Climbing back down the mountain

As I sit here writing, having just returned from Dillon, CO and Mt. Quandary with it's 14,225 feet of elevation, I am forced to take inventory of my body. My legs feel all cramped up, my feet have several blisters, and my nose has 2nd degree burns from the sun (nasty blisters and all) but I feel great! I enjoyed spending time with my son, my friends from Omaha, and meeting new guys, all of them were there to grow closer to Christ and to summit a 14K peak! Here are some of the highlights:

* About 400 feet from the top of the mountain I was done.....Caleb had already been up to the top and was on his way back down. He was relaxing with a few other men that had already been up to the top. They saw the strain I was in, gave me some extra food and water, and tons of encouragement! It took 15 min. but I was able to summit!

* God working through our group of men. We worked together to carry a fourteen year old young man with cerebral palsy up to the top of the mountain! His story was all over the mountain that day and our group had a chance to show Christ to everyone else that was climbing that day!

* Caleb and I were talking with one of our former pastor's, who was also a MK. As we were talking he ministered to our hearts. He knew Italy, as is most of Europe, is post-Christian and he was able to encourage Caleb on his journey as a MK!

* Driving through the mountains was spectacular! Views were unbelievable; they were breathtaking at every turn!

* Bunked with Scott, Gary, Cameron, and Caleb - it was great! We had a fire going 15 min. after getting there and kept it going almost the whole time! Had to restart it after being gone for for the whole day of climbing but other than that it was lit for four days.

* I got a chance to act with Ty.... we have done a ton of stuff together over the years and it was fun to work with him again, even though we didn't get a chance to practice before hand!

* We fished for two days and didn't catch a thing....but had a great time anyway!

* I had a chance to lead a time of prayer with 20+ guys including Caleb.

* Taking a shower at Breckenridge Rec. Center after 3 days with no shower facilities!

Climbing a Mountian

Caleb and I are going to Colorado today on a men's retreat. We have been preparing for this for several months (years if you ask some of the guys we are going with that have been trying to get me to go with for at least that long). I look forward reconnecting with these men that were a part of my life for many years. I look forward to the challenge of making it to the top of the summit. I will also be leading these men on a prayer walk and perhaps some other fun surprises.

I feel like the fortitude that it will take will be similar (although in a smaller scope) to the journey we have been on for the past year. When I first take a look at the challenge ahead of me I will no doubt be in awe of the task before me. As I begin, I start the only way that seems reasonable by putting one foot in front of the other. There will be time where it will be incredibly difficult, but what will keep me going is both the goal set before me and the camaraderie of those walking beside me. The encouragement of the men surrounding me and their past experience in tackling a challenge like this will help me to triumph!

I look forward to the time that I will spend with this Band of Brothers!

Re-charge

It is hard to believe I have been in this process of deputation for a whole year. This is most certainly the hardest thing God has ever had us walk through! I am anxiously looking forward to being in Italy in less than a year, presenting the Gospel to the lost in the city of Rome. This past week Renee and I had opportunity to go to mission agency's headquarters/ training center to meet with the new candidates that are going trough training to take the Gospel to other parts of the world. I was there to lead a devotional study time and share our vision of reaching the lost in Italy (hopefully find the missing piece for our team). I was there to be a blessing to these new candidates and I was completely surprised by what God did to recharge me while I was there.
I was able to spend time with many of the HQ staff members during their down time or while they were not teaching the new group. I walked away with a better understanding of the mission of the office! These are men and women who will stop at nothing to make sure our mission, as well as the mission of all of the others in the field are fruitful. They desire to see God's glory in all corners of the world and are committed to making sure we have all of the tools we need to succeed. I am so grateful that they all took time to get to know us better and to share some of the insights that they have learned from being out on the field themselves.
I want to share some of the highlights:

* Our mission is to mobilize the church. Raising money is a by-product  of that mobilization! Get the church excited about the mission and God's vision of saving the lost; the money will come!

* You must develop a taste for cappuccino or espresso. Italians will not understand you if you don't drink coffee and it is not like Starbucks .... one of our staff members spent many years in Italy and can make authentic Italian style drinks.

*Renee and I will be taking our survey trip to Rome in late November and early December; we are on the board!

*We should be working on our Italian - suggestion of reaching out to the University to see if they have international students who help tutor us!

*John (book in the Bible) is Giovanni in Italian!

* Behind every missionary is countless people that make it possible for them to be sharing God's word: from supporters, to prayer intercessors, to support staff, and church members it is about God's people banding together to reach others with the Gospel!

Office Space

I have found the last two weeks really hard to get motivated. It is odd to be at home all of the time. I know that I have a million things that I should be doing; fundraising, training for Colorado, trimming down extra stuff for our sale, or updating my blog but for whatever reason being at home just makes me want to just be.

I think I need an office! A place where I can work away from the distractions of ESPN or PS3.

I have gotten a few things accomplished. I contacted my school, Grace University and will enroll this fall to get my degree finished before we leave for the field! I have made an appointment for my daughter to get her eyes checked before school starts. I have picked out the play that I will direct at Lincoln Christian this fall but still have to find one for Jr. High. This week I will be going to Avant to meet the new missionary candidates and lead a devotional time with them. Also we will spend some time with our teammates Meg & Josh.

Regardless of these things done, I need a place where I can focus and get some work done. And I believe you have my stapler....

Short Fuse

I love the Forth of July! My son Caleb and I have a blast (no pun intended) playing with fireworks, army men, and an ill fated G.I. Joe that by the end of the night has seen better days. This year our family spent time with our friend Elizabeth and her family. This is a long standing tradition, Renee and Elizabeth grew up across the street from one another. The first time I met Renee's eldest brothers was at Elizabeth's childhood home with her parents hosting. Generally speaking, for the past 15 years we have been together on this holiday. Elizabeth and her family were some of our first and most faithful supporters. As always the food and company were great. The fireworks were loud, abundant, and beautiful (this year we got lanterns- like in the movie Tangled). It was an epic day.
But there was one moment, after all of the other guests had left. We were sitting and talking with Elizabeth and her parents..... we realized this was our last 4th of July gathering for sometime. We have every intention of being in Rome next year at this time. For a moment we all grieved. We love this family, and they love us. They have been a huge part of our life, Elizabeth has lived with us, Mollie (her sister) was the first person to babysit our kids, Bob and Bev (Elizabeth's parents) are Faith's Godparents. Even though we are now spread out from Illinois to Colorado, we still see each other as often as we can. It was odd to think that next July 4th we would not be together. We will miss them terribly. A lot like the fireworks we lit the time for us to leave is burning away like a fuse.
That being said we are looking forward to the time that we will spend in Italy, making new traditions and new friends. I am praying that God will minister to our hearts on days like July 4th while we are over there and missing friends or family. I cannot wait to see what God will do with our team! I am so excited to meet the people that will one day make up the body of the church that we will plant. Maybe we can set off fireworks on a different day in Rome!