So, I am a special education teacher. My students have severe disabilities and medical needs. One of my students relies on a ventilator to breathe. Without the ventilator he cannot breathe on his own thus he cannot live. The ventilator connects to his trach by a tube. Sometimes this tube accidentally disconnects from his trach which causes an alarm to go off. Myself or another staff member must then go and reattach the tube so that he can have oxygen and be able to breathe. Other times this student will for one reason or another remove the tube on his own. Sometimes he wants attention and knows he will get it when the alarm goes off. Other times he is just being a little jerk. But what he does not fully understand is that without that tube, he will die. He will at times attempt to put the tube back on himself, but he is unable to do so, when the tube is off, he must rely on someone to reconnect him to save his life. This happens daily in our classroom.
I share this because this reminds me of what we as followers of Christ so often do. I view the ventilator and tube as Christ. Because we have Christ we have life. But without Christ we have death. We know that the ventilator is very important, that without it we are in some deep water. It is our lifeline and we know it. But yet we do not and cannot fully understand the consequences of not having the ventilator attached.
Sometimes our tube falls off on accident. Maybe we have been doing very well in life and because of that we have forgotten the importance of our relationship with Christ, and because of that it begins to fade without us knowing it. The tube falls off on accident. Or maybe life has been very chaotic and stressful, we do truly love The Lord but in the craziness of life we wander away. The tube falls off. But at some point an alarm sounds, we hear it, whether we pay attention to it or not is another story.
Sometimes we intentionally remove the tube for one reason or another. Maybe we are presented with a relationship that we want but is not in Christ, we chose that relationship even though we know it is not Christ centered. Or maybe we have addictions or struggles that we fail to conquer and we simply give into them whether drugs, alcohol, sex, what ever it is. Or maybe we just lose faith in Christ and decide we no longer want Him. The tube falls off. Alarms begin to sound.
When the tube falls off and the alarm sounds, just like I do for my student, God picks up the tube and offers it back to us. It probably does frustrate him just as my student frustrates me, but ultimately The Lord knows that we have to have that tube, Christ. And he will continually offer it to us, for without Christ we have nothing. That is Grace defined.
What are we doing to ensure our tube does not fall off, that we are connected to the ventilator that gives us life? When our tube falls off and we become disconnected, are we willing to ask God for that tube back?
Just a though I had.
With love,
Your boy Opher.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Refuge
I am enjoying my President's day off by sitting in a coffee shop. I had planned to get a ton of school work done, but that has yet to happen. Jesus is just too Good, and I find myself just wanting to spend the whole time with Him and in His word. And He has put the idea of "refuge" on my heart. Actually, it's been on my heart since reading through the book of Psalms in January, I am just now putting my thoughts and heart to words. So here it goes.
Refuge: A. Shelter or protection from trouble. B. A place that provides shelter or protection.
That is the definition for refuge. I believe that is a good defintion. But as I spent quite a bit of time in Psalms, and since reading them, in prayer, I am realizing that the word refuge is so much more. Those two definitions are simple, but God's definition I believe leads to life.
Proof in Psalms:
Psalm 2:12 "...Blessed are all who take refuge in him."
Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge."
Psalm 18:1-2 "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
Psalm 62:6-8 "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. Oh God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."
Those are just a few examples found in the book of Psalms about seeking God as our refuge. There are a ton more. I attempted to highlight the word Refuge every time I read it in Psalms, and it appears a ton. Why is that? What does it mean?
Think in terms of what you think of when you hear the word refuge, or refugee? I know I immediately think of a 3rd world country, with thousands of tired, hungry, and broken people pouring into a compund seeking safety. I see them coming from all over to avoid war, famine, disease. They have nothing left, the refugee camp is their last hope, and they have placed all their hope in it. That is what I see when I hear that word.
When it comes to our lives, to our faith in Christ, is it much different? We are refugees. God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are our refuge, our rock, our fortress. Without them, without the help we have in them, we have nothing. God has really been telling me that I must live as a refugee and seek refuge in Him. I have nothing without Him. I am worn, I am broken, and I am dead without him. Just as I described my vision of a refugee camp, so to must I do the same. I must go to God, I must know that I have no other hope, that it is Him or nothing. I must put all my hope in His refuge. I must trust that He will provide. That inside the gates of His refuge, I am safe, my needs will be met. That inside those gates lies our salvation, our stronghold.
This is not something that we should do only in tough times, in times that we know we are broken and beaten up, but instead at all times! Everyday we must go to the Good Lord for refuge. We must admit that we are refugees and need a safe place to live. And God offers that safe place, in His refuge! There we can get rest. There we can find hope. There we can get strong again. There we can find life as it is meant to be lived.
God is not someone who just chills up in the heavens and watches us from a far. He is with us, He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to come to him and say "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge!"
Friends, where do you seek refuge? When do you seek refuge?
I hope this finds you well. God has really been putting this on my heart this past month and really these past two weeks. Without His refuge, we have nothing. Embrace the idea of being a refugee, and enter God's refuge. Let us find rest, hope, and life together.
In Christ,
Opher
Refuge: A. Shelter or protection from trouble. B. A place that provides shelter or protection.
That is the definition for refuge. I believe that is a good defintion. But as I spent quite a bit of time in Psalms, and since reading them, in prayer, I am realizing that the word refuge is so much more. Those two definitions are simple, but God's definition I believe leads to life.
Proof in Psalms:
Psalm 2:12 "...Blessed are all who take refuge in him."
Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge."
Psalm 18:1-2 "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
Psalm 62:6-8 "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. Oh God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."
Those are just a few examples found in the book of Psalms about seeking God as our refuge. There are a ton more. I attempted to highlight the word Refuge every time I read it in Psalms, and it appears a ton. Why is that? What does it mean?
Think in terms of what you think of when you hear the word refuge, or refugee? I know I immediately think of a 3rd world country, with thousands of tired, hungry, and broken people pouring into a compund seeking safety. I see them coming from all over to avoid war, famine, disease. They have nothing left, the refugee camp is their last hope, and they have placed all their hope in it. That is what I see when I hear that word.
When it comes to our lives, to our faith in Christ, is it much different? We are refugees. God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are our refuge, our rock, our fortress. Without them, without the help we have in them, we have nothing. God has really been telling me that I must live as a refugee and seek refuge in Him. I have nothing without Him. I am worn, I am broken, and I am dead without him. Just as I described my vision of a refugee camp, so to must I do the same. I must go to God, I must know that I have no other hope, that it is Him or nothing. I must put all my hope in His refuge. I must trust that He will provide. That inside the gates of His refuge, I am safe, my needs will be met. That inside those gates lies our salvation, our stronghold.
This is not something that we should do only in tough times, in times that we know we are broken and beaten up, but instead at all times! Everyday we must go to the Good Lord for refuge. We must admit that we are refugees and need a safe place to live. And God offers that safe place, in His refuge! There we can get rest. There we can find hope. There we can get strong again. There we can find life as it is meant to be lived.
God is not someone who just chills up in the heavens and watches us from a far. He is with us, He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to come to him and say "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge!"
Friends, where do you seek refuge? When do you seek refuge?
I hope this finds you well. God has really been putting this on my heart this past month and really these past two weeks. Without His refuge, we have nothing. Embrace the idea of being a refugee, and enter God's refuge. Let us find rest, hope, and life together.
In Christ,
Opher
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
An Old, New Years Resolution
A blog post to start the New Year is cliche, I do undersand that. But you know what, who cares. 2013 is now over and 2014 is upon us. And as I sit here on my couch reading through Facebook and Twitter posts about New Year resolutions and all that fun stuff, something seems off. Each year at this time we as humans think back and reflect upon the previous year. For some of us it was a great year, for others it was not so great. And then we begin to think about the 365 days ahead of us and our expectations for them. We make our new year resolutions and hope to follow them.
But what are our new years resolutions? To eat healthier? Read more books? Become a better person? Those are all great things and I have no doubt that many of you do follow them pretty well. Now I have never been one for resolutions. That is not meant to make me sound above those who make them or anything. In reality, I don't make them because I know I will not follow them. I do not have the discipline to do so. And I also think it's silly to wait until the first of the year to try and make a good change. If you know you need to chagne something in your life, why wait? But put that point aside.
What I want to get at here is this; as we are making all these new resolutions and such, we are failing to see the one change that we do need to make, the one resolution that is not just for the new year but for new life. The one that has been around for over 2,000 years that we often forget about. The one that goes like this, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35. I believe in those two versus Jesus has given us the only new years resolution we need. He has given us the one change we need to make in our lives. He is telling us that we need to simply love people.
If we just stop and think about that. Just imagine how much better the world would be if we just loved one another. If you are reading this and do not believe in or follow Christ, I still believe that this applies to you as well as Christ followers. When we Love people well, their lifes are changed, affected. All those Facebook statuses we read this morning about how bad 2013 sucked, I fully believe that those would decrease. With more Love in our lives, things would be much more easy. Even when dealing with tough losses and bad situations, if our friends, family, and strangers showed us some love, we could get through those tough times. And I believe that is what Jesus is saying here. The most important thing is to Love as He has Loved us. Now, we cannot love in that way, His Love is perfect, but we can stride to love that way.
So all that to say this friends, for your new years resolution, just Love people better. And if we all do this, not only will we see a great new year, but I believe we will see a lot of new life!
-Opher-
But what are our new years resolutions? To eat healthier? Read more books? Become a better person? Those are all great things and I have no doubt that many of you do follow them pretty well. Now I have never been one for resolutions. That is not meant to make me sound above those who make them or anything. In reality, I don't make them because I know I will not follow them. I do not have the discipline to do so. And I also think it's silly to wait until the first of the year to try and make a good change. If you know you need to chagne something in your life, why wait? But put that point aside.
What I want to get at here is this; as we are making all these new resolutions and such, we are failing to see the one change that we do need to make, the one resolution that is not just for the new year but for new life. The one that has been around for over 2,000 years that we often forget about. The one that goes like this, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35. I believe in those two versus Jesus has given us the only new years resolution we need. He has given us the one change we need to make in our lives. He is telling us that we need to simply love people.
If we just stop and think about that. Just imagine how much better the world would be if we just loved one another. If you are reading this and do not believe in or follow Christ, I still believe that this applies to you as well as Christ followers. When we Love people well, their lifes are changed, affected. All those Facebook statuses we read this morning about how bad 2013 sucked, I fully believe that those would decrease. With more Love in our lives, things would be much more easy. Even when dealing with tough losses and bad situations, if our friends, family, and strangers showed us some love, we could get through those tough times. And I believe that is what Jesus is saying here. The most important thing is to Love as He has Loved us. Now, we cannot love in that way, His Love is perfect, but we can stride to love that way.
So all that to say this friends, for your new years resolution, just Love people better. And if we all do this, not only will we see a great new year, but I believe we will see a lot of new life!
-Opher-
Monday, December 9, 2013
A Thought
I have been quiet on this blog for a while now (some of you are perfectly okay with that) but I am breaking that silence tonight. I have been learning something recently that I just cannot help but to share. It all started when I got to have a very good conversation with a friend of mine who encouraged me to listen to a series of pod casts by Andy Stanley titled "Christian"
When you just read that word, Christian, something came to your mind. That word is a heavy word as it carries a million different meanings for each individual person. Some of us wear that word as a badge of honor, some of us cling to it as we put our identity in Christ, others get angered by that word, and so on. Depending on my mood or immediate circumstances my definition of it changes. That word has been used to start wars, to rip apart friendships and relationships, to put ourselves a step above others, and to negatively categorize a body of believers. But why do we as Christ followers call ourselves that?
Stanley, in his pod cast "Christian: Part 1" points out that the word Christian, which is such a heavy word in our language today, was only used in the New Testament of the Bible three times. That Jesus did not call his followers Christians but in reality, after the death of Christ, non believers used the word to describe those who were following Christ. That word was derived by a need for a label. And I believe that we still use that word to label, both positively and negatively.
Opher, what is your point? Well, I have learned through Stanley and more importantly, through scripture and prayer that Jesus wants us to be disciples. DISCIPLES. That word scares a lot of us who say we are Christians. because we know in our hearts that being a disciple is submitting fully to Christ. Giving our lives fully to him and fully living in the way he has asked us to. Being a Christian is so much easier. To be a Christian we need to show up to church, give some money away, say a few prayers, and try not to judge other Christians and non Christians (although we know deep down that we will still be doing this). But to be a disciple takes our following Christ to a whole new level. In fact, what Jesus commands us to do as disciples in him is this:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13: 34-35
His new commandment is that we love one another! It is nothing that we would expect as the new commandment. But yet, Jesus tells us that loving one another is the sign of a true disciple of Christ, one who loves others.
Just imagine what our loves and our world would look like if we followed that commandment. We can know a lot about Jesus and God and completely miss Jesus all together if we are not loving one another. There are a ton of people who know a lot about Jesus but know nothing of being a disciple of Christ, they completely miss out because they lack the Love that God gives us. The reason why the word Christian is so heavy and has a ton of negative connotations associated with it is because as a body of believers we do not do this very well. Can we really argue this? If a gay couple walks into your church are you immediately overcome by love for them or are you angry that they would walk together through those doors? If we know someone who has hurt others through adultery or violence, are we willing to truly love them still? If someone tells us that Christians are contradicting, judgemental, elitists, are we overcome by love for them or are we ready to lash out with our tongues (or fists) to "prove them wrong"?
John, who was one of the first disciples of Christ, saw a lot of crazy crap go down in his life. He saw many, many, many, believers in Christ killed and persecuted for following Christ but yet he still has this to say:
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8
"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Stop and consider those words for a few moments.
Stanley, in his pod cast, goes on to say that sometimes we need to quit Christianity to truly follow Christ. And that following Christ does not always mean following his followers. God calls us to so much more. A life promised to be full of Love, and to accept that life is to Love. He ends his message with this: Most of us came to know Christ because we experienced the Love of God from someone. They Loved us and did not condemn us for our sins. They were and are true disciples of Christ.
I know this is true in my life. I did not come to meet Christ because I was going to church every Sunday. In fact I was scared of the church because of the message I perceived they were telling me. But I met Christ because Grant Reed and then Scott Quay showed me what His love looks life. They took those words that Jesus spoke and then those words that John spoke and applied it to their lives. Because of that I saw Christ's love. They are disciples of Christ, not just simply Christians.
So friends, let us forget that word "Christian" and go live as Jesus has called us to. Let us be disciples who truly love one another!
In Christ,
Opher
Sunday, November 3, 2013
For a Friend
Think life has given you all you can take / the cards dealt to you are no piece of cake / no exit in your sight / simply drowning and losing the fight / the pain seems to be so unreal / but yet at least you still feel / This world seems evil and unjust / That you think leaving it is a must / To end the pain / In your mind is to gain / How easy it would be to just dissolve / Oh but tell me what that solves / Oh friend I beg you not to hide / Allow me to stand by your side / I do not know your misery / But trust that I do have my own history / And in that you may just see / That there is no need to flee / You must know that you are never alone / And to discover life you must allow Love to be shown / The pain will not simply disappear / and it will take more than one tear / But put down the noose / and begin to set your demons loose / Break the chains that hold you tight / and do fight back with all your might / Join up with those who are all around / For your story is not an unfamiliar sound / This world is full of hurt / But together we can slowly wash away the dirt / Oh friend please hear my plea / I just want you to truly see / That even in the darkest hour / there is no need to climb that tower / I know you think that you cannot cope / but truly I say to you there is hope / For life is not meant to be this way / So step down with little delay / Come join your army of allies / and let us show you where hope lies / Oh friend just look to heaven above / and there there you will find Love
Sunday, August 18, 2013
A Summer Reflection
As summer is coming to an end I find myself looking back on the past few months. Going into the summer I had just finished my first year of teaching, had been leading Young Life at Bowsher HS for a few months, and was looking forward to a trip to Colombia. I was very excited to continue to receive pay checks even though I was not actually working. Since I was not working, I figured I would have a ton of time to take trips, fish, and finally finish my first book/novel. Well I learned that the more time I had free, the more time I wasted.
Now, I did do a lot this summer. A week at Young Life Camp with Bowsher, a week in Colombia helping at a Young Life Camp there, I was tutoring three days a week, coaching soccer, and of course hanging out with my high school friends as often as I could. When I was home or had a day or two free, I just simply wanted to be lazy and thus I did not fish or hike, I only added about 15 pages to my book I am attempting to complete. And then I pretty much deleted those 15 pages about a week later...
But as I sit here writing this blog, I am very happy with how my summer turned out. Although all the "Opher-Things" I wanted to do did not happen, I still had an incredible summer. Ministry is extremely important to me. Since falling in Love with Christ in high school I have always felt my heart pulling me towards ministry. When I first started leading Young Life in college I thought ministry was simple. I lead Young Life which means I hang out with kids a couple days a week and go to a weekly meeting. That is my ministry. The rest of my time is my time. Well that out look ended up with me nearly losing my faith a few years ago simply because I viewed it as a job or obligation.
But God, as loving and gracious as he is, kept tugging on my heart. And through conversations with friends, books I read, and circumstances I encountered, he really taught me and showed me what it truly means to live in Christ. He taught me and continues to teach me that ministry is not just an organization we volunteer for, it is not only a day of the week where we sing songs and shake hands, it is not just something we write a check for. No, ministry is our life. Every aspect of our life is our ministry. Now volunteering for Christian organizations is great, and tithing to your church and charities is important. But I have learned that it is not fully what God has designed us for.
See, I had all these great ideas for my summer, by they were for the most part selfish ideas. Thankfully God continued to steer me in the right direction. When I was in Toledo I got to spend a lot of time just hanging out with high school kids. I got to truly live life with them, they got to see that even when we do not have Young Life activities I am still here for them and that I still love Jesus. I hope they got to see that they are not just a time card I stamp but they are my ministry. As I spent countless hours in the sun yelling at the kids on Bowsher's soccer team to run harder or to "get on the line", I trust that because of Christ, the kids see something different in me. And when I am sitting around my bachelor pad I often get an urge to call up some of the kids and hang out. Not because I feel obligated to do so as a YL leader, but because I truly want to be sharing life with them.
I am not sitting here saying that I am some awesome Christian because I spend soooooo much time with kids. Because in reality I could certainly be spending more time. I could be praying a heck of a lot more, I could be spending a lot more time in the Word. I am simply trying to say this: ministry is our life and our life is ministry. I do hope that I can be a Young Life leader for a very long time. I want to be the old guy with a wife and kids but still be leading YL and hanging out with high school friends as much as I do now. And if Young Life were to disappear tomorrow, I trust that through Christ I will still be living this same lifestyle and still hanging out with the kids.
I think that too often we see ministry as an obligation or something that we do while we are single and in college. But why? Let ministry be our entire lives. One day I am going to find a girl that I am going to fall in love with and I am going to marry that girl. And honestly, I have a feeling that I will find that girl only when I am so lost in pursuing God and loving kids that she just kind of blind sides me. But I am not going to quit doing my ministry. It will look different, but I trust that my life will still be focused on loving Christ and loving people. And in the end that is what we must always do. Love Christ and love people.
Now, I did do a lot this summer. A week at Young Life Camp with Bowsher, a week in Colombia helping at a Young Life Camp there, I was tutoring three days a week, coaching soccer, and of course hanging out with my high school friends as often as I could. When I was home or had a day or two free, I just simply wanted to be lazy and thus I did not fish or hike, I only added about 15 pages to my book I am attempting to complete. And then I pretty much deleted those 15 pages about a week later...
But as I sit here writing this blog, I am very happy with how my summer turned out. Although all the "Opher-Things" I wanted to do did not happen, I still had an incredible summer. Ministry is extremely important to me. Since falling in Love with Christ in high school I have always felt my heart pulling me towards ministry. When I first started leading Young Life in college I thought ministry was simple. I lead Young Life which means I hang out with kids a couple days a week and go to a weekly meeting. That is my ministry. The rest of my time is my time. Well that out look ended up with me nearly losing my faith a few years ago simply because I viewed it as a job or obligation.
But God, as loving and gracious as he is, kept tugging on my heart. And through conversations with friends, books I read, and circumstances I encountered, he really taught me and showed me what it truly means to live in Christ. He taught me and continues to teach me that ministry is not just an organization we volunteer for, it is not only a day of the week where we sing songs and shake hands, it is not just something we write a check for. No, ministry is our life. Every aspect of our life is our ministry. Now volunteering for Christian organizations is great, and tithing to your church and charities is important. But I have learned that it is not fully what God has designed us for.
See, I had all these great ideas for my summer, by they were for the most part selfish ideas. Thankfully God continued to steer me in the right direction. When I was in Toledo I got to spend a lot of time just hanging out with high school kids. I got to truly live life with them, they got to see that even when we do not have Young Life activities I am still here for them and that I still love Jesus. I hope they got to see that they are not just a time card I stamp but they are my ministry. As I spent countless hours in the sun yelling at the kids on Bowsher's soccer team to run harder or to "get on the line", I trust that because of Christ, the kids see something different in me. And when I am sitting around my bachelor pad I often get an urge to call up some of the kids and hang out. Not because I feel obligated to do so as a YL leader, but because I truly want to be sharing life with them.
I am not sitting here saying that I am some awesome Christian because I spend soooooo much time with kids. Because in reality I could certainly be spending more time. I could be praying a heck of a lot more, I could be spending a lot more time in the Word. I am simply trying to say this: ministry is our life and our life is ministry. I do hope that I can be a Young Life leader for a very long time. I want to be the old guy with a wife and kids but still be leading YL and hanging out with high school friends as much as I do now. And if Young Life were to disappear tomorrow, I trust that through Christ I will still be living this same lifestyle and still hanging out with the kids.
I think that too often we see ministry as an obligation or something that we do while we are single and in college. But why? Let ministry be our entire lives. One day I am going to find a girl that I am going to fall in love with and I am going to marry that girl. And honestly, I have a feeling that I will find that girl only when I am so lost in pursuing God and loving kids that she just kind of blind sides me. But I am not going to quit doing my ministry. It will look different, but I trust that my life will still be focused on loving Christ and loving people. And in the end that is what we must always do. Love Christ and love people.
Monday, July 22, 2013
My trip to Colombia
For those of you who are Facebook friends with me, you have probably seen a lot of posts and pictures about my trip to Colombia with Young Life Expeditions. I went a little Facebook crazy when I got back. Although probably annoying for some of you, it is because I was so excited to share about my trip. And still, two weeks later, people are still asking me about my trip. That is awesome, because it means that I truly did have the support and care of my friends while down there.
I wanted to write a post about the trip just anyone who wants can read about it. So, I will try and keep it simple and on point. But here it goes.
GOD is incredible. The fact I even went on the the trip and the fact that I raised way more money than I needed for the trip is all thanks to God. I was very nervous going down there but my nerves very quickly went away. I flew from Detroit to Atlanta where I got on my flight for Bogota, Colombia. On that flight were three of my teammates; Eric, and the Sweetings, Kristin and James. Once I saw and met them, my nerves were gone and I got really excited. Once we landed in Colombia the Young Life staff and leaders there treated us so well. They picked us up at the airport and took us to the apartment that a family let us use for our time down there. When we got there we met the rest of our team; Thomas, Haylie, Morgan, and Russell. We also met several YL leaders there as well. They were all so excited that Gringos came to help them with their YL camp.
The first two days we were there we got to tour the city of Bogota. And I am pretty sure we saw every bit of the city. It felt like we walked like 20 miles each day. But Juan Pablo, Ivan, and Joaco and the other Colombian leaders were so excited to share with us their culture and city. And I did love the city. It kind of felt like Chicago or NYC. There were people every where. I was a little bit over whelmed but the beauty of it all helped keep me relaxed. One of the evenings we got to attend a meeting that all of their YL leaders were at. We prayed together for camp and for kids. That was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We did about five different prayers, and for each we would pair up with a new partner and pray together for the topic. Well, I do not know Spanish and many of the leaders do not know English. But through Christ, I understood their prayers, I understood their hearts for the kids. It is hard to explain but it was evident that Christ would not let a language barrier get in the way of his love!
While in Bogota, we experienced some pretty great things, but ask me about that another time. For the sake of not writing a book I want to skip ahead to when we got to the camp. Now for those of us who have been to a Young Life Camp in America, we immediately think of a multi-million dollar resort. Well in Colombia, they do not have that luxury. They rented out a small camp/vacation spot. It was nestled on the side of a mountain with a river below. It was beautiful, but from a Young Life program perspective, it was not ideal. There were no flat areas for games or soccer. Juan Pablo, the speaker for the camp, was at first very frustrated and concerned. But once the kids arrived we quickly realized that it was all good. God would not allow for something as silly as not flat space or bugs in a swimming pool to get in the way of teenagers hearing about his Son.
Pamela, one of the Colombian YL leaders who helped run the camp, shared with us Gringos the importance of us interacting with the campers. She said that many of the campers have never seen Americans before, but if they saw that we came all this way to serve and love them, it would have a huge impact. I was nervous about that, I wanted to be behind the scenes, but God did not want that. So when the kids arrived I was immediately put in front of the campers as one of the "Gringo Security guards". And during that first dinner I just went and sat at a table that had an open seat. Thankfully one of the campers, Nick, knew English. My experience at that dinner table helped calm the nerves. These campers were just like my Young Life kids back at Bowsher H.S in Toledo. They are kids searching for love and truth.
As the camp went on, we did a lot of fun activities. I got to white water raft, and we went on a cool creek hike. The kids did a lot of organized games and activities as well. But I kept seeing a common theme. Community. Unlike Young Life camps in America, it seemed like these kids wanted to always be together. They did not want free time to run off. They enjoyed each other. They danced and sang. They were always together. That blew my mind. That is a cultural difference from what I have experienced. But it was awesome to see.
During those four days at camp I got to know many of the campers, leaders, and staff pretty well. Most of the time there was a language barrier. I was always looking for someone who knew English to translate. But over and over again God was telling me "I will not language be a barrier to these relationships I want you to have." The kids shared all kinds of fun stories with me. They were very curious about America. Many of them have family here but have never came themselves. They shared about their worries for the future. They shared about their hobbies and favorite American music. And by the end, they shared with me how they were very appreciative that I was there. Two of the kids, who I hung out with the most but knew 0 English, even told me at the end "Gringo, friend." Which meant a lot to me.
Juan Pablo did an incredible job sharing the Gospel with the campers. Although his club talks were in Spanish, some how I knew what he was saying. In my heart, I knew exactly what he was communicating. After his talks he would ask me what I understood, and most of the time I was spot on. This is all Christ. It reminded me of how when Christ spoke to massive crowds with people of all nations and languages, they always understood what he had to say.
Finally, the last story I want to share is perhaps the most important and meaningful interaction I had there. To help run the program side of the camp (the funny skits) they invited two Young Life Staff/leaders from Venezuela, Kelvin and Pedro. These guys were about my age and were hilarious! But one morning I was wearing my Young Life Capernaum shirt. Capernaum is YL's ministry for kids with severe disabilities. It is very unique and one of the few ministries geared towards that population. Well Kelvin saw the shirt and got very excited. We quickly yelled for Karla, our translator for that conversation, to come over. Kelvin then shared with me that his brother has severe physical and mental disabilities. And that it is his dream and that he prays every day that YL Capernaum could be started in Venezuela so that his brother could experience the love of Christ. Anyone who has read my blog in the past knows that I feel the same way about the Ministry. I too want nothing more than to see Capernaum in every community. Our mutual love for those with disabilities bonded Kelvin and I together. Our friendship is deep and rooted in Christ because of that conversation. I even gave him my shirt in hopes that him wearing it in his home nation will get the conversation started.
So, I blabbed on a bit here. But simply put, my trip was incredible. I learned that teens are teens not matter their culture or country. That Young Life works so well around the world because Christ is center of our ministry. And finally I learned that Christ will not allow cultural or language barriers to get in the way of his love or relationships being formed in His name.
Thank you for reading!
-Opher, AKA the Loco Gringo.
Pamela, one of the Colombian YL leaders who helped run the camp, shared with us Gringos the importance of us interacting with the campers. She said that many of the campers have never seen Americans before, but if they saw that we came all this way to serve and love them, it would have a huge impact. I was nervous about that, I wanted to be behind the scenes, but God did not want that. So when the kids arrived I was immediately put in front of the campers as one of the "Gringo Security guards". And during that first dinner I just went and sat at a table that had an open seat. Thankfully one of the campers, Nick, knew English. My experience at that dinner table helped calm the nerves. These campers were just like my Young Life kids back at Bowsher H.S in Toledo. They are kids searching for love and truth.
As the camp went on, we did a lot of fun activities. I got to white water raft, and we went on a cool creek hike. The kids did a lot of organized games and activities as well. But I kept seeing a common theme. Community. Unlike Young Life camps in America, it seemed like these kids wanted to always be together. They did not want free time to run off. They enjoyed each other. They danced and sang. They were always together. That blew my mind. That is a cultural difference from what I have experienced. But it was awesome to see.
During those four days at camp I got to know many of the campers, leaders, and staff pretty well. Most of the time there was a language barrier. I was always looking for someone who knew English to translate. But over and over again God was telling me "I will not language be a barrier to these relationships I want you to have." The kids shared all kinds of fun stories with me. They were very curious about America. Many of them have family here but have never came themselves. They shared about their worries for the future. They shared about their hobbies and favorite American music. And by the end, they shared with me how they were very appreciative that I was there. Two of the kids, who I hung out with the most but knew 0 English, even told me at the end "Gringo, friend." Which meant a lot to me.
Juan Pablo did an incredible job sharing the Gospel with the campers. Although his club talks were in Spanish, some how I knew what he was saying. In my heart, I knew exactly what he was communicating. After his talks he would ask me what I understood, and most of the time I was spot on. This is all Christ. It reminded me of how when Christ spoke to massive crowds with people of all nations and languages, they always understood what he had to say.
Finally, the last story I want to share is perhaps the most important and meaningful interaction I had there. To help run the program side of the camp (the funny skits) they invited two Young Life Staff/leaders from Venezuela, Kelvin and Pedro. These guys were about my age and were hilarious! But one morning I was wearing my Young Life Capernaum shirt. Capernaum is YL's ministry for kids with severe disabilities. It is very unique and one of the few ministries geared towards that population. Well Kelvin saw the shirt and got very excited. We quickly yelled for Karla, our translator for that conversation, to come over. Kelvin then shared with me that his brother has severe physical and mental disabilities. And that it is his dream and that he prays every day that YL Capernaum could be started in Venezuela so that his brother could experience the love of Christ. Anyone who has read my blog in the past knows that I feel the same way about the Ministry. I too want nothing more than to see Capernaum in every community. Our mutual love for those with disabilities bonded Kelvin and I together. Our friendship is deep and rooted in Christ because of that conversation. I even gave him my shirt in hopes that him wearing it in his home nation will get the conversation started.
So, I blabbed on a bit here. But simply put, my trip was incredible. I learned that teens are teens not matter their culture or country. That Young Life works so well around the world because Christ is center of our ministry. And finally I learned that Christ will not allow cultural or language barriers to get in the way of his love or relationships being formed in His name.
Thank you for reading!
-Opher, AKA the Loco Gringo.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)