They slogged past us through the mud, the dim lights overhead revealing their hopeless faces and dilated eyes lost in a world only they saw. One after another, hundreds upon hundreds streamed past me, most either high or drunk. God's beautiful people, created in His image, were wandering around without knowledge of the passionate and relentless love of God that was pursuing them even in the most unlikely of places.
This was the music festival for hippies and drugs which we went too as followers of Jesus wanting to demonstrate God's love in tangible ways. We handed out free breakfast burritos, coffee, tea, and water bottles. We prayed over hundreds of individual people and saw miracles happen. We spoke the Good News about Jesus into hundreds of ears, many who had heard it all before but hadn't grasped that it wasn't all about keeping rules or an organized religion but was about a relationship with the King of the Universe.
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| The table of food was a great place to grab people and tell them the Good News. |
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| Engaging people in conversation waiting in line to enter Wakarusa Campgrounds |
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| So many people let us pray for them, it was amazing. |
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| Pouring into the life of a new brother in Christ. YAH! |
Voice of the Martyrs
We were blessed to volunteer at Voice of the Martyrs in Bartlesville, Oklahoma for a few days.In the mornings we helped them stuff their newsletters that they send free to anyone who wants one. In the afternoon we were able to sit down with some of the leaders of Voice of the Martyrs and hear from them the stories of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are actively working to spread the Gospel in their nations and are being persecuted for it. The Kingdom of God is advancing in this world and the price is high for many. Some pastors ride from village to village on bicycles preaching the good news. In some villages they are accepted and a church is planted. In other villages they are beaten and maybe nearly killed yet they get back up on their bike and ride to the next village.
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| At the wall of martyrs at VOM |
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| Helping pack newsletters. |
We went from Bartlesville Oklahoma to a little town called Anadarko. There we stayed in church for about a week and ran a small Vacation Bible School for the local kids Native Americans. We poured the message of the Gospel into young people and saw lives changed and children give their hearts to Jesus.
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| Singing VBS songs with kids. |
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| Paul with his grumpy guard Brutus have a chat with their guests |
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| I got to play as a snooty senator of Rome releasing his slave. |
Returning to Arkansas we hosted a youth group from El Dorado Arkansas at our base and immersed them in the world of missions. They learned about the call that God has on their lives and that of the church to lay down our lives and take up the cross of Jesus.
Our mission adventure students experienced a taste of what it's like on a foreign mission field through our mission adventure games, with eating something unknown out of a bag while blindfolded, using a squatty-potty, and trying to understand someone speaking a foreign language.
The students spent a couple days learning what it was like to be homeless, being forced out of buildings except at certain times. Then they took their faith to streets and prayed for people and witnessed to them in the park and at a 4th of July celebration. It was really cool to watch them step out of their comfort zones and feel the thrill of blessing someone in the name of Jesus.Our mission adventure students experienced a taste of what it's like on a foreign mission field through our mission adventure games, with eating something unknown out of a bag while blindfolded, using a squatty-potty, and trying to understand someone speaking a foreign language.
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| It's kinda squishy, kinda prickly. Do I eat it or not? |
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| Collecting lunch with food stamps. |
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| Praying over the city of Altus Arkansas |
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| Washing Lice (Rice) out of greasy hair. |
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| Conversations with the people/Evangelism. |
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| "You like your hotdog, sir?" |
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Prayer and passing out free water bottles. |
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| The YWAM Introductory Leadership Practicum students/Interns |
You probably saw my rather lengthy report of my previous book Eternity in Their Hearts. Well for my final book report I decided to make it a little shorter. So here is a 2.46 min video that gives a summary of a rather lengthy but amazing and insightful book called His Kingdom Come which is a compilation of writings from a large number of mission gurus.
Here is my little book trailer thingy.
And if you would like to read a lot you can look at my final research paper. It's long but it sums up a lot of what I learned throughout the internship.
Understanding the Great Commision Strategy by Gabriel
What's Next?
Well after going through three different courses of YWAM, the Discipleship Training School, Missing Link, and the Internship, I feel like God is calling me to give a little more time to YWAM and help them in their vision of discipling Christians to be followers of Jesus and disciplemakers. I have been accepted as a DTS staff, meaning I'll be closely involved with students going through the course I went through last year. I'll be grading book reports and journal entries and doing one-on-ones helping the students process the rush of teaching and wisdom they learn throughout their three months of lecture phase.
I also am hoping to continue doing other videos and also promos for YWAM.
After staffing the DTS I am not entirely sure what God is calling me to. Please pray I continue to listen closely to Him. He has guided me well so far.
If you have completed High School and want to get closer to God's heart see how He is incrediblely working in the world and where your place in the Story can be, consider doing a Discipleship Training School. You can join me and my friends in the beautiful hills of Arkansas or you can go to one of the other hundreds of YWAM locations around the world.
APPLY NOW FOR A DTS, HERE!!!!!
IT'S A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE YOU WILL NEVER REGRET!
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| Oh, can I get it!... |
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| Nope! Oh well try again! |
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| Once you join YWAM you become part of international family of people giving their lives to follow Jesus. |
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