Cool Support Story and Some Thoughts on Prayer

Hey guys,

Can’t believe the trip is almost here! We had our final retreat last weekend, April 14^th and 15^th. For part of the time, we split up into ministry partners to pray before we went into a time of support raising. I prayed that the Lord would provide us with $10,000 of support that day. In my mind I was praying expectantly, but honestly I had some doubt in my heart that the Lord would provide. After our support raising time, and we had all turned in the support we had received since our last retreat, and the total amount came to $10,250. Praise the Lord!! I think that I often hesitate to pray specifically like this because I lack the faith that the Lord will provide.

At the retreat, Jeremy spoke about how our culture tends to pray differently from other cultures, such as China. In China, where there is a lot of persecution of the Christian faith, believers don’t know what the next day brings, or if the next day will be their last day of freedom. In an interview, a Christian in China was asked, “How do you pray?” The believer responded that they just pray for more faith—each day asking the Lord to give them more faith to live how the Lord has called them to live. Why don’t I pray like this? Here in America it’s so easy to fall into a trap of materialism and praying for this thing and that—focusing on things that aren’t eternally important. This realization is shaping the way that I pray—I want to pray like the Chinese do. I want to have a true dependency on the Lord and pray like Jesus calls us to in Matthew 6.

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

-Matthew 6:9-13

With love,

Lauren

22 days!

22 days until our team of 15 students and staff get on a plane to fly across the world for the Glory of God which has been shown to us in the works and person of Jesus. There is still much to be done! $30,000 to be raised, talks to be written, logistics to figure out, prayers to be prayed. I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that there are many fears and jitters leading up to May 11th, but we hold fast that God is in this. There have been many prayers answered even this last week that proves that His hand is on us. However, no matter what happens this summer, we do not hold onto the things that we have done and what will be done for His Glory this summer. As we are in the middle of Holy Week, preparing for this weekend, let us remember our ultimate Hope, and that "It is finished." I challenge us to have a conversation sometime this week that might be a bit awkward for us even alone. This conversation is not with another person, or even ourselves, but with the very thing that is coming after us that we cannot escape: death.

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CHRISTIAN:

Hello, Death, my old enemy. My old slave-master. Have you come to talk to me again? To frighten me?

I am not the person you think I am. I am not the one you used to talk to. Something has happened. Let me ask you a question, Death.

Where is your sting?

DEATH, sneeringly:

My sting is your sin.

CHRISTIAN:

I know that, Death. But that’s not what I asked you. I asked, where is your sting? I know what it is. But tell me where it is.

Why are you fidgeting, Death? Why are you looking away? Why are you turning to go? Wait, Death, you have not answered my question. Where is your sting?

Where is, my sin?

What? You have no answer? But, Death, why do you have no answer? How will you terrify me, if you have no answer?

O Death, I will tell you the answer. Where is your sting? Where is my sin? That's right, It is hanging on that tree. God made Christ to be sin—my sin. When he died, the penalty of my sin was paid. The power of it was broken. I bear it no more.

Farewell, Death. You need not show up here again to frighten me. God will tell you when to come next time. And when you come, you will be his servant. For me, you will have no sting.

O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

This is the Good News that we have received. Rest in it! Your sin is no more!

Team Photo

(Lawton not pictured.)

Why South Africa?

This is a great question! For most people, the country of South Africa isn't the first thing that comes to mind when we think Africa. Other places like Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, or maybe even North Africa and the recent violent political strife's are the first things that resonate. When taking the Gospel to the nations, it is these areas that seems to be in the most desperate need of it. I mean, come on, South Africa is the most developed country on the entire continent! Why do we need to go there? Well actually, it is for that very reason that we go.

Now let me first bust one myth that you are probably thinking... American students going across seas for two months... that's a long time... they need to be safe so... developed country equals safety, right? On some level, that's true. However, just because it's developed doesn't mean that it's the safest. We have to realize that when we think developed and safe, we picture America. As shocking as it may seem, we stand alone from a majority of the rest of the world. Most foreigners visualize America as a land flowing with milk and honey when it comes to developed and safe. Yes, safety is very important to us this summer, but this very reason is not the number one appeal to us. So now let me tell you the real reason we go to South Africa!

We believe that the continent of Africa is the least developed continent on earth, and that it is also one of the biggest doorways into the Middle East. There is nothing wrong with sending American teams straight into areas like Rwanda, Kenya, etc., or into northern countries like Morocco, or Egypt. There is a place for that, and that calling is being fulfilled. Also, we cannot forgot that South Africa has enough problems of its own considering the widespread acceptance of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel, and a Jesus+ancestral worship gospel that is so prevalent. But what we've realized is that strategy is important! Can God, and will God, use Americans to directly impact the remotest parts of Africa and the most centralized Islamic Communities? Most certainly! But who do we think can be more effective quicker? An American or an African? This is where our strategy lands! South Africa is the most developed country on the continent in every way. In other words, as different as it is from America, it's the most like America meaning Americans can be more effective in South Africa than possibility anywhere else in Africa. If we can reach South Africans with the Gospel, train them up to be laborers for the Kingdom so that they would go share the Gospel with other Africans, the Gospel will move north reaching Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and eventually Morocco, Libya, Egypt, and ultimately the world! Our vision is to start small, think big, and then go deep!

We believe that the vision we get to be a part of this summer is an opportunity to impact not only South Africa, but all of Africa and the entire world. It all flows out from the word's of Jesus:

"And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:18-20

First Trip Update :)

Dear friends,

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. I am so excited to share this opportunity with you all.

In high school, I’d always dreamed of going to Africa to help those less fortunate than myself. At that point, not yet understanding the full weight of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, I never imagined serving a greater purpose in Africa--going to share the good news of Jesus, that God loves sinners so much that he would send his perfect and holy Son, Jesus Christ, to give His life on the cross, so that sinners may come to know Him and have life in Him. While meeting people’s physical needs are an important part of our trip, a large part of what the Cross Cultural Project involves is being able to share with South Africans the joy that is found in Christ (Matthew 13:44). Jesus has dramatically changed my life over the past year and a half, not because of anything that I have done, but solely because of God’s love for me and His abundant grace. How could I not share that with others?

I’m learning so much already and I haven’t even gotten to South Africa yet! The support process has been so joyful for me (something that is clearly a gift from the Lord). I’ve enjoyed sharing with others the vision for the trip and what God has been doing in my life. He is so faithful and it has been so sweet to see His provision with support over the past few months. The more opportunities that I have to share about my trip, the clearer and more powerful the gospel is to me. What a blessing from the Lord!

Here are some prayer requests for my team and myself:

-That God’s glory would be known throughout the World and that He would continue expanding the team’s vision for the ministry

-Unity for our team

-That the Lord would prepare the hearts of the students at the University of Johannesburg to hear the Gospel and that we would be bold and faithful in sharing it

-That I would be faithful with raising support and dependent on the Lord’s provision

Thank you again for all of your support. I will update you again soon on what I’m learning, the details of the trip, and everything that the Lord is doing!

With love,

Lauren

“He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” -John 11:51-52

Setup Trip

Jeremy left with one of our other staff guys, Tom, today to spend the week in South Africa.  They'll be catching up on the ministry with Campus Outreach Johannesburg and getting everything set up for our trip this summer!  We're excited to hear about their trip and to have more details about our summer nailed down.

Becoming a Family that Follows Jesus

As we have begun to expand on our main theme for the summer-EXTRAordinary: Entrusted with the Hope of the Nations- there have been other topics that we have discussed during our time together. I think I could speak for all of us when I say that the topic of community is one of the more exciting discussions. God has created us to live in community with one another. As we think about the Trinity- Father, Son, & Holy Ghost- we believe that they are 3-in-1. As the Father is in relation with the Son & Holy Spirit and vise-versa, He has created us in His image (Gen. 1:27), and part of that is being in relation with one another. At our last retreat we took some time to discuss our vision of community for this summer:

God created us to be a family whose life together should show the world who God is and what He's about in us and around us. As broken people in a broken world, we're well aware that we struggle to live out this part of our identity, but we believe that through Jesus we can put life back together as a family. We get to take care of each other - leveraging what we have to meet the very real physical and spiritual needs that exist in our family. We want to take the time to help each other and other people become part of a family that follows Jesus. (Genesis 12:1-3;John 1:12-13;Romans 12:10-16;James 4:1-8)

Our Prayer is that through Jesus, and only through Him, God would use us in each others lives to become followers of Jesus, and help others outside of the Family of God to become Family.