JAMtime

More on Burkina Faso… April 13, 2009

We’re back now, but I wanted to finish what i started with the rest of the trips details. So here they are…

Burkina Faso- Day 5

This was an amazing day. By far one of the best days of the trip. It started with a trip to Sector 30’s compassion site.  This site has about 300 kids that are sponsored and they meet each Thursday. We were able to go into 3 classrooms and talk to the kids. We were able to give them a friendship bracelet and say a prayer of blessing over them. One of the guys own our trip meet his sponsor (leon was his name) that day. All I can say is what an awesome experience this was. We also got the opportunity the see where Leon and his family lived. It was about a mile walk. Wish my kids could have seen this and have walked that route with me that day. What a humbling experience. 

Headed to the Bush after lunch. It was about a 3 hour drive. We were very blessed to have gone on a Safari.  We went out for 2 hours that evening and 2 hours the following morning. We saw over 40 wild elephants, tons of deer/antelope, baboons, warthogs, crocs, and many others. Stayed in a hut that evening and headed back to Ouaga around 11:00am that next morning.

Burkina Faso- Day 6

After lunch we had 20 benches to make. A church near Sector 30, had their first service starting Easter Sunday and they had no benches. So our team cut, sanded, drilled, and painted that afternoon to get those benches done for this church. We went to a french/italian restaurant for dinner (awesome food by the way and ice cream Sundays) and then headed back to rest.

Burkina Faso- Day 7

• Delivered the benches to the church near Sector 30.
• Their were FILLED with JOY. An awesome experience!
• Worked a few hours at L.A.C. again.
• Ate lunch and then packed.
• Rained for the first time since October this day. 
• Cleaned up and headed to the Airport.

Pray for our next team going in May. Also be looking for more info for future trips.

Burkina Faso- Day 4 April 8, 2009

Well we started the early morning hours this morning with some excitement. We woke around 1:30am to one of our team members screaming “FIRE”. We all ran out of our rooms and one of the security lights above the girls room had sparked and caused a fire. It spread to the ceiling and started to drip plastic fire to the ground. It actually looked bigger than what it was. We got it out quickly, but lost power during and of course the smoke and soot were lingering for a while. Needless to say we didn’t sleep, but we were very blessed that we were here and not gone. It could have possibly been bad, if we didn’t catch it quick. Thank you God!

Went to L.A.C. again today to work on the guest house. We got two rooms complete. We might have the opportunity to go back on sat. morning to do some more work!

We had lunch here with Pastor Michele, who is an evangelical Pastor from the Bush and basically is our liaison for the wells that West Ridge is raising money for. Among many other things.

Went to some shops this afternoon to shop and back for dinner.

Keep praying for our team, we had two girls get sick and had to rest today. Seems like satan is throwing things our way like crazy, even fire:)

Heading out early in the morning to another compassion site, then off to the Bush. We are staying the night there, so there will be no update tomorrow night. I will try to update Friday evening if were not too exhausted.

Burkina Faso- Day 3 April 7, 2009

Just some thoughts of the day…

• We started the day at L.A.C. again working in the guest house. We have one more half day of work there. 
• Only 105 today! Heard it snowed back home.
• Had tacos for lunch- They were excellent!
• Toured a few more sites this afternoon that are future Vision sites.
• One particular spot we have an amphi-theater that will seat a couple hundred.  There will also be a church and a compassion site here.
• We got to visit the facilities at  L.A.C. today. We went inside a classroom that was teaching english.  The kids loved us being there! They had the opportunity to ask us questions. One question that was hilarious was… Is Wrestling in the US real?
• We saw a dorm room at the school as well. They are still in need of mosquito nets for their beds. See below for a pic. There only $6 each if you want to help with this. 3000 kids die a day and you could help cut that in half.
• L.A.C. also has a compassion site. You can sponsor a kid from this site or another site from around here. If interested ask me about details. When you come to Africa on missions… you can actually meet your child.
• Quesos for dinner.
• Worn out and ready for bed!

I’m adding a few pics below… i’ll add more when possible.

Burkina Faso- Day 2 April 6, 2009

Headed out to L.A.C. (Lycee Alliance Chreten) this A.M.  to do some work there. This is one of the most prestigious Schools in the Country. They have the highest test scores in the country.  They have about 300 students that attend daily, mostly male. There are only about 35 girls there currently. This is one of the projects that West Ridge has taken over and hopefully The Ridge will have a big part as well. 

Today we put in a drop ceiling in 2 rooms at the guest house and the gals did some painting. The missionaries here are trying to finish this home for a family from West Ridge to come for a two year period to help minister and have a place for teams to stay while completing the work at L.A.C. 

More random thoughts…

• Today was 103 in the shade
• We’re 4 hours ahead of you guys in GA
• We had the best lunch today that we have had yet- baked ziti
• We had some africans bring to us a market today
• Got to play some soccer this evening. They play every day at 6:00pm till dark. #1 I’m out of shape #2 It was a huge dusk bowl #3 I’m old
• Had veggie soup & bread for dinner
• Little devotion and sharing time this evening
• Little free time before bed

Back to L.A.C. again tomorrow for some more work!

Click HERE for pics!

Burkina Faso- Day 1 April 5, 2009

Random highlights of day one.

• We worshiped at The Youth Center this am- Cool service, it was actually youth week in all the area churches and they were in charge of the entire service.
• The youth pastor spoke- message was on Joy & Excellence. More on this in a future blog. Great stuff!!
• Lots of singing and dancing going on. Offering was cool- maybe more on that later.
• Took a tour of one of the compassion sites and a school there after worship.
• Had lunch at the U.S.  Embassy- ate a cheeseburger, but it wasn’t a real cheeseburger.
• 105 degrees today
• A little rest after lunch and then we visited a couple areas that are in the process of future schools, compassionate sites, and churches.
• Visited the Dorcas house, which is a place for at risk women. Spent some time with them just visiting and hearing vision. 
• Met a 1 1/2 year old boy named Arman.  We played soccer and threw the ball. He actually wet on me as well, while i was holding him. They say ministry is messy right? Was humbled when we left, they ask if they could keep one person and I was chosen. I don’t think my families up for that, huh. 🙂
• Played a round of Duck, Duck, Goose with some kids- they caught on fast.
• Had dinner at the missionaries house. Pizza, brownies, & sweet tea.
• A little debriefing and back to the house where we’re staying.
• Off to Lac tomorrow am for some work on a guest house.
• Pics of day 1 HERE– (hopefully this works).

satan prowls February 27, 2009

Is satan prowling around in your life? We can see him all around, we just sometimes write it off to other circumstances. This Sunday is a BIG day at the Ridge. For one, we are Baptizing 3 Adults in the AM and 3 elementary kids that evening after FamJAM.  satan knows big things are coming and what do you think he will try to do? he will use your circumstances to tempt you and try to hinder you from getting closer to God. Reports say the white stuff might be coming on Sunday. Yes,  i said snow. There is a 50 % chance as of today,(friday) that it might happen. Isn’t it funny that it seems most of the time it snows it happens on a Saturday?  I believe it snowed twice last year, both on Saturdays, making it harder (in our minds) to get to Church on Sunday. As if we need another excuse not to go to Church in this day and age, satan will give our minds every excuse not to be there this Sunday. You better believe it! he will do whatever he can to hinder our relationship with our Heavenly Father. That being said, if you wake up Sunday morning to the white stuff, I’ll tell you what we teach our kids when satan tempts us. We tell them to put one hand on their hip, point the other finger and say “No satan- you’re not going to win.  God’s going to win!”  This should be true in every circumstance when we’re tempted. Don’t let satan win. So get in your car and go to Church this Sunday and praise God, no matter how satan tempts you- its one more day to honor the Lord. Don’t let satan get away with something that keeps you from knowing God and making Him known.

We’ll see you at the Ridge at 9:30 or 11:00am Sunday morn. and at FamJAM Sunday night as well! Doors open at 6:15pm. My team is awesome and has worked very hard to make this a great time for you and your family! HOPE you come and bring a friend/neighbor.

Family Fusion ’09 February 12, 2009

Family Camp or what we call Family Fusion will be here before we know it. We will be going to Strong Rock Camp in Cleveland, GA again this year. This is an awesome facility and they really treat us right. There are still lots of families that said they are going but have not yet signed up yet. If you are one of those family’s- GET ON IT!! We need 24 families to make this thing happen this year. You can download a brochure HERE. We’re gonna give this some stage time this Sunday, so if you don’t know exactly what Family Fusion is then come and find out! This is one thing we do at the Ridge that pumps me up more than anything else! Get on board–it will CHANGE your Family’s perspective for years to come.

The Most Important 15 Minutes Of Your Child’s Day August 13, 2008

Great article by Kurt Drees, Heritage Builders- check it out!

The Most Important 15 Minutes Of Your Child’s Day

There were two things that I’ve felt guilty about since becoming a dad 8 years ago. They overshadowed most of the joy that a dad was supposed to have. They made me feel angry, then guilty most days. You probably fight it too if you have young children. The two battles are: fighting to get the kids to bed and feeling guilty that I was not growing closer with my kids. But six months ago I stumbled across something that would change my family’s life forever. The discovery would overcome both of these frustrations. Was I too stubborn not to see it before?

Here’s how the story unfolds: Bedtime was a power struggle. The kids would push; I would push. I would yell; they would yell. They would get angry; I would get angry. All I wanted was to get them to go to sleep — Was that asking too much? The sooner they got to sleep, the sooner I could get on with the loose ends from my day (work, TV, internet, etc.). I’d hear constant excuse after excuse about needing a drink, being scared, needing to go to the bathroom, or hearing noises. They would come out of their room – I would yell to get them back into bed. I don’t remember my parents yelling so much. My parents had it figured out — Why was it so hard for me to figure it out? Yes, the kids eventually went to bed feeling worn out, angry, and sad. Yet I was glad to be rid of them for the day! Why did my kids have to act like this?  ! Why did I have to act like this? ! It wasn’t my fault …was it?

The next night, it seemed that God guided me down a different path — a quieter, peaceful, more loving path. Yes, this night I had succumbed to something that I told myself I would never do — I’d lay down with each of them for 15 minutes. They both grinned, thinking that finally I had acquiesced. I initiated this new experience with my 7 year old. At the start of his 15 minutes, I asked if he wanted to turn the light off and try and go to sleep, or perhaps read a book, or listen to a CD. Of course he didn’t choose the first option; he choose the “read a book” option. I asked him if he wanted to read his dinosaur book or read through this new book God’s Great News for Children. He went with the new book. We read a chapter about how Mary found out that she had a baby growing in her belly, and how her and Joseph were looking for a place to have baby Jesus. At the end of the 15 minutes, I said that his time was up and that I needed to get his older brother to bed. After he checked the clock to make sure I didn’t cheat him of any minutes, he wanted to have what he coined the “Grand Finale Hug” – a big bear hug dotted with tickles. So far my experiment was working great. We had fun, we learned Biblical Truth and we grew together rather than apart. So far this experiment was working!

Next up was my more difficult 8 year old. He was anxiously waiting his 15 minutes of “Dad laying down with me” time. As I rub his little back, I ask “What did you do today that was the most fun?” This gets him talking about things that he encountered in his day — things I wouldn’t have normally known about. After several minutes, he winds down and I give him a big hug and say, “I sure love this kid!” while I give him a good tickle. He laughs hesitantly, knowing that his 15 minutes are almost over. Wanting to extend the 15 minutes, he starts talking and opening up more and more — asking things like:

“Can God see me right now?”

“Can people in heaven see us now?”

“How old were you when you first really liked a girl?”

All these questions presented an opportunity to become intentional in sharing Biblical Truth with my little “built-in“ disciple. A soul that God had entrusted to me to teach God’s Great Truths. I need to be careful though, because the instant that it sounds like I’m trying to tell him to do something, he stops listening. So instead I tell him the lesson or principle that I learned when I had similar questions like he had. I can almost hear his mind absorbing the Truth. As our 15 minutes come to an end, I verbalize a prayer that finishes with telling God how thankful I am that “I have such a great son.” I tell my son that it is now my bedtime and give him a bone crushing body hug. As I leave the room, he says “Dad, I’m not tired. I don‘t want to go to sleep.” Then I think God spoke through me because I’m sure not smart enough to come up with this response — I say “Son, you don’t have to sleep right now, but you do need to be in your bed with the light off. You can go to sleep whenever you want to as long as I don’t hear or see you anymore tonight. I’m tired and I’m done watching kids for the day. Good night! I love you buddy.” Did he have a comeback? I don’t know for sure because I kept on walking to my room.

That night, I walked upstairs a blessed dad. Bedtime was enjoyable. I shared a little bit of Truth with my kids. I grew closer with them. There were no bedtime fights. No yelling. No hurt feelings. The peace of God was so strong that there was no room for anger. This routine has continued everyday for the last 180 days. Bedtime is no longer a power struggle, and I am growing closer to my boys everyday. My prayers have been answered — I’m being used by God to impact my kids. 

Not Just Another Wedding…By Emily June 14, 2008

A month or two ago, our family had the privilege of attending my cousin’s wedding.  She got married in the mountains of North Carolina – oh my goodness, it was absolutely beautiful up there!  The wedding was at a camp that is very special to the couple and it couldn’t have been more of a perfect place for the ceremony – not as much because of the scenery (which was gorgeous), but mainly because of what it symbolized to them in their journey with Christ in their relationship.  The whole weekend was definitely a celebration of what God had done through them, what He was going to do through their marriage, and who He had used to help develop, grow, and strengthen them in their walk with the Lord.  Here is a couple that wasn’t just trying to have a “Christian” wedding and would eventually grow into their faith as the years progressed.  No, here is a couple that is all about the Lord NOW – I can’t even describe it – their faith just radiates from them.  This is a couple that is going to use their marriage to glorify God, no doubt…

…And here is a couple that treasured the relationships God brought into their lives along the way and honored them.  To say they were surrounded by a mass of people that had impacted their lives for the Lord would be an understatement.  There were people from every stage of their lives – all gathered far away from home to honor their precious Christian friends.  The words that were shared, the stories told, and the apparent love of friends showed that God had used all of these friends and family in such an incredible way in each other’s lives.   To have the privilege of watching the wedding party join around the bride and groom right before the ceremony, praying over them, and then lifting up their voices together in a praise song to God brought tears to my eyes.  I was so thankful that my oldest daughter (in her first experience as a flower girl) got to be a part of a truly godly wedding.

The whole thing really unsettled me (in a good way) and got me thinking (which doesn’t take much) about something I believe God has been making very REAL to me lately…who your child chooses to marry is huge.  I think we all know that, in fact, for many of us that’s a “duh” statement.  But do you really KNOW it?  Does it resonate in your soul?  Do you realize the huge impact that one decision makes on a lifetime? 

I think one of the biggest things that hit me that weekend (yet another “duh” thing, but a reminder I definitely needed to hear) is something that happened at the rehearsal dinner.  The groom’s grandfather stood up and shared that as a young father he and his wife had been challenged to pray for their children’s future spouses.  He shared that they took the challenge, even though that seemed so far off, as they were just beginning to expand their family and the children they had were very small.  He said time after time they would diligently pray for those future husbands and wives, not knowing who they were, or when they would come.  Here was a man that I could tell was so sincere – the passion and emotion in his words made it very obvious that he had, indeed, been on his knees for his family.  Now, he said, that they are all grown and have grown children, he and his wife have been fervently praying as well for his grandchildren’s future spouses.  It was so moving for him to look at my cousin and tell her that he had been praying specifically for her – although he didn’t always know who she was, she had been in his prayers for years and years.  And now it was very clear that she was the answer to those prayers.

Do we want that moment with all of our heart for our children?  Are we fervently praying for our children and who they will choose to spend a lifetime with?  We need to focus on the end just as much as we focus on the everyday little things.  We are raising what are most likely future husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers.  They will live under their own roof much longer than they will live under ours.  Do our prayers and our training reflect our goals for the kind of person we want them to become?  Do our prayers and our training show our children that God’s heart for them is to marry someone that loves and serves Him above anything else?  Do we realize the heaviness of it all?  I want to be like that grandfather – to be able to see generation after generation following hard after God and training their children to do the same.  What a treasure that would be!  Lord, make me a prayer warrior for my children.  Impress your heart on their little hearts!

For suggestions on praying for your children click on this link – it has 31 topics listed for prayer for your children – something specific to pray for each day of the month…

http://www.navpress.com/Assets/PDF/Product/Sample/9781576839003.pdf

or better yet, make up your own list that’s unique to your children – come up with one for each day of the month and then start over on the 1^st each time.  As they grow, adjust it to fit that stage of life.

Narnia… May 15, 2008

 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian! 

 The Ridge is sponsoring a free showing of Narnia- Prince Caspian for the first 600 people in our community that show up. The remaining 500 will be admitted for $4.50. Get to Movies 278 in Hiram early! Doors will open at 9:30 am. A few things to consider…

• No saving spots in line, nor tickets. Each individual will be given ONE ticket as they come and must stay in line to keep it. You will not be able to come early for your family or come and leave.
• Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please don’t just drop your kids off! Come as a Family!
• This Sunday, May 18th, we will be kicking off an exciting series called “Finding the Truth In Narnia“. Invite your friends & neighbors.

Can’t wait to see what God has in store!