NW MN Retreat Report

We find it hard to believe that we even attended the Northwest Minnesota District Retreat. It seemed as though we weren't even there. It happened so quickly. We left church right after the praise songs, we drove, we had some fun, ate some food, and then we were home the next night. It was quick, but it was GREAT!

The Lord was very good to us! There was a little weather to deal with on the way up, but He carried us through it. We had incredible fellowship on the way up. There was never a dull moment. I think the longest stretch of silence was 60 seconds. Once we were there, we checked-in, and then headed to the high school gym in Thief River Falls. There was a good group of people there. I even got to see an old Bible School classmate. That evening was the first session. I had felt most confident with what I had prepared for that night. Before the session, I was able to pray with Pastor Todd and Nathan, both of whom work with me on the FLY Committee. It was a joy to pray with them, and that even furthered my confidence in Jesus. I was humbled by that, and felt unworthy to deliver God's Word. God is God, and He delivered. Before we knew it, the night was over, and it was time to retreat to the hotel.


The next morning brought two more sessions. I was less confident about these two. The group of students was pretty tired, and thus their response was more reserved. I'll be honest and say that was tough at times. I am used of people responding, at least outwardly. It was a far cry from the retreat in Pittsburgh. However, I knew that God was doing what He desired to do. I kept claiming the promise in Isaiah, that His Word that proceeds from His mouth, will not return void! What a promise! It was an awesome time to share God's Word with such students. It was a struggle though. I had been getting sick before, and my voice was at about 40% during the weekend. I am sure I sounded pretty terrible. Good thing God's Word doesn't depend on the way my voice sounds. A few people came to me afterwards. That was great encouragement to me! It told me that God was in control, and that His work did go forward. In my mind, I had made no sense, and it was bad . . . in my mind. Knowing that God did His work inspite of me, that is humbling. That is awesome!

We left Thief River Falls after the retreat, and had another great car ride to the cities. It was such a blast to spend time with Analaya, Lynn, and Tom. I was looking forward just to that part of the trip. They didn't let me down. We had great 'Visitation' if you will! ;-) [that's for them] We stopped in the cities for dinner at Chin's Asia Fresh . . . good stuff. We also made a stop at Tom's heaven on earth . . . the Apple store. It was a joy to watch him go from mac to mac playing.

Thanks to all that were praying for me, and for us. It was a great time!

Not Feeling Good

Today is Saturday, and it is the day before we leave for the Northwest Minnesota District in Thief River Falls, MN. As of last night, I started to feel pretty sick. It was an early night for me. I was in bed by 9:30pm, with a bottle of 7Up, cough drops, water, and a bucket at my bedside. I woke up this morning feeling a bit better, but still not great.
Pray for quick healing. I know God will grant me the strength to travel there and back. I know God will carry me through the speaking part of it. I have confidence in our God. What I don't have confidence in, is how I am feeling right now.
This morning I am hoping to fine tune what has been prepared. My mind is a bit sluggish right now, so we'll see how that goes. Thanks for your prayers.

The Lion King Musical

For my birthday, Kelly took me to see "The Lion King" the musical broadway show at the Milwaukee Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We had been wanting to see this show for a while. We almost saw it in London, but the tickets were just a bit too much for us.

Needless to say, but it was GREAT! We really loved it! Yes, it is similar to the movie, but really not. Watching humans act as African animals, and even some operating puppets, you think would be cheesy. It was a far cry from that! I don't know how to describe it. You simply must go, that is if you are a big broadway show type of person. We were quite amazed at all the pageantry of colors, dancing, and music. They made it seem real. At times, you wondered how they made such animals come to life, forgetting they were operated by humans. They made great use of the audience too. At times, you felt very much a part of the production. I better stop. I stumble over words to use to describe it. I guess you should just go! I hope to go again!

Northwest Minnesota District Retreat

Here we go again! I have another great opportunity to share Jesus with students as a Guest Speaker. This time I will be traveling to Thief River Falls, MN. Quite a change from Pittsburgh. I will be speaking at the Northwest Minnesota District Winter Retreat. The theme is: "G.P.S. God's Plan of Salvation and My Journey" from Ephesians 2:1-10. The retreat starts on Sunday, February 17th, and ends the following day [President's Day]. I am excited to bring three of my seniors along for the retreat. That was something I could not do on the Pittsburgh retreat. All three are pretty excited to come, and I am excited to have them come along!
My notes and thoughts are starting to come together. However, I am still a ways off from being 'ready' to go. I know and trust that the Lord will continue to guide my thoughts through His Word. When they asked me to speak, they already had their theme chosen and each sessions's title. That made things quite easy for me. It gave me a great start.
If you would, pray for me as I continue to prepare. I am excited to share what God has revealed to me thus far. Pray that God's leading would continue, and that His Spirit and Word would be the source. I'll keep you posted on how things go!