Sleep.
Why did you decide to go on FaithTrip?
I was compelled by the need of leadership.
What are you looking forward to the most?
Seeing once again the hand of God work thru my deficiencies.
Do you have any apprehensions?
The difficulties that rain brings and the distance between each [...] Continue Reading »
Houston!
Posted by: Christina HarrisPraise God from whom all blessings flow! We’re here in Houston. After much prayer, we arrived on Tuesday evening and our two vans (Goldie and Coconut), made the 2000 mile trip from Weimar, CA–this doesn’t include the miles racked up making drops for our 11-member canvassing crew along our route! Our Faith Trip continues however, as we wrestle with what to do about Goldie, who continues to overheat periodically, and is in need of major repairs! We praise God that this keeps us on our knees.
In spite of the difficulties, God has given tokens of His love and mercy. On Tuesday, we were provided with a wonderful gourmet breakfast at a vegan restaurant (Green Vegetarian Cuisine) in San Antonio that is owned by two Adventist brothers. Today, we had another wonderful breakfast prepared by Rick and Vivian Seiler and spent the rest of the day with laundry, getting some rest, and looking for a repair shop for Goldie.
Our team will be sharing with the entire GYC and 3ABN family on Friday night about our trip, it challenges, the many blessings along with way, and plans for the future. If you cannot attend in person, be sure to watch on 3ABN. Also, please pray for our media crew, Branden, Aubrey, and Nick as they prepare an 8-minute video of a 2.5 week trip–a major challenge. God bless (GB) and thanks for your prayers!
On the Day After Christmas…
Posted by: Jeffrey DaleMy first house on the day after Christmas turned out to be a definite divine appointment. The woman named Liz who answered the door told me I shouldn’t be in the neighborhood–she said it wasn’t safe and that I should at least keep my money in my shoe. She also said, however, that she was glad I was there and she believed God had sent me. She was wanting to understand the Bible better. Liz has sacrificed by living in that neighborhood so she can send her kids to a Christian school. She told me that they are learning a lot about the Bible and that she is now learning from them. But she wants to know more, and she was glad to be able to get the book Man of Peace (adaptation of Desire of Ages). The copy she got was one of the last of those books that we had. I was also able to pray with Liz before I left, and I know that she will now be drawn closer to Jesus as she learns more about Him.
God Gave us an iMac
Posted by: Branden Albertson
As you may know, the FaithTrip media crew is creating a documentary of FaithTrip for GYC. We have been running into issues with our current computers and were at a loss of what to do. Today, we stepped out in faith and prayerfully went to the Apple store in Houston and explained our situation to the store manager. We were able to work it out that we could buy an iMac, use it for a week, and then return it with a complete refund. PRAISE THE LORD!
Lessons Learned
Posted by: Jeffrey DaleGod has been teaching me many things during the FaithTrip. Because I have not had much prior experience and there was little training on the trip, He has been teaching me how to canvass. I have seen books go into many homes that I considered difficult or unlikely–unlikely because the person came to the door talking on the phone or unlikely because they immediately said they were busy or weren’t interested or unlikely because they had a “no soliciting” sign. This week God has also been teaching me that I need to be humble and trust Him completely. The middle of the week was rough for me as I was not getting many books out. Through the experience, I had to just trust Him. I asked Him to use me however He wanted.
This week then ended with great blessings for the whole team. On Thursday, we got a very late start because the brown van had to be worked on. It was 4 pm by the time we were dropped off in Van Horn, a tiny town in the middle of nowhere in the Texas desert. Jonathan’s instructions were unique: “Work down the street to the end of town.” Our goal was to get out 50 books so we could at least cover our expenses for the day. As we called in books over the radio, Jonathan would let us know how many we still needed. It was encouraging to hear the number dropping: 40 . . . 30 . . . 20 . . . 10.
I knew we only had a few more books to go as I knocked on a door and a young girl answered. I asked if her mom or dad were home. She said they weren’t, but that her grandma was there. She was about to get grandma when a guy about my age, probably her brother, came to the door. I started to canvass him, showing him the cookbook. Then I told him we had a DVD he’d really enjoy and showed him Ancient Dream, a documentary based on Daniel 2. He immediately became very excited and said that this was exactly the kind of thing he was interested in. He thought grandma might like the cookbook, and he called her to the door. He started talking to her in Spanish, so I showed them the Spanish cookbook. He then asked what else we had. Based on his interest in Ancient Dream, I knew Great Controversy would be great for him. He was going to get the DVD and the cookbook with the $20 bill he had, but by this point grandma didn’t seem so interested in the cookbook, so he asked if he could get the GC instead. I told him that would be just fine. I praised God for working things out so this young man came to the door at just the right time.
As I was leaving this house another team member called in a book and Jonathan announced that we now needed only one more. I was able to say that we actually had two more already. It was now just after 6 pm–a little more than 2 hours since we had been dropped off. God truly blessed so that we were able to get out enough books to cover our expenses in so short a time!
God has been teaching me a lot through FaithTrip. These past two weeks have been an amazing experience, and I’m sure that God still has much more to teach me!
The Sweetest Gift
Posted by: Christin BangeThe bright sun was just setting over the town of Barstow as Condra and I entered a small watch shop off of Main St. Little did we know of the beautiful experience that awaited us there. The bell jingled merrily announcing our entrance. We were greeted first by an overly rambunctious rat terrier who wasn’t quite sure if our presence there was positive or not. Shiny watches contrasted the brown and somewhat drab exterior of the shop while green house plants held captive in their respective pots tried vainly to brighten the corners.
It was almost closing time however, but we were greeted warmly by a kind old gentlemen who struggled to hear half of what we said. His wife and 40 yr old son soon came to the rescue. Condra and I took turns canvassing the couple. They were having a hard time deciding what to buy. Business was not going well for anyone in the town of Barstow and especially not for them. Money was tight but as they looked longingly at the books they decided on two. Mr. Mathews desperately wanted the cookbook. He loved cooking but knew that what he made was a bit on the unhealthy side. However, they decided on Peace Above the Storm and the Great Controversy. They were so grateful that we had come by and treated us with all the love and care of grandparents. Their son Ken seemed to be interested in the books but hesitant. “What denomination are you a part of?” he asked Condra and I shared that we were SDA Christians. Ken had leukemia and had previously studied with an SDA doctor who died of the same disease. Ken’s heart was open to God; however there was still some walls and confusion. I asked if I could pray for him and he consented. We all gathered around and prayed for Ken and his parents. After the prayer Ken slipped 20 dollars into my hand and quietly asked me to give his dad a Christmas gift. I turned to Mr. Mathews and handed him the cookbook. “Merry Christmas!” I said. He eyes lit up and a big smile came to his wrinkled face. “Really!!” He said. I assured him it was a gift. He was so happy!!
As we left I couldn’t help but feel that the angels had been there with us. That sweet family now had the truth within their possession and I know that our visit had touched both their lives and ours.
