Welp lucky for yall I got a serious virus called the "writing bug". Yes, the Lord allowed me to write what he was speaking for several pages and I am going to attempt to word vomit just as I heard. First off, I love absolutely LOVE Ghana... we are working with Rev. Matta and we preach several times a week, we help lead worship in one of the churches she helps pastor, we do evangelism at fish markets (tuna that is), boat docks, and we go to hospitals and orphanages on other days. Anyhow its been so wonderful and I adore Rev. Matta and her passion for our Lord. I will try and post some pictures of our location and stuff sometime but it took me about ten minutes just to get online so I don't think I will be able to spend a day on the internet loading pictures. Sorry fellas.

      Ok so enough chitty chat, here we go!

It all started in Acts 5:12-16... pretty much the word describes the early church and it's growth...(I also heard a sermon about the same few passages) okok Acts 5 tells us of how the people around Jerusalem not just the city dwellers but people also from miles around brought their sick or demonic loved ones to the church in Jerusalem. Scripture says "all were healed". Oh how I long for the churches of today go back to the simple ways of LIVING the gospel. Not just knowing it but living it out, because when we start to live what we know people from all around will KNOW and SEE and Experience the living God. His works will be and are contagious, people long to see miracles, people long for a love that is true and unending, people long to feel freedom from sin and past memories. The glory of God should leak OUT OF the church, just as the church of Jerusalem, they lived by the Spirit of God and showed his greatness by DOING, back then the people desired a Savior who keeps his promises, who will change your life into one of greatness, we are all seeking the same today. People should flock to the doors of the Christian church! Knowing and expecting to see God at work through his children. When those wanderers enter into our lives... the presence of God ON US should change them. I want to reflect the beauty and love of Christ so clearly that others are changed by being with me. That I leak the truth over people around me, wherever I am... not just IN a church, but being the church/ which is the body of Christ. We are called to be a body where the Spirit of God dwells, where He is able to move freely... whatever that looks like. A place where He is able to move and speak and heal and transform lives because we allow Him to do so. Thats a call for the Church. A new and fresh calling is upon the church/ the body of Christ/ all Christians everywhere/ Jesus Freaks... this call is to wake up and LIVE the gospel, to LIVE and BE the truth.

But I will be the first to repent of giving the church and the body of Christ a bad reputation... for I have not lived what I know and believe. Though I long to allow my God to transform my life I still find myself unworthy of carrying such a wonderful gift of salvation... thank the Lord he is full of grace. I repent for not truely understand my calling in the Kingdom of God... but now I will spend my life walking through the fires of change and conforming only to His ways. I will repent to all who have strayed from the church or left the Kingdom altogether. But now things WILL change, we have to... its being spoken over us. To go back to the church in which God commands of us... a place full of truth, honor, blessings, and the works of God.

"you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8) Thank God all this transformation is not up to us, but its only our call to surrender. To give up all former thoughts and beliefs and go back to the SIMPLE truth and believing that everything in the Word is true, and to BE and Live as such. Thank you Jesus for sending us the Spirit of God. We don't do a single thing alone, for the Spirit of God is with us all the time! He will provide the knowledge and faith to return to the being the body of Christ.

Father I pray that we will ALL have our veils removed and shattered. That we might all see the true Kingdom so that we can know it, and reflect it. Father we ask for the temperature in the furnace to be turned up, we want to be molded again! And Father thank you, thank you that you speak and you have given all of us such a high calling to carry your life with us. You chose us to represent your Kingdom, thank you Lord.

Ok I believe I got out most of what was going on in my head and in my heart. I just want to express my love for all of you and my thanks for supporting me in prayer and love. I cant imagine what this race would be like without all of yall's support! thanks millions times millions lovers!

Also heard a quote the other day which I soooo dig " it should be near impossible for someone in our city to enter hell" .... come on church! show the contagious-pure love of Christ!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAL.. I REALLY REALLY LOVE YOU!!!

So just a brief bloggy blog to let yall know im here

So recap on things I've experienced so far this trip, or come to know so far...

·             Horse sausage does exist... and it DOESN'T taste like chicken

·      S    some odd breed of caterpillar has a defense mechanism that sends an electric shock to .....well... to my arm.

·             No place but America fits 15 people in a 15 passenger van... its more like 25 people then some chickens, some babies, some groceries, some body odor

·           Rats sometimes have just as much meat on their bones as your average house cat

·             Rats are not afraid of you

·            ROUS's do exist. (Rats of Unusual Size)

·           MSG is the staple in most Asian food dishes

·           A motor-scooter is the Asian mini-van or carpool vehicle. 6 people per ride max

·           A 2 foot by 2 foot jellyfish still hurts like the dickens when it wraps around your leg, or arm, or belly

·           Eating sugar cane, off the cane, can rot your teeth in NO TIME

·           Living with stomach aches is normal

·            Dancing in the middle of the City will draw a massive crowd, paparazzi, video cameras, and small children

·           Picking your noes anywhere at anytime is normal

·            Going to the restroom anywhere at anytime is normal

·          Cereal is expensive

·           Spiders are scary all over the world

·           You can buy movies for under 2 dollars, may not be legal but their available

·           Milk comes in a variety of ways, powdered.... Boxed, in a can, from a wide (too wide) variety of animals

·           Calluses can  grow huge and fast... and having a knife around can help that problem rather quickly. ....yes mom I did cut off my  foot calluses with a knife

·            2 hours at the Thailand beach WILL blister your back. About 45 witnesses to that fact

·            Some ants are faster than cheetahs. And bigger. Ok maybe not bigger but im certain they are faster

So to catch ya'll up on me life, here I go...

We as a team prayed over where God would send us to in Cambodia, as individuals we prayed and each of us received an answer from the Lord, and each of us heard the SAME thing. Yes, all 7 of us heard the same answer from God and we were to go to an orphanage in Cambodia. Well, if you know our Lord at all you must know he has a crazy, mysterious, wonderful sense of humor. Our plans kinda crashed and the day before we were to travel to that particular orphanage... plans changed. We were to be living pretty rugged out in the village but God has greater plans and now we are staying in the capital Phnom Penh. Its pretty great I must say, we are working with a ministry started by an American couple, Eric and Jenny. They have pure-righteous hearts and their fruit is being spread wide all over this city and into a small village about 30 minutes outside of the city called, Sa'ang. Our ministry is wide and I mean double wide trailer wide, this month and I looooove it. Just to give you a glimpse into the variety, break-dancing classes (of course im there), teaching orphans English, going into the village and praying over the ill/diseased, teaching music, helping the Cambodian woman design purses/handbags/ and even wedding dresses, setting up games to draw in the children from the village community, preaching, bible story telling. And if it has anything to do with our lover, Jesus, we are probably doing it or going to do it.

Yesterday, we took around 100 boxes of toys/clothes/games to a small almost nonexistent village. I shared some insight on washing your hands and trying to stay healthy, then we played duck-duck goose (near disaster with 100 kids), and handed out the shoe-boxes that were packed in the states and sent to us to deliver to the needy. I remember being in GA's as a youngin and making those shoe-boxes, its wonderful to now be on the other side of things. The day before that I went with Vouen (man of God) around to several different huts and prayed for the sick. I had never seen polio before that day. Skin and bone. One of my lovely lady friends would never be able to leave her hut because of it. My God rules victorious over any disease and I believe she will be able to walk and run and jump in no time. Just a touch of the King restores.

So I want to share something God is continuing to stir in my heart this month. First let me explain, In His Steps Ministry here in Phnom Penh, well for about 10 years now Eric and Jenny have allowed God to overflow and spill out of them and into the people around them. They have unconditionally loved on about 10 Cambodians. Most of them my age or a few years older. Anyhow, everything God has taught Eric and Jenny they have shared into the lives of these men and woman, they took what was freely given to them and gave it away, just as the Lord asks of us. Years of devotionals, worship, community living, prayer, and love has transformed these men and woman into true Christians. Now, the younger generation is able to take what they were given and give it away to around 150 children and youth and also to around 15 families in the village of Sa'ang. Can you imagine this... taking all you know, all the knowledge of your lifetime and giving it to your children, grandchildren or anyone younger than yourself, all wisdom obtained and pouring into a younger generation. How to read, write, talk, showing respect, sharing the Word of God, worshipping, and on and on, this world would be changed. Not only does In His Steps share with the people of the church but the church IS the community and the community is welcome in the church. If someone in the village is ill, the church goes to pray to feed them to care for them, if a house falls or is in need of repair, the church goes to restore the house... Christian or not! God help us all to that that heart, the heart of your love. To share love with everyone, we are all children of God, we all are of the family of God. Several stories of people unable to care for their babies or children and the church takes them in and provides. Stories of death and the church is there to comfort and love the ones who have lost. This is our calling as the body of Christ. Not just to be in church on Sunday mornings, not just to sing worship songs or listen to worship on the radio, not just to read our bibles, but BE the hands and feet of Jesus. BE THE HANDS and FEET of JESUS. I love the song "Where You Go I Go" it goes something like this, (im singing it to yall) "where you go I go what you say I say God, what you pray I pray... Jesus only did what he saw you do, He would only speak what he heard you say", so that's just the base of the song but anyhow just felt I should share what God is pushing me into and it's a life of receiving from Him, then giving my heart and knowledge away to others and the circle should continue.

Ill try to write more often, now that I am in an area where internet is available! Know I am praying for all of you and do pray for us here as well! A few of my teamies have not met their financial funds as well, so do pray for that also please loves. Rock the world, shake it up.

All my love

Today was the first day going into the bars. I was paired with an employee of the Tamar Center who was formerly a prostitute. We prayed that God would guide our steps and we would carefully listen to the Spirit on who, what , when, and where. Sure enough God is so good, we sat down at a bar where the girls were getting ready for the night. (We will start our night about 5 before most of the men get to the bars, so that we can have their attention). So we sat and handed out some slips of paper about the free english classes Tamar provides, which several of the woman eagerly took. Poa (my translater) knew very little english and I know all of two words in Thai. So she immediately sought out a lady and began conversation. I sat and listened to what I could of it and tried to make small talk with a few of the woman around me. Some knew a little english others just sat and laughed at me trying to speak Thai. I was drawn to two of the woman, one who spoke broken english; most of her sentences made no sense. But we did what we could and most of the time just laughed at one another. I love them. My heart gave in and I love those woman. I hate what they do, I hate the sin that blinds them from freedom... but I love those woman. I love to see them laugh, I love to laugh with them. I love the look in their eyes when they notice something different in me.

We also helped out in English class for the woman who have committed to come out of the bars and make a living through what the Tamar center provides. It was one of the best couple hours I have had in a while. I have to admit I went in with my doubts at how wonderful sounding out English words was going to be.. but the woman once again won my heart. Words like 'spoon, fork, plate,f rying pan, and fridge'... they just never seemed so fun to say until your teaching a Thai woman how to speak them for the first time. Once again I found myself laughing throughout most the class at myself trying to learn Thai words for cooking utensils and trying to slowly speak and sound out syllables in english. My partner was Jie. I believe I called her a different name every time I tried to speak to her. Oh well, at least she laughs at me as much as I laugh at her.

Another day passed before I posted this blog, so we had another night in at the bars downtown. Christina and I sat down with one of our translators at a bar and ordered some cokes. The woman were so excited to serve us, they busted out the old Jenga or Jinga, not sure how to spell it, and Connect Four. Of course I had to let Bim win against me... kidding I think she is a Connect Four professional. Anyhow she was 27 but looked 20 and Poo was 30 and looked about 24. We had the best time, Bim spoke some English so it was good to get a conversation going, we laughed and asked them to come to free English classes. Though it did break my heart when they would shout at the men walking by. Just pray freedom over their lives, the more I hang out with them the more I realize how alike we really are. Continue to pray for our hearts, it feels like day and night we give them away to these woman and it hurts to see them stay at work and choose bondage. God is a restorer and a repairer... thank ya Jesus! Well this one is a quick one I will try and get one more in before Christmas.

Love you all so dearly

Oh yes it has been a while... we left Costa Rica the 2^nd of December and arrived in Nicaragua for our debrief. We spent a few days resting; well if you want to call that rest. We had worship most nights or mornings along with God pouring more of himself into us. We had times of prophesy, times of uprooting, times of unloading burdens, times of tears of joy and tears of sadness. I am coming to understand every month I will have a hard time leaving the relationships I had built. But God is good and is enabling me to travel and build multiple relationships around the world. We left Nicaragua and began the grand journey to Asia. We flew a total of 27 hours and had about 9-10 hours of layovers. YUM. Best few days of my life. Kidding. We then spent 2 days in Bangkok, Thailand to get oriented into the culture and have an orientation about YWAM (youth with a mission). YWAM is the organization that provided our contacts here in Thailand.

As for team Increase we were split up girls and boys, all the men are in northern Thailand this month doing village ministry and the woman are split up into groups of three all doing different things in different cities. The girls on my team joined the girls of Logos and we are in Pattaya, Thailand. Our ministry varies daily, but our main focus is the women in prostitution here in Pattaya. There are several streets lined bar after bar after bar, filled with woman selling themselves to survive, pay for food, provide for their children, or fund their families who live in the villages. We also will be doing prison ministry, handing out bibles to Chinese tourist and english classes for woman. We are working with the Tamar ministry here in Pattaya. A group of woman living by faith and revealing the light of Christ to a hurting city. The way Tamar works is incredible. I will do my best to explain how things work; the workers at Tamar (and us) go out into the bars and create conversations and friendships with the woman, we tell them of free english classes provided at Tamar. We also tell them of job opportunities other than prostitution. Tamar has a bakery, a hair salon, and a card making job. If the woman choose to come out of prostitution they are given 3 months of training for their new job and also receive prayer. Several times during their training Tamar brings in speakers who tell about Christ, salvation, freedom, redemption, and true love. Most of the woman who have come out of the bars and into Tamar have received Christ!! YUP. I know this is a ton of information and most of it is all jumbled together but the gist is not to shove Jesus in their face, but to love them and tell them of more opportunities to provide for themselves and their families. Once they choose out, then they have opportunities to hear Jesus and receive Him. The things I love about the Tamar center is how they are going to love on these woman and accept them no matter if they want Jesus or not.

Our first night here in Pattaya a few of us went out into the streets where we would be working. An estimated 60,000 woman in Pattaya are in prostitution, and I felt I carried the burdens of most the woman I saw that night. I could hardly breath, I felt as if someone were sitting on my chest. I saw men who were lonely, drunk, and searching. I saw woman who were hiding behind a barbie doll image. Most of the men in the streets are westerners, some doctors, some family men, some young, most older. But praise the Lord who speaks, the God who longs to give us revelation of who he is and how he loves. God spoke about those men and woman, they are all his. Each person in those bars were hand-crafted by our King. If God didn't have a plan or purpose for them, they would not be here on earth. Praise God that He is bigger than my imagination, praise God for a life filled with new revelations. How thankful I am that I serve a God that is not made from human hands, or of metal and gold, but I serve a God who speaks, moves, heals, loves, and lives!

Just a few prayer points

Thailand is around 95% buddist. No Christ, no God who speaks and loves.

Woman in Pattaya in prostitution about 60,000

Men and tourist coming to Pattaya, that God would rest in this city and the men would feel the presence of the King while they are here.

Tamar, for rest for the employees/for God to continue speaking into their lives/for exponential growth of the woman coming into Tamar

Pray for our team here, to have the eyes of God and not our own. To feel and see what He sees in this city and not play off our own human feelings and emotions

Pray protection

Pray guidance and for the Spirit of God to blow our minds

I apologize for taking forever to write another blog! Hopefully I will be able to write more soon! Thank you all for every prayer and thought. Happy Holidays!!! LOOOOOOOVVVEEEEE

KINGDOM COME