Off Again...

Boy, it seems like I was just getting settled at home again and now me and my whole family, are off to camp!  Life is crazy busy sometimes, and I feel a little overwhelmed at times, but God is in control and makes ALL of this possible.  If it were up to me, it would all flop, I'm sure - I haven't even begun to wrap my mind around doing a staff meeting tomorrow night for the staff that are coming.  This year for some reason (maybe a couple reasons, see previous posts) I am taking more time to gear up.  Don't get me wrong, Crow is one of the most favorite things in my life that God let's me do!  I love Crow and this definitely is a highlight in my year, every year since I can remember - if I counted correctly, this is my 22nd year involved with Crow, first as a camper for many years, then as various different staff positions and associate board member.  Crow IS a BIG part of my life and I credit it, through God, for much of the man I am today.  Crow has influenced my life SO greatly and I love it SO much.  God does amazing things through this ministry and I am humbled just to be a part of it.  God uses even a lowly sinner nobody like me to do His kingdom work there.  It is truly INCREDIBLE!  God even brought me and my wife together at Crow - that is one of the greatest gifts He could have ever given me, and He used Crow to make it happen!!!  Thank you Jesus!

Anyway, I am supposed to be sleeping but have way too much on my mind right now, so I am blogging :)  Mostly, I am just writing to ask for your prayers.  If you remember, can you please pray for me and my family over the next couple of weeks.  Although it is usually a VERY good time out there, there is a spiritual battle going on and we are doing God's work there, which the devil HATES, so he does try to bring it down however he can - through Cher and I fighting, staff conflicts, camper problems and behavior, lack of staff or supplies, vandalism, sickness, whatever he can think of.  Your prayers go a LONG way to helping provide an umbrella of God's protection over the camp and work being done there!  You are awesome!!  Thanks in advance!  God is ALWAYS good and faithful to us and camp and I KNOW He will be again this summer.  I know that prayer works and felt it so REAL in Uganda, so this is no different except for the setting.  Ephesians 6:18-20 says, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."  This is my request of you.  Thank you!  Be well and be blessed!

Teach

I'm Back!

Actually, I've been back for a few days, but I seem to have hit the ground running.  I thought I would have some time to recoup and gather my thoughts, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Anyway, I thought I better do an update for my 1 or 2 readers that I have :)  I don't think I could ever write about everything I saw, experienced and felt during my time in Uganda.  Instead, I will just tell you that never before in my life have I seen God move so QUICKLY, so FORCEFULLY, so AMAZINGLY, so INCREDIBLY, and so VISIBLY in my life.  God was AWESOME and VERY present on my trip!!!  Mountains were moved, enemies were crushed and chased away, hearts were changed and MIRACLES happened!!  YAY GOD!!!

One of the biggest and most amazing miracles for me was God leading me to our new daughter!! 

 That's right, I said new daughter.  God had Kaysia Elizabeth James (called Elizabeth by the orphanage) picked out just for our family and made sure EVERYTHING would fall into place and NOTHING would stop me from beginning the process of adopting her into our family and setting the path to bringing her home in His time (hopefully soon, if it is God's plan).  People ask how I "picked" her, but I must quickly correct them because I did not pick her, God chose her for our family and led us to each other.  He gave me some very clear signs that she was my daughter - like her calling me daddy when putting her to bed one of the first nights and her running and finding me after me asking God for my child to come to me (no other kids came to me that day!!).  

God is SO good and I praise Him for all He did on this trip!  I am so humbled that He chose to use me to serve the people of Uganda.  I am forever changed by what I saw there.  I am SO blessed by the people I got to serve and serve with.  What a Uganda Go team!  What an AMAZING group of guys from African Hearts ministry that we got to work with! AND what a BIG God that came through time and time again for us while we were there!!!  Thank you Jesus!  And thanks to all of you who prayed for me while I was gone!  Your prayers were felt constantly and were very real to me!!  Maybe when you have time, I can tell you some more stories.  

Teach