This week has been one of challenges, but I have been encouraged from the Lord.
Today as I was walking to campus and thinking about what was going to happen, I simply asked God for His eyes. I recently read in a book about an Indian native missionary who began to see people the way God did and it made him weep for those people. I have to admit that I almost never look at Slovaks, or anyone who doesn't follow Christ, in this way. I also asked God to lead me to the right people He had prepared for this day...and He did.
Time after time I met Slovak guys who seemed genuinely interested in English club (which is our next big outreach event for the next two weeks). Men who could speak enough English to be interested...and also intrigued by meeting an American. So I'll continue to pray for God's faithfulness in their lives, and in mine.
Wednesday, February 27
Monday, February 11
He's the God of Košice and Presov
Wow, what a day! Where do I start?
Today was our first day preparing for the upcoming semester. We had some good time off to relax and rest up from all the craziness over the break. We all spent some time with the Lord this afternoon asking Him for vision.
Honestly, I wasn't really feeling it, but since it's my job (which, by the way, I LOVE my job) I decided to go for it. So I took off....
...and found myself out in the middle of the woods sitting on a pile of logs on the side of a dirt road. For a long time I was wondering what the Lord wanted to tell me because I wasn't hearing much from Him. Although, I was pretty convicted about sharing my faith more boldly on campus this semester. So many times I go on campus reluctant and powerless...not filled with the Spirit. I can think back to many times this year when God has shown Himself faithful and then I turn around and forget His goodness.
Na pri klad (for example): this weekend me and Aaron went hiking with a student named Lukas. It was an amazing trip filled with conversation about what it really means to have salvation, what repentace is, and I even got to explain a few things in Slovak, which is a pure miracle if you know me. By the way, PLEASE pray for Lukas. I think he is really close to accepting Christ!
Back to today, I was just sitting there doubting what He could do this semester and how He is ever going to show up in these students' lives. So when we meet back we talked about what we heard from the Lord and I was feeling pretty much at a loss for words....just trying to engage the team in conversation and find something constructive to work with (which often times happens to me). Then Kelly shared a song with us. It's called "God of this city" by Chris Tomlin. Can I just say it explains EXACTLY where we are at. Some of us have been looking to the past and wondering if God is still working here.
The song says:
You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God...
There is no one like our God...
For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city
YES! This is what we are believing God for. He CAN be the God of not just this city, but this nation of Slovakia. He can be hope to the hopeless and peace to the restless. We want the lives of students to be radically changed by the person of Jesus Christ.
Oh, wait. There's more and it gets better. Later we all went to eat at Pizza Hut. Then Dara suggested that we all get some ice cream, so we went to Aida...the big ice cream place here. While we are standing around two gypsy kids walk up to me asking for change and so I offer to buy them ice cream after Biba tells me, "Don't just stand there, give them something." I buy them ice cream and then realize I can give them a knowing God personally booklet. So I ask my team if someone has one and Carlyn pulls one out of her backpack. I hand it to them and they look it over one good time. Then Mirka steps in and starts talking to them about this booklet, which is in Slovak and describes how someone can begin a relationship with Christ. Mirka makes it all the way through the booklet with the boys and then she steps aside with one of them...
..."wait, is she doing what I think she is doing?" I'm thinking. I look over at Biba and she nods her head and says, "He just prayed the prayer." Then I proceed to yell, "WHAT?!" in the middle of Aida.
Mirka comes over and tells us, "We have a new brother in Christ." The sad part about all this is that we have no way of following up with him so all we can do is pray that what he just did will truly make sense to him and that God will bring about change in his life. But SERIOUSLY! How crazy is that?! Just like God to do that.
While we are walking back home we realize that we all played a role in sharing the gospel with that one boy, Eric. At this very moment I am still shocked at how God used us AS A TEAM to bring about His glory. That is something we want to work toward more this semester, really working as one unit to take this movement forward. Would you PRAY that we would seek that out?
praying for this city,
Matt
Today was our first day preparing for the upcoming semester. We had some good time off to relax and rest up from all the craziness over the break. We all spent some time with the Lord this afternoon asking Him for vision.
Honestly, I wasn't really feeling it, but since it's my job (which, by the way, I LOVE my job) I decided to go for it. So I took off....
...and found myself out in the middle of the woods sitting on a pile of logs on the side of a dirt road. For a long time I was wondering what the Lord wanted to tell me because I wasn't hearing much from Him. Although, I was pretty convicted about sharing my faith more boldly on campus this semester. So many times I go on campus reluctant and powerless...not filled with the Spirit. I can think back to many times this year when God has shown Himself faithful and then I turn around and forget His goodness.
Na pri klad (for example): this weekend me and Aaron went hiking with a student named Lukas. It was an amazing trip filled with conversation about what it really means to have salvation, what repentace is, and I even got to explain a few things in Slovak, which is a pure miracle if you know me. By the way, PLEASE pray for Lukas. I think he is really close to accepting Christ!
Back to today, I was just sitting there doubting what He could do this semester and how He is ever going to show up in these students' lives. So when we meet back we talked about what we heard from the Lord and I was feeling pretty much at a loss for words....just trying to engage the team in conversation and find something constructive to work with (which often times happens to me). Then Kelly shared a song with us. It's called "God of this city" by Chris Tomlin. Can I just say it explains EXACTLY where we are at. Some of us have been looking to the past and wondering if God is still working here.
The song says:
You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God...
There is no one like our God...
For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city
YES! This is what we are believing God for. He CAN be the God of not just this city, but this nation of Slovakia. He can be hope to the hopeless and peace to the restless. We want the lives of students to be radically changed by the person of Jesus Christ.
Oh, wait. There's more and it gets better. Later we all went to eat at Pizza Hut. Then Dara suggested that we all get some ice cream, so we went to Aida...the big ice cream place here. While we are standing around two gypsy kids walk up to me asking for change and so I offer to buy them ice cream after Biba tells me, "Don't just stand there, give them something." I buy them ice cream and then realize I can give them a knowing God personally booklet. So I ask my team if someone has one and Carlyn pulls one out of her backpack. I hand it to them and they look it over one good time. Then Mirka steps in and starts talking to them about this booklet, which is in Slovak and describes how someone can begin a relationship with Christ. Mirka makes it all the way through the booklet with the boys and then she steps aside with one of them...
..."wait, is she doing what I think she is doing?" I'm thinking. I look over at Biba and she nods her head and says, "He just prayed the prayer." Then I proceed to yell, "WHAT?!" in the middle of Aida.
Mirka comes over and tells us, "We have a new brother in Christ." The sad part about all this is that we have no way of following up with him so all we can do is pray that what he just did will truly make sense to him and that God will bring about change in his life. But SERIOUSLY! How crazy is that?! Just like God to do that.
While we are walking back home we realize that we all played a role in sharing the gospel with that one boy, Eric. At this very moment I am still shocked at how God used us AS A TEAM to bring about His glory. That is something we want to work toward more this semester, really working as one unit to take this movement forward. Would you PRAY that we would seek that out?
praying for this city,
Matt
Sunday, February 3
Today is a beautiful day. The first one in a few months. It's not too cold, sunny, no wind. Just perfect. In fact, it must be a day to throw the frisbee. I'm really hoping somebody will come along with me or I will be forced to throw the frisbee with myself.
Things feel kinda weird for me. We are about to gear up for another semester on campus but honestly I'm not ready for it...and not very excited. I have a lot of doubts in my mind that keep overtaking me. I would like to tell you that I always believe God to do big things or even just to comfort me in my fear, but many times this year I have had to force myself to step out in faith. I have had to fully rely on the Lord for guidance since I really don't have much to offer to this team or to these Slovaks.
But despite my despair 99% of the time, God does give me glimpses of His goodness and promise. At the end of Luke, which I just finished reading, two men are on their way to Emmaus after Jesus is killed. When Jesus comes along side them they are two busy talking among themselves to see that their Savior is walking with them. Later, after Jesus reveals Himself to them, they say, "Weren't our hearts burning when He spoke the Scriptures to us?"
Now when I first read this I didn't think much about it. But then that very same day, Larry Thompson spoke about this passage at our last night of the AOA conference. He didn't really add anything profound, but it was just the fact that I had read it earlier that the Lord spoke to me and said, "HEY! I'm real. And I'm here. Trust me."
So that's what I'm trying to do...trust God. It's not easy, by any means. But I don't really have another choice in this situation, thankfully.
Mat'ko
Things feel kinda weird for me. We are about to gear up for another semester on campus but honestly I'm not ready for it...and not very excited. I have a lot of doubts in my mind that keep overtaking me. I would like to tell you that I always believe God to do big things or even just to comfort me in my fear, but many times this year I have had to force myself to step out in faith. I have had to fully rely on the Lord for guidance since I really don't have much to offer to this team or to these Slovaks.
But despite my despair 99% of the time, God does give me glimpses of His goodness and promise. At the end of Luke, which I just finished reading, two men are on their way to Emmaus after Jesus is killed. When Jesus comes along side them they are two busy talking among themselves to see that their Savior is walking with them. Later, after Jesus reveals Himself to them, they say, "Weren't our hearts burning when He spoke the Scriptures to us?"
Now when I first read this I didn't think much about it. But then that very same day, Larry Thompson spoke about this passage at our last night of the AOA conference. He didn't really add anything profound, but it was just the fact that I had read it earlier that the Lord spoke to me and said, "HEY! I'm real. And I'm here. Trust me."
So that's what I'm trying to do...trust God. It's not easy, by any means. But I don't really have another choice in this situation, thankfully.
Mat'ko
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)