Mexico

I like to think that people read this blog. So this post is to keep all my followers happy while I finalise some piece I've written. Basically, I'm flying to Mexico in 27 days!

This spring, I have a really cool opportunity to fly to Mexico on a mission trip to help at an orphanage in Camichines, a small village outside of Guadalajara. Blythefield (my church in Grand Rapids) has had connections with the people there for years and has sent many people down there. I’ll be flying out of Grand Rapids on March 8 with a team from Blythefield and staying in Mexico after the group leaves. I’ll fly home in May.

While I’m down there, I will be doing whatever I can to assist with the self-sustaining orphanage: feeding and caring for animals, egg production, hauling water, assisiting in teaching Bible class, and caring for the general needs of the children. The team will be working on construction projects around the orphanage. In addition, I will help Chuy, the guy in charge, however I can.

I can’t step into an endeavor like this lightly. I need to have people who are praying for me as I prepare, travel, and debrief my trip. I ask that you pray for my heart as I prepare, for safety traveling, for wisdom in caring for the people there, and for safety for the children. I want Jesus Christ to be glorified through everything I do.

Three Word Prayer

Well, I'm 17 and sadly looking at the end of my homeschooled years. I have really enjoyed blazing an non-traditional path through my education. When you finish high school in three years, though, you suddenly realise you're supposed to figure out what you are going to do after the script ends. As I look back, I've been thinking about all the things I didn't do during my homeschooling days.

• I never went to Disney as a child. But I sailed in Canada freshman year.
• I didn't go on a 6th grade trip to DC. But I've been on two mission trips to Chicago and one to NYC. 
• I never once ate a school lunch. But I have eaten a two-pound burger. If you're ever driving through Celina, TN, stop at Ollie's Place and look for my picture on the wall. 
• I haven't become famous. But I helped write a declaration of manhood back in middle school. One of my proudest moments.
• I didn't have friends at school. But I was in an amazing readers'/writers' group.
• I haven't yet done a TED Talk. But I've been a part of some really great homeschool drama productions. The only thing better than homeschool people is homeschool drama people.
• I haven't yet dated anybody. But I have had the coolest friends and the best adventures. 
• I have never won money in a contest. But I've had great mentors, which have been much more valuable.
• I haven't been to a Broadway show yet. But I have been involved in numerous dramas, both backstage and onstage.
• I never took high school physics. But I've volunteered hours upon hours at church.
• I haven't bought a sports car. But I have made more than a few trips from TC to GR.
• I didn't write a New York Times bestseller at the age of 13. But I did try my hand at novel writing and learned from the experience.
• I haven't made my own YouTube channel. But I've written haiku.
• I haven't read all 100 best books of all time. But I'm still working on it. I need another bookshelf...

I haven't accomplished big things, like hiking through Europe or writing an amazing book or starting an organisation to raise money to fight AIDS. But I've been on a great journey. I've had the privilege of growing up in a great home and attending great churches. I've had opportunities to explore who I am, and I'm cool with what I've found. I have had some cool chances to speak into lives. I am in a really cool position to launch into the rest of my life. When I think of all the things I could have done but haven't, I remind myself everything has been preparing me for something great. Something that's much bigger than myself. I'm ready to change the world, but I also know I have to prepare first.

As I've thought about it, 2014 has become to me the year of preparation. Educationally, with opportunities, and most importantly, in my heart. I don't believe that I have to be perfectly educated before I can serve, and I won't let that excuse hold me back. I don't know everything 2014 holds for me or who I will be in another year. But I do know that God is going to use me somehow, and He'll use anything He can to train me.

For starters, I have an opportunity to travel to Mexico for a few months this spring. I'm still working out all the details, but I'm hoping to fly out in mid-March and help however I can at an orphanage. More details to follow. But I'm stoked for a chance to travel and learn from others.

After that, I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing to do next. There are so many options, which makes the choice harder. One of my biggest dreams is to help my generation step up to lead the future of the Church. I love thinking and writing, and I want to use those gifts to this end. I feel called into "fill-time Christian ministry", but knowing me, I want to go Non-Traditional. Instantly, the idea of opening a "writing pub" stands out to me. A cross between a local coffee house and a tea parlour where people can come to write in quiet or gather a writing group. A little Herman's Boy and a bit of the Bird and the Baby. A healthy serving of used books. A dash of friendly baristas. And there you have it: a non-"churchy" way for Believers to love others and build relationships.

We shall see how this all turns out. But in the meantime, I'm working on having my heart in a place where God can work on it. I'm using this time I have left to ask God to use me. I know it won't always be fun, but I'm here for the ride. My prayer is: God, use me.

Post about Prayer

ACTS is such a simple, almost cliche prayer outline, but it is actually an amazingly well-suited structure. It is a simple enough frame to hang flesh on. If you are unfamiliar with it, ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

When I come to God, I must firstly realise who He Is. He Is I AM. Be still and know that He is God. Bask in that realisation of Who He Is. I must Adore Him. Our Father who art in Heaven... I start by realising who He Is.

Next, I realise who I am. I confess that I am a sinner. Yes, I am a victim of others sinning against me, but first and last I am an agent: I am responsible for what I have done in the past, and I am responsible for what I will do in the future, therefore I am responsible for the choices I make in the present. I confess that I am a sinner, but in the process of realsing who I am, I also realise that I have been, am being, and will be redeemed. I have been Justified. I am being Sanctified, and I will be Glorified. I am a Son of God, a Servant of God, and a Soldier of God. And because of this, I can be grateful.

See, an attitude of gratitude (cheesy cliche, I know...) brings me to the third letter in the outline: T. I am not just thankful for things that have happened to me that I enjoy. I am grateful for Who God Is, who I am because of His intervention, and all He is doing in and through me, whether it is pleasurable or painful. As Paul explains in Philippians, joy comes from the humility of gratitude: once I realise Who God Is and who I am, I have a humbled perspective of gratitude towards Him.

Only after all this can I come to God with petitions. If I come asking things first, I will come in an arrogant, self-centered way. In gratitude, prayer will be tuning my heart to God's instead of demanding candy from a vending machine.