Every experience is different, so you can imagine our week in San Diego looked a little different than our week in say, Ellendale, North Dakota.
Pastor Brian may have spoiled us just a bit with the beach and the Padres game and ALL the Mexican food that being 5 minutes from the border has to offer. However, I must admit my favorite meal of the week was a Lebanonese restaurant. I know! I was surprised too, I think I might be becoming Eurasian. I got to spend a little time with some of my favorite people and see the Grand Canyon on the way home so it was definitely a personal win, but I don't suppose that's why we were there so I digress.
Faith Chapel has a wonderfully diverse congregation so I got to use my Spanish, my few words of Tagalog, and of course my 'Merican. I threw out some of my Thai, but didn't have any takers, not sure if it was because there were no Thai folks or because my tones were so bad they maybe thought I was just doing my dying cat impression and didn't recognize I was saying words. Also, Pastor Brian let me preach both his Sunday morning services and people laughed AND gave their hearts to Jesus so definitely a win, win morning! Oh goodness, I've gotten off track again.
A half dozen people were called to missions this week and dozens more committed to intercessory prayer for the people and workers in Eurasia and although the results were what we do this thing for, it was again not the thing the stuck out to me the most. This time it was the volunteers. While we peddle the Eurasia Experience to attempt to give people on this side of the world a glimpse of the need and what God is up to on the other side, He often turns the tables on us and gives us a glimpse of what He's been up to on the home front. Eurasia seems like the front line to me and it a lot of ways it really is, but He's continually showing me that anywhere there are lost souls is the front line and the work must go on simultaneously. I've found Him to be an excellent multi-tasker, master of detail, design, precision, and surprises and I hope to be able to follow His lead.
Faith Chapel had tons of great volunteers; one of our monologists rolled in on his skateboard ready to tell the story of a young missionary in Russia. Another monologist came in with her own entourage; four children under 7, yet she had still volunteered to serve. One by one they came in, in their work clothes, frazzled from a busy week of life, but having given up precious time in hopes to further the kingdom on both sides of the globe. Our event coordinator had lost her brother just days before and her husband had just come out of major surgery, but they pressed on. Many of our set up crew were from a local teen challenge and were all two months or less into their drug and alcohol recovery, but God. But God was at work in our coordinators broken hearts and bodies and He was doing some beautiful restoration in the lives of those young men, healing them from years of addiction and all the ugly that accompanies. Grace filled brokenness was the backbone and backdrop of our event, I hope it always is. Thanks for a great week Faith Chapel.
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