I wanted to leave a quick note as our entire family (6 of us) will be leaving tomorrow to take a short trip to North Carolina. The trip is two fold. First we are visiting my brother and aunt and uncle. It will be nice to see them. The second focus is for our first Missions trip of sorts as a family. We have several meetings setup with different organizations where we are going to be serving them. God has really shaped this trip them to be about serving the less fortunate. If all goes well we will be visiting and serving 5 different ministries. Four of them minister directly to the homeless in various ways and the fifth one ministers to victims of domestic violence. Please be in prayer for all of us. For the children this will be their first exposure to something like this. For Heather and I, please pray that we are able serve with a grateful heart and with a Christ like attitude. Also pray for safe travel that is uneventful as we travel 1300 miles in or family van that has 150,000 miles on it.
Thank you so much for your support and prayers. We look forward to sharing what the Lord has done when we return. God Bless.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
What's happening at the Bush house
It hit me today that Josephine will be 6 months old tomorrow! Where in the world has the time gone? I cannot believe that 6 months ago our precious girl came into this world and as I type this is the walker is zooming around the dining room/play room. The Lord has blessed us far beyond what we deserve.
I wanted to share a little bit of what the Lord has been placing on our hearts. Plans are starting to come together for our summer family missions/visit family trip to North Carolina. We are super excited to be visiting my brother Josh and sister-in-law Lia in Charlotte. While seeing them we will hopefully be serving along side them at a homeless ministry. They serve this ministry on a weekly basis and it will be great to minister with them. We will also be visiting my Aunt and Uncle in the Raleigh Durham area for a couple days and helping out a mission their Church partners with as well as having some fun! The week will conclude by worshiping our Lord at Josh and Lia's Church on Sunday. Please pray that doors will open for ministries we can serve as well as taking supplies to. We pray that the Lord will guide us to where HE wants us to serve.
One major prayer request is for me. I tore my ACL and Meniscus three weeks ago and have surgery this coming friday. Please pray for a good surgery and that rehab would progress with out any setbacks. Also pray for Heather as she has added responsibilities on top of all she does already.
In closing I wish to thank you all so much for partnering with us as we follow the Lord's leading for our life. Pray that the Lord continues to reveal his will for our family. Pray that we would listen to His voice and faithfully follow where ever he leads.
Faithfully Serving,
The Bush Family
I wanted to share a little bit of what the Lord has been placing on our hearts. Plans are starting to come together for our summer family missions/visit family trip to North Carolina. We are super excited to be visiting my brother Josh and sister-in-law Lia in Charlotte. While seeing them we will hopefully be serving along side them at a homeless ministry. They serve this ministry on a weekly basis and it will be great to minister with them. We will also be visiting my Aunt and Uncle in the Raleigh Durham area for a couple days and helping out a mission their Church partners with as well as having some fun! The week will conclude by worshiping our Lord at Josh and Lia's Church on Sunday. Please pray that doors will open for ministries we can serve as well as taking supplies to. We pray that the Lord will guide us to where HE wants us to serve.
One major prayer request is for me. I tore my ACL and Meniscus three weeks ago and have surgery this coming friday. Please pray for a good surgery and that rehab would progress with out any setbacks. Also pray for Heather as she has added responsibilities on top of all she does already.
In closing I wish to thank you all so much for partnering with us as we follow the Lord's leading for our life. Pray that the Lord continues to reveal his will for our family. Pray that we would listen to His voice and faithfully follow where ever he leads.
Faithfully Serving,
The Bush Family
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Easter Season
During this precious time of year it is a great time for reflection. It is a great time of year to stop and think about what the Lord has done. I mean there is no greater sacrifice than what the Lord Jesus did for us on the cross and then raising again is an incredible reminder. A reminder that He has conquered death and is waiting for us at the right hand of the Father. The grace that was made possible by this sacrifice is purely amazing! It is my prayer that everyone I know would accept this free gift and be redeemed.
This is also a time to reflect on where I am at in my relationship with God. It is hard to examine ones life in the light of Jesus. It reveals how far I have yet to go! I know my heart and I know that there is much refinement still yet to be done. But that is what makes Grace so Amazing. Its that in spite of me Jesus' sacrifice is enough. That when the Father looks down on me from above he sees Jesus! And if that does not light your fire, your wood must be wet.
So come to the cross this weekend and worship our Savior He died for our sins. He was raised and defeated death for us! Never forget this fact. You were purchased for a price, so do not waste the chances you have to reach another for Jesus!
In Christ Alone,
Gary
This is also a time to reflect on where I am at in my relationship with God. It is hard to examine ones life in the light of Jesus. It reveals how far I have yet to go! I know my heart and I know that there is much refinement still yet to be done. But that is what makes Grace so Amazing. Its that in spite of me Jesus' sacrifice is enough. That when the Father looks down on me from above he sees Jesus! And if that does not light your fire, your wood must be wet.
So come to the cross this weekend and worship our Savior He died for our sins. He was raised and defeated death for us! Never forget this fact. You were purchased for a price, so do not waste the chances you have to reach another for Jesus!
In Christ Alone,
Gary
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Awesome Sunday
What a great day today was. This Sunday was the 10th Anniversary of Grace Community Church. It is so hard to believe that 10 years ago a small band of God followers set out on an adventure to start a church. Over the years there was many God moments. It was obvious after hearing the testimonies today that the Lord had touched each and everyone's life in many ways. Two of the biggest God moments for our family was when Tyler and Grace prayed to ask Jesus in their hearts. I am always blown away by the faith and belief children have. We also got to hear from Jim Hawking who started ICDI. Through this organization 1500 wells have been drilled and/or are maintained. This provides fresh water for the people of the Central African Republic. It was awesome to hear what the Lord was doing through this organization. Jim also laid out a challenge for the congregation to share the love of God with those around us.
Today was also the conclusion to Kairos 23. I was unable to be on the team this time but got to go to the closing session tonight. Before this weekend's attendees came in I got to connect with several residents who I have gotten to know at the weekly prayer and shares. It was really awesome to share in their joy. As the new Kairos graduates came in to the tune of 'When the Saints Come Marching In' it was truly a time of rejoicing. The rest of the time was spent listening to how the Lord and Kairos had touched their lives and changed them. There is nothing more exciting than listening to how the Lord has changed peoples life. What an example of the redeeming power of God's love. It's times like these that reenergize me and help me focus on the main thing, and that is serving the Lord. Thank you God for your Love and the passion to share it with others!
--GB
Today was also the conclusion to Kairos 23. I was unable to be on the team this time but got to go to the closing session tonight. Before this weekend's attendees came in I got to connect with several residents who I have gotten to know at the weekly prayer and shares. It was really awesome to share in their joy. As the new Kairos graduates came in to the tune of 'When the Saints Come Marching In' it was truly a time of rejoicing. The rest of the time was spent listening to how the Lord and Kairos had touched their lives and changed them. There is nothing more exciting than listening to how the Lord has changed peoples life. What an example of the redeeming power of God's love. It's times like these that reenergize me and help me focus on the main thing, and that is serving the Lord. Thank you God for your Love and the passion to share it with others!
--GB
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Far to long...
Where has the time gone. It sure is hard to believe it has been so long since the last blog post. But such is life with four children and one that is just 4 months old. With so much excitement it is easy to lose track of time. As I was sitting in church today in between songs, many things were running through my mind. I was enjoying some really good worship through song. I was also excited to hear what Pastor Dan was going to say on living by faith. As the music part of the worship service concluded and I was heading to up to lead prayer time, I was overwhelmed. The song choices today seemed to fit together very nicely and I felt a great connection with the Lord for sure.
The sermon was based on the book "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. I had the chance to read this book a couple years back and was blown away. The premise of the book is that the Holy Spirit is often forgotten in todays church. The concept of living by faith, completely relinquishing total control of our life, often without knowing exactly where the Lord is leading, is very difficult to do. So many times I want to come up with the plan for my life and ask God to bless it. Or I am so comfortable with where I am at I do not completely surrender my agenda. Another thing I can often do is become paralyzed with only knowing part of the plan. I want to have a very obvious sign from God that confirms the promptings from the Holy Spirit I am feeling. God does not always work that way. Abraham for instance was simply told to go, and God would tell him where to stop. Moses was told to go tell Pharaoh to let his people go. He was not sure exactly what would happen next.
Today was a day I felt challenged. I was challenged to live completely sold out. Being willing to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit with a faith that is often not completely understood by the world. I do not know where this will lead but God does. I am not sure exactly what the this means, but God does. And that gives me hope. The creator of the universe, who sent His son to die for me and raise again cares about my life and has a plan for me and my family that is far more amazing than anything I can ever imagine. What a great day.
The sermon was based on the book "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. I had the chance to read this book a couple years back and was blown away. The premise of the book is that the Holy Spirit is often forgotten in todays church. The concept of living by faith, completely relinquishing total control of our life, often without knowing exactly where the Lord is leading, is very difficult to do. So many times I want to come up with the plan for my life and ask God to bless it. Or I am so comfortable with where I am at I do not completely surrender my agenda. Another thing I can often do is become paralyzed with only knowing part of the plan. I want to have a very obvious sign from God that confirms the promptings from the Holy Spirit I am feeling. God does not always work that way. Abraham for instance was simply told to go, and God would tell him where to stop. Moses was told to go tell Pharaoh to let his people go. He was not sure exactly what would happen next.
Today was a day I felt challenged. I was challenged to live completely sold out. Being willing to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit with a faith that is often not completely understood by the world. I do not know where this will lead but God does. I am not sure exactly what the this means, but God does. And that gives me hope. The creator of the universe, who sent His son to die for me and raise again cares about my life and has a plan for me and my family that is far more amazing than anything I can ever imagine. What a great day.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Bush Family Missons Update
Dear Family and Friends,
I wanted to take some time, as we get ready to enter a new year, to update you all about our plans for the upcoming year. First and foremost I wanted to personally thank you for your love and support over the past year as we have prayerfully been seeking ways to serve the Lord more intentionally. Heather and I feel a strong calling to focus on serving our Lord Jesus in tangible ways. This can be done in many ways including serving at our Church, delivering meals to those in need, financially supporting others that are taking the Gospel to the entire earth, reaching out to the lost and forgotten of our time, and serving other missionaries with their technology needs in other countries. Our purpose in all of these things to is bring glory to our Lord. While God has not completely shown us His plan for our family in 2013, there are three ways you can partner in prayer with us. Below I have given some details to better help you pray for us.
I have an opportunity to return to Guatemala and serve the missionaries there by fixing their computers. This trip is planned for the last week in February. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed serving the missionaries of Guatemala by sharing some of my abilities and talents. I was one of over 100 volunteers that traveled down there to witness to the missionaries. This short weekend retreat is a way for the missionaries to be rejuvenated and ministered to. It was an awesome time to connect with many missionaries and get to listen to what they are doing every day to advance the Gospel. It was awesome. I am really seeking prayer with regards to this trip. It does cost about $2000 to go on this trip and certainly that is not a cost the family can bear solely. To attend this trip I would also need to request and receive time off (some unpaid) from work. I am praying for God to lead in this matter and send a clear sign whether I should attend this year. Please lift up this trip and pray for clear direction.
I also have been approached to be on another Kairos Prison Ministry team. The next scheduled Kairos weekend is March 21st though the 24th. I am prayerfully considering being on this team. I was greatly touched by the Kairos weekend this past September and would welcome the adventure again. However there is a vast time commitment for the 7 weeks prior to the trip and having to request time off work as well. This ministry opportunity would not cost money but a huge time commitment. Please pray for our family as I consider this. I am needing to make a decision pretty quickly so pray that the Lord gives me(us) a clear answer.
The last thing to be praying for is we are tentatively looking to visit family in Charlotte, NC and spend some time with them. While we are there we are praying and seeking opportunities to serve as a family. Our passion is to not only serve the Lord but instill the same habits and passions in our children's lives as well. Our primary goal is to seek the Lord as a family and serve him however he calls us to.
May the Lord bless you and keep you all safe this new year. Thank you so much for partnering with us in our Ministry Adventures!
Monday, November 5, 2012
What a day!
It does not seem to matter how many times I go through the birthing process, I am blown away every time. I am blown away by how strong my wife is and how lucky I am to be married to her. She was so strong today and amazing! Going through this process with her now for the fourth time has made me love her even more. God has blessed me with a help mate for sure. The way God designed the entire process of child birth is also mind boggling. Anyone who has gone through the birth of a child and does not believe in intelligent design is blind in my humble opinion. And the joy that has overwhelmed me immediately after seeing each child for the first time is humbling. I am so blessed to have felt that joy four times now.
I believe going through this process has strengthened my understanding of the Love a father has for his child. There is not anything that I would not do to protect my children from harm in this world. I would willingly give my live for any of my four children. But, would I give their life for someone else? That is exactly what my Heavenly Father did on my behalf. Jesus came to this world as a helpless baby, lived a perfect life and died for my sin. And his heavenly fathered let it happen, all so I could share in this glory. What a sacrifice! I appreciate just a small amount what God the father must have felt that day 2000+ years ago when He let sinful humans kill His son. I know I could not do that. But I am so glad He did. And because of this love we are set free. Wow!
My prayer is that this motivates me to share my Jesus with the whole world. I pray that I will be so motivated by this love that I will share Him with all that I come in contact with. I pray that the Holy Spirit will empower me with the desire to not want to leave anybody behind and I will share Jesus with everyone I come in contact with.
My question to you is will you join me in this quest?
Faithfully serving Him,
Gary
I believe going through this process has strengthened my understanding of the Love a father has for his child. There is not anything that I would not do to protect my children from harm in this world. I would willingly give my live for any of my four children. But, would I give their life for someone else? That is exactly what my Heavenly Father did on my behalf. Jesus came to this world as a helpless baby, lived a perfect life and died for my sin. And his heavenly fathered let it happen, all so I could share in this glory. What a sacrifice! I appreciate just a small amount what God the father must have felt that day 2000+ years ago when He let sinful humans kill His son. I know I could not do that. But I am so glad He did. And because of this love we are set free. Wow!
My prayer is that this motivates me to share my Jesus with the whole world. I pray that I will be so motivated by this love that I will share Him with all that I come in contact with. I pray that the Holy Spirit will empower me with the desire to not want to leave anybody behind and I will share Jesus with everyone I come in contact with.
My question to you is will you join me in this quest?
Faithfully serving Him,
Gary
Monday, September 24, 2012
Kairos Weekend in Review
Boy, I am just not entirely sure where to start. God is just amazing and I am blown away each time I am involved with something like this. The experience of this past weekend is really hard to summarize in words, but I will do my best to do this.
I will admit that when I started this adventure (and it truly was in many senses) I really had no idea what I was getting into. All I knew is that every time Dean (attends our church and this weekends leader) talked about Kairos he always beamed. It was evident that he believed in it and was totally committed. I just really felt this was a great opportunity to take another step on this journey of missions work. Now that I have come through my first Kairos weekend, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt this was a supernatural experience. It is one that further confirmed mine and my family's calling to serving ALL of God's children in tangible ways and sharing the Gospel with them. Let me try to recap for you the events of the weekend. In most cases I will not mention names as to protect the integrity of Kairos and not single anyone out. My point in sharing the following things is not to praise anyone individual person, but rather give God all the glory.
On Thursday we arrived at the Church where we would sleep around 2 pm. There was a lot of anticipation in the air. I got a chance to chat a little with another first timer and we were both a bit nervous. Not so much about the actual weekend, but rather more so because of the unknown. We entered the prison and headed to the chapel. I was really in observation mode. I was just trying to let it all sink in. We spent some time getting things setup and getting ready for the evening and meeting the residents. Finally the time came for the residents to begin to arrive. The team formed a tunnel for the residents to walk through. One by one each resident was announced and as they were we all clapped and cheered. This was the first act of Agape (unconditional love) we offered to them. This was part of the overall process of helping them know and feel important. Each resident was greeted by their Host (a team member) and served coffee, tea, water and cookies. The host and resident spent some time getting to know each other. We had a short list of questions to help in this process. Once all the residents arrived and got settled we spent the rest of the night introducing ourselves to each other. Each team member and resident had their turn. During this time there was a few residents who caught my ear by their response to why they had signed up for Kairos. I think perhaps the one that spoke the most to me was the one resident who said "I came to Kairos to find out who this God person is." We did get answers that ranged from coming for the food to getting to know God better. We finished the evening with prayer and headed back to the church to turn in for the evening. Upon returning to the church we debriefed a bit and prayed for the next day. Sometime near 11:30 I went to bed.
Friday morning early (5 am) we were all serenaded to "Oh what a beautiful morning....." by one of the team leaders. I am not sure many of us were ready to get up, but it was time to get going. After a brief breakfast which included serval cups of coffee we were on our way. Once arriving at prison we got processed and got to the chapel and got setup. The residents began arriving and we had another chance to get to know the residents better. I was able to get some coffee and chat some more with my hostee. I was beginning to form a relationship and learning more about him. It was cool to just chat with him and see him open up. At this time the residents were introduced to their table family. This consisted of 5 other residents and 4 team members. Much of the rest of the weekend was spent with their table families. I was a member of the worship team so I was not at a table. This was both a challenge and a blessing. The challenge was still trying to form relationships and connect to the residents while not partaking in most of the conversation times. It was difficult for me also cause I tend to fade into the background in times like this. The blessing was really two fold. The first is that I could sit back and observe all the tables. This allowed me to observe the events of the weekend as a whole and not be restricted to one table. The second blessing was that I was able to really concentrate on a couple individuals and get to know them through unstructured events. It was really cool to see how the Lord directed the weekend and led me to certain residents. It was neat to be able to let the Lord direct the entire thing. I think on day 1 one of the first wow moments was when I walked into the storage room for all the cookies and this 10 by 12 room was filled with boxes stacked floor to ceiling containing cookies. It was the first time during the weekend I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. The fact that so many people took time to bake cookies and pray over them is so awesome. You could feel the love in the room. As the day went on the story of the Kairos weekend began to unfold. The first talk of the day "Choice" set the stage for the rest of the weekend. It challenged us all to examine the choices we make. Are we going to react in and emotional response and have to take what we get or are we going to respond with a thought out response and get want we want out of situations? As the day continued you could sense the Holy Spirit working. As the day went on the Agape team hung a banner around the room that had all those who signed up to pray for each time slot throughout the weekend. The banner went around the room four times! What an awesome testimony and expression of love! These residents could begin to see that they were loved. It was also so overwhelming to sense the Holy Spirit. For me to see so many people were praying, it just energized me. Several times throughout the weekend I became overcome with emotion when I glanced at the prayer banner. It was one of the most powerful moments for me. On this day I also got to be a part of a really awesome and eye opening event. I was a part of the cookie delivery team. In groups of 4 we went to all the cell blocks and delivered two dozen cookies to each resident and worker. During this time the block was locked down and went door to door delivering the cookies in person to the residents. What an eye opening experience to see the conditions in which they live. While it was clean, it was cramped and two men were living in a room intended for one. It was also amazing to see how the Lord was using cookies to minister to every person there. It was neat to see how a warm smile, gentle welcome and cookies can go a long way to minister to these folks, many of which experienced unconditional love this day for the first time in a long time. As the day continued we spent time listening, sharing, eating and socializing. The events of the day, while scripted, also were influenced by the Holy Spirit. It was evident that the Holy Spirit was at work and working in the hearts of all. We left for the evening around 8 pm and returned to the church. This night was filled with many letters being written. Part of the responsibilities for all team members was writing a letter to each resident who attended (36 total). This is another way to show the residents love. Many folks had to finish their letters this night and one stayed up all night finishing. During this time there was great fellowshipping going on and an overall sense of the Holy Spirit still working.
On Saturday we arose early again (5 am) and were off to the prison for the second full day (third overall). After the groundwork being laid out the day before, things started getting a little deeper. The talks were centered around getting to know God better and Forgiveness. At the beginning of the day we were given a piece of paper to begin thinking about people we needed to forgive. We were encouraged to really think about whom we may be harboring anger or hostility towards. It was interesting to see the residents wrestle with this. Forgiveness is something really hard to accept and give. And yet it is absolutely essential to all relationships including those with other people and ultimately with God. During this day it was also awesome to see some table families began to bond. The concept of table family was an important step for most. A lot of the residents had some semblance of a broken family life. So it was hard for some to open up. It was hard for them to trust each other. For the most part the residents did not really know each other at the table. They were often from different blocks and different groups. Also in prison, as in the outside world, it is not easy to trust someone else let alone open up and be vulnerable. In fact a sign of weakness can be particularly troublesome for the residents. Seeing them open up and be vulnerable to others was an awesome thing to see and moving for sure. At meal times the residents ate together as tables at ODR (officers dining room). Because seating was limited not all team members ate there. On Saturday I had the opportunity to eat both meals with the residents. This was an awesome time to eat with them and strike up some general conversation as well. I particularly enjoyed this time as with no agenda I could really understand their lives a little better. I also got to ask some more personal questions about life at the prison, family and anything that came up. I also got to share more about my life. It was a chance for me to tear down some of my walls, deal with some preconceived notions and just be real. As the night came to a close we had a forgiveness ceremony. At this time each table family and all the group members entered the chapel and put our piece of paper (with people we had to forgive) in a bowl of water. The paper disappeared. This was a very tangible example of what happens when we ask for forgiveness from God. As soon as it is asked for, it is given and forgotten. In scripture we were reminded that as far as the east is from the west so far has God removed our transgressions from us! We also had an open mic night where residents could get up and share what they were learning and what the Lord was doing in their life. There were many who shared and a few stuck in my mind the most. The Lord was moving in the hearts of the residents and in their lives. They were so thankful for the time they had. They were looking forward to sharing what they learned with others. It was a great ending to an awesome day! I am just so thankful for what the Lord was doing in these men, our team included. It is so great to hear from the residents and some that I had wondered what was going on for them, shared some great things. God is so good!
Sunday I arose eager to go and excited to to see the Holy Spirit build on the past days highs and continue His work! More talks were given and further discussion times followed. The table families all had really bonded by this time. Something else the table families did at different times was enter into a private prayer time. They all prayed for each other and to God. From what I heard it was really moving. By mid day Sunday the table families all had grown close together. Each resident was really into the weekend and very much engaged. We continued to hear more talks and do a lot of worship though music. In the afternoon there was a series of six instructional talks. Part of the followup to these weekends is weekly prayer and share meetings on Thursday nights. During the six instructional talks, the ground work was laid for these weekly meetings. I had the privilege of giving the talk about sharing joys and concerns with each other. It was a truly spirit filled and directed time. It was funny as I had my talk prepared for nearly 6 weeks. However after this weekend I felt led by the spirit to share some different things. About 1/3 of the way through my talk I completely went off script and shared some personal experiences from the weekend including some heart felt love that I could not have possibly prepared myself for prior to the weekend. By this time of the weekend I had a genuine love for these men and wanted nothing but the best for them. We concluded with a celebration service where outsiders could attend and hear about how God touched these residents life. Also attending were Kairos graduates from past weekends. It was neat to see the previous graduates there praising the residents from this weekend. Another great visible example of support.
In conclusion I would like to attempt to capture the essence of this weekend and what am taking away. I would say the biggest thing I learned from this weekend is how awesome God is. He can take a band of brothers who are broken vessels and can use them to reach a group of men that are in such desperate need of Christ's love. I also learned that the people we went to served can be used by God to minister to us. Before this Kairos experience, I was not aware of the double standard I often times applied to my life. I was not aware of how judgmental I was. I often times had preconceived notions of individuals in my life and those I cam in contact with that influenced how I viewed people and judged them. It was not till the third training meeting that I truly began to see this. I am ashamed at how I acted. I really believe initially that this experience would fit nicely into "My" vision of missions. I believed I could really do something nice for these residents and bless them. God used this experience to rock my world. He broke down so many walls in my life and in the process brought some really amazing men into my life. Some of these men reside in the outside world, and some reside in TCI. I am so grateful for this experience. The Lord has certainly taught me a lot. He has confirmed my passion for missions and sharing the love and truth of the gospel with those in need. He has confirmed the desire to lead my family in a missions minded and missions centered life! If I am being honest I have no idea where this will lead. But what I am sure of, is I cannot wait to see where it goes. I truly believe I am all in at this point. I am totally committed. My prayer going forward is that I would not lose sight of this vision or this Kairos experience. I strongly encourage anyone reading this get involved in Kairos. If it is not Kairos then something else that forces you to get out of your comfort zone and rely totally on the Holy Spirit to guide you through. It is when we are most vulnerable that the Lord really begins to work. In closing I will leave you with this thought. Look for opportunities in life that stretch you and force you to move out of your comfort zone and rely totally and completely on God. For when we are weak, He is strong.
Humbly serving Christ,
Gary
I will admit that when I started this adventure (and it truly was in many senses) I really had no idea what I was getting into. All I knew is that every time Dean (attends our church and this weekends leader) talked about Kairos he always beamed. It was evident that he believed in it and was totally committed. I just really felt this was a great opportunity to take another step on this journey of missions work. Now that I have come through my first Kairos weekend, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt this was a supernatural experience. It is one that further confirmed mine and my family's calling to serving ALL of God's children in tangible ways and sharing the Gospel with them. Let me try to recap for you the events of the weekend. In most cases I will not mention names as to protect the integrity of Kairos and not single anyone out. My point in sharing the following things is not to praise anyone individual person, but rather give God all the glory.
On Thursday we arrived at the Church where we would sleep around 2 pm. There was a lot of anticipation in the air. I got a chance to chat a little with another first timer and we were both a bit nervous. Not so much about the actual weekend, but rather more so because of the unknown. We entered the prison and headed to the chapel. I was really in observation mode. I was just trying to let it all sink in. We spent some time getting things setup and getting ready for the evening and meeting the residents. Finally the time came for the residents to begin to arrive. The team formed a tunnel for the residents to walk through. One by one each resident was announced and as they were we all clapped and cheered. This was the first act of Agape (unconditional love) we offered to them. This was part of the overall process of helping them know and feel important. Each resident was greeted by their Host (a team member) and served coffee, tea, water and cookies. The host and resident spent some time getting to know each other. We had a short list of questions to help in this process. Once all the residents arrived and got settled we spent the rest of the night introducing ourselves to each other. Each team member and resident had their turn. During this time there was a few residents who caught my ear by their response to why they had signed up for Kairos. I think perhaps the one that spoke the most to me was the one resident who said "I came to Kairos to find out who this God person is." We did get answers that ranged from coming for the food to getting to know God better. We finished the evening with prayer and headed back to the church to turn in for the evening. Upon returning to the church we debriefed a bit and prayed for the next day. Sometime near 11:30 I went to bed.
Friday morning early (5 am) we were all serenaded to "Oh what a beautiful morning....." by one of the team leaders. I am not sure many of us were ready to get up, but it was time to get going. After a brief breakfast which included serval cups of coffee we were on our way. Once arriving at prison we got processed and got to the chapel and got setup. The residents began arriving and we had another chance to get to know the residents better. I was able to get some coffee and chat some more with my hostee. I was beginning to form a relationship and learning more about him. It was cool to just chat with him and see him open up. At this time the residents were introduced to their table family. This consisted of 5 other residents and 4 team members. Much of the rest of the weekend was spent with their table families. I was a member of the worship team so I was not at a table. This was both a challenge and a blessing. The challenge was still trying to form relationships and connect to the residents while not partaking in most of the conversation times. It was difficult for me also cause I tend to fade into the background in times like this. The blessing was really two fold. The first is that I could sit back and observe all the tables. This allowed me to observe the events of the weekend as a whole and not be restricted to one table. The second blessing was that I was able to really concentrate on a couple individuals and get to know them through unstructured events. It was really cool to see how the Lord directed the weekend and led me to certain residents. It was neat to be able to let the Lord direct the entire thing. I think on day 1 one of the first wow moments was when I walked into the storage room for all the cookies and this 10 by 12 room was filled with boxes stacked floor to ceiling containing cookies. It was the first time during the weekend I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. The fact that so many people took time to bake cookies and pray over them is so awesome. You could feel the love in the room. As the day went on the story of the Kairos weekend began to unfold. The first talk of the day "Choice" set the stage for the rest of the weekend. It challenged us all to examine the choices we make. Are we going to react in and emotional response and have to take what we get or are we going to respond with a thought out response and get want we want out of situations? As the day continued you could sense the Holy Spirit working. As the day went on the Agape team hung a banner around the room that had all those who signed up to pray for each time slot throughout the weekend. The banner went around the room four times! What an awesome testimony and expression of love! These residents could begin to see that they were loved. It was also so overwhelming to sense the Holy Spirit. For me to see so many people were praying, it just energized me. Several times throughout the weekend I became overcome with emotion when I glanced at the prayer banner. It was one of the most powerful moments for me. On this day I also got to be a part of a really awesome and eye opening event. I was a part of the cookie delivery team. In groups of 4 we went to all the cell blocks and delivered two dozen cookies to each resident and worker. During this time the block was locked down and went door to door delivering the cookies in person to the residents. What an eye opening experience to see the conditions in which they live. While it was clean, it was cramped and two men were living in a room intended for one. It was also amazing to see how the Lord was using cookies to minister to every person there. It was neat to see how a warm smile, gentle welcome and cookies can go a long way to minister to these folks, many of which experienced unconditional love this day for the first time in a long time. As the day continued we spent time listening, sharing, eating and socializing. The events of the day, while scripted, also were influenced by the Holy Spirit. It was evident that the Holy Spirit was at work and working in the hearts of all. We left for the evening around 8 pm and returned to the church. This night was filled with many letters being written. Part of the responsibilities for all team members was writing a letter to each resident who attended (36 total). This is another way to show the residents love. Many folks had to finish their letters this night and one stayed up all night finishing. During this time there was great fellowshipping going on and an overall sense of the Holy Spirit still working.
On Saturday we arose early again (5 am) and were off to the prison for the second full day (third overall). After the groundwork being laid out the day before, things started getting a little deeper. The talks were centered around getting to know God better and Forgiveness. At the beginning of the day we were given a piece of paper to begin thinking about people we needed to forgive. We were encouraged to really think about whom we may be harboring anger or hostility towards. It was interesting to see the residents wrestle with this. Forgiveness is something really hard to accept and give. And yet it is absolutely essential to all relationships including those with other people and ultimately with God. During this day it was also awesome to see some table families began to bond. The concept of table family was an important step for most. A lot of the residents had some semblance of a broken family life. So it was hard for some to open up. It was hard for them to trust each other. For the most part the residents did not really know each other at the table. They were often from different blocks and different groups. Also in prison, as in the outside world, it is not easy to trust someone else let alone open up and be vulnerable. In fact a sign of weakness can be particularly troublesome for the residents. Seeing them open up and be vulnerable to others was an awesome thing to see and moving for sure. At meal times the residents ate together as tables at ODR (officers dining room). Because seating was limited not all team members ate there. On Saturday I had the opportunity to eat both meals with the residents. This was an awesome time to eat with them and strike up some general conversation as well. I particularly enjoyed this time as with no agenda I could really understand their lives a little better. I also got to ask some more personal questions about life at the prison, family and anything that came up. I also got to share more about my life. It was a chance for me to tear down some of my walls, deal with some preconceived notions and just be real. As the night came to a close we had a forgiveness ceremony. At this time each table family and all the group members entered the chapel and put our piece of paper (with people we had to forgive) in a bowl of water. The paper disappeared. This was a very tangible example of what happens when we ask for forgiveness from God. As soon as it is asked for, it is given and forgotten. In scripture we were reminded that as far as the east is from the west so far has God removed our transgressions from us! We also had an open mic night where residents could get up and share what they were learning and what the Lord was doing in their life. There were many who shared and a few stuck in my mind the most. The Lord was moving in the hearts of the residents and in their lives. They were so thankful for the time they had. They were looking forward to sharing what they learned with others. It was a great ending to an awesome day! I am just so thankful for what the Lord was doing in these men, our team included. It is so great to hear from the residents and some that I had wondered what was going on for them, shared some great things. God is so good!
Sunday I arose eager to go and excited to to see the Holy Spirit build on the past days highs and continue His work! More talks were given and further discussion times followed. The table families all had really bonded by this time. Something else the table families did at different times was enter into a private prayer time. They all prayed for each other and to God. From what I heard it was really moving. By mid day Sunday the table families all had grown close together. Each resident was really into the weekend and very much engaged. We continued to hear more talks and do a lot of worship though music. In the afternoon there was a series of six instructional talks. Part of the followup to these weekends is weekly prayer and share meetings on Thursday nights. During the six instructional talks, the ground work was laid for these weekly meetings. I had the privilege of giving the talk about sharing joys and concerns with each other. It was a truly spirit filled and directed time. It was funny as I had my talk prepared for nearly 6 weeks. However after this weekend I felt led by the spirit to share some different things. About 1/3 of the way through my talk I completely went off script and shared some personal experiences from the weekend including some heart felt love that I could not have possibly prepared myself for prior to the weekend. By this time of the weekend I had a genuine love for these men and wanted nothing but the best for them. We concluded with a celebration service where outsiders could attend and hear about how God touched these residents life. Also attending were Kairos graduates from past weekends. It was neat to see the previous graduates there praising the residents from this weekend. Another great visible example of support.
In conclusion I would like to attempt to capture the essence of this weekend and what am taking away. I would say the biggest thing I learned from this weekend is how awesome God is. He can take a band of brothers who are broken vessels and can use them to reach a group of men that are in such desperate need of Christ's love. I also learned that the people we went to served can be used by God to minister to us. Before this Kairos experience, I was not aware of the double standard I often times applied to my life. I was not aware of how judgmental I was. I often times had preconceived notions of individuals in my life and those I cam in contact with that influenced how I viewed people and judged them. It was not till the third training meeting that I truly began to see this. I am ashamed at how I acted. I really believe initially that this experience would fit nicely into "My" vision of missions. I believed I could really do something nice for these residents and bless them. God used this experience to rock my world. He broke down so many walls in my life and in the process brought some really amazing men into my life. Some of these men reside in the outside world, and some reside in TCI. I am so grateful for this experience. The Lord has certainly taught me a lot. He has confirmed my passion for missions and sharing the love and truth of the gospel with those in need. He has confirmed the desire to lead my family in a missions minded and missions centered life! If I am being honest I have no idea where this will lead. But what I am sure of, is I cannot wait to see where it goes. I truly believe I am all in at this point. I am totally committed. My prayer going forward is that I would not lose sight of this vision or this Kairos experience. I strongly encourage anyone reading this get involved in Kairos. If it is not Kairos then something else that forces you to get out of your comfort zone and rely totally on the Holy Spirit to guide you through. It is when we are most vulnerable that the Lord really begins to work. In closing I will leave you with this thought. Look for opportunities in life that stretch you and force you to move out of your comfort zone and rely totally and completely on God. For when we are weak, He is strong.
Humbly serving Christ,
Gary
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Video journal day 3
Another awesome time! The Lord is at work in the lives of all the people at this weekend. I am eager to see tomorrow and how these men are changed.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Overwhelmed and overjoyed
What a powerful day today. The Lord is at work and reaching people for his kingdom. Enjoy the brief video journal below.
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