Cause in the last month of the race you have no idea what's next and you waste time making hilarious music videos in Romania!
Well, now that I'm back stateside and am trying to figure out what's next, I've decided to join a week-long workshop for former World Racers called Searchlight. It is being hosted by Kingdom Dreams and is designed to help us racers clarify our calling and how to pursue our passion. During the week we have received personalized teaching, training, and coaching, regarding our gifts and talents.
If your coming off the field soon, you should definitely do it! And in the meantime, here is a spectacular music video, displaying the raw and awesome talents of Team Tetris and Team Push-it on the Q Squad. So sing-a-long and reminisce about all the crazy experiences you've shared with us on the World Race!
Watch this amazing healing that God did through my Brazilian friend, Jose Coehlo, which took place at a bus stop in downtown Santa Rosa, CA. The expression on the guy's face who got healed is priceless! God is alive and active, and the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you! (Romans 8:11)
Hey, my running-mate, Andrew, just posted this blog and I wanted to share it with you. It is an update on all the amazing stuff we've seen God do up here in Northern California for the past couple weeks. You guys stay blessed and can't wait to catch up in person when I make it back to Georgia.
Jose Coelho, our new Brazilian friend and host during our time in Santa Rosa
JD and I have been put into and have put ourselves into many situations over the past month that I previously would have never thought I'd be in. I know I say this a lot, but I believe their is a direct correlation between "stepping out in faith" and seeing God show up in our lives. Christianity is not meant to be boring but actually quite the opposite, however we cannot sit back and expect things to just happen.
I realize that sharing the gospel of Jesus and praying for the sick is not exactly "the typical" for most people so I won't pretend so. Yet, I believe that most Christians lack a true identity of who Christ has made us to be here and now and what He has done for us already. The bible says that we, as believers, are the temple of the Holy Spirit! Basically Christ lives in us, so we don't lack anything and He will never leave us (meaning He is with us wherever we go). Their is nothing extra ANY of us need (because we Have God in us), except for an understanding of who we are in Christ! This also means that we don't need to go to a church building to meet/talk to/be used by God.
I've talked about this before, but this is basically where "month 12" has come into play. I believe the only thing missing are people willing to "go and try" not giving up just because we don't see anything. We are not called to walk by sight, but by faith. Jesus told us to preach the gospel, but He also told us to heal the sick everywhere we go. I'm still very much in process and more often than not don't SEE results, but below are two of many stories from the past 4 weeks of ways God has used two ordinary people willing to step out and say "yes."
Checking out some of the gigantic Redwood trees in Northern California
Testimony 1
JD and I decided to go to a local hospital in Oakland about a week ago. We didn't go inside of the hospital, but decided to stay outside where many of the smokers, patients, and family members would hang out as well as people waiting for the bus. After talking with many people I saw a black woman with a cane approaching me. We talked for a bit and then I asked her why she was limping and using a cane. She said she had stiffness in both her legs and was in pain. I asked if I could pray for her and she willingly said yes. So bending down and putting my hand on her foot I started to command the stiffness to leave her body and proclaim life and healing in Jesus name. She checked out her legs and immediately looked amazed that it was gone and she felt better. We prayed a second time anyways. By this point she was quite excited and started to open up about her life to us. She told us that she used to be a Christian 10 years ago and had two good friends that she used to go to church with, but had lost touch with one and the other had since passed away. We then parted ways and we laughed as she walked away forgetting her cane. I went back to talking with some other people and about an hour later I came across the same lady who had been healed of stiffness in her leg. She was quite ecstatic so I attempted to calm her down and figure out why. She said that right after talking with me she ran into her friend, the Christian friend of hers that she hadn't seen in 10 years and was able to reunite with her. God is good and His timing is impeccable!
JD playing "Ninja" with some of the local kids during an outreach in Santa Rosa, CA
Testimony 2
As I mentioned in my last blog, JD and I spent a day in Berkeley and were able to hang out with squatters, pot-smokers, and doubters, but while on the university campus we struck up a conversation with a young woman from Geneva, Switzerland. We asked her a couple questions about what she thought of Jesus and Christianity, but for the most part we just hung out and talked about life, not being on any time restraint or having any real agenda. After about 2 hours of talking we all 3 stood up to start walking (not really sure where). While walking we noticed a girl to the side of us being held up by two guys on both sides of her. She was limping and not really putting any pressure on one of her feet. JD walked up to her and asked her what happened. She said that she had just twisted it and thought it was sprained or broken. He then offered his "medical assistance" and leaned down to place his hands on her foot. He started his prayer by saying "In Jesus name", which caused the girl to fake knee him because she was upset that he was praying in Jesus name, but he boldly kept on praying without flinching. After praying he asked her how she felt and I seriously wish you all could have seen the look on her face as she was able to stand on her hurting foot again. She humbly admitted that it was surprisingly much better, but not perfect so JD prayed again. This time it got even better and she walked away on both of her feet feeling quite stunned at what had just happened (so much for needing faith to get healed). While it was awesome that the girl just got healed it was even more amazing to watch the reaction and change in demeanor of the Swiss girl...she had witnessed the whole thing. Without going into too much detail, we were able to spend the next 3 hours talking with the Swiss girl over pizza. She eagerly listened as we shared the gospel with her for the first time and had many questions to add. We walked her home that night and were able to mail a bible to her a couple days later believing that her life is going to take on a different direction.
Me, Swiss Girl (Mary), JD
Preaching the gospel, praying for the sick, and walking in the supernatural is NOT for an elite group of Christians, but for ALL believers! Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God is at Hand." It is supposed to be something tangible that we can touch and interact with. The Kingdom is within us...we just need to learn how to release it by trying!
Their is nothing holding us back except ourselves, so I will ask again, "Are you willing to look like a fool for Christ?"
Jose Coelho, our new Brazilian friend and host during our time in Santa Rosa
JD and I have been put into and have put ourselves into many situations over the past month that I previously would have never thought I'd be in. I know I say this a lot, but I believe their is a direct correlation between "stepping out in faith" and seeing God show up in our lives. Christianity is not meant to be boring but actually quite the opposite, however we cannot sit back and expect things to just happen.
I realize that sharing the gospel of Jesus and praying for the sick is not exactly "the typical" for most people so I won't pretend so. Yet, I believe that most Christians lack a true identity of who Christ has made us to be here and now and what He has done for us already. The bible says that we, as believers, are the temple of the Holy Spirit! Basically Christ lives in us, so we don't lack anything and He will never leave us (meaning He is with us wherever we go). Their is nothing extra ANY of us need (because we Have God in us), except for an understanding of who we are in Christ! This also means that we don't need to go to a church building to meet/talk to/be used by God.
I've talked about this before, but this is basically where "month 12" has come into play. I believe the only thing missing are people willing to "go and try" not giving up just because we don't see anything. We are not called to walk by sight, but by faith. Jesus told us to preach the gospel, but He also told us to heal the sick everywhere we go. I'm still very much in process and more often than not don't SEE results, but below are two of many stories from the past 4 weeks of ways God has used two ordinary people willing to step out and say "yes."
Checking out some of the gigantic Redwood trees in Northern California
Testimony 1
JD and I decided to go to a local hospital in Oakland about a week ago. We didn't go inside of the hospital, but decided to stay outside where many of the smokers, patients, and family members would hang out as well as people waiting for the bus. After talking with many people I saw a black woman with a cane approaching me. We talked for a bit and then I asked her why she was limping and using a cane. She said she had stiffness in both her legs and was in pain. I asked if I could pray for her and she willingly said yes. So bending down and putting my hand on her foot I started tocommandthe stiffness to leave her body and proclaim life and healing in Jesus name. She checked out her legs and immediately looked amazed that it was gone and she felt better. We prayed a second time anyways. By this point she was quite excited and started to open up about her life to us. She told us that she used to be a Christian 10 years ago and had two good friends that she used to go to church with, but had lost touch with one and the other had since passed away. We then parted ways and we laughed as she walked away forgetting her cane. I went back to talking with some other people and about an hour later I came across the same lady who had been healed of stiffness in her leg. She was quite ecstatic so I attempted to calm her down and figure out why. She said that right after talking with me she ran into her friend, the Christian friend of hers that she hadn't seen in 10 years and was able to reunite with her. God is good and His timing is impeccable!
JD playing "Ninja" with some of the local kids during an outreach in Santa Rosa, CA
Testimony 2
As I mentioned in my last blog, JD and I spent a day in Berkeley and were able to hang out with squatters, pot-smokers, and doubters, but while on the university campus we struck up a conversation with a young woman from Geneva, Switzerland. We asked her a couple questions about what she thought of Jesus and Christianity, but for the most part we just hung out and talked about life, not being on any time restraint or having any real agenda. After about 2 hours of talking we all 3 stood up to start walking (not really sure where). While walking we noticed a girl to the side of us being held up by two guys on both sides of her. She was limping and not really putting any pressure on one of her feet. JD walked up to her and asked her what happened. She said that she had just twisted it and thought it was sprained or broken. He then offered his "medical assistance" and leaned down to place his hands on her foot. He started his prayer by saying "In Jesus name", which caused the girl to fake knee him because she was upset that he was praying in Jesus name, but he boldly kept on praying without flinching. After praying he asked her how she felt and I seriously wish you all could have seen the look on her face as she was able to stand on her hurting foot again. She humbly admitted that it was surprisingly much better, but not perfect so JD prayed again. This time it got even better and she walked away on both of her feet feeling quite stunned at what had just happened (so much for needing faith to get healed). While it was awesome that the girl just got healed it was even more amazing to watch the reaction and change in demeanor of the Swiss girl...she had witnessed the whole thing. Without going into too much detail, we were able to spend the next 3 hours talking with the Swiss girl over pizza. She eagerly listened as we shared the gospel with her for the first time and had many questions to add. We walked her home that night and were able to mail a bible to her a couple days later believing that her life is going to take on a different direction.
Me, Swiss Girl (Mary), JD
Preaching the gospel, praying for the sick, and walking in the supernatural is NOT for an elite group of Christians, but for ALL believers! Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God is at Hand." It is supposed to be something tangible that we can touch and interact with. The Kingdom is within us...we just need to learn how to release it by trying!
Their is nothing holding us back except ourselves, so I will ask again, "Are you willing to look like a fool for Christ?"
Jose Coelho, our new Brazilian friend and host during our time in Santa Rosa
JD and I have been put into and have put ourselves into many situations over the past month that I previously would have never thought I'd be in. I know I say this a lot, but I believe their is a direct correlation between "stepping out in faith" and seeing God show up in our lives. Christianity is not meant to be boring but actually quite the opposite, however we cannot sit back and expect things to just happen.
I realize that sharing the gospel of Jesus and praying for the sick is not exactly "the typical" for most people so I won't pretend so. Yet, I believe that most Christians lack a true identity of who Christ has made us to be here and now and what He has done for us already. The bible says that we, as believers, are the temple of the Holy Spirit! Basically Christ lives in us, so we don't lack anything and He will never leave us (meaning He is with us wherever we go). Their is nothing extra ANY of us need (because we Have God in us), except for an understanding of who we are in Christ! This also means that we don't need to go to a church building to meet/talk to/be used by God.
I've talked about this before, but this is basically where "month 12" has come into play. I believe the only thing missing are people willing to "go and try" not giving up just because we don't see anything. We are not called to walk by sight, but by faith. Jesus told us to preach the gospel, but He also told us to heal the sick everywhere we go. I'm still very much in process and more often than not don't SEE results, but below are two of many stories from the past 4 weeks of ways God has used two ordinary people willing to step out and say "yes."
Checking out some of the gigantic Redwood trees in Northern California
Testimony 1
JD and I decided to go to a local hospital in Oakland about a week ago. We didn't go inside of the hospital, but decided to stay outside where many of the smokers, patients, and family members would hang out as well as people waiting for the bus. After talking with many people I saw a black woman with a cane approaching me. We talked for a bit and then I asked her why she was limping and using a cane. She said she had stiffness in both her legs and was in pain. I asked if I could pray for her and she willingly said yes. So bending down and putting my hand on her foot I started to command the stiffness to leave her body and proclaim life and healing in Jesus name. She checked out her legs and immediately looked amazed that it was gone and she felt better. We prayed a second time anyways. By this point she was quite excited and started to open up about her life to us. She told us that she used to be a Christian 10 years ago and had two good friends that she used to go to church with, but had lost touch with one and the other had since passed away. We then parted ways and we laughed as she walked away forgetting her cane. I went back to talking with some other people and about an hour later I came across the same lady who had been healed of stiffness in her leg. She was quite ecstatic so I attempted to calm her down and figure out why. She said that right after talking with me she ran into her friend, the Christian friend of hers that she hadn't seen in 10 years and was able to reunite with her. God is good and His timing is impeccable!
JD playing "Ninja" with some of the local kids during an outreach in Santa Rosa, CA
Testimony 2
As I mentioned in my last blog, JD and I spent a day in Berkeley and were able to hang out with squatters, pot-smokers, and doubters, but while on the university campus we struck up a conversation with a young woman from Geneva, Switzerland. We asked her a couple questions about what she thought of Jesus and Christianity, but for the most part we just hung out and talked about life, not being on any time restraint or having any real agenda. After about 2 hours of talking we all 3 stood up to start walking (not really sure where). While walking we noticed a girl to the side of us being held up by two guys on both sides of her. She was limping and not really putting any pressure on one of her feet. JD walked up to her and asked her what happened. She said that she had just twisted it and thought it was sprained or broken. He then offered his "medical assistance" and leaned down to place his hands on her foot. He started his prayer by saying "In Jesus name", which caused the girl to fake knee him because she was upset that he was praying in Jesus name, but he boldly kept on praying without flinching. After praying he asked her how she felt and I seriously wish you all could have seen the look on her face as she was able to stand on her hurting foot again. She humbly admitted that it was surprisingly much better, but not perfect so JD prayed again. This time it got even better and she walked away on both of her feet feeling quite stunned at what had just happened (so much for needing faith to get healed). While it was awesome that the girl just got healed it was even more amazing to watch the reaction and change in demeanor of the Swiss girl...she had witnessed the whole thing. Without going into too much detail, we were able to spend the next 3 hours talking with the Swiss girl over pizza. She eagerly listened as we shared the gospel with her for the first time and had many questions to add. We walked her home that night and were able to mail a bible to her a couple days later believing that her life is going to take on a different direction.
Me, Swiss Girl (Mary), JD
Preaching the gospel, praying for the sick, and walking in the supernatural is NOT for an elite group of Christians, but for ALL believers! Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God is at Hand." It is supposed to be something tangible that we can touch and interact with. The Kingdom is within us...we just need to learn how to release it by trying!
Their is nothing holding us back except ourselves, so I will ask again, "Are you willing to look like a fool for Christ?"
Andrew and I hung out with a guy in San Jose last week by the name of Ryan Rhoades. Right now he is working on a documentary called "What If God Was Really Good?" The premise of the movie is to interview people on the streets and ask them what they think of Jesus, what they think of the Church, and then pose to believers why the two look so different in the world's eyes. We were fortunate enough to have the chance to go and film with him for one day and this shows part of our escapades. Hope you enjoy!
He also runs a blog that has tons of great resources on healing and biblical doctrine. If you would like to check it out, here is the website...
The World Race is only an 11 month mission trip, there is a beginning and an end, but life is a journey. And this mindset has assured Andrew and I into a month 12. It is a month of seeking God, His Kingdom, and how it is manifested on earth. Here is repost from Andrew's blog that describes what the last 3 weeks has been like for us. Thank you so much for following along with us on this journey.
Oakland Raiders Game
My journey on The World Race ended about 22 days ago, however my adventure has continued on as if not much has really changed. If you have been following my blogs then you might recall me writing about the "ATL's" that we often did on the race. These were days where we didn't have any organized program, but just decided to go out into the surrounding areas to do the work God has already given us. The last 22 days have basically been one long ATL....JD and I have made ourselves completely available to whatever God wants to do through us and have been pushing one another to exercise our faith and authority, which we have in Christ! It was a bit strange at first, not being part of any organized program, but it has allowed us the flexibility to do ministry as we have wanted to....or thought we wanted to.
SOS Ministries got a permit for us at Union Square in San Francisco
It has been a sobering and raw experience to literally head out each day without any real agenda, but just desiring to introduce people to the God who made them. While we did quite a bit of evangelism and preaching during the race and particularly in Africa, it has been a different feel here in the states. We have been finding out (sometimes rather harshly) what works and what doesn't and through this have been learning to strip down to what we really need. We have had ups and downs, faith movements yet moments of doubt, been challenged many times, but through this refining process are being strengthened. Our thoughts, ideas, and opinions toward ministry are also being refined and we constantly find ourselves back at the feet of Jesus desiring to know what a typical day looked like for Him. Not just the cool stories we read about in the bible, but what did life look like for Him between point A and point B.
Still taking public transportation everywhere we go
However, for the most part this adventure has been a blast. God has put some incredible people in our path, opened up places for us to stay for free (thanks Sis, Linda, Patrick, Pete & Lily, SOS Ministries), and revealed Himself over and over again. JD and I are not big planners, but God has provided for all of our needs thus far and has already opened up several doors going forward. He has truly been showing us that when you start moving and doing His will, that He takes care of the rest...we even had some lady give us free tickets to the Oakland Raiders game and always have people offering to buy us food or give us rides.
Spending time with different ministries (Back of his shirt says "Be the church")
While we were in New York JD and I would pick a different Borough to head to each day. Even though we didn't really know where we were going, someone always seemed to pop up at an opportune moment to direct us. Spending time in Queens (Chinatown), reminded us of our time in Thailand and Cambodia. Even though we were in the U.S. we had to ask people if they spoke English because about half of them didn't. New York was such a melting pot of people and cultures and we continually found ourselves talking to people from countries we had just visited.
Our new friend Tim Moon
From New York we flew into San Francisco and have been staying with a ministry in Oakland called SOS Ministries. We found out about the opportunity to stay with them just 3 days before leaving New York through an unrecognized Facebook message. During our time here we have done street preaching in downtown San Francisco, hung out with hippies, potheads, and squatters in Berkeley, helped film a documentary, spent time at a hospital praying for the sick and disabled, and much more.
Some squatters we hung out with in Berkeley
Each day brings us a new escapade, which I won't go into more depth here; however I plan to write another blog sharing at least two specific testimonies we have had from our adventures with God. Tomorrow we leave Oakland and are heading to Antioch, CA to stay with a family friend for a couple days before moving on to Santa Rosa, CA. There we will be staying with a friend of a friend (basically someone we met during our journey). Hope y'all are enjoying and look forward to seeing many of you in person soon...If you feel like it, we'd appreciate any prayers!
I flew into JFK on July 30th, but it still doesn’t feel like I’ve arrived in America yet. New York is its own country in and of itself! For the last week and a half I have met people from Ghana, Russia, the Philippines, Australia, Italy, Greece, Colombia, India, Nepal, China, you name it! You pick a country and I almost guarantee I’ve either seen or met someone from there. This metropolis is a melting pot of cultures and rhythms, lifestyles and beats. It is a city that never sleeps and there is always something entertaining just around the corner.
(Me, Patrick & Andrew)
And for the last few days, my buddy (Andrew Bennett) and I have been hitting the streets to have these cultures clash with the God who made them. We decided to pick a different borough or neighborhood each day and simply go out with the message of Mark 16:20, “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” We went out to declare the love of God and demonstrate the power of God in 3 different areas: The Bronx, Harlem, and Queens. And each time we got off the subway and walked up the stairs into the open air, we entered an entirely new world. And I swear I've spoke more Spanish this past week than my entire 11 months on the World Race, haha!
Our first day out we leave Andrew’s sister’s apartment in Manhattan and head down to the subway on West 4th and tell the ticket counter lady that we would like to go to The Bronx. And this sweet, yet fierce black lady bites back, “Where in The Bronx do you want to go? I can’t just send you anywhere. It isn’t safe for guys like you!” So we tell her we want to do street evangelism and she decides on a busy intersection for us to get off at and we get on our way. But as we board the subway and start heading out there we find a woman who is holding a sign in English and is asking for money in Spanish. So I decide to go up to her and see what the problem is, and she says that her son is in the Dominican Republic and needs money for an operation on his liver. I begin to tell that we are missionaries and that we pray for healing, and then I ask her if we could pray for her and her son and she happily agrees. So right in the middle of the subway as we are moving I begin to pray and prophesy over her in Spanish. It was awesome to see her emotions and spirit get lifted, knowing that with God all things are possible and that He is not limited by time or space. And because of what others saw Andrew and I doing, afterward as she began to leave people started to give her money. God is so good, isn't He? He "is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think!" (Eph. 3:20)
This is just one of the countless stories of God intertwining our lives with those that He loves while we were here on the streets of New York. Other stories include helping a homeless guy who just had open heart surgery the week prior find a shelter for food and lodging. Our 4-hour journey of bus rides and walking around aimlessly, while speaking life into our fellow brother in Christ, ultimately led us to a Franciscan church that provided housing for the homeless. (By the way, Catholics are doing amazing things for the Kingdom!)
I also had a black guy come up to me on a bike and ask me if he could sing to me for money. I told him that I didn't really want to pay him to sing, but told him if he wanted to sing that he should sing the Bible. And from that point he told me that he was like Jonah and had been running away from his calling as a preacher. So I convinced him to start preaching and right in the middle of the park and He did! And then right before I flew out a few days later I bought him a Bible and encouraged him to go out and preach the Word.
The stories go on and on, and include randomness like sneaking into a Pentecostal church to pray and get filled up by the Spirit before doing ministry, holding up a sign that said "Free Healing" in the middle of the street, praying for an old Chinese lady who then buys me lunch afterward, praying for a legally blind guy who ends up selling drugs right in front of me to another guy in a shady park, being hit on the forehead and told I was ignorant for believing in Jesus by an athiest with a walker, being enlightened buy a homeless guy for hours about conspiracy theories, giving an apologetic discourse for the existence of God to two high schoolers while sharing a box of chicken nuggets together at a McDonald's, helping a local youth football team raise money for equipment and then prophesy over them, and then the best of all see a quite a few people get healed from knee and back pain who walk away overjoyed and touched by God.
That is what this next month is about, it is about Encounter! Encountering God and encountering others with the God who made them. We are not done with the race, the race has just begun. The end of Month 11 is merely the beginning Month 12. So Month 12, bring it on! We are open for any and everything to come our way!
(Dude, I Think We're Lost! What Country Is This Again?)
(Free Healing Anyone?) (See That Guy In The White-T?)
(Yeah, His Back Just Got Healed and He Was So Stoked!)
(They Buy Gold, We Give Health)
(Come On, You Don't Need That Cane No More!)
(This Lady's Leg Was Feeling Pretty Good Afterward)
(Get At It Kenneth, Preach It Brother!) (That's The Guy Who Slapped Me On The Forehead)
(This Is Cathlene After Her Knee Was Healed. And This Is Me Having No Idea How Take A Picture With My New Phone Or How To Style My Hair Now That It Is Short! I'll Blame the Wind And Lack Of A Mirror!)
If you had 1 day left on the World Race what would you do?..........Flash Mob of course! Share this video with everyone you know! Our squad wants 10,000 hits on YouTube before our plane lands in New York!
Hey, I wanted to share this blog with you guys written by my stellar teammate, Ryan Hughes. It peaks into the life of one of the orphans that impacted our team this past month in Ukraine. Hope you guys are blessed by it.
Only 30 days left on the race, crazy!
Today is your Birthday...your turning 16! Today is a big day for you. A day that will change the rest of your life...No, I'm not talking about your typical sweet 16 birthday party that you would have in America, with cars, money, clothes, toys, laptops, and anything else you could imagine being possibly given as a gift. Instead let me share with you what a Ukrainian Orphan goes through on there "Sweet 16"...They Time Out!
Imagine a life where you have no parents, no family, you eat the same gross food everyday, your only escape is to run off into the bushes and smoke a cigarette before your dorm parents find you, no one to encourage you to grow, challenge you to exceed further, and a poor education.
Then, there is the day that you turn 16..."Time Out" day. Instead of being showered with gifts and love on this day. You are given a box to pack your things. A small amount of cash, and a wish of "Good Luck" with the rest of your life! No job is lined up, no place to stay, no education given to go into the workplace, no life skills to make it from here. You have simply "Timed Out", no one has adopted you, and your now no longer the governments "Problem". You have "Timed Out!"
This happens everyday in Ukraine, and this month we had the privilege with working with many of these children in a summer camp. The stories they could tell you about the struggles they have had in there life would more than many of us in our adult years in America could ever imagine. They opened up to us and shared the reality of there struggles, there fears, and wishes. What do they want the most? To be adopted by an American family. Why? I asked...and they respond "Then we have a chance" Now I know that is not the cure all answer for the problem, but there are these "chances" given to some of the children and they do very well.
I met one such young man, Dima. He is just about to "Time Out" and is in the process of being adopted by a loving family in America. Dima is a smart, fun, loving boy that has been blessed with an opportunity that others in Ukraine will not be given. He can move to America, he will have a clean house, with good food, clean clothes, hot showers, an education, and attend a University, where his career choice is limitless.
I was blessed to meet and know Dima during our month in Ukraine. I was so excited to learn after meeting him that someone was going to take him in from America. I taught him some English prhases, like "My brother from another mother", "Hey man what's up!?", and then my favorite "Check yourself, before you wreck yourself!" He taught me Russian all day, and at night we would have long conversations through pointing and trying to explain in a foreign language, but somehow, we understood each other! The last night we were at the camp, Dima looked over at me and said "Ryan, you are my brother!" and I replied "Dima, You will always be my brother!"
Pray with me for my brother Dima! That the adoption process would go through and be approved without any problems. Pray for the family adopting him. And pray that there would be more like them. People willing to love out side of there home and show the love of Jesus to a stranger and accept them as there son or daughter. Also, pray for the thousands of Orphans in Ukraine, in fact for the Millions of Orphans all over the world. Pray that they will be covered with the blood of Jesus, the Love of Christ, and protection from God. I pray that we will all be Jesus to whoever we meet, wherever we are!
