances. To trust him with problems back home. Or simply put, to trust him with everything in every situation despite the outcome.

Was it easy?

NO

Was it worth it?

MORE THEN WORDS CAN SAY!!!

Three Stories for Christmas

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We danced the dance.
We preached The Message.
200 stood to pray.
And one was smiling on Christmas Day.

–

It always surprises me. Maybe it shouldn’t. How everything seems to work out perfectly in the end. Such was the case of the “Three Stories Skit,” a drama created from scratch by our DTS outreach team about two weeks before we left for Thailand. It started as a simple idea from one of our students: What if we told more than just the Christmas story? What if we told three? A three-fold story that goes back to the Garden of Eden, then forward to the Christmas story, and finally finishing with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And before long our little idea had morphed into a simple yet wonderfully choreographed production, complete with script, storyboard, music, and props–even a little blue-eyed baby doll, suspiciously doubling as Jesus. We all knew our parts. We all felt a special peace that this skit was something special. We all boarded the plane to Asia.

A few weeks later, I’m sitting inside a cozy little cafe halfway around the world. The cafe smells of coffee and chocolate chip cookies, and its yellow walls are warm and inviting like the tropical weather outside. “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas” is playing from the stereo but somehow I know it’s not in the cards for us this year. Across the table from me is a Brazilian missionary and his wife. He’s a retired soccer player, she plays tennis. I’m not sure if she’s a professional or not. Gosh, I love Brazilians. They’re sitting here with me at the cafe so we can meet each other and plan out a Christmas Day program for next week. I don’t know any details yet, except there’s a high school with several hundred students that would like us to come and share about Christmas. Of course, as good YWAMers, we can’t help but tell them the full story. Stopping at the end of the Christmas story is like pausing a good movie partway through and never finishing it. “So, I will do the preaching,” he begins, “and maybe you can sing some songs, or do a drama or something fun–whatever you like.” I really like this guy, he’s strong, he’s gentle yet also direct, and he speaks with an accent that’s smooth and intriguing like Liz’s boyfriend at the end of Eat, Pray, Love. I listen, intrigued, as he continues. “The thing is, I don’t just want to preach about the birth of Jesus–first, I want to go back and…” Somehow, I know what he’s going to say next, and my heart begins to fill with so much joy at the way God works. “I want to go back and talk about Adam and Eve and The Fall, and then I’ll tell them the story of Christmas, then l want to tell them the good news about Jesus and maybe have an altar call. And I was thinking maybe you can do something to highlight that message. So, what do you think you and your team would like to do?” I can’t hide my grin any longer, “I have something to tell you,” I begin. I can’t wait to tell him about the skit we brought with us all the way from Montana. The skit with the same three matching stories. “But first, I want you to know that God’s been planning this day for a while now.”

We woke up early, even for Christmas Day. We loaded up into the backs of two Songthaews, our thai-style taxis, and we drive an hour and a half through the misty jungle and rice paddies of Northern Thailand to a little town with a high school that had a few hundred students who want to hear about the story of Christmas. We sing them some Christmas songs, we teach them our favorite dance moves, and we perform our Three Stories Skit. When the skit is over we perform it a second time, but this time we do it without any music while our handsome Brazilian explains all three scenes to them, one by one. First, he explains the story of Adam and Eve and The Fall, and our need for a Rescuer. Then Christmas, God’s gift of a special child to rescue the world. And then the rest of the story, the life and death and life-again of Jesus. When he’s finished, he asks the crowd of students and teachers “How many of you believe this story could be true?” Every student raises their hand. “How many of you would like to pray to Jesus, and receive this kind of love for your life?” Every student stands to their feet. Not one is left sitting on the floor. He leads them in a simple prayer asking Jesus to invade their hearts with his love. Everyone prays. Even the teacher nearest to me bows his head and prays along with the rest of the giant room. As I watch the focused intensity on his face as he whispers the words with eyes closed, I wonder just what God is up to on this Christmas morning. I wonder what he will do in the hearts and lives of all these people that he loves. And I realize that this is why I came to Thailand. And this is better than everything I might’ve given up to come here. This is the reason we keep telling the Christmas story. This is the reason we tell the other two. It’s because they’re all part of the same grand story, the greatest story of all time.

Earlier, when I was sitting crouched at the front of the auditorium, an actor in a play with three scenes and one big story, with Mary at my side and a little baby in her arms, a thought came to me as I listened to my new Brazilian friend telling this story to the two hundred strangers sitting in front of me…tales of a beautiful man and woman and a forbidden fruit, and rich wise kings from distant lands and a baby king in a poor stable, and a man who gave up everything to show the world the vast power and greatness of his love. And through each twist of the story: a God in love. A God with a plan. A plan to rescue his people and show them how much he loves them. “Wow,” I thought, as I held my actor’s pose and stared into the eyes of that blue-eyed baby doll, “I really love this story!” A soft smile rested easily on that baby’s face. I checked back later, and that doll is still smiling. And I think the real baby Jesus is a lot like that baby doll, he’s smiling today, too. With 200 more people in on your story, wouldn’t you?

[If you haven’t heard the full story in a while, or ever…then read the first three chapters of Genesis, the second chapter of Luke, and all of John. Three scenes from the greatness love story the world has ever known.]

Gearing up for Endurance Discipleship Training School 2014

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Preparing for an upcoming Endurance DTS is a lot like preparing for a mountain expedition. There is gear to purchase, logistics to plan, networking and support systems to build, permits to apply for, speakers and support staff to be invited and trained, and, most importantly, student participants to be recruited and accepted for the next EDTS adventure that begins five months from now (not to mention the shedding of those extra holiday pounds)!

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Jonathan, Ladina and Tim on a post-EDTS hike on the Island Unit of the Swan
While the EDTS staff team enjoys the winter weather here in Montana, we’re also constantly focussed on the things to come this summer. Have you ever wondered what the EDTS crew does in the off-season to stay sharp and involved in missions, discipleship and the outdoor industry? Well, the answer is that the crew is up to a lot this winter in preparation for what’s to come.

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Nathan and Betsy in GNP!
On any given day, you’ll find the team involved in continuing education for EMT and medical certifications, leading the ski/snowboard track for the WDTS, staffing the WDTS, training for the next marathon or nordic ski race, hunting or fishing, training with search and rescue, running youth outdoor camps and finding those sweet gear deals to continue to build up their gear stash. Foremost, however, our EDTS staff team is committed to allowing Christ to be Lord of their lives, walking with Him and proclaiming the kingdom of God as we serve the YWAM Montana community, reach out to the outdoor industry and go to the nations.

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We can say with confidence that this summer will once again be full of adventure and challenging growth opportunities for staff and students alike. As of this post, three of our five off-base trips have been planned. We’ve invited all of our speakers. We’re working on the design and fabrication of a custom EDTS trailer that will help us create both ministry opportunities and a mobile classroom for integration of outdoor industry standards in education. But as I mentioned above, the most important thing we’re doing in this off-season focusses on the students that have been, and will be accepted, into EDTS.

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We accepted a few students this fall and there are a few applications in progress in this new year. Our prayer is to continue to grow the program and so we’re anticipating to have a school of 15 men and women this summer. Would you please pray for this goal to be realized? Additionally, please partner with us in praying for the following:
Student/staff visas to be granted
Finalization of backcountry permits
Outreach opportunities and locations
Safety and health
Lives changed – students, staff and those we minister to

Do you know anyone who might be interested in participating in EDTS? Please send them our way. We would be happy to answer anyone’s questions. The best way to learn more about EDTS and get connected is to visit www.ywammontana.org/edts

EDTS 2014 is upon us!

Click the image below to learn more about EDTS!

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