worse than silence...

I love Gomer Pyle. I remember waking up on the weekends and watching this show with my sister. I love how not everything is black and white like the Sargent thinks. I think sometimes we go about things in the wrong way. Preparation is good, but ultimately, decisions have to be made for individuals on their own. Here is the cool thing though, as believers, we are here to hold one another accountable and help see truth where Satan loves to keep it hidden. Gomer gets the point in knowing when to stop role-playing long enough to help Duke, his fellow marine, up. Even if in training Duke had his thumb injured, he probably learned to not stand off-balance, but instead to stand firm.

Though they are instructed to not pause, it is important to know when we need to stop what we are doing to try and help someone out. It's the idea of caring for someone else more than what you think they will think of you. It's caring for someone enough to tell them the truth in the way they need to hear it. There is something special about community, it is not just about living life all happy and contrite, but it is about living life together. And the reality of that is sometimes you do get to celebrate joy with one another, but other times you get to speak truth and appear as the 'bad guy' or outsider. Then there are times yet where you have truth spoken to you.

I think of the scene in Remember the Titans where Gary has a choice to make between letting Ray stay on the team even though he didn't block for Rev or telling him he's off the team. I can imagine that was perhaps one of the most difficult things Gary ever had to do. But sometimes we have to tell our friends the hard things...even if it means losing them for a bit in some capacity. I don't think anyone really likes being Gary in that situation...but how much worse would it have been for him to remain silent?

PRAYER REQUEST FOR MIKE BEDIENT

So if you know anything about my time with the Navigators at Arizona State, you can bet our campus director Mike Bedient played a large part in why I have grown in Christ these past four years. As he has stepped in numerous times on my behalf, I now come to you on his behalf. Mike is currently leading a team of staff and students in Russia where he and his family used to minister for years.

Mike just had a heart attack while over there and is currently in a hospital in Pushkin. PLEASE PRAY FOR MIKE'S HEALTH! These past two days I have seen tons of spiritual warfare so please pray for Navigator ministries at ASU and other campuses as Satan would love to have a foothold. Clothe Long Beach and Arizona State with prayers speaking of the power of the blood of Christ. Pray for Mike's family as they are in Arizona and are eager to find out news of their father's health.

I'll keep updated as soon as I know anything.

UPDATE FROM A FRIEND'S E-MAIL THAT I FEEL WRAPS IT UP 1am 27 June

Thank you for standing in the gap in prayer. Here is a prayer update I received on our campus director, Mike. He is in stable condition, and they have to transfer him to a hospital in Berlin for a procedure. Things are still critical and unknown, so please keep praying:

• Please pray that Mike will stay strong during the flight transfer - they had to find some specialized equipment in order to transport him - and there was concern regarding whether or not Mike was strong enough for the flight
• Please continue to pray for wisdom for the doctors and decision-makers - they still need to run some important tests in order to better assess the situation
• Mike's family is understandably very shaken by this - pray for peace and comfort for Sheri and the kids
• This has all been very taxing (emotionally and physically) on the remaining mission team in Russia - please pray for strength and wisdom to continue the work as God leads
• Pray that God would be glorified through this! Especially in Russia, as many Russians have been deeply affected by this

"O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption" Psalm 130:7

UPDATE 11:24pm Sat. night

In case you haven't heard, Mike will have bypass surgery sometime during the next 12 hours. He is now at a heart specialty hospital in Berlin. Sheri is staying with a sister of a German Navigator. Praise God for His family! Keep Praying!!

We got an update from Sheri. It turns out that Mike had a DOUBLE bypass instead of quadruple. He is still in an induced coma, although it is gradually being reduced. Sheri says he may as well sleep because of all the stuff he is is hooked up to! The doctors say he is progressing as they would expect and hope. They are talking of 7-10 days in intensive care. They still have a long road ahead of them.

Good Advice...

A dear friend of mine left me some very special advice..."If you get exhausted, or depressed, or overwhelmed or something, check out Isaiah 40:28-29. Or really all of Isaiah 40, and just remember how great and comforting our God is." Reading over this passage has been very encouraging to me during the stressful, tedious, and somewhat scary times in funding school.

I only have a day and a half left in Colorado, but it has been an amazing time. It's so amazing to me to see how God brought together 30 individuals and in just under 10 days made us feel truly like family members.

I just wish I could be in Tempe today to wish a very Happy Birthday to one of my best friends in person! So, happy birthday Brad!

Blessed

How many people get the privilege to say their job training takes place at a castle?

These past four days have been really encouraging as I prepare to venture into the next season of life God has called me into. I've made a bunch of new friends who have a passion to see Christ's irreversible truths spread onto college campuses and into our own styles of ministry. I still can't believe sometimes that I am a college graduate. Please continue to pray for my friends serving in Russia and if you feel so led, pray for those of us in training as well as we prepare to minister on college campuses in New York, Iowa, California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, and even Australia.

For Amers...Caption Contest

So this is the chosen shot of the day...
I thought I'd be fun to have one of those caption contests here! So write a caption for this photo and post it and I'll pick a winner! The winner will get a very special prize!!!

For the joy of Russia!!!

So I'm coming to you asking for prayers for my brothers and sisters who currently are somewhere over the ocean on their way to spend the next few weeks in Pushkin, Russia. This team will be teaching English and sharing the gospel with as many as 45 students coming to the English camp.

Here is why this is close to my heart...

1) Because people are close on God's heart, so they should also be close on ours. Some of these students have been around for the summer teams for years on end and a few of them even came out to Arizona last year. God is working here! Pray these students want to take more steps towards Christ! How cool would it be in heaven to be able to meet someone you could be praying for now?!?

2) The people on this team are primarily staff and students involved with the Navigators in both Arizona and California. What a cool opportunity for God to stretch and grow each of the team and encourage them to trust Him above all.

Along with that, the woman who has discipled me this past year is on this team as well... Sarah Short has been nothing less than a prayer warrior, mentor, encourager, challenger and amazing friend to me in my senior year at ASU. I just served one week with her at a Christian music festival called spirit west coast (you can read more about it on her blog here), and now she is off to spend two weeks serving in Russia. Though commiting her summer to God, she has lost much financial support this past year due to the economy and her funding increased. Here is a copy of prayer requests she wrote in an e-mail both for her and for the trip...

--For travel safety for our team & for unity amongst our team. Pray that the Russians would see Christ through how we love and relate to one another (John 17)

--Pray for us as we teach English—pray that the classroom discussions would draw the Russians out and lead them to ask deeper questions about life.

--Pray for the evening personal belief discussion—pray that the students would take an interest in attending these optional sessions and for them to seek truth.

--Pray for the gospel to advance in Russia; we want to be instruments for God’s use, so pray that we would know and follow His leading.

--Pray for spiritual protection during this time.

--For me personally, would you pray for my energy to press on? The last 3 weeks have been intense, and I don’t want fatigue to be a hindrance. Pray that I can engage deeply with people and know God’s strength.

Would you join me in praying for this Russia team? Also, please pray for my friend that God would be faithful in providing her fundraising so she may return to ASU in the fall on time and serve other women just as she served me this past year. Your few minutes spent praying for God's joy to be spread in Russia are not in vain! God won't give us the nations unless we remember to ask! Thank you for YOUR hearts following after God's! Press on dear friends!

"I have stilled and quieted my soul..."

REST IS...

...a challenge for me.

It is something I've always been bad at doing and yet I see such a grand benefit in it. Sometimes I feel guilty resting knowing how much needs to be done, and yet by taking the time to rest I can accomplish what needs to be done both more efficiently and cheerfully. Both of which are important. So today I took some time aside for me and God...I feel able to function again. Rest has always been challenging for me, but as a good friend reminded me maybe I should be thanking God for this time instead of wishing for it to fly by. Only 11 more days in Texas until I leave for training and then come back full force to raise funds for the next year. Please pray in this economical time God will already be stirring hearts who have a desire to back God's work that I'll be blessed to have a part in next year through the Navigators. Maybe start praying how you can be trusting God with your finances through giving in general, even if not to the Navs, as many people are shying away in a time they could trust God the most. My prayer for each of you is you can run away with God and rest sometime soon...He's waiting.

Nav Year in Rewind!

This is the video I put together to celebrate the 08-09 school year for the amazing ASU Navigators...enjoy. (It is in two parts)

my apologies...

I'm sorry to hear the photos didn't show up on the last Texas post, so sorry if I left any of you hanging, but I made it back alive!

It's been a long few weeks with finals, then graduation, then Spirit West Coast and now back in Texas...here are two of my favorite pics from SWC to hopefully make up for all that were missing from the last post!