LC, EPA, CA

today was raining from the get go and I hate rain. but i thanked God for his sovereignty. I prayed that if God wanted us to meet different people that we would obey. I didn't see any of the people from the previous days, but I had the chance to teach 4 kids ultimate frisbee. then my 2 teammates met an Egyptian who spoke no German. He only spoke French and Italian. After they talked for 1/2 hour they called me over. i spoke spanish and told him God loves him, and he understood. God's ways are truly mysterious.

South Bay Group

TH, Mountain View, CA

Last night, I prayed to God about keeping me focused and obedient all day today and I really felt that He answered. I felt like I spent my whole day focusing on His teachings and really digging out what He's calling me out to do. During prayer walking, I didn't feel called to talk to anyone, so we just walked around. Instead of getting tired and frustrated, God kept me patient and looking for what's next. I passed by the daycare where all the kids were. I told S&T I had to spend time with them since today was our last day at our park. RIght when I got in, all the kids ran to me and S, who I talked to on Monday, asked me for my address because she wants to write to me. I just pray to God that we will actually write letters consistentley to build a relationship and that God would use me to tell her about the spiritual life and HIs love for us as our forgiver and Savior.

TH, Mountain View, CA

God has opened my eyes this week for sure. When I go home, I want to save all of my friends. God has showed me that I care for my friends more that I thought I did. I want to see them in heaven with me. I plan to talk to my firends about Jesus and tell them my story, cuz I know I already threw away a lot of my chances. This time, I will not let myself not take the advantage of God's opportunity for me to talk about Him. It's my desire to save my dad, and go to to East Asia this July. I think I am not called to take any huge m trips to a different county after this. I feel that God wants be to stay local and spread His word at home and study the scripture even more. I feel drawn to children and I plan to teach children's Sunday School either in the fall or spring. So basically, I want to reach out to my school, my dad, and young children.

LC, EPA, CA

GOd, I pray that you woud help me to set aside time to prayer walk my neighborhood on a weekly basis. Help me also to be intentional in my activities, relationships, and free time. Make me available enough to love others, to see others as you see them. Grow my story as I commne with you on a moment by moment basis.

LC, EPA, CA

Today was an amazing day. There were probably more spiritual conversations than all the other days combined. There was one point I was praying for every member of our team because they were all in different conversations. At least two people I know asked for Bibles in their language. I read John 11 with one person and shared the Gosple to another. Plowing/prayer walking really did prepare the soil. Thanks God.

SP, Palo Alto, CA

My Commitment

I will keep my eyes open and not forget the compassion with which Jesus sees the people around me and even far away.

I have experienced greater obedience than before

In both compassion and obedience, I will not turn back on what has been given as grace to me. i will cultivate both; I will keep my hands open to receive more of both. I will grow my life around core things which now include these.

SP, Palo Alto, CA

Your love is amazing. I am so glad that you are in charge. I saw A again, now for the 3rd day in a row. Tuesday he had his Bacardirum, yesterday he was walking around and around the park. Today, he was sitting on a bench, his eyes moist. Communication was a challenge, but by his expression, I think this is where he was:
"Not so good."
"You-Christian?"
"You-pray"
"Bible... in Arabic?...

He left me his cell phone # for the feild team to fill his desire for an Arabic Bible. I left him my e-mail. Oh, how my heart breaks for a hurting soul that longs to know peace! Oh how God loves and pursues him!

Thank you Jesus for this week! I've tasted of your compassion for your world, of the beauty of your children across the lands: Turkish, Maledonian, Egyptian, Chileno and Mexican, German, American, Chinese... of your love that transcends all languages and culture, that brings healing for bodies, for loneliness, for hopelessness, and whose goodness beckons me forward, out of self and into HIS work and love.

CC Mountain View, CA

I think God wants me to hang out at home for a while. I feel that He is calling me to reap and vintage at youth group and work hard at school with both club and personal friends. As for next summer, I have no idea where He will take me. I would like to go to East Asia, but it may not be in His will

CC Mountain View, CA

I must confess that today I did not try to obey God and walk in obedience the whole day. However, despite that, I think the closest I got to reaping happened anyway. I was sitting around trying to figure out what to do, and God almost pushed me right into it. I didn't feel much like ministering to any of the girls walking around the park, so I was just sitting on the ground. J and L urged me and J to go talk to these two African girls sitting on the bench nearby. We found out that they were also 17 and 18 and spoke excellent English. We ended up talking for two hours about anything and we found that they did consider themselves Christians. I didn't get to share my story, but we invited them to the Sage conference tomorrow and I pray that thye would go. I really didn't think much of the convo till later when J was super excited and talking about it.

TPC, Palo Alto, CA

As I sit here trying to think of what to say, I cannot help but fell that I am incapable of putting my thoughts onto paper. The truth is that I'm mystified by God, I can't even begin to truly comprehend how God has grown me this past week. I do know I'm more desperate for God more than ever before, and that I want my friends local and abroad to share in the same joy of knowing Christ and pursing Him for all He's worth. I have also come to the terms with God being sovergein in my life. So many unknowns loom in my future; I'm happy to simply be obedient and have a peace that surpasses understanding.

TPC, Palo Alto, CA

I feel that Christ is putting on my heart to start ministry on my college campus and to talk and share with many of my hometown friends. I have a lot of non-Christian friends from high school, so I am extremely excited to take my local ministry up to the next level. I also feel that God is calling me to another longer missions endevor in the coming years. I don't know when or where, but I do know that I am desperate to see his name glorified in the nations.

T.H. Mountain View, CA

I miss everyone back at home so much! You know who you are! But meanwhile I'm still in Koln with my ministry bringing glory to God. Today R, who is a woman who works at the bathrooms and feels really lonely, believes in God and we invited her to have a Bible study today after meeting her on Monday. During our time w/her, we found out she has absolutly no knowledge of the ball, but she belives that God loves her. It was just awesome to see her be so desperate for God and ask so many questions. I was so suprised by her past experience in trying to find Jesus, like when a priest told her she is the Devil because she can't speak in tounges. I just thank God that we can have a bible study w/her now to share about the truth, not some crazy random priest telling her she's a devil. It's definitely God that gives her the heart to give Christianity so many chances until she can learn about God's word, the truth. Tommorow is our last day in CW, so i just ask that you guys will pray that I'll get another opportunity to share my storyfaith w'someone esp. someone who is in need of God

T.P.C. Palo Alto, CA

Fasho Fasho! Today we met Marco and Davide again, as well another group of kids, to play soccer and American football. I finally was able to talk to Davide. I decided to tell him my story, and although he wasn't especially interested I still felt that God was working in him and his friends. We're meeting them tomorrow, so please pray that the boys' heart to be softened and that our team's ministry ends on a great note.

CC - Mountain View, CA

I was kind of disgruntled today. We've made a lot of contacts the past few days and quite a few more today. But I haven't been even close to having a spiritual conversation with anyone. We met up with some new kids at an ice cream shop and the ones from Young Club, but didn't get anywhere. Me, Spencer, Lawrence, and Jessica made a little contact with the asian group, but not much. I just pray that God will bring people to the cook out tomorrow especially those we made contact with. I would like to talk to LeNora from the ice ship again. I also pray for a way to connect and share with the kids from young club.

SP - Palo Alto, CA

Six years of spanish pay off! LC, JK, and I met a pregnant woman from Mexico and her 8 year old son- her name is Yeni and her boy is Jenri. We also met a Brazilian woman named Isabel. Yeni's catholic while her husband Ramon wrestles to see God in a world full of suffering. Isabel lives in Koln, away fom the rest of her family. All of us had a heart-warming conversation, talking, among other things, about the difference between "religion" and knowing and loving God. Isabel's not a believer, so LC shared about how what Jesus did has changed his life. Really, though, it's not my six years of spanish. I've learned today (in conjunction with being able to speak comfort to a french-speaking egyptian yesterday) that GOD LOVES PEOPLE TOO MUCH TO LET LANGUAGE BARRIERS STAND IN THE WAY! HE HELPS. Praise God.

LC - EPA, CA

Pray that I can invite Germany to acceot Christ. Pray for another chance to share God's story with Jenny. Pray for the Egyptian man, and a chance to share God's love with him. Pray for the Thai group and a chance to comment. Praise God for my back feeling better. Pray that this continues.

Wednesday

TH, Mountain View, CA
Since it was raining today (sadly), we had HC inside the mall in the bakery and we got to share our faiths with each other again. It was really useful since we tried to say the words we would say if we were talking to a random person just as practice for evangelism. I thought Jeff's lesson was especially deep since he taught us that we are the ones who plow and sow and God is the one that lets the heart grow. We can't force anyone to grow in faith in God, that's His choice and it's call to the person. Our job is just to listen to Him and share the incredible gifts He's given us and spread His word. Sara and I prayed for so long today, just asking for God for the right direction to the people He wants us to talk to. Thank God for patience, we finally approached a group of teenagers after an hour and 30 min. The teenagers knew a little bit of English, but they were able to call over a German friend who knew English really well. He was probably the most mature 14 year old I've ever met. It was awesome to find out that He believes in Christ too and he was so appreciative of his friends and his education and I could tell it was God humbling him and applying appreciation to his heart. I hope we will see him again to be able to share our faith more.



TPC, Palo Alto, CA
Although it rained throughout the day, I saw God move in subtle ways throughout the day. We didn't think the boys would show because it was raining, but they showed up! We had lots of fun playing football and eating ice cream. They didn't have any prayer requests, but I'm praying for them. We will meet them tomorrow again and we also invited them to the cook off.
I'm still unsure of what exactly God is doing in Chorweiler, but I'm choosing to trust Him and be obedient.

SP - Palo Alto, CA
The scattering. Heavy downpour meant the people we'd been praying for and befriending weren't at the park. As a result, the LORD led us to many others, broadening our circle to the shops, subway stations, and schools outside the park. Pray for Ahmed, an Egyptian away from his family (they're in France), who we found alone with a rum bottle at the park. God helped our communication for 30 minutes, and we prayed for him (CC, LC, and I), and told him God loved him. I pray we'll see him again, and that we'll be able to shave the whole message about Jesus with him in an understandable way! Been telling strangers about God's love. Praying to genuinely have God's love in me. We also keep seeing (and praying for) a couple we saw fighting. They've also been on my heart. Pray for LC, CC, and me - we hope to say hello to the Asians in the park tomorrow.


CC, Mountain View, CA
today was an awesome day. so many crazy things happened to our team. we had house church in the subway station and we talked about being discouraged because last night all the other teams had so many God stories to share and we didn't have anything. then we split, and I went with Brooke into the park even though it was raining. we barely started praying about what we should do to find people today, and right then we saw these kids playing soccer in a courtyard. Brooke said we should go in and we found about 15-20 teenagers hanging out at "young club" we hung out with them a bit and even saw them later in the park. we invited them to our cook out Thursday, and we're playing soccer with them tomorrow. i prayed that God will show us how to connect with them and to talk about Jesus with them because they're very rambunkous and they smoke and drink.