The definition for Carpe Diem is :used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.
The definition for Seize is :take hold of suddenly and forcibly
Last week I was talking to my teammate/friend Jeremy, and he asked me what my challenge was for that week. I thought about it and what I was challenged with that week was, what I am going to do after the race. Since we are about to hit the last leg of the race, I started to bring forward of what some options could be for after the race. We talked about it and that was that.
Two days later I was at church and the Pastor who is also our contact said he feels like the Lord has a word for each of us. He looks at me first and tells me this, “God wants you to not think about the future, for what he has for you is great. He will take me and use me to do great things. Focus on the now and the future will take care of itself.” After he said this all I could do was smile and let out a little laugh because of the conversation I had two days earlier.
It’s funny how God will speak to us quickly at times and other times not so quick.
Proverbs 16:9 says “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
Proverbs 19:21 says “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel- that will stand.”
We can have all these plans to do so many things. The sky is the limit, but when you are in the Lord’s will it’s his counsel that will lead you into the greatness he has planned for you. Just like it says in Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”
My future plans are great, for I may not know them now but what I do know is that God will blow my mind as he continually does.
Matthew 6:34 says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
When I read this scripture I think of my contact from month 2 in Honduras, Tony. His ministry is called “Don’t miss the Opportunity.” It’s about focusing on the present day instead of the future. When we start thinking of things in the future we miss out on what his happening in the now. I love the definition of Seize, but mainly where it says forcibly. If we are to “Seize the day” we are to take hold of the day forcibly. For the enemy comes in to try and kill, steal, and destroy. If we take on our day’s forcibly we show that chump who’s boss! We should not give him a single foothold into our lives. The Lord has a lot to give us in the present and even more in the future, but we must continue to stay focused on the now and give little thought to the future.
Four more months and there is still so much to do.
To take in, pour out, experience, give and receive.
That I will not only talk about it, but Be about it.
With now less than 130 days left on the race, I will
continue to Seize every day and every moment.
(Some people wait a lifetime... for a moment like this.)
Ever since stepping into Asia, my one hope was to live in the jungle.
Talking to past racers I was told that once you hit Asia there is a high possibility
that you will get to go to live in the midst of a jungle.
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Well we get to Thailand and head to our ministry site and nothing. Just a city.
Off to Cambodia, my thoughts are I’m sure there will be some sort of jungle.
Wrong again, just a small town with a few jungle-like attributes.
Next stop… Vietnam. Oh yeah we have to live in some kind of jungle, especially with looking back in history class of pictures of the war and such. Well we get there and not only is there no jungle we are smack dab in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City. Which is modern to the fullest. Fail.
Well we have one more stop in Asia and there is still hope. Malaysia please don’t fail me now. As we are descending into Malaysia from our flight all I see are palm trees. For miles, that is all you see and I knew this is it, we are going to get to live amidst the jungle.
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We got to stay in Kuala Lumpur for a couple of days before we head out to our ministry site.
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The greatest thing about this month is what we like to call “Manistry” month. That is when the guys and girls split, and the guys are together for the whole month. Here we are 16 guys, finally not outnumbered by women and we get to do manly things. You know manual labor, make new adventures, hunt and kill things.
We took a midnight train to Georgia ...no just kidding but we took one to Gua Musang. It’s a small town about 5 hours north of Kuala Lumpur.
Get off the train and the guys split because 16 guys is too many people for one place to host.
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We meet our contacts for the first two weeks Uncle Chua and Auntie Kim. One of the most welcoming and friendliest people I have ever come in contact with. They take us to their property and lo and behold it is smack dab in the middle of the jungle!
We work on the property and a few things we accomplished were building gates for the entrances, re-building a wall for the storage room, cleaned out a big pond full of lily pads and filled potholes with gravel.
About a ½ mile west on their property there is a mountain and they call it prayer mountain. People from all over the world come and pray on this mountain. The guys and I helped fixed it up by laying a cement platform, made stairs and a wheelchair ramp.
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We also met a missionary from Mexico. Eli is her name and she’s 25 and has been in Gua Musang for 2 years on and off. We got to talk with her and hang out with her for a bit. We also helped paint her house since it was bland and boring. We livened it up for her.
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Before we transitioned to our other contact, we decided to go take a trip down south and visited Singapore. It was great to visit again since I was there 2 years ago. Showed the guys around a little bit.
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2 hours north of Gua Musang is Kuala Krai and we are with Pastor Yesudason for the remainder of the 2 weeks. He is building a new church center here and we have helped him but up the brick walls around what will be the new site of the church.
He is a man with a plan, and has so much vision for his hometown. It’s great to be working along side of someone with so much determination.
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This has been a great month and there have been many great adventures.
Here’s to Malaysia our last Asian country.
Up next: Africa! Kenya to be exact.
(Our descent into Malaysia.)
(The midnight train to Gua Musang)
(The train.)
(The jungle in the morning.)
(This is the platform we built on prayer mountain.)
(Yes.. the Ice Cream man does come to the jungle)
(This was a snake we killed, little did we know that it was pregnant and it gave birth to 12 snakes. We killed them all.)
We have been all over the place this month. Unlike previous months, our schedule has been different every day. We've visited
pagodas
orphanages
a home for blind people
youth groups
a theology class
a home for men struggling with addictions
a home for unwed mothers and their babies
a school
parks to meet the locals
coffee shops to talk with students
We've also taken time to peruse the city and get a small taste of what life in Vietnam is like. The photos and video (all material courtesy of my wonderful teammate Vivian) should give you a small glimpse at how Team Salt Shakers spent Month 6 in Vietnam.
Top and Left: A Sunday school class we visited in a province 2 hours from Ho Chi Minh City. By the time we left they were experts at Simon Says and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Middle Right: A kids group that Vivian, Alyssa and I visited one night. They loved Vivian's rendition of Noah's Ark and suddenly became really engaged when cookies were offered as incentives to answer our questions about the story. Bottom Right: The school class we visited on our three day trip to a different province. The church provides a free school for kids in the area (up until the age of 6) who cannot afford to go to school. Don't think they get many foreigners around there so we were quite the spectacle.
Top: The home for men who are struggling with alcohol and drug addictions. We've joined with them in worship, we've prayed over them and we've encouraged them, but I think they've done more for us. Their joy is contagious and they are fervently seeking after the Lord. Middle: The Theology students! These future preachers, teachers and Kingdom bringers are awesome! We sang songs with them, shared testimonies, played soccer and laughed a lot. Bottom: The older Vietnamese women in this photo have amazing hearts. They minister to young, unwed mothers by showing them the love of Christ and providing them with a safe place to raise their babies.
Now for the non-ministry aspects of the month...
Top: A typical van ride with our team. Mouths open, arms wrapped around seats, heads down. It's how we travel. Bottom left: Brian showing our favorite and most dangerous form of transportation...the MOTO. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Bottom right: Canoes on the Mekong River. These ladies were no joke. This was bumper cars Vietnamese style.
Top left: Brian has eaten his weight in Frozen Yogurt this month. He even acquired a members card to Yogurt Space so he now receives a whopping 10% off each visit. Top right: Our beloved bread lady. She provided us with a baguette filled with egg, cheese and vegetables every morning for less than $1 Bottom left: The dreaded supermarket. Although it holds products that we hold dear such as milk, cereal and peanut butter, the chaos that goes on inside makes each trip an adventure. Bottom right: Smoothie Lady! She whipped up a delicious concoction of any fruit you would desire as long as you immediately sat down in a plastic chair when you arrived at her stand.
Month 7 begins in 4 days. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel to Malaysia!
fWe have been all over the place this month. Unlike previous months, our schedule has been different every day. We've visited
We have been all over the place this month. Unlike previous months, our schedule has been different every day. We've visited
pagodas
orphanages
a home for blind people
youth groups
a theology class
a home for men struggling with addictions
a home for unwed mothers and their babies
a school
parks to meet the locals
coffee shops to talk with students
We've also taken time to peruse the city and get a small taste of what life in Vietnam is like. The photos and video (all material courtesy of my wonderful teammate Vivian) should give you a small glimpse at how Team Salt Shakers spent Month 6 in Vietnam.
Top and Left: A Sunday school class we visited in a province 2 hours from Ho Chi Minh City. By the time we left they were experts at Simon Says and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Middle Right: A kids group that Vivian, Alyssa and I visited one night. They loved Vivian's rendition of Noah's Ark and suddenly became really engaged when cookies were offered as incentives to answer our questions about the story. Bottom Right: The school class we visited on our three day trip to a different province. The church provides a free school for kids in the area (up until the age of 6) who cannot afford to go to school. Don't think they get many foreigners around there so we were quite the spectacle.
Top: The home for men who are struggling with alcohol and drug addictions. We've joined with them in worship, we've prayed over them and we've encouraged them, but I think they've done more for us. Their joy is contagious and they are fervently seeking after the Lord. Middle: The Theology students! These future preachers, teachers and Kingdom bringers are awesome! We sang songs with them, shared testimonies, played soccer and laughed a lot. Bottom: The older Vietnamese women in this photo have amazing hearts. They minister to young, unwed mothers by showing them the love of Christ and providing them with a safe place to raise their babies.
Now for the non-ministry aspects of the month...
Top: A typical van ride with our team. Mouths open, arms wrapped around seats, heads down. It's how we travel. Bottom left: Brian showing our favorite and most dangerous form of transportation...the MOTO. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Bottom right: Canoes on the Mekong River. These ladies were no joke. This was bumper cars Vietnamese style.
Top left: Brian has eaten his weight in Frozen Yogurt this month. He even acquired a members card to Yogurt Space so he now receives a whopping 10% off each visit. Top right: Our beloved bread lady. She provided us with a baguette filled with egg, cheese and vegetables every morning for less than $1 Bottom left: The dreaded supermarket. Although it holds products that we hold dear such as milk, cereal and peanut butter, the chaos that goes on inside makes each trip an adventure. Bottom right: Smoothie Lady! She whipped up a delicious concoction of any fruit you would desire as long as you immediately sat down in a plastic chair when you arrived at her stand.
Month 7 begins in 3 days. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel to Malaysia!
**I want to give a big THANK YOU!! To everyone who helped me get on this trip and caught my vision! I am glad to say that I am FULLY FUNDED!! I will be staying on this trip till the end! Next Stop Malaysia, then Africa! Again THANK YOU to all who partnered with me!
I am overwhelmed by your love and blessings! See you all in September!**
**Even though I am Fully Funded, there are still plenty of people who need to raise funds or they are in jeopardy of going home. I believe that God Called them to do this just as he did me!
Would you be willing to support one of them? It could be anything from $1 to $1000!
That brings them closer to their goal! Will you help them?**
Watch the Video below it's from our Squad Leaders, it's Hilarious.
And if you go even more you will see everyone who needs to be Supported!
Thanks again!
Love ya!
Disclaimer: If you choose to watch the video above, you are making the choice to open your heart and ask yourself, "What can I do to help?" This may require a little sacrifice and we have no way of keeping you accountable but we ask that you give generously.. Thank-you and Enjoy!
Half way has come and gone...
Adventures have been lived...
Relationships have given us purpose...
The Spirit has sent us for whirlwinds...
The Father has prepared the way for us...
Worship has left us undignified before God...
BUT...
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
This is a cry out for support!!!
B-Squad has stood together through so much and we know that we are to finish this journey together. Every member serves as a piece to the Kingdom Bringing, Life Altering, Spirit Breathing, Love Giving and Good News Preaching that this journey and our squad have to offer.
We have had the opportunity to play with toothless kids, witness miracles, see people come to know Jesus, help each other become closer in our own walks, offer our bodies to grueling physical labor, laugh with people we have come to love but the following people need your help to continue and finish the Race...
Read their blogs and choose to support and fight for them! The amount is how much they have left to raise.
My race isn’t finished, neither is month 6. We still have 2 weeks until transition until Malaysia.
BUT
This is the Half-Way point of my race!
Crazy to think that just 5 ½ months ago, I was on an airplane to Guatemala with 50 other strangers that I met just a few months earlier to go on this journey that we knew God was calling us to go on.
To live a life of abandonment, to give up our comforts and to experience what the world has to offer. Living out of a backpack with a handful of clothes, a tent, sleeping bag, and a sleeping pad.
I have experienced so much in the past 5 ½ months. The variety of ministries I got to be apart of.
Helping in a mentally challenged orphanage
“Summer camp” for neighborhood kids
Teaching English
Visiting the sick and doing prayer walks around a village
Hanging out with the youth
Showing love to Break dancers and Skateboarders
Going to different villages and showing them what true love is
Playing with kids who live in the local Dump
Playing with street kids
Visiting the blind
Visiting those in Rehab
Visit the elderly
I can go on and on but this is just a glimpse of what 5 ½ months has done, there is so much
BUT
I need your HELP!
To continue doing what I have been doing and to experience the rest of this trip I need to be fully funded.
I have $1,200 that needs to be in my account by April 1st or I will finish this trip halfway and come home. I won’t get to experience the rest of this trip.
So will you partner with me in prayer and financial support?
I just need one-time supporters to donate whatever you can. $5-$1,000.
Just click the Donate tab under my picture.
I believe that I was called to do this trip for a reason and it’s definitely to gain a different aspect of life as I know it, to love no matter what it looks like, and to fulfill the Lord’s purpose for my life.
Love you all!
and Thank you to those who have
been praying for me and financially
supporting me continuously.
Once we got into Vietnam, we have found an awesome coffee shop called Sozo.
Below is the story of it and what it's all about.
The Sozo Story...
Since 1997, we befriended many of the children and families who worked on the streets for their living. as There is no future when you work on the streets, We were concerned for them and were looking for a practical way to give them a more stable life; there had to be more we could do.
We had the idea to sell American style Cookies to the growing number of foreigners in the city. In the summer of 2004 we bought a small steel cart that housed an oven for baking and selling, and began to teach one woman (Mong) how to bake. The small dream to help was at last happening.
The cart turned into a success (however not without it’s struggles) and it wasn’t long before other families we knew started asking for work. How could we help so many people with such a small operation? We knew we had to dream bigger. This is how the Sozo shops came into being. In April 2005, we opened our first shop in Bui Vien St., District 1. In September 2005, an article appeared in a national student magazine telling the vision of Sozo. The response to the article was overwhelming, and many students wanted to volunteer in Sozo, sharing with us their desire to help the poor in their own country. we started “English Corner” where 150+ students would come to practice their English. We are encouraging them to get involved in various projects helping the poor and needy. Currently we facilitate over 10 community projects that are student based. Many are excited about doing something to give back to their country and their people!
April 2006 we opened a second shop specifically for students in district 10 and in March 2008 we opened 2 additional cafe floors at Sozo in Bui Vien St., amalgamating the 2 shops into one large one.
We currently have 25 to 30 staff in our shop training program giving them basic skills of life, so that they will have a hope and a future. We are sending the children to school & sending some of the older ones to further education. they are learning how to bake, handle money, and run a business. Our aim is to change lives, restore hope and be available for any who are in need, to make a difference in the lives of ALL who come into Sozo and finally to do all things with excellence and for the glory of God! Thank you for supporting this venture!
If you remember there was a Challenge:Asia country where we pray about where we go.
Towards the end of Thailand we found out that we would be going to Vietnam.
We arrived in Vietnam last Friday and it has been nothing but wonderful.
We are staying in District 1 of the main city, Ho Chi Minh.
We are right in the middle of the whole city and this is where many of the tourists come to.
We have a lot of different activities we will be doing this month.
Teaching English, visiting kids, talking to the locals.
There is much more, but my words must be limited here.
This is still a country where many things are being monitored.
The other night a few of my teammates and I went to a restaurant around the corner from our hotel. We had Vietnam’s specialty plate…Phô.
We sit down to eat, order and just having a great time enjoying each other’s company. The whole time everything went great. Well we pay and get ready to leave. Alyssa my teammate gets up and walks around the table to give the other girl Vivian a hug. As she hugs her we hear this crash. It was a few seconds before impact.
We have no idea what just happened and debris and dust fill the room. We look up and see pieces of the ceiling fell from this 2-story restaurant and landed right behind our table. The workers were in shock and surprised at what happened. We felt the same way. So we ran out of that restaurant in case the whole ceiling fell. Luckily it didn’t.
It was a great welcome to Vietnam. An experience we can look back and laugh at.
Thank God we all didn’t get up and walk out a few seconds earlier, or else a few of us or all of us would have most likely been in the hospital from injuries.
It’s more dangerous to walk across the street than to sit in a restaurant. So we thought! I have been playing real life frogger ever since we got here, trying not to get hit by motorbikes, taxis, cars, buses and bicycles.
This blog has really nothing to do with any weddings, although I have seen a lot of wedding while driving around town here in Cambodia. And also many married couples get their photos done at Angkor Wat ( Which is the largest Religious temple).
This is more about a funeral.
Every week this month in Cambodia about 2-3 times a week our teams go around the neighborhood and just meet people our contact knows or has an acquaintance with and we just get to know them and build a relationship. Last week we went out and we walked by this woman’s house and we noticed her head was shaved. Someone in our group asked why her head was shaved and in the Buddhist culture when a person in your family dies they shave their head as a way of respect and honor for the one who passed.
We walk past her and after a few feet we decide to go back and talk with her.
It was the greatest decision to do so.
Fourteen Americans surrounding her small house, sitting there asking her questions. We learned that she shaved her head because 5 days earlier her husband died of a heart attack. Not only did she shave her head but her 2 eldest sons also. They also mourn for 7 days and after the last day they have a celebration day.
She was telling us that her husband would have loved seeing us at his house. He loved conversing with foreigners. After we were their talking with her for about 30-45 minutes we asked her if she needed anything. She said she was fine, but she invited us to the funeral reception that was happening two days later.
Here it is, Saturday morning we get up and we head to her house. They start the party at 7am. Everything happens early here and it’s because once it hits 9am it’s already super hot outside. As we walk up the first person to invite us in is her oldest son. He has this big smile on his face like he had known us for a while. He was happy to see us, even though he only met us for 30 minutes the other day. Then came his mom and she welcomed us in.
The one thing that blew me away was how this family showed such genuine hearts of being a servant. This day should be about them and the one they lost. Instead it became about everyone that showed up. They made sure the guests felt comfortable and were being taken care of. The kids helped serve the food and entertain the guests. It was such a different sight to see for what would normally be a somber day.
Living your life at the lowest point, and serving all who you come in contact with.
I was very humbled to see all that I did that day.
(This is the Widow)
(These are the 4 huge pots of food cooking)
( This was the meal they served. It was porridge. rice, pork, squid and vegetables
along with lime, bean sprouts and croutons)
Imagine you wake up, eat breakfast (sometimes) then head off to work.
Your commute to work isn’t far, it’s only 100 feet in front of you.
You work in any and every condition.
From blazing heat to torrential downpours.
You pay $15 a month to work where you are at.
You get paid by the day and the max is $1.
You don’t get paid by person but by family.
There can be a family of 5 working but you are only going to make $1 max.
You work from sun up to sun down.
There are about 15+ other families that work with you.
You work as much as you can to support your family.
You work 7 days a week.
Most of your children are malnourished because you can’t afford
to feed them a full nutritious meal.
The children receive little to no education because they can’t afford to send them.
Your job is working with rocks. Cutting down big boulders to small rocks.
Below are the pictures of the Rock Village
(You break boulders down into small rocks)
(This is your house, and the big ceramic pot is what holds their water)
(This is their stove)
(This is the water hole where they use it to cook and shower with)
(These are some of the adults and kids that live and work here)
(Every friday our contact goes out cooks food and builds relationships with these people.)
(This is some of my teammates helping out cook)
(One of the little girls, she is deaf but has the most joy I have ever seen)(Photo: Laura Gamble)
