From Etna to Africa

First off, let me begin by thanking everyone for the comments, encouragement and prayer over the last month. You have no idea how these things propel me forward in the summer. Before I go any further in recapping this last week, I want to reiterate God's Word where it assures that "[we conquer] him (the evil one) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of [our] testimony, for [we] love not our lives even unto death" (Rev 12:11). While this may sound extreme to some, we have got to take confidence in this, that we literally overcome the evil one by the sacrifice of Christ and our testimony, our sharing of our experience(s) of what the Lord's done and is doing. It is my prayer that this blog does just that. That every post, whether it be submitted by myself, Carrie, Amber, or anyone for that matter, be uplifting and facilitate further the undeniable conquering and overcoming of the evil one in each of our lives as well as in the body of Christ. So, in saying that, I encourage each person who views this blog to begin sharing what the Lord is doing where you are at, whether it be through a blog post or a comment on any of the posted blogs.

The first Parent-Teen/Husband-Wife program of the summer has officially come to a close today. For the sake of time I'm not going to give a detailed description of everything the Lord's done thus far, though I wish I could. However, I will share some highlights.

Though I am uncertain of his last name, I am going to tell you about a guy named Steve. He brought his son, Steven, to the Father-Son program this past week. Both are from Kenya, Africa. Little did I know that the sole purpose of their presence here was to see if JH would work in a place like Kenya. After the week was up, they both assured that in the next two years, efforts were going to be made to begin what we call an "Outback" in Kenya. Praise the Lord!

Also, this past week there was a lot of healing of relationships between parents and their teens. A verse in Malachi talks about how "he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers," and to see it take place right before my eyes is an amazing and uncompromising thing.

I'm sorry I am at a lack of words to type right now. It's my day off, so I am kind of in "chill-mode" at the moment.

Happy Father's Day dad. Wish I could be there for it!

May we seek Your face with unwavering faith, God. May we not forsake our walk with You because we are so fixed on our work for You. May we know and believe the love that You have for us. That you are love, and if we abide in love, we abide in You. And You abide in us.

I am here!

Hello GBC family and friends!
Okay, so as many of you know I am a VERY heavy packer if you have gone a recent missions with the church. So finding out that the two extremely heavy luggage’s that I have brought wasn’t going to work and that they only recommended one bag for the trip was not only in my mind out of the question, but impossible. How in the world was I supposed to pack two months worth of stuff into one bag that was less the fifty pounds?!? But miraculously by the grace of God I have one pack that is going to be VERY close to the fifty pound breaker. Praise God for that!
It is 1:30 a.m. of day one of my training here in Owensboro, KY and from the moment I got here I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was exactly where God wanted me to be. The butterflies are gone for now and I am having a blast! We will be here is Owensboro until Monday and then Driving down to Nashville to catch our flights on Tuesday.
Walking into the church where everyone met for dinner last night I was wondering how in the world we were all going to be prepared to fly out on Tuesday and go lead worship on the other side of the world only knowing each other for such a short time? But God is revealing himself in such a profound way through each testimony from the team members that I hear. Our hearts have been softened and our lives are being poured into each other in such a real way. I honestly have to say I haven’t felt the Holy Spirit in such a powerful way in a long time and with people whom I just met but yet know so completely. The stories of each of our lives are so completely different and yet have led us all here for this summer.
I am so excited to see what God has in store in and around me this summer. I am ready see GREAT and POWERFUL things! I am ready to be transformed and ready to be led by the Holy Spirit. Know that I have not only made eight new friends but have added eight amazing people to my life that are going to be my family for the next two months. Please keep us in your prayers and know that God is profoundly moving already. Also know that I am where I am supposed to be. God is making a path for not only a new and amazing part of my life that is his, but opening a door to the path that I am supposed to be on. I am not just here to sing songs this summer but I am here to be transformed into the person God has birthed me to be and make His name famous.
“Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2

May God bless you and transform you,
Amber

Stage Breaking...

Hey GBC family,

The first official program of the summer here at JH Ranch has come to a close. Basically, the CEO of this insurance company (Primerica) brought 500 of his associates with him to the Ranch for a "leadership retreat". Many of these associates were unbelievers. Cutting the story short, these 500 individuals had the time of their lives this past week in that the gospel was shared and lived out in front of them on a daily basis, or at least we as a staff strived to make it happen. Last night was the Life Purpose and Forgiveness talk and it was an incredible site to see around 400 of these guests storm the stage during the invitation! Literally, the wooden stage that we build every year, surrounded by hay bails, started to crack there were so many people standing on it. Praise God!

One heartbreaking and yet freeing story was shared by this 21 year-old woman. She was in tears when she described how her mother was a prostitute when she was younger, only for her life to be cut short in a tragic murder by a man she didn't know. She talked about how she struggled her entire life to come to a place of forgiveness toward her mother, how she struggled with being relational with females because of her mother's abandonment as well as with men because of her lack of trust. Last night she said was the first time she'd been able to come to a place of forgiveness, not only toward her mother, but for herself as well through Christ.

I think it's amazing how the Lord is continually bringing me and even pushing me to a place of intercession. As Christians we tend to throw this word around and equate it with prayer requests for individuals besides ourselves. However, what I'm learning is that intercession is literally seeking the success of others. To put it another way, we are the body of Christ, and if I come to the realization/perception that I am part of that body with the same goals, the same desires, then I will undoubtedly be prompted to seek the success and growth of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Their success is essentially my success, in that we are all part of this same mysterious and liberating body of Christ. Look at Jesus when He washes his disciples' feet. He served them. He desired that each one of them would have the same, intimate relationship with the Father that He had. We should do the same, not out of duty, but out of the overflow of the Spirit.

On another, more light-hearted note, one of the associates from Primerica wanted to give back to the staff in some tangible way. So, he and his wife took us all on a Wal-Mart run where each of the staff could get three necessities (i.e. toiletries, blankets, FOOD, sunglasses, medicine, FOOD, shorts, pants, sweatshirts, FOOD). That was a fun time!

I praise God for you all!

Travis

Hello From Yellowstone!

Hey everyone! First of all, I want to say thanks to everyone that left me a comment..it really made my day! Thank you all so much for all the prayer and support! It means so much to me. I will try to do better on blogging more often but i've been super busy since I have arrived in Yellowstone on trying to adjust to everything.
I will start by updating everyone on my past 2 weeks here. First of all, it is absolutely gorgeous here and I can never get tired of looking at the mountains. It's been pretty cold, in the 4os and snowing. My job is really enjoyable. I love all of my co-workers a lot, most of them are from China or Thailand. Two girls from Thailand trained me and their names are Nut and Oil (unique, I know). I work 5 days a week and I have Sundays and Mondays off to do things with the Christian ministry team. I get off work every day at 3 so I still have time to enjoy all of my evenings.
I have made a lot of friends, on and off the ministry team. Everyone here is so nice and supportive. This upcoming Sunday I will be putting on my first service at the Chapel in the morning and at the campground in the evening. I am the only girl in my group this week and I will be leading prayer at the services. There are 40 ministry staff throughout the park and there are 9 in my location (Mammoth). 4 girls - Kathryn (Yellowstone), Jacqueline (Pennsylvannia), Amy (Texas), and me and 5 boys - Michael (California), Alex (California), Joseph (Maine), David (Yellowstone), and Derek (Ohio). We all get along really well and I am excited for what God has in store for our group this summer.
I have also got to do some exploring. I've been on a 5 mile hike (which was beautiful!) and I saw a grizzly bear with 2 cubs. She was off in the distance and didn't notice us but it was so cool to watch! I also got to go out to Lamar Valley in Yellowstone where there is a wolf den and we saw a black wolf. I have went to Norris Hot Springs and walked the whole trail and got to see Steamboat geyser (the largest exploding geyser in the world). Tomorrow I am going white water rafting with some friends so I am really excited about that!
I will try to blog again soon and keep everyone back at home updated! I miss home a lot, but I am enjoying myself. I appreciate everyone who is supporting and praying for me. It means so much to know I have support not only here, but at home too!
How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number-living things both large and small. (Psalm 104:24-25)

Much love,
Carrie

Healing and Authority

Hey everyone,

In the last 48 hours it has probably rained a total of 30 hours. It's also cold. My phone doesn't work and the pay phones are out. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't have it any other way. There are around 120 on staff here at JH and we are gathered from various states and denominations across the country. Granted, it has its challenges, but it's also exciting. It's exciting to see how the Lord is not only bringing us together and unifying the staff as a whole, but also how He's changing each one of us individually. Myself, I've never felt more free and more confident in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Perhaps one of the neatest things that the Lord has emphatically iterated over my life in the last week is the power of His name. Yeshuah, YHVH, Jesus Christ---all are His name. What is amazing about the name Yeshuah is that it literally means, in Hebrew, "I Am Salvation". I think this is absolutely phenomenal. Judaism denies Yeshuah as the prophesied Christ, and yet the man's name means "I Am Salvation". I love it! I have also become really good friends with a fellow staffer named Peter who is a Messianic Jew. He spent 8 months in Israel literally debating with the religious leaders there. It's so cool to hear his stories about the challenges, successes and failures that he endured through the entire experience in that the Lord used those challenges, successes and failures to increase his faith in Himself.

There are no guests here at the Ranch as of yet. Currently, my known responsibilities include being head of the Alpine Tower and Screaming Eagle, which are two of the ropes challenges offered here. Also, I serve on the pastoral team. This includes the responsibility of serving 5 of my fellow staff guys through intercession and bible study. I am excited about what the Lord is already doing here and what He is continually teaching me and bringing me into. He's stretching my mind and my faith. Thank you for all the prayers and am praying for you all as well. I am leaving you with a testimony that was shared this past week regarding a guest that attended the ranch this past year.

A man's son was found at the bottom of their swimming pool. By the time this 5 year-old boy was retrieved from the water and transported to the hospital, the doctors estimated that the boy had been submerged for at least ten minutes. It was under this assumption the the doctors declared the boy brain dead and told the parents that survival was unlikely and that if the boy did survive, he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life.

The parents didn't know what to do. Friends and family supported them through prayer and encouragement. One family friend mentioned that he'd heard about a pastor in southern Florida who raised people from the dead. Skeptical but in a corner, the parents contacted the pastor and he agreed to come in. After arriving, the pastor went into the boy's room by himself and prayed. After several minutes the pastor emerged from the room and told the parents that their boy would be well in 72 hours. Without anything or anyone else to hope in, besides the Lord and the words that this pastor spoke, the parents agreed to keep their son on life support for the next 72 hours.

Sure enough, in 72 hours, the boy was sent home from the hospital.

Months after the accident, the dad was driving his car with his son in the back seat. Without warning, the boy asked his dad the question, "Daddy, do you want to know what Jesus looks like?" The dad was taken off guard by the question, but agreed t hear the boys answer. After listening to his son's brief description, the dad responded, "Can I ask you a question? Did Jesus talk to you or say anything to you while you were with him?" The little boy looked at his dad from the back seat and said, "Yes Daddy He did. He said that I needed to go home, so I did."

***This father and son attended the Parent/Teen summer program in the summer of 2007. I hope you are in awe of our Lord after reading this, as much as I was at least. Bless you all!

JH Ranch - Take III

As most of you know, I am about to embark on my third summer out to the ranch. For those of you that are unfamiliar with JH Ranch, it is a Christian, high-adventure leadership ranch that offers various programs for both high school/middle school students as well as adults. It is my intention to keep you (my GBC family) posted as to what is taking place in Etna, California this summer and how God is working and teaching there.

To most of you, I say both "hi" and "goodbye" in that I have only been in WV for 2 1/2 weeks. New York was eye-opening to say the least. If there is one thing that I feel the Lord has been emphasizing in my life over the past few months, it has undoubtedly been His grace. I don't want these blog postings to be another cliche outlet for someone like myself to paint a "pretty picture" of the Christian life. I'm not going to lie. It's hard, and I'm not simply talking about obedience and the constant, life-long battle between right and wrong. I am referring to those dark times. Those times where you feel alone or even abandoned. Or even those times where you feel that all eyes are on you and then you fail, and yet those eyes don't shift. Or what about those times where you simply feel numb to the world, like it's passing by and while you want to make a difference in some fashion, it's not happening, so you begin to look at yourself and pinpoint all the negative characteristics or qualities about yourself, repent of your sins, and then try again hoping that you won't screw up this time around? It's a cyclical process and when you step outside of this cycle, you get frustrated.

I feel like the Christian life can be like this, and yet I don't think that it was ever meant to be. A lot of times, we adapt this "save the world" mentality where we forsake and even compromise God's power/ability to do so and replace it with a burdensome, oftentimes self-absorbed motivation to appear obedient or even "Christian" in the eyes of onlookers. I can only say this because this has been my life many times throughout the last 21 years.

My prayer for this summer is that we, as a church family, would draw ourselves near to our First Love. Oh that we would yearn for the intense and overwhelming grace that we've all tasted and seen! I pray that we, as Christians, would stop trying to prove to God that we are worthy of His love, because the fact is that we are not. Know that you are loved and desired! And may it be out of a posture of knowing that we are loved by God that we serve those around us this summer.

Thank you all for your continued prayers!
Travis

ACMNP

Hello everyone! This summer I am attending ACMNP (A Christian Ministry in the National Parks) and I have been asked to keep a blog of my experiences while I am gone. I decided to go ahead and write my first blog to let everyone that reads this know a little bit about this program and what I will be doing. I will be working at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park while providing Christian ministry in areas which otherwise would not have one. ACMNP brings people from different denominational traditions together to provide a service of worship, which no one of the denominations can do alone.
ACMNP is held in several National Parks throughout the US every summer, some even provide ministry in the winter. All the parks try to provide a national structure through which participating denominations of the Christian church can cooperatively carry out their mission in the National Parks. We organize services of worship which will include a Biblical understanding of creation so that worshippers will both appreciate and care for God's created Earth. The mission statement for ACMNP is: To extend the ministry of Jesus Christ to the people who live, work, and vacation in our National Parks by providing opportunities for Christian worship, nurture and fellowship.

Each staff member that works in the parks this summer is also required to lead a worship service at some point. We are placed into groups and we are to provide scripture, sermons, music, prayer, creed, offering, and a benediction. Every Saturday, before the services, we are to go out into the parks and invite people to come to our service. This is called campground calling and it is the most successful means of publicizing the services of worship in areas where campgrounds are located. Our task is to always inform, not to proselytize. My Uncle Bill Young is the pastor of the church in Yellowstone so I am so excited to have him there with me this summer, as well as my Aunt Debby (who is my mom's older sister).

On our days off, when we don't have to work or have worship, we get to do activities around the park if we so choose to. Some of the activities we will get a chance to participate in are: camping trips, hiking trips, campfire gatherings, kayaking, rock climbing, biking, and tons more. We will be living in dorm rooms with a specified roommate. My roommate's name is Jacqueline and we have already met at the training conference in Ohio. We are also required to take a bear training class when we arrive in Yellowstone because of all the wildlife, especially bears, that are present in the park. It is suggested that we bring bear spray (the bear version of pepper spray). So everyone pray for me! :)

I hope that everyone has a better understanding of what I will be doing this summer. If you have any questions just leave me a comment and I will post the answer! I am so excited for what God has in store for me and all the fun stories I will have to tell when I arrive back home. I am flying out on May 14 and will be flying back home on August 12. I want to say thank you to everyone for their support and prayers!

"Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer." -Hebrews 10:24-25

"But the time is coming-it has, in fact, come- when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter." -John 4:23

My address for the summer:

Carrie McMillion

Yellowstone National Park: Mammoth Hot Springs

c/o General Delivery Xanterra

Mammoth Hot Springs

Yellowstone NP, WY 82190

* I will post my phone number later.